3/4 News

Welcome back

It's so hard to believe that this year is flying by, and so quickly too. Please be mindful that we still have lots to do and that with all the activities and tasks the children may be getting tired. A good night's sleep and time away from screens is as essential as healthy lunches and snacks, fresh air and excercise. 

Reminders

We usually leave reminders for the end but I am including them here this time

*IPADS: must be at school every day, fully charged and ready to use. It is very frustrating to attempt tasks and either their ipad is flat or left at home; especially during this next phase of projects and assessments. Sending a charging cable is not ideal as then they have to sit awkwardly near a powerpoint and this is not a good solution.

*HEADPHONES: we use headphones at some stage everyday, whether it is to listen to a text for tasks or to have questions read aloud in testing. Please check with your child that theirs is working and if not, please send a new set to school, clearly labelled with their name.

*TEXTAS/PENCILS: as the year has progressed some children have lost/broken their school supplied textas and pencils. Please also check with your child that they have a pencil case and sufficient supplies to complete their work.

*HOMEWORK: Please ensure that best efforts are being presented and that tasks are not rushed. Homework at this level is about developing good study habits and routines. Reading is also non-nogotiable, it is expected they read every night and that they record the book title and pages read in their diary. Diaries are due in every Friday when teachers will check that diary tasks are completed and reading has been recorded. It is also important that parents check and sign the diary.

Day for Daniel

We had an amazing time on Monday with our Day for Daniel lessons. It was great to hear the children discussing their bodies warning signs whenthings don't feel right. we discussed it is not about "stranger danger"  but about recognising that some situations make us feel "wierd". This is our bodies way of saying 'hang-on, think about it and act'. We also discussed again our FIVE! These are the people we can turn to and go to for for help or advice. 

These are conversations we need to continuously have, especially as the children become more independent and we allow them greater freedom.

Reading and Writing

We have begun our new novel for the term and are enjoying ‘The One and Only Ivan’, this ties in with both our upcoming Zoo Camps and with our Inquiry topic “what is enough?”

What is enough space, enough freedom, enough love, enough food... ?

We have been developing our persuasive writing techniques again and are moving into procedural writing. Our grammar focus is 'modal verbs', enhancing our techniques to persuade; they are an auxiliary verb that expresses necessity or possibility.  The children have been using them to discuss and convince people of their opinions on various topics. 

Maths

The children worked well on developing their ability to convert units of time and to express their understanding of elapsed time. We also managed to revisit reading a clock and would encourage you to have analogue clocks in the home and to incidentally encourage using them in daily practice. 

Our new topic is Chance and Probability, we will be describing possible everyday events and ordering their chances of occurring.  We will also be identifying everyday events where one cannot happen if the other happens or where the chance of one, will not be affected by the occurrence of the other. Sounds confusing doesn’t it? Wait until they come home and explain it all with examples. You’ll be amazed at their brilliance.

Religion

What is enough?

As you will have read in Mr Collis’ report. The children have been exploring the concept of ‘enough’.from a sustanabilty perpective and in what our role as stewards of this beautiful planet.  We have been astounded inwith their understanding and the complexity of their responses. Pope Francis’ Laudato Si has been a fabulous resource and we have been discussing what his message is and what we can do to help. 

Inquiry

Next week will move on from our general research of the geographic elements of our states/territories and capital cities; we begin our mini Geography project; planning a rail journey to a state in Australia and investigating capital cities, major towns, landmarks, terrain, climate and other pieces of interesting facts and details.

As you can see we have been, and continue to be, very busy and the term has barely started…

Swimming Program

The children have been absolutely amazing, the instructors have been extremely complimentary about their behaviour, their attitude and their development over the eight days. We want to thank you for all your support, for having bathers, towels, thongs/slides, caps, extra snacks at school everyday. This has been a great program overall and we are thrilled with how smoothly it has run.

Zoo Camp

Next week we will send home information regarding the upcoming camps. There will be an Operoo permission form to complete and a packing list as well as a presentation with all you will need to know. The children will be given the opportunity to nominate the people they would like to share a tent with and the teachers will take these into consideration when making groups. We are very excited about camp and look forward to having a wonderful time. 

Classes 2023 

As you know we will be having straight classes next year, please be assured we will give every thought and consideration to groupings and each child's needs; academically, socially and emotionally. Forming class groupings is something we take very seriously so we can get the best mix of friendship groups, gender balance, academic needs, amongst other things, to get the balance as good as we can. It is a delicate balancing act and we are very experienced at it.

Well that’s all from me for now,

from Joanne Collins on behalf of the 3/4 Team

Tiffany Levy         tlevy@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au

Matilda Tench    mtench@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au

Joanne Collins    jcollins@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au

Jacque Murphy   jmurphy@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au