Student Learning

What's been happening in Year 1/2O 

The start of the year has been an absolute joy. The Year 1/2O Class has embraced all the learning opportunities that they have been presented with.

In English students have been looking at persuasive writing. They have been given a wide variety of topics to write about and express their opinions.

In our Christian Education lessons, the Year 1 students have been learning how to become Peacemakers for life, following the Peacewise program. This program allows students to recognise their own responses to conflict and learn the concepts and skills of Biblical peacemaking based on a four-part process of: 

• Putting God first (1 Corinthians 10:31) 
• Owning their part in a conflict (Matthew 7:3 - 5)
• Talking it over with the other person (Galatians 6:1)  
• Making it right between them (Matthew 5:23 - 24). 

In Maths the Year 1 students have been learning about numbers and different strategies on how to add and subtract numbers to 10. They have explored 2D and 3D shapes and classified these shapes using characteristics such as sides, vertices and colour.

In iUnit students have loved learning about the rich and unique culture of Australia, but specifically the city of Adelaide. They have learnt about their local community and why it is a significant place as well as some of the first people to call South Australia home. Our most recent topic is about how technology has changed over the years. This is clearly an area of interest to all the students.

In Art we have had a focus on faces. We began with looking at our value Belong and creating our own portrait of ourselves and with a sneaky little, lift the flap we included things about ourselves that cannot be seen on the outside.

We have explored different artists and created pieces mimicking their style. From Paul Klee with using crepe paper and water, Gustav Klimt with patterning of circles and lines and Pablo Picasso. We have used mixed media to create a portrait with different materials, three dimensional faces with paper and using modelling clay to make a Tiki from New Zealand and Polynesian culture.

Vanessa Olesen & Lisa Newbury

Year 1/2O Class Teachers

FTL Worship

Our Foundation TL class led worship this week and had created an excellent video sharing their understanding of who Jesus is. If you missed it, you can watch it here. Great job Mr Ledson's class!

Seesaw 

Seesaw is an important communication tool used at Pilgrim School. Seesaw allows us to create a digital space for children to record their learning and share this with you. 

Apart from Seesaw posts showing class work, Seesaw is used to post assessed tasks with increasing frequency as the children move through the school to Upper Primary. These tasks inform you about your child’s progress. 

We would love for all our families to be actively engaged with Seesaw. If you are having any difficulty with the platform, please let your child’s class teacher know. Turning on notifications for the app is also recommended. Remember you can encourage your child and their learning by adding comments or emojis to their work. 

Lisa Newbury

Early Years Coordinator, Foundation and Year 1/2 Teacher

Oliphant Science Awards Diary Reminder

Please write a note in your diaries for Monday 12th May. This is the deadline for the return of Entry Forms (and Risk Assessments for models) following payment on the Qkr! app (please indicate this at the top of the Entry Form). 

The sooner I get the forms back, the more time I can spend with those students entering the competition and clarifying questions.

Remember to remind your child to get a form if they need a replacement or have decided to enter - I can hand them out personally during Science lessons on Tuesdays, or they can come to my classroom any day to collect one.

Please contact me at: harrisa@pilgrim.sa.edu.au if you have any queries.

Andrew Harris

Science Teacher

Premier's Reading Challenge 

The Premier's Reading Challenge for 2025 is underway. All Pilgrim students are encouraged to participate in this year’s challenge! 

What do I need to do? 

To complete the Premier’s Reading Challenge students need to read 12 eligible books including e-books, audio books, class or shared reading, non-fiction books, books read as research for assignments or books in another language. Students in Foundation to Year 6 must read 8 books from the Premier’s Reading Challenge Booklist and 4 personal choice books between now and 5th September 2025. 

Every student will need to submit a completed Student Reading Record supplied to your child last week. Spare records are available from Mrs Chesterfield or class teachers. 

Where do I find books from the list? 

For a full list of books or to download a spare student record see Premiers Reading Challenge on Compass (through Information Sent Home, Whole School).

Look for the coloured stickers in the Campus Library or your local public library. 

What if my child is still learning to read? 

Students may read books, listen to audio books or have someone read a book to them. This includes reading books to your child in languages other than English. If you need help completing the form or checking which books are on the list, please see your child’s class teacher. 

This year we are offering a prize to the first class to return all their completed forms. As each child returns their completed student record they will write their name on one of the book spines and add it to the bookshelf display outside Mrs Olesen’s class. It's exciting to see so many students names in this bookshelf.,

Happy reading! 

Yiota Chesterfield 

Premier's Reading Challenge Coordinator 

Learning Assistance Program (LAP) 

The Learning Assistance Program (LAP) is a wonderful way to be involved in the wider community of our school as a volunteer, with a focus on student wellbeing.  Students and volunteer mentors meet at the same time, during one lesson, once a week. They are carefully matched to build upon individual student’s strengths, interests and abilities.

LAP is always one to one, builds self-esteem and confidence, focuses on wellbeing and builds positive relationships.

If you are interested see the LAP website link and contact Pilgrim School Coordinator, Heather Fallon.

Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Visit

Today, our students were thrilled to witness a special helicopter visit to the Campus. The pilot of the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter landed on the bottom oval, giving students an up-close look at the impressive aircraft. The crew engaged with the children, explaining rescue operations and sharing interesting stories. It was an exciting and memorable experience for all!