Learning and Curriculum Primary - Stage 3

Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews  

 We look forward to meeting with you and your son about their learning. Please note class teacher interviews are 10 minutes in duration and due to Mathematics being one subject area, these interviews will be five minutes in duration.

Year 5 Open Classrooms  

The Year 5 Open Classrooms held last week were a huge success. Thank you to the families who were able to join us. As you can see from the below comments from families, it was a great opportunity for all learners to present their work in interesting and creative ways and for families to engage in all the great learning activities that have been taking place.    

 What was so impressive was the showcase brought to life student learning. The students were able to have impromptu conversations with adults that highlighted what they had learnt and the significance of their historical figure. It's these soft skills that are equally as important as the subject material covered.  

Mother of Henry - 5 Blue 

 Wonderful to experience the effort and thought in their presentations. They showed an understanding of this historical period, and the experience was learning for parents as well.  So much learnt about my Australian history: the ‘underdog’, money, gold, guns, families, women’s roles, people, immigration.  Interestingly, much of this is just as relevant today.  A special thank you to the boys! 

Father of Ted - 5 Blue 

  It is truly inspiring to see how much the boys have learnt and also how eagerly and confidently they presented their projects. It was a wonderful atmosphere.  

Mother of Tomo - 5 Gold  

 This was an assignment my son enjoyed participating in. The topic was fun and allowed the opportunity for the boys to elaborate on their interests, probably contributing to their overall commitment to the task. I had a great time visiting the classroom, meeting some new little friends and parents. I look forward to the next display. 

Mother of Christian - 5 Red 

 Thank you so much for organising such a wonderful and engaging historical event for the students. It was clear how much time, effort, and creativity went into making the day so memorable. Well done boys!  

Mother of James - 5 Orange  

 It was such an impressive display by the Year 5 students! Their creativity and effort really showed in their individual projects. It brought me back to the days of Old Sydney Town and helped me reconnect with a big part of Australian history during the Eureka Stockade. The most impressive thing was that each student I spoke to answered every question with detailed replies with sound knowledge of key dates, events, and intricate details about the main characters involved. It shows how much effort they made not just in building their projects with their hands, but also studying and reading about the history involved. Well done Year 5! 

 Father of Julian - 5 Black 

 It was such a joy to see the kids so engaged and genuinely proud of what they’ve been working on. The creativity and effort that went into the displays really stood out—they were thoughtful, vibrant, and full of personality. You could tell how much it meant to the kids to share their work, and it’s such a credit to them and their teachers. A fantastic effort all round!

Mother of Rocco - 5 Gold 

Today was a fantastic experience as a new parent to SPC. The classroom teachers were welcoming, parents supportive and genuinely interested in the work of ALL of the students and the boys were clearly experts in their field. A great morning! Thank you for the opportunity to share this with our boys”.  

Mother of Declan - 5 Green 

 Upon entering the classroom, one could immediately sense the boys’ excitement. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation and enthusiasm. The historical presentations were both lively and creative, clearly reflecting the considerable effort and preparation that had gone into them. Congratulations to all on a job well done”.    

Mother of Marcus - 5 White 

Absolutely blown away by the depth and imagination in each project! The effort you all put into bringing the gold rush and The Big colonial era to life was truly inspiring. Brilliant work, boys — I walked away with a whole new understanding of that fascinating chapter in history! 

Mother of Kabeer Sharma – 5 Black  

 We really enjoyed being invited into class this morning for the History Showcase. The boys’ projects were full of creativity and it was great to see them all so enthusiastic in their storytelling and bringing this part of Australian history to life”.  

Parents of Elliot - 5 Black  

What an amazing display of hard work and effort from all students! I was so intrigued by the displays and costumes that I almost forgot I had to ask questions! Each child had their own take on the different people related to the gold rush in Australia and the kids taught me some great new facts about our own history that I didn’t even know. Well done boys! Very impressive.  

Mother of Jude - 5 Gold

Walking into the classroom and seeing the boys presenting their assessments on the history of the goldfields and colonial times was such a joyful experience - their creativity shone through in the imaginative props, the assortment of foods / treats and the fun engaging quizzes that bough the past to life in such a unique way. Great job boys! 

Mother of Noah - 5 Green 

Thank you for allowing us into the classrooms, it was great to see all the efforts the boys put in. I was also impressed with how some of the boys that we know outside of school, just grew in confidence to present and engage with pride ... "From boys to men- well done teachers!  

Father of Aidan - 5 White  

What an incredible showcase of learning! Your presentations were filled with such depth, creativity, and passion—it’s clear how much effort you all put into your research. Fantastic work, everyone! I loved discovering new insights about the goldfields and colonial history through your projects. You should be so proud! 

Mother of Matthew - 5 White  

The goldfields truly came to life today through engaging and insightful presentations! From Ned Kelly to the hardworking doctors on the goldfields, each topic was brought to life with confidence, creativity, and impressive research. It was a joy to watch the boys share their knowledge. What a memorable learning experience. Well done to all!  

Mother of Jean-Paul - 5 Gold 

The school's classroom open day was really wonderful! The children's creative works were eye-catching, and the interactive sessions were very interesting, fully demonstrating the school's educational achievements! The boys' introduction gave me a new understanding and perspective of Ned Kelly.  

Mother of Vincent - 5 Blue 

I was thrilled to see all the students succeed in their History showcase! Each one put in such effort, and it was especially heartwarming to see my son proudly presenting his work. I am truly grateful, as he accomplished this on his own without any assistance. Although it may be simple and not very colourful, the fact that he took the initiative to complete this project by himself fills me with pride. His sense of accomplishment has really empowered him!  

Mother of Karson - 5 Black  

The kids clearly put a lot of effort, and it really shows in their work and presentations.  It was lovely to interact not only with the students but also with other parents.  The whole experience was so enjoyable and a wonderful opportunity to see the learning and creativity happening in the classroom.  

Mother of Alexander - 5 Green  

 We look forward to welcoming Year 6 families for the Year 6 Open Classrooms on Thursday 18th September (Week 9A, Term 3) Period 1 (8.40am - 9.30am).   

Ethics Olympiad   

Congratulations to the following students who participated in the Ethics Olympiad last week.  

We are extremely pleased with the results, with our Year 6 team placing 6th and the Year 5  team placing 10th. In addition, the Year 5 team received an honorable mention from the judges. Thank you to Ms Viney for her work in preparing the teams for the event.   

Last Wednesday, six boys from both Years 5 and 6 had the privilege of representing SPC in the Ethics Olympiad, an online competition where schools have discussions about ethical dilemmas. We became ‘Eth-letes’ for the day!  We were challenged with ethical issues such as ‘Is it ok to steal?’ and ‘Is it possible for everybody to always do the right thing?’. The questions required us to think outside the box, find out the ‘why’ and consider the different perspectives of dilemmas. 

Our day started with a practice heat which helped us prepare for the upcoming rounds, get used to the flow of the day and see where we could improve. At this point we were feeling confident in our abilities and excited for what was to come. 

In the following heats, we took all the judge’s feedback and utilised it to the best of our ability. We took every chance we had to talk, using it to discuss ideas, opinions and what we should say.  We had very interesting and thought-provoking conversations about how we might prioritise community values versus personal values, and the different ways we treat animals. Perhaps our most interesting case was Video Game Cheating where we had to decide whether it was ethically different to cheat in single-player games as opposed to multi-player games.  We finished the day proud of our performance. 

The Ethics Olympiad was an exhilarating experience, and we learned much from our interaction with other schools. We competed against schools from Western and South Australia, NSW, New Zealand and Hong Kong.  Our Year 6 team placed 6th and our Year 5 team placed 10th, with an Honourable Mention from the judges!  We learned many things applicable to our everyday lives. We learned how to apply the ethical theories of Consequentialism (when you make a decision based on what you expect the outcome to be) and Utilitarianism. This is when you approach a decision based on what will bring the greatest good for the greatest number of people. 

Together, we would like to thank Miss. Viney for organising the day and taking the time to coach and prepare us for the Ethics Olympiad. Thank you, Miss. Viney! 

Alex Madejski and Zubin D'Costa

Year 6 students

Year 6 Academic Commendation Certificates   

 Congratulations to the following Year 6 students who were presented with a ‘Blue Cap Award’ or a class-based Academic Commendation Certificate/s at their Year Meeting last week.   

Winner of the Write On competition  

Congratulations to Vincent Yu (Year 5) whose submission was selected as the SPC entry for the WriteOn 2025 competition. Special mention to the following students whose submissions were also of a high quality;  

• Nicolae Ionita  

• Edward Wilson  

• Andrew Gu  

 Please enjoy Vincent’s entry, ‘The Secret Door’.  

 Leo stacked the last chair in the classroom, something caught his eye. Behind the storage cabinet, there was a tiny crack in the wall. He had never noticed it before. Curious, he ran his finger along the edge. The crack was more than a scratch—there was something else to it. With a soft click, the wall shifted slightly and dust fell from the edge—a hidden door. His heart was pounding. The classroom was now empty, with only the faint echo of students shouting outside.   

Curious, he pushed it open and the door creaked open, revealing a narrow staircase that spiralled down and disappeared into the darkness. Leo took a deep breath and took a step forward, brushing his fingers against the cold stone wall as he walked down. The air smelled ancient, like dust and damp earth. His footsteps echoed as he moved, and the stairs snaked down further than he had expected. Then, behind him, the door suddenly slammed shut without warning.   

Daniel Fields                                                                   Sarah Tatola                                               

Head of Curriculum (Stage 3)                                Head of Teaching and Learning (Stage 3)