Senior School News
Can you believe we're already halfway through Term 4? Our time with our grade 6 students is coming to an end, and our grade 5 students are gearing up to step into some big shoes!
Mathematics: So far this term, our grade 5s and 6s have accomplished a great deal in Mathematics. We completed our first unit. on Measurement, applying our knowledge and skills into real world problems. Then we've delved into the world of fractions and decimals. Our 6th-grade students put their knowledge to the test by tackling various challenging online escape rooms, while our 5th graders fine tuned their understanding and fluency skills. Our next unit will focus on probability and data, where we'll explore graphs and how to interpret them.
English: In the realm of English, our regular program continues to thrive. We cover spelling mastery, writing syntax, morphology, comprehension, and fluency. We're constantly fine-tuning the sequence to optimise our students' learning experience. In our grade 6 classes, we've introduced a new addition – a Monday hour dedicated to exploring different genres of writing each week. Students then apply this knowledge to create written pieces for their memory books (for more details on memory books, see the "extras" section below).
Topic: Both our Grade 5s and 6s have been immersed in a geography unit focused on exploring the diversity across Asia. They've examined the geographical features of Asia, gained insights into everyday life in Asian countries, and studied how flags are designed to represent each nation. In the coming weeks, both year levels will shift their focus to learning about the United Nations and its global impact.
Community Engagement:
Sacred Heart Sleepout 2023
Earlier this term, our grade 6 students successfully participated in the 2023 Sacred Heart Sleepout. Prior to the night the students planned, prepared and ran a fundraising stalls day for the school where they sold goods and provided games. Then later that day, they engaged in a night of educational activities right here at school on the evening of October 5th and were all set to sleep out on our school oval. However, due to unexpected rain, we had to relocate to the hall with the roller door open. Despite the change in plans, our students had a powerful experience and managed to raise an impressive $3,584.85! They should feel extremely proud of their remarkable fundraising efforts!
Grade 5 Fernhill Visits:
Our Grade 5 students have remained dedicated to their community engagement efforts, making weekly visits to Fernhill Nursing Home every Wednesday. During these visits, they actively participate in intergenerational discussions, share their passion for music and songs, and enjoy games with the elderly care residents.
Leaders: It has been great seeing our grade 6 leaders getting into junior classes to run lessons. Most recently we have had a handful of students helping prepare our grade 3 students for their first camp by running coping strategies lessons and sharing their own camp experiences. They have also taken ownership during buddy time, running activities and sharing picture story books with their Grade 1 buddies.
Extras: This week has been particularly busy for our senior students as we've kicked off our formal end-of-year testing period. Our students have demonstrated remarkable endurance during tests covering all areas of Mathematics and English – they deserve commendation for their efforts.
Our Grade 5s have begun their leadership program, preparing to take on the role of Sacred Heart’s School Leaders for the next year. Next year, the captain roles will look a bit different. We plan to elect 4 school captains, and all remaining 5th graders will be placed in a leadership team for the upcoming year. These Leadership teams will work together, taking an active role in their area of leadership to generate a positive impact on the school. Our elected School Captains will oversee these teams as well as assist the SRC. We're excited to see our Grade 5s rise to this exciting new challenge.
Our Grade 6s have started preparing for the conclusion of their primary school journey. To mark this occasion, they are each creating a memory book, reflecting on their primary school years. We encourage our Grade 6s to bring in any photos from these years that they'd like to include in their memory book. They're also collaborating on a Yearbook, a professionally printed book distributed at graduation. Each student digitally creates a profile page for this book, which can include photos from throughout their primary school years. These photos can be of anything they like, from professional school photos to weekends with friends and casual school snapshots.
Lastly, all Grade 6s are required to provide a copy of their professional prep school photo and year 6 photo to their classroom teacher, either in digital or hard copy format, for use during Graduation night.
We hope you all enjoy the upcoming long weekend, and we're looking forward to the final half of term 4!
Until next time,
Jayne Mckay
Senior Leader