Learning & Teaching 

LEARNING & TEACHING NEWS- Vira Pirrotta

LITERACY NEWS- Bernadette Parnis

It’s Book Week! An exciting week lies ahead. 

What’s happening this week?

• Author Visit - Sofie Laguna will be visiting St Fidelis on Tuesday, the 20th. We have scheduled special sessions for our students to meet her and gain inspiration from her experiences as an author. This is a fantastic opportunity for them to learn directly from Sofie and hear about her journey in writing. 

• St Fidelis Book Fair Week - What is a Book Fair? The Book Fair will be held in the St Fidelis' School Hall from Wednesday, August 21st to Monday, August 26th. On Wednesday, students will have the opportunity to browse the Fair with their classes and create a wishlist, which they will bring home. Purchases can be made online based on this wishlist.The Fair will be open daily from 8:30 am to 8:50 am and from 3:30 pm to 3:45 pm. We encourage card payments as change may be limited. For added convenience, we offer Scholastic Book Fair Tap & Go for iPhone users, allowing payments with major credit and debit cards via physical cards or digital wallets such as Google Pay or Apple Pay. Alternatively, you can use the QR code on the Book Fair Flyer that your child brought home to make your payment. Simply go to scholastic.com.au/payment and enter our Fair number is 7040022.
• Book week Dress Up Day with a parade - Friday, 23 August at 9am in St Fidelis' School Hall. I will also announce the winning books in each category as judged by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. This year it’s hard to find a favourite with so many great stories.

What’s been happening in Literacy at St Fidelis?

Over the past few weeks, students have had the pleasure of exploring the shortlisted books and the works of Sofie Laguna during their Literacy lessons. They’ve been discussing their favourite books and the reasons behind their preferences.

This week, students will continue engaging with reading in a variety of ways. Foundation students will focus on identifying the author's purpose, recognizing different text types, making predictions, and connecting characters to their own experiences. Year 1/2 students will write a book report and create a narrative based on their reading. Meanwhile, Years 3/4 and 5/6 will be writing detailed book reviews.

See you during the week at the Book Fair and on Friday morning for the Book Week Parade. 

Bernadette Parnis

bparnis@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au 

NUMERACY NEWS - Colleen Monaghan

As part of the Victorian Curriculum, students are introduced to division as a key mathematical concept from an early stage. Mastering division is essential for your child’s progress in mathematics, as it forms the foundation for more advanced topics like fractions, ratios, and problem-solving.

What Your Child is Learning:

Early Years (Foundation to Year 2): At this stage, students are introduced to the idea of sharing equally. They might divide objects into equal groups or use simple sharing problems to understand the concept of division. Students are given 12 or other small objects, and ask them to share 12 toys between 3 friends. How many will they each get?Possible questions include: 

Can you arrange the toys/counters into equal rows? 

How many different ways can you arrange the toys/counters into equal rows? 

Students record and share their solutions. 

This activity could be repeated with smaller or larger collections of objects.

Middle Years (Year 3 to Year 4): Students begin to explore division more formally, using terms like "quotient" and "remainder." They learn to divide numbers using strategies such as repeated subtraction, equal groups, and simple division facts related to multiplication  - advanced strategies - 

halving and halving, e.g. 18 ÷ 6 = 9 ÷ 3  

Dividing by 4, 8, 16, ...  Because 4 = 2 × 2 and 8 = 2 × 2 × 2, we can divide by 4 and 8, and by all powers of 2, by successive halving.   

To divide by 4, halve and halve again.  

To divide by 8, halve, halve, and halve again.  

For  example, to divide 628 by 4,  628 ÷ 4 = (628 ÷ 2) ÷ 2 = 314 ÷ 2 = 157

Chunking, e.g. 44 ÷ 2 = 40 ÷ 2 and 4 ÷ 2. 

• To pack 96 apples into boxes, each holding 8 apples, we could do it in two stages. First pack apples into 10 boxes, then pack the remaining 16 apples into 2 boxes 
• (80 + 16) ÷ 8 = 80 ÷ 8 + 16 ÷ 8; so 96 ÷ 8 = 12
• halving and halving, e.g. 18 ÷ 6 = 9 ÷

Upper Years (Year 5 to Year 6): Division becomes more complex as students work with larger numbers, decimals, and word problems. They use efficient written methods like long division and explore the relationship between division, fractions, and percentages.

Division by 5, 25, 125, ... 

Because 5 = 10 ÷ 2, and 25 = 100 ÷ 4, there is a very effective way to divide by 5 and 25 and all powers of 5. 

To divide by 5, divide by 10 and then double. 

To divide by 25, divide by 100 and then double and double again. 

Decimals are best used for the working. For example, to divide 245 and 382 by 5, 245 ÷ 5 = (245 ÷ 10) × 2 = 24.5 × 2 = 49

382 ÷ 5 = (382 ÷ 10) × 2 = 38.2 × 2 = 76.4

Before children are taught any formal recordings using the standard algorithm for division they need plenty of familiarity with tables and number patterns in them as well as practice with mental strategies such as chunking, doubling and halving.

How You Can Support Your Child:

• Practice Division Facts: Just as knowing multiplication tables is crucial, being fluent in division facts helps your child solve problems more quickly. Practice division facts regularly through fun quizzes or games.
• Use Real-Life Examples: Incorporate division into everyday activities. For example, you could ask your child to divide items into equal portions when cooking or to share out toys or snacks equally among family members.
• Talk About Division: Encourage discussions about division and problem-solving. Ask questions like, “If we have 24 apples and 4 people, how many apples does each person get?” This helps reinforce the concept in a practical context.
• Celebrate Effort: Division can be challenging, so celebrate your child’s efforts and progress, no matter how small. Positive reinforcement builds confidence and encourages a love of learning.

Together, we can support your child’s growth and help them achieve their best. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Colleen Monaghan 

Maths Leader