The Net

School of Foundations

Head of School 

 

Welcome to the 2024 school year. I am delighted to be working with the St Luke’s Catholic College community as Head of School K-4. It has been wonderful to engage with the students in their learning spaces, supporting them as they settle in with a new class, new teacher and new routines - all of which are vital foundations for an exciting year of learning and growth. 

 

Across the early weeks of Term 1, the teachers have been spending time getting to know their students and setting high expectations, as well as establishing classroom and playground routines. Our ultimate goal is to build an agile, collaborative classroom where children can develop social and emotional competencies and master rigorous academic content and skill. Devoting time to this during the first few weeks of school helps set our students up for success for the rest of the year.

 

Teachers, students and parents demonstrated admirable resilience in adjusting quickly to a remote learning environment last week. We appreciated the support of our parent community during this challenging time. We are all very happy to be back on site and re-connected with face to face learning.

 

We are committed to continue to build and strengthen positive school-home partnerships. Below you will find information about the learning in each stage. This is a great opportunity for families to have a conversation about the information and pictures shared by the teachers.

 

Thank you for your continued support. It is in partnership that we can achieve great things for our children.

 

Julianne Rook

Head of School K-4

 

Early Stage 1 

 

English 

 

In English this week, students explored letter recognition using concrete materials. They were required to identify the letters on their mats by using alphabet tiles to cover the matching letter. Students had lots of fun working as a team to match the correct letters.

 

 

 

 

Students have been exploring letter names and sounds through a mystery box. They pick out the objects or images starting with the mystery letter and have to guess what the letter might be. 

 

 

 

 

Mathematics 

 

In Maths the students have been working on counting a collection of objects with a one to one correspondence. They are also working on counting one more and one less of their counted collection of objects.

 

 

Religion 

In Religion the students have been introduced to meditation as a form of prayer. They have set up the prayer space.  

 

 

Kindergarten Buddies

Our Year 6 Buddies have been fabulous in welcoming our Kindergarten children into the St Luke’s community. They have greeted our Kindy students first thing in the morning with a smile and kind spirit, assisting them with hanging their school bags upon their bag hooks and settling them for play in Hundred Acre Wood before the commencement of the school day. On Friday afternoons, our Year 6 Buddies have joined our Kindergarten students for some fun-time play; demonstrating ways to share, take turns and enjoy different gross motor activities. We are looking forward to spending more time with our Year 6 Buddies as the year progresses!

 

 

Stage 1

 

A big warm welcome to all our new and returning families for 2024. This year we have moved to grade based learning although we will still be addressing all of Year 1 and Year 2 as a stage. We look forward to sharing the exciting learning opportunities that are taking place in our classrooms and we also look forward to working closely with you to ensure every student is learning everyday. Please ensure you have checked your email for our term overviews that were sent out in week 1. There are many important dates and reminders that you will need to add to your calendars. 

 

For any questions or concerns regarding Year 1 students, please send an email to stlukesyear1parents@parra.catholic.edu.au and any questions or concerns regarding Year 2 students can be sent to stlukesyear2parents@parra.catholic.edu.au . Please include your child’s name and class (Lions or Wizards) in the subject line.

 

English - Wizards

In writing, we are learning to inform others about our school holidays using first person narrative. Through descriptive writing about our holiday experiences, we are fostering a love for language and literature in our young learners.

 

Mathematics - Lions

In Mathematics, we have been learning about how we can represent numbers in different ways through number busting. We can represent numbers in words, number sentences, tally marks, bundles of tens and loose ones, pictures, on a number line and identify one more or one less than a number. We have also started to learn new warm ups for our Maths time. Warm ups are quick, engaging, mental starters to our Mathematics lesson. 

 

 

Religion 

In Religion, we have been learning about how to set up our prayer space and participating in daily meditation. We are revising our regular prayers including morning prayer, eating prayer and afternoon prayer. We have discussed the significance of the Rosary and the main prayers within it including the Hail Mary, Glory Be and Our Father. 

 

 

Personal Development and Health

In PDH, we have been learning about our own personal strengths and areas we would like to improve on. Students have learnt about the elements of success which are confidence, persistence, organisation, getting along and resilience. In the coming weeks students will be learning about what a growth mindset is. 

 

 

 

 

 

Stage 2

 

English - Gringotts 

In Stage 2, students have been practising writing to inform others about themselves. They are tasked with planning their writing by jotting down details like their interests, family, appearance, and other aspects they find intriguing about themselves. They are also learning how to organise their ideas into paragraphs and incorporate elements such as subheadings and titles into their writing structure.

    

 

 

Mathematics Diagons

  • Students in Stage 2 have been learning about our Number Systems. They have completed a range of different activities to develop their understanding of Place Value. 

Religion - Magicians 

  • The students attended the Ash Wednesday Liturgy on February 14th, the school community gathered at 8:45 am, embracing the theme of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Led by student speakers and Deacon Tony, the assembly reflected on the significance of receiving ashes as a symbol of repentance and renewal. Through readings, prayers of intercession, and reflections, attendees were invited to simplify their lives and focus on loving God and neighbour. As ashes were distributed, the students affirmed their faith and commitment to the Lenten journey. The liturgy concluded with a prayer for God's guidance and blessings, empowering attendees to live out their faith in service to others.

 

 

 

 

Other - Hogwarts - Cyber Safety Webinar 

  • Last week, Stage 2 participated in a Cyber Safety Webinar. The students were involved in lots of discussions about how they can be safe online. The webinar looked at online games, online chats and what to do if you feel unsafe. The students then completed their Stage 2 ICT contract to ensure they will be responsible users of their iPad this year. 

 

 

Sport 

For sport we have started exploring different fundamental movement skills. We are also looking at working in a team in different spaces and areas. 

 

 

 

Music 

In our Drama classes, kindergarten have been exploring the world of animals through imaginative play and acting.

Students have been pretending to be a roaring lion, a hopping bunny, or a wiggly worm by using their facial and body expressions. Through these playful activities, students are learning about acting while developing important skills like creativity, communication, and teamwork.