Classroom News
PREP
We have been busy preparing for tomorrow's Prep Prayer Gathering and are very excited to show you how confidently we can speak in front of a large audience. The Prayer Gathering begins at 9:00am; however, we ask that children arrive at school by 8:45am so we can get organised and walk to the Church before the bell. We are also looking forward to welcoming our special people back into the classroom after the Church to see the amazing "Places" we have created. We are very proud of our creations and can't wait to share them with you.
Next week, we will begin Stage 4+ of Little Learners Love Literacy. In this stage, we will be learning the double-letter spellings ll, zz, ff and ss, as well as exploring morphology by learning how adding s and es can change words to show more than one. Please see your child's Home Learning Book for the chants and Heart Words for this stage. We are excited to continue building our reading and writing skills as we move into Semester 2.
A reminder that if you haven't already done so, please book your Learning Conversation through PAM. This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to showcase the achievements they have made so far this year and share their learning journey with you.
We look forward to celebrating their growth and successes together.
Don’t forget the important date of Thursday, 25th June, as we will be celebrating Milo's Birthday Party! This will involve dressing up as a character from Little Learners Love Literacy, as well as enjoying some party games and special birthday treats. Please reach out if you require any assistance with organising a costume. We can't wait to celebrate!
Dates:
23rd June - Learning Conversations
24th June - Learning Conversations
25th June - Milo’s Birthday Party
26th June - St Mary’s Got Talent and End of Term 2 - early finish of 215pm
Elissa Rodger erodger@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Emma Roberts eroberts@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Liza Alexander lalexander@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 1
What a busy and exciting couple of weeks we have had in Grade One!
A major highlight has definitely been our excursion to Scienceworks. The students were outstanding as they explored the many hands-on experiences throughout Think Ahead, Beyond Perception, Sportsworks and the Lightning Theatre. This experience linked beautifully to our Inquiry topic on weather, as students were able to explore how science helps us understand the world around us, including weather patterns. Back at school, students enjoyed reflecting on the excursion through writing and drawing activities. To celebrate all of our hard work this term, we also enjoyed watching Fantastic Mr Fox, the novel we have been studying together throughout the term.
In Literacy, we have completed our learning of the /air/ sound as in airy fairy fair. Over the next couple of weeks, students will be revising the sounds and concepts we have covered this term as we begin wrapping up our learning for Semester One.
In Maths, students have worked brilliantly to complete our second unit on addition and subtraction. We are now beginning our new unit on shape, where students will explore and describe 2D objects in everyday life.
For Friday Favourites this week, both Crocodiles and Koalas will be presenting their favourite board game. Students are welcome to bring in a board game from home, as they will have time to play and share with their peers throughout the session.
Leah Martin lmartin@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Abbey Hayes ahayes@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 2
This fortnight in Literacy, we have continued developing our information text writing skills. Students have been working hard to organise facts into clear sections and are learning the importance of editing their work to improve spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they revise and refine their writing.
In Numeracy, we are wrapping up our learning on addition and subtraction strategies. Students have explored a variety of methods to solve problems efficiently and explain their mathematical thinking. Over the coming weeks, we will begin our new unit on informal measurement, where students will compare, estimate, and measure length, mass, and capacity using everyday objects.
Our Inquiry unit on continents and Australia's place in the world is drawing to a close. Students have enjoyed learning about the seven continents, locating countries and oceans, and developing their understanding of Australia's connections to the wider world.
They have demonstrated great curiosity and enthusiasm throughout this topic.
In Religion, we are continuing our learning about Love and exploring how we can show love, kindness, and compassion in our daily lives.
A reminder to please continue practising your child's counting goals at home so they are ready to be assessed at school. We also ask families to please refrain from allowing toys to come to school, as they can be a distraction during learning time, and cause some issues in the playground.
Grade 2 team.
Matt O'Dowd modowd@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Deb Holland dholland@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 3
It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the school year, with only two weeks remaining of Term 2. The year is certainly flying by, and we still have plenty of exciting learning and experiences ahead of us before the holidays.
In Literacy, we are continuing our exploration of ‘Off We Go Around Australia’. This engaging text has allowed us to learn about the diverse landscapes and environments found across our country. In Week 10, we will be travelling to Red Rock to view and explore different Australian landscapes firsthand. This excursion will link directly to our Literacy learning and help bring our understanding of the text to life.
In Numeracy, we are continuing to build our understanding of addition and subtraction strategies. We have also introduced a new reward system involving money, where students can trade different combinations of coins to match a given value. This has been a fun and practical way to strengthen our understanding of money and number concepts.
A friendly reminder that Learning Conversations are coming up soon. We encourage all families to book a time to meet. These conversations provide a valuable opportunity to check in on your child’s progress and celebrate their achievements. More importantly, they give students the chance to showcase their learning and share the wonderful work they have been doing throughout the semester.
We are looking forward to a busy and rewarding finish to Term 2.
Matt Absalom mabsalom@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 4
It is hard to believe there are only two weeks remaining in Term 2. Students have been busy completing assessment tasks, and we are very proud of the growth, effort and achievements they have demonstrated throughout the semester. If you have not already done so, please book a Learning Conversation. We look forward to sharing and celebrating your child's learning with you.
In Humanities, students have been learning about the impact of European settlement on Aboriginal peoples and how Aboriginal culture continues to thrive today. Students have also begun working on their assessment task.
In Mathematics, students have been focusing on addition and subtraction strategies. We have been building confidence in solving problems using efficient mental and written methods, while continuing to develop accuracy and fluency with number facts.
Students in Year 4AD/PP have begun preparing for our Prayer Gathering. We look forward to welcoming all Year 4 families to the church on Friday 19th June as students share their learning and help lead this special event.
Paula Parish pparish@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Amanda Delorenzo mdelorenzo@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Rebecca Gallagher rgallagher@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 5
It is getting to the pointy end of the term and all our Grade 5 students are working incredibly hard as we are working through various assessments, testing etc that is required for reporting and Learning Conversations. Students have all shown tremendous growth this semester in their own unique way whether that is academically, socially, organisationally, improvements in their work ethic or engagement etc. All students should be incredibly proud of all that they have achieved this semester at school.
In Literacy, we are wrapping up our novel ‘The Night They Stormed Eureka’ by Jackie French and students are putting together their ‘One Pager’ assessment that outlines some of the key vocabulary, themes, connections etc that they have discovered from reading the book. We have also finished writing our information reports on the Victorian Goldrush and we are now beginning oral presentations where students can pick a topic that is either to persuade, entertain or inform. They may bring these home to practise at some stage.
In Numeracy, students have just completed their learning on angles and have some time and probability Maths learning to finish with and round out the semester.
Students are busily completing their assessments for R.E. and Inquiry; designing their own church based on the heritage work we have been learning and presenting the good copy of their History Inquiry which includes making an artefact.
Next Friday morning, the 19th of June, we invite all parents/families to come and see some of the student’s hard work in an open classroom morning from 9:45 - 10:30am. The children are looking forward to sharing all of their amazing work with their families.
Rachel Downard rdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Rachael Cahill rcahill@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 6
A huge congratulations to Maegen and Jodie's class, who did a beautiful job leading us in prayer at last week's Prayer Gathering. Thank you also to all the parents and family members who came along to support the students. It was wonderful to see such a strong turnout from our school community.
In Literacy, students are in the final stages of publishing their historical narratives. They have been working hard to edit, revise, and "uplevel" their writing by adding detail, improving sentence structure, and ensuring their work is polished and engaging.
In Numeracy, we have been exploring probability through a range of hands-on and interactive learning experiences. Students have enjoyed investigating chance and outcomes, and we have now begun our new unit on time.
In Humanities, our suitcases are coming together beautifully. Students have shown great creativity as they design and construct suitcases that reflect the personalities, experiences, and belongings of the characters featured in their historical narratives.
In Religion, students have begun their assessment task and are currently designing their own sacred spaces. They are drawing on features of both pre- and post-Vatican II church design to inform their decisions and demonstrate their understanding of sacred spaces within the Catholic tradition.
We have a busy and exciting few weeks ahead. On Monday 15th June, the boys will be participating in netball while the girls will be competing in football. Following this, our girls' netball team will travel to Ballarat on Friday the 19th to compete in the Regional SSV Lightning Premiership. We are also looking forward to meeting with families during Learning Conversations and celebrating the wonderful progress students have made throughout the semester.
Jess Downard jdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Jodie Hassett jhassett@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Maegen Potter mpotter@smcolac.catholic.edu.au