Dear Parents and Carers,

The long game

As we near the end of two weeks of the High School Certificate (HSC) Trial exams, I reflect on the significance of this milestone and the journey leading up to it. The HSC trials are a crucial time for students, offering a preview of the final exams and an opportunity to identify areas for improvement. However, the foundation for success in these trials is built long before the senior years.

From the early years of schooling, the habits and attitudes towards learning that students develop play a pivotal role in their academic journey. Resilience, persistence curiosity, and a strong work ethic are key components that contribute to long-term success. In the School of Leadership, we build on the foundational skills developed in K-4 and support students to become independent learners, capable of collaboration, negotiation, advocacy and articulation of their learning achievements of goals. These traits are cultivated through consistent effort, perseverance, aspiration and a supportive environment both at school and at home.

The above image represents the experiences and transitions students at St Luke’s undertake over their thirteen year academic journey. We seek to capitalise on the affordances of our environment, our students’ social-emotional and physical development and the needs of individual students to create an environment where all learning and all assessment matters. We are proud to support the transition of Year 8 students into the School of Entrepreneurs where they continue to be offered choice and flexibility in their

Starting strong

The first three weeks of term have been awash with activity and achievement. We have had students attend CSPD’s STEM Mad day, our Year 7 and 8 junior boys’ soccer teams won their semi-final, Yr 7 History students attended an excursion to Chau Chat, Year 5 and 6 students have drafted and edited Voice of Youth speeches, Years 5-8 engaged in Gronk coding club and Bring it On rehearsals, and we had our highest number of attendees at the Years 7-12 Study Centre!

The highlight of the term has been the opening of our SOL breakfast club in the Cafe where students can come for some hot toast, a warm environment and people to chat with!

It really is a vibrant place to learn and play!

Mrs Kate Kelly - Head of School, School of Leadership

Study Centre Reminder

A Note from The SOL Assistant Principal

SOL Soccer Tournament

Our SOL Soccer Tournament came to and end in Week 2 with our semi-final round where the following teams competed:

Brazilian DNA vs. Our House (this was a competitive game that ended in a 3 all draw and needed to go into penalties with Brazillian DNA progressing to the Grand Final.

Ninjas FC vs. The Legends (Both teams placed admirably with Ninjas FC winning 2-0).

The Grandfinal was won by Ninjas FC, winning 2-1. Congratulations to our Grand Final Winners and all students who competed in the competition. A huge thank you to Mr Bettiol who assisted in the field set up with me every week and to our wonderful SOE friends who helped with the refereeing of the matches. Stay tuned for our next SOL lunchtime tournament - Basketball.

Elara Shops

In Week 2 we conducted an assembly with students in Years 7-12 to remind them of our expectations regarding visiting Elara Shops after school. There have been an increased report from security and Management at Elara Village about students loitering, disrupting the peace, leaving their bags and belongings unattended and using the public toilets including the disabled toilet and baby change room inappropriately. This has resulted in an increase of security presence, and an increase in cost placed on the shop holders. Our reputation is impacted when students are in public settings, wearing school uniform and behaving in a way that does not reflect the values and respect for self, others and the environment, values which we pride ourselves on at St.Luke’s. Students were reminded that Elara shops is a stopover NOT a destination. Your support with this would be greatly appreciated.

Hats on the Playground

Teachers are continuing to enforce hats while students are playing on the Oval and Basketball courts at recess and lunch. Please ensure your child has a College hat. These can be purchased through our uniform shop and will be issued from our front office so you do not need to pay for postage.

Importance of coming to school on time

Ten minutes here, five minutes there and a half hour late to school may not seem like much, but it adds up over time. Having your child arrive to school on time is an essential life skill and expectation to give your child. Please support this by:

Encouraging multiple alarms in the morning
Packing school bag the night before
Assembling lunch times the night before
Getting a good night’s rest including no technological devices later than 9:30/10pm
Encouraging 10 minutes of reading from a book to support your child in “switching off” from the day
Leaving the house with enough time to ensure arrival by 8:25am.

If you are finding the morning routine difficult or your child is refusing to come to school, please seek help from the College directly.

Book Week - Week 5

Book Week is coming up in Week 5 and we have a number of exciting activities and events lined up for our SOL students including:

K-6 Bookweek Parade (August 20th @9am - parents are welcome). Students in Years 7-8 can also dress up on this day as their favourite book character
Year 5 Author Visit with Marc McBride (August 13th @9am)
Year 6 Author Visit with Mark Greenwood (August 22nd @9am)
Year 7 Author Visit with Lisa Nicol (August 21st Session 1 - Year 7 Navy, Session 2 - Year 7 Teal, Session 3 - Year 7 White
Where’s Wongy? - competition (week long competition)
SOL Lunchtime Literature Trivia on (August 21st @ lunch in the Hub)
Blind Date with a book (in the Hub all week long)
Scholastic Book Fair (all week long)
Guess the Teacher’s Bookshelf (all week long).

Please encourage your child to get involved in celebrating the magic of reading. There are wonderful prizes to be won!

Mrs Josephine Camilleri - Assistant Principal, School of Leadership

Stage 3 Stories…

This week in Riley, students have been using their persuasive writing skills to address the principal, focusing on the idea of extending recess. After several letters advocating for a longer break, Mrs. Bauer engaged with Riley to discuss ways to make recess a more productive and beneficial time for students. She also provided students with information about the mandated hours for each of our Key Learning Areas so that our students could see if their proposal would be within those regulations.

This collaboration highlights the practical application of their writing and offers a real opportunity for students to advocate for change in their school environment. Stay tuned for the result of this collaboration between Year 6 Riley and Mrs Bauer.

Mr Scott Carroll - Stage 3 Leader

In just a few weeks, two of our Year 6 students will represent St Luke’s in our Diocesean wide Voice of Youth competition. This competition has been running since the 1980s and students understand the significance of being given an opportunity to speak passionately and persuasively about a topic of their choice to their peers and teachers. We look forward to sharing an update in the next edition of The Net.

Stage 3 Stories…

POTATO OLYMPICS

We take the Olympics VERY seriously in year 5, so much so that we have our very own Potato Olympics! Using our creativity, we made our own Potato olympians that have been completing a range of STEM based activities! Take a look at some of our Potatoes!

We will continue cheering for all our Aussie Athletes in Paris from here in Marsden Park! We are proud of you!

NAIDOC WEEK: KEEP THE FIRE BURNING! BLAK, LOUD AND PROUD

22-26 July 2024

In English we immersed ourselves in our country's rich indigenous culture and history by celebrating NAIDOC Week.

Students in Malala participated in a creative and educational activity where we explored Aboriginal Dreamtime stories after reading Tales of my Grandmother's Dreamtime, by Naiura. After seeing how the art, through the use of colour and symbolism, was a visual representation of the story, we attempted to make our own!

We crafted our own short stories, and with the symbols we created an illustration to go along with it. This hands-on experience not only deepened our understanding of Aboriginal culture but also allowed them to express their creativity in a meaningful way.

Check out some of our work!

Australian Mathematics Competition - 6th August

This week 95 Stage 3 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition, which is the largest maths competition for school students in Australia. Students answered questions about a range of concepts and ideas and started to ask questions that showed their growing knowledge of mathematics and mathematics vocabulary.

The questions themselves were challenging and have helped Stage 3 students to stretch their thinking and it was wonderful to see all students proud of themselves for committing their best efforts to the task.

We look forward to seeing how all students continue to grow within Mathematics as they progress through Semester 2.

From Year 7…

Year 7 have now started their third term of high school. They are to be commended for their energy and dedication to school this term.

Week 2 saw the launch of the SOL Breakfast Club with great success. The breakfast club is run on Thursday mornings in the cafe for SOL students as a chance to bond, build connections and settle into the school day. The first week of breakfast club had a fabulous turn out and I hope to continue seeing my lovely Year 7 students joining each week.

The Year 7 Leadership Challenge was also launched this week at our year meeting. The challenge encourages students to develop leadership skills through weekly secret missions focused on kindness, responsibility, and inclusion. Teachers will observe and provide feedback, and students who excel will be recognised for their efforts. This initiative aims to foster positive behaviour and community spirit among our Year 7 students. The challenges include:

Miss Rowena Chand- Year 7 Wellbeing Coordinator

Music

Our Year 7 and Year 8 students have embarked on their study of music. They are currently learning about the essential concepts of music and exploring what makes a performance truly memorable and iconic. This foundational work will be highly beneficial as they progress through the year, and we look forward to seeing what they can create.

In addition to this, our students will participate in an African drumming workshop next term, focusing on the djembe. This hands-on workshop will allow them to apply what they have learned in a dynamic and engaging way. We are confident this experience will be both educational and inspiring, sparking a deeper appreciation for music.

7 Life Design

Last term Year 7 defined heir strengths by completing the Junior Clifton Strength Survey and completed a range of in class activities including a scavenger hunt, role playing games, vlogging presenting their Strength Showcase which demonstrated how they use their strengths in their everyday life.

In Term 3, Year 7 deepen their understanding of what matters to them (values) so they can know when they are motivated to do their best.

HSIE

Students in Year 7 HSIE have started their first History unit in High School. The Driving Question for this unit is: To what extent is the Ancient Past a mystery. Students are very excited about their upcoming excursion to the Chau Chak museum at Sydney University where they will get to see and touch evidence from the past. Students have already started to develop their History skills and we look forward to a great term of learning.

From Year 8…

Year 8 has commenced the Term with enthusiasm and positive intent. I am super excited to see how they progress through their final semester of SOL.

Students have now finalised their selections for Year 9 subjects, and this information should be forthcoming in the not too distant future. Students should be commended for their ability to process and act on their SIM, which has led them to this decision, with the support of their teachers and families.

Coming up in Term 3, students should still be wearing their College Winter Uniform. Congratulations to our SOL soccer tournament winners, who were made up of many Year 8 students. Additionally, students in our Jnr Boys soccer team have represented the school admirably, creating history as the first team to make it to the Semi-

Finals in Week 3 of a Representative Sport Soccer Competition for our school. Fantastic work boys, we are very proud of you and keep up the great work!

Lastly, as we move into Term 3, I remind all Year 8s of our Focus: Chase Your Dreams, not People. Looking forward to a fantastic Term 3 as we move towards our wonderful Year 8s graduating from the SOL in Term 4.

Mr Zaccaria - Year 8 Wellbeing Coordinator

8 Life Design

Term 3 sees our year 8 students exploring Leadership - firstly how to lead themselves each day and then how they can lead others. Students have begun exploring what characteristics make effective leaders (seen in the word cloud below) and what the 6E’s Leadership framework is.

Each student is aspiring to demonstrate these characteristics in a variety of situations and apply these to a group initiative to improve the St Luke’s Community in some way.

Students analysing some leadership quotes, identifying which one resonates most with them & reflecting on how they show these qualities in everyday life.

Technologies

Students are learning about Australia's evolving cuisine through an interactive lesson. They start by placing sticky notes of their favourite foods on a world map to visualise the cultural diversity of their preferences. Next, they examine images of traditional Australian dishes, discussing how Indigenous foods and British colonisation influenced early Australian cuisine. Divided into small groups, each group receives an image of a modern Australian dish to identify and discuss its cultural influences. They then present their findings to the class, gaining insights into how immigration has shaped contemporary Australian cuisine. The lesson concludes with a group reflection on the evolution of Australian cuisine and a creative brainstorming session where students propose new fusion dishes, combining elements from different cuisines. An interactive lesson like this not only makes learning about Australia's culinary history engaging and memorable but also encourages students to appreciate the rich cultural diversity that shapes their everyday food experiences.

HSIE

Students in Year 8 this term are being asked to wrestle with the terms that have been applied to history by historians. They are specifically being asked to determine: To what extent is the Medieval period the Dark Ages? We look forward to a term of critical thinking where students challenge ideas and come up with their own understanding of what this period is like and what it should be called. To help us do this, we have organised a Medieval Incursion that will take place on the 17th September. We will provide further information regarding this later in the term.

Maths

Australian Mathematics Competition - 8th August

Like students in Stage 3, this week 25 Year 7 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition, the largest maths competition for school students in Australia.

The questions themselves were challenging and stretched Year 7’s thinking. It was great to see students committing themsleves to take part in the competion.

PDHPE

In Term 3, our year 8 students are participating in a unit called “Stick Sports” with the driving question, How can I plan, perform and document my movement skills across a variety of sequences?

Over the past three weeks, students have been showing great engagement when practising skills, drills and modified games in Hockey, Lacrosse, Cricket and/or Tee-ball to assist with the production of their assessment task. This task allows students to be creative through the development of a highlight video showcasing their skills learnt, of their favourite stick sport. A group of ‘talent scouts’ (their teachers of course) from the Australian Institute of Sport will be viewing their ‘audition’ video to determine who has ‘it’ which we cannot wait to see!

The Net

Term 3 Week 3 2024

Issue 6 · 09 Aug 2024

In this issue