Classroom News
PREP
Welcome back to Term 2! We’ve jumped straight back into our learning, and the students have settled in beautifully.
In Literacy, we have begun our Stage 3 sounds and have already been introduced to ‘y’, ‘r’ and ‘e’. Next week, we will be learning ‘qu’ and ‘z’.
We ask that you please continue supporting your child at home by practising their Stage 3 Green Heart Words. This ongoing practice makes a big difference in building confidence and fluency.
Next Monday 4th May, please have your child bring in their Home Learning Book, as we will be adding the Stage 4 sounds and Heart Words to this. With our Counting Goals – we won’t have the opportunity to check off counting goals on Monday, so if you are confident your child can achieve their current goal, please move them on to the next one. We will revisit and check in on these over the coming weeks
A special date for your calendar this term is our Prep Prayer Gathering, which will be held on Friday 12th June in our St Mary’s church. Our theme is Creation, where we will be exploring all the things God has created and reflecting on how thankful we are for them. Each child will have a reading part, which will be pasted into their Home Learning Book next Monday so you can begin practising at home. There are some tricky words, so becoming familiar with the reading and learning this off by heart, will be very helpful. As part of this day, there will be an opportunity to visit our Prep classroom either before school or at the conclusion of the Prayer Gathering to view a special creation your child has made.
In Maths, we are focusing on addition. We have been learning to count on from the larger number and are exploring doubles. Next week, we will begin using a number line to help us work out how many we have altogether.
It will certainly be a busy term, and we’re excited to see all of our students continue to learn and grow.
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 brilliant start we have had in Grade 1 for Term 2! Students have settled back into school routines wonderfully and are doing a fantastic job remembering and following our classroom expectations.
We have begun exploring our new topic, Weather and Places Around Us, with students enjoying learning about different weather symbols and what they represent. It has been exciting to see their curiosity and enthusiasm as they share their own experiences of weather.
This curiosity is also reflected in Numeracy, where students are doing an amazing job developing their understanding of place value. They have been working confidently with tens and ones and have loved using their new arrow card resources.
In Literacy, students are building their knowledge of prefixes and suffixes while also learning the new /ar/ sound as in art and party, showing great engagement in their reading and word work.
In Religion we have been focusing on love, with students thoughtfully exploring what makes them feel loved.
We are looking forward to an exciting and productive term ahead!
Leah Martin lmartin@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Abbey Hayes ahayes@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 2
Welcome back to all students and families! We’ve had a fantastic start to Term 2 and trust everyone enjoyed a restful and enjoyable Term 1 holiday break. It has been wonderful to see students returning refreshed, engaged, and ready to learn.
In Literacy, students have been continuing to learn about and use the seven conjunctions in their writing to create “super sentences.” It has been exciting to see their confidence grow as they link ideas together more effectively. Students have also been exploring how different morphemes, including ‘ed’, ‘pre’, ‘re’, and ‘un’, can change the meaning of words, helping to build their vocabulary and deepen their understanding of language.
In Numeracy, students are finishing their current unit on Place Value. It has been very pleasing to see them confidently modelling and expanding three-digit numbers. Next week, we will begin our new unit on 2D shapes, which will involve lots of hands-on learning, discussion, and exploration of shapes in the world around us.
Our Term 2 unit in R.E is “Love.” Students have been exploring what love means and the different types of love, including love for friends, family, pets, and God’s creation. They have also been discussing how we show love in our daily lives and why it is so important for people to feel loved and valued.
In Humanities, students have begun their Geography unit. They recently learned about their “Intergalactic Address” and had great fun identifying our place within the solar system. In the coming weeks, they will be learning about hemispheres, continents, and oceans on Earth.
In Health, students have been focusing on emotional literacy. They have been learning how to identify and express different emotions, what these emotions might look like (they especially loved playing emotion statues!), and what might trigger certain feelings. This learning supports the development of self-regulation, empathy, and positive social skills both at school and in the wider community.
Other News
- P.E. will take place tomorrow (Friday 1st) with Andre.
- Please remember to pack Library bags and blue reader folders on Tuesday nights for borrowing and reader changeover on Wednesday afternoons.
- Our Book Fair will be held in the Library on Thursday 7th May.
Do It For Dolly Day will take place on Thursday 14th May. Students are encouraged to wear a touch of blue and bring a gold coin donation to support this important cause.
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to another wonderful term of learning ahead!
Matt O'Dowd modowd@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Deb Holland dholland@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 3
We are currently settling back into the rhythm of school as Term 2 has begun. Welcome back! We hope you all had a fantastic break and enjoyed your Easter celebrations.
We are so proud of our first Prayer Gathering for the year, which was held last week. It was a beautiful and respectful way to come together and pay tribute to ANZAC Day in a meaningful and prayerful way. Thank you to all families for supporting practice at home with reading parts, and to those who were able to attend and share in the gathering. We were incredibly proud of all of our Year 3 students.
In Numeracy, we are focusing on place value, specifically renaming numbers. Students are building their understanding of how numbers can be represented in different ways and are developing their confidence when working flexibly with place value.
In Literacy, we continue reading our class novel study, Matilda, which is supporting our current focus on persuasive writing. Students are beginning to explore how authors use language to influence and engage their audience.
In Religion, we are exploring the concept of unity. We have been discussing how communities come together in times of need, using the recent bushfires as an example, and connecting this understanding through a religious lens.
We are looking forward to another wonderful term of learning ahead.
Matt Absalom mabsalom@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 4
Welcome back after the Easter break. We hope you all had a wonderful time with your families. We began the term by coming together as a whole school in the church to celebrate the risen Christ and the hope of the Easter season.
As part of our return to school, the Year 3 and 4 students took part in an Alleluia lesson. They reflected on the meaning of Alleluia and what it represents, including joy, hope, love, and new life. Students completed the sentence “I say Alleluia because…” and created a drawing to show their understanding of Easter. A group of students then shared their reflections at assembly, with the whole group responding “Alleluia,” celebrating this message of hope and unity together.
In Literacy this term, students will read and respond to Uncle Xbox, a story that explores family, culture, and connection. They will build skills in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, while also developing their writing through reflections and structured responses.
In Numeracy, students will begin the term focusing on place value, counting, and number patterns. They will develop confidence working with larger numbers, recognising patterns, and explaining their thinking.
In Religious Education, students will explore the theme of Unity. They will learn how people come together in faith through stories such as the Walk to Emmaus and Pentecost, and how the Holy Spirit helps people grow in faith and community.
In History, students will learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with a focus on the local Gulidjan Country. They will explore the importance of Country, how people care for land, water, animals, and community, and the role of the Dreaming in shaping culture and beliefs.
As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to discuss your child’s learning. We value working in partnership with you and look forward to a positive and productive term ahead.
Paula Parish pparish@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Amanda Delorenzo mdelorenzo@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Rebecca Gallagher rgallagher@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 5
What a fantastic first two weeks back at school we have had!
In Numeracy, we began the term exploring 3D shapes and their nets. Students enjoyed creating their own nets and folding them into shapes, these hands-on tasks were a real highlight. This week, we have started our fractions unit, focusing on converting between mixed numerals and improper fractions and making important connections between the two.
In Literacy, students have made a strong start, with note-taking strategies now in full swing; an important skill for their learning. They have been applying these skills while learning about the Gold Rush period in Australia. We have also begun our new class novel, ‘The Night They Stormed Eureka’, which has already sparked great interest.
In Humanities, our focus this term is History, building on students’ understanding of Australia’s past. We have an upcoming excursion to Sovereign Hill on the 28th of May which is exciting, so please keep an eye out on PAM for this permission form. In Health (RRRR), we have begun learning about reading body language and understanding non-verbal communication.
In Religious Education, we are focusing on Heritage. Students have explored Australian heritage, including the impact of the First World War and commemorating ANZAC Day, and are now making connections to our own school by investigating foundation stones and their significance. Next week we are going out to St. Brendans to have a look inside the church building and investigate how and why churches were built and constructed the way they were in the past. We are going to also have lunch and a play with the St. Brendan’s students while we are out there. Please keep an eye for the PAM permission form for this today or tomorrow.
A reminder that students are encouraged to bring their homework and diaries to school each Friday. Developing this routine is a great way to build organisation skills and independence, and helps prepare students for the expectations of high school.
A big congratulations to all students for their efforts in the Cross Country trials, well done to everyone who participated.
Rachel Downard rdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Rachael Cahill rcahill@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 6
Grade 6 is back and better than ever!
The students have come into Term 2 ready to go and are motivated and engaged in our learning so far.
We kicked off the term looking at 3D objects and their cross-sections in Mathematics last week before splitting into some fluid groupings this week to really target needs while we learn about fractions over the coming weeks.
In Literacy, we will be looking at historical narratives this term and have started exploring My Place as our first text. This week, we focused on point of view and how these texts are often written in first person to help us connect with the characters. Next week, we will recap our use of tenses and how this will look in our writing. This works alongside our Humanities unit of History, where we will be looking at the history of migration to Australia in the 20th century.
In Religion, we are looking at Heritage this term. We started this by linking ANZAC Day to Australia’s heritage, and this week students participated in a scavenger hunt around our school to identify the foundation stones on all our buildings.
In Health, we have been identifying and recognising emotions and whether these emotions feel positive, negative or mixed in our bodies. This led to interesting discussion around people feeling emotions differently and how that can also be represented differently for each person. We have been reflecting on how building this knowledge and understanding can support us to not only seek help from others but also become better at supporting those around us.
Jess Downard jdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Jodie Hassett jhassett@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Maegen Potter mpotter@smcolac.catholic.edu.au