What's happening in the classroom

Foundation

On Friday the 31st of July, foundation students celebrated 100 days of school. To celebrate, students dressed up as old people. They had their family join them in the hall for a range of activities. Students decorated biscuits, coloured in and engaged in other activities with their families. The morning ended with certificates for all foundation students, and they performed a special 100-day song to their families. 

Grade 1

Last week the little legends of Grade 1 had an amazing time celebrating their 'When I Grow Up' Dress-Up Day! After exploring their interests, strengths and future aspirations in Health, students arrived dressed as the careers they dream of pursuing one day. Our classrooms were filled with future artists, veterinarians, police officers, scientists, firefighters, athletes and so many more!

It was wonderful to see our little legends proudly sharing their ambitions and discovering that every big dream starts with curiosity, perseverance and a willingness to learn. We can't wait to see where their futures take them!

Grade 2

Grade Two has made a fantastic start to Term Three. Excitement began to build as soon as we returned, as the classroom “Days of School” tens frames were getting closer to that magical 100. On Friday the 24th July we celebrated our 100th day of learning beginning with a cookie treat surprise on our desks. We wrote about what we imagined our life would be like if we lived to 100 and about the things we have been told 100 times to do. We had a 100 Tricky Words hunt around the school in teams of three, combining one student from each class, followed by a trophy presentation to the winners. We skip counted in tens to fill a gumball machine with 100 stickers and we challenged a buddy to a game where we rolled dice, counting on each time to see who could get to 100 first. We had a lot of fun and look forward to our next 100 days of learning! 

Grade 3

In Religion, we have been learning that our choices show how we follow Jesus. We explored how our actions can affect others and learned to identify loving and unloving choices in different situations. One of our lessons focused on the idea that kindness is like the clothes we wear every day. Just as we choose what to wear, we can choose to “wear” kindness and decide how we respond to the people around us. Through discussions and activities, students learned how showing kindness, respect, and compassion helps us follow Jesus in our everyday lives and make a positive difference to others.

Grade 4

The Grade 4 students have had a wonderful start to Term 3 and have returned to school with enthusiasm and a positive attitude towards learning. This term, we are placing a strong focus on improving our spelling skills through the MultiLit SpellEx program. Students have been actively engaging in lessons and developing their knowledge of spelling patterns, suffix rules and strategies. We are proud of the effort and determination they are showing and look forward to seeing their continued growth and success throughout the term. 

Grade 5 

On Tuesday the grade 5/6's were lucky enough and very excited to join the online launch of Andy Griffith's new book "You and Me and the Gigantic Knucklehead."

During the session, Andy took the students on a wild and wacky adventure to the land of the Giant Knucklehead and beyond. There were a few detours on the way, and some schools were able to interact with Andy and steer the direction of the session. He asked a series of adventure related questions throughout the presentation and prompted responses according to the students' preferences. Some schools used the emoji reactions on Zoom.

Students then headed back to their classroom to complete their own front cover to......

"You and Me and the Gigantic .......?". 5 H produced some amazing story titles and front covers for their stories. I think we have some future authors and illustrators in our classroom.

Grade 6

This week, our Grade 6 students have begun an exciting informative writing text focused on Poland. They have started researching the country's geography, history, culture, landmarks, and traditions before planning and publishing an engaging information text. Through this unit, students will strengthen their research, note-taking, and writing skills while learning about this fascinating European nation. This informative text links to the text, 'Once', that we are studying alongside. 

Lions Public Speaking Competition

During the holidays St Joseph's was very proud to have two students participate in the second stage of the Lions junior public speaking competition. Hannah Paul competed in the Grade 5/6 division, with Macey Symes competing in the Grade3/4 division. Both students delivered memorable speeches which belied their age. This round saw students from all Benalla schools compete to a packed RSL Hall. Macey Symes was outstanding and succeeded as the overall winner of her division. Macey will now present at the regional finals which will be held on August 16th, this year held in Benalla. We wish Macey all the very best for her presentation.