School of Foundations
The Next Generation of Leaders at St Luke’s
It has been a few weeks since we last shared information about our renewed Student Leadership Structure and the exciting opportunity for our current Year 3 students to apply for one of the 2026 Portfolio Leadership Roles. As a reminder, students were invited to express their interest, supported by our newly appointed Year 12 2026 Student Leaders, who modelled leadership qualities and guided them through the reflective process of preparing their applications. This included drafting persuasive texts outlining why they believe they would make meaningful contributions within their chosen portfolio.
We are now entering the next stage of the journey: reading and discerning the applications submitted by our aspiring young leaders. It is a privilege to witness the thoughtfulness, enthusiasm, and strong sense of character expressed in their writing. Many students have articulated a genuine desire to serve others, care for our school environment, and embody the values that make St Luke’s such a special community.
In the coming weeks, we will continue this careful discernment process before announcing the successful applicants at our Year 4 Graduation, where Stage 2 families are warmly invited to join us. We look forward to celebrating the leadership potential of all our students and the bright future they will help shape at St Luke’s.
Kindergarten 2026 Orientation – A Joyful First Step into Big School
Last Thursday, 13 November, we welcomed our newest members of the St Luke’s community at our first Kindergarten Orientation for 2026 — and what a wonderful morning it was!
The excitement was felt from the moment families arrived. Our soon-to-be Kindergarten students approached the day with curiosity, enthusiasm, and plenty of smiles, while parents shared in the joy of watching their children take this important first step into their schooling journey.
A highlight of the morning was the beautiful support offered by our Year 5 Buddies. They greeted our new Kindy students with warmth and confidence, guiding them through activities that helped familiarise them with their new learning spaces. Their gentle encouragement created a sense of comfort and belonging that set the tone for a positive transition.
Our Kindergarten teachers also loved the opportunity to meet the children and begin forming those early connections that are so important in building trust, confidence, and excitement for the year ahead.
We look forward to continuing this journey with you at our next Orientation session and can’t wait to watch these young learners flourish as they prepare for 2026.
We look forward to welcoming the remainder of our 2026 Kindergarten cohort at our next Orientation session on Thursday, 27 November.
Nicole Emerton SOF Head of School (Acting)
Kindergarten
Term 4 Week 6
English
Students have been busy becoming persuasive writers! They worked hard to write thoughtful (and very convincing) letters to our Principal, Mrs Bauer, explaining why their class should have a class pet. From promises of responsibility to creative ideas for keeping a pet happy and safe, students showcased fantastic reasons, clear arguments, and lots of enthusiasm. We loved seeing their voices shine as they tried to persuade Mrs Bauer to make their class-pet dreams come true!
Mathematics
Our students have been busting numbers in all sorts of creative and clever ways! They’ve been breaking numbers apart, experimenting with different strategies, and sharing their thinking with big smiles and growing confidence. It’s been fantastic to watch their excitement for maths shine as they discover just how fun number patterns and problem-solving can be!
Religion
This week, students explored the Scripture passage of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary with a special message from God. After listening and discussing the story, students created beautiful drawings to show what happened in this important moment. Their artwork reflected their understanding, creativity, and growing connection to the story.
Geography
This term, students are learning about special places in Australia as part of our Geography unit. We explored the Three Sisters in Katoomba using digital maps and discussed what makes this landmark significant. Students also listened to a Dreamtime story connected to the site, helping them understand how places can be important to different people for cultural, historical and environmental reasons. To demonstrate their learning, students created landscape artworks of the Three Sisters using natural colours. This activity supported their understanding of how places are represented and why they hold meaning for communities.
Stage 1
Term 4 Week 6
English - Poetry Writing
For the past 5 weeks, Year 1 students have been learning to write simple poems. They have been exploring how poets use rhythm, rhyme, and imagery to make their writing creative and enjoyable. Students have been reading their short poems aloud, identifying poetic features, and sharing their own thoughts and feelings about the poems. They have uploaded their poems on Seesaw for their parents to read also. Some draft examples of poetry are below. A skill students came to realise whilst writing poems was the need to write, re-read, reflect, edit and re-write drafts before being happy with the end results. Persistence and reflection is key!
Mathematics
In Year One, we have been learning about chance, measurement, and data collection. Students have explored how to gather information and represent it in different ways. We practised using picture graphs, tally charts, and column graphs, developing our understanding of how data can be organised and compared.
Religion - Tinmen
In Religion, we have been learning how to follow in Jesus’ footsteps by being peacemakers. Students have been exploring the Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel and discussing what these teachings look like in their everyday lives. They have responded to Scripture through spoken and written reflections, as well as through visual representations that show how they can bring peace, kindness, and compassion to others.
Year 2 Assembly
In Week 4, the Glindas and Tinmen classes had their very first assembly together, and they did an amazing job! The students showed great teamwork and worked beautifully together to lead the assembly. They were confident, respectful, and supported each other to make the event run smoothly. We are so proud of how the students collaborated, sang confidently, and shared their wonderful work with everyone. What a fantastic effort from our whole team!
Stage 2
Term 4 Week 6
English
During term 4, Stage 2 students have been exploring different types of poetry. Students have learnt how to use stanzas, rhyme, rhythm and imagery to create meaning and engage the reader. Students have experimented with various poetry styles including Rhyming Poems, Free Verse, and Haiku using descriptive language to bring their ideas to life.
Health
During Term 4, stage 2 students are developing skills needed to build caring, inclusive and respectful relationships, as well as strategies to support their own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing. Students are exploring mental and physical obstacles we have that block us from being successful and what we can say to ourselves when our brains become ‘full of busy thoughts’.
We have been discussing that mistakes can help us realise that we have something that we just can’t do yet and how a growth mindset is important to have as it improves problem-solving skills and helps us achieve our goals.
MathsOver the past few weeks, our students have been diving deeply into multiplication and division. They explored arrays and partial arrays, applied their multiplication facts to solve real-world problems, and investigated fact families to strengthen their understanding of how numbers connect. They also took on some challenging multiplication patterns, which really stretched their thinking in exciting ways.
This week, we’ve shifted our focus to data. Students are learning how to collect, record and analyse information, and they’re already enjoying the hands-on nature of this topic. We’ve been exploring tally marks, open and closed questions, and how to draw and label different types of graphs. It’s been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and curiosity as they take on this new learning.
We’re looking forward to seeing the creative ways students continue to challenge themselves!
Physical Education
This term in Physical Education, Stage 2 students have been exploring the inquiry question “How can we include others in physical activity?” through a range of games from different cultures. They have participated in activities such as Indigenous Australian games, soccer, European handball, basketball and cricket, and will continue to enjoy netball and tag rugby over the coming weeks. Through these experiences, students are developing teamwork, cooperation, and respect while strengthening their movement skills. These lessons encourage students to celebrate diversity, recognise how physical activity connects communities, and understand the importance of fairness and belonging for everyone.
