Hello!

What a term! It was certainly jam packed with so many amazing things, including sporting events, creative dress ups, learning celebrations and religious events. It is safe to say we have covered all bases and it is certainly time to have a break.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our incredible staff at St. Finbar’s! Our classroom teachers, Learning Support Officers, intervention and extension teachers, specialist staff, and office administration. Your dedication, care, and hard work throughout Term 1 have made a wonderful difference to our students and our school community.

Many parents will be feeling mixed emotions with the upcoming two weeks. Whatever category you fit into, we have some tips on how you can make the next two weeks as smooth as possible.

Ideas for a positive break

Take the time for a real break - stop, reflect, relax.
Think of some things that interest you as a family and plan some activities around this.
Allow for some boredom, research tells us that this is essential to spark creativity.
Plan some pyjama days.
Try to maintain a routine where you can - particularly the last few days of the holidays before school goes back.
Check out some of the new parks - there have been plenty of recently renovated parks around Melbourne recently - it is free, and they get a bonus hit of fresh air and vitamin D.

Transitions are also hard, particularly for some of our families returning back to school after the break. It is completely normal for some kids to feel a little emotional or overwhelmed. They may even revert back to the beginning year behaviours - this is all completely normal and we are here to help.

Tips for returning to school like a pro

Get back into similar routines with sleep and meals at least a few days before.
Check uniforms - you will have a few weeks of changeover before the winter uniform hits. Lots of kids have growth spurts as well (if they are anything like mine). You may want to check trouser lengths and shoes before school starts.
Start conversations about what they are looking forward to when they get back to school.
Plan an easy week for the first week back. Think easy meals, limit activities, lower expectations.
Set up some play dates with school friends to reconnect. This reduces a lot of anxiety before the first day back.
Set up the homework plan if needed. Create a space and time for this that works for everyone.

We are grateful to our wonderful librarian, Narelle, for sharing a thoughtful selection of books that explore resilience and what to do when things don’t go our way. These stories encourage students to keep trying, manage big feelings, and find positive ways to move forward when things feel challenging. Look out for more of Narelle's book suggestions next term as well!

Specialist Lessons at St. Finbar's - Italian

As many of you know, we are incredibly lucky to have a fantastic Italian program at St. Finbar's where our student not only get to learn an additional language, however they are also immersed in the history and culture of Italy. A big thank you to our amazing Italian teacher, Signora Sirriani, for inspiring our students and bringing the Italian language to life at St. Finbar’s.

Here is a snapshot of what the Year 3 students have been up lately. In Italian, students have been exploring how to express different feelings and emotions. They have been busy writing and illustrating their own books that show a range of emotions, using their growing Italian vocabulary and creativity. It has been wonderful to see the students proudly reading their stories in Italian and then translating them back into english. What a fun and meaningful way to practise their language skills. Below is what some of our students had to say.

Grace T - I enjoyed making my book on different emotions.

Aria M - I like singing the Come ti senti? song.

Oliver P - I enjoyed learning emotions in Italian and making my book.

Sadie S - I liked writing but also drawing the emotions.

Below you will be able to enjoy reading two of our wonderful Year 3 student's books. Thank you to Alisa and Jack for sharing!

Please see a short message from our Italian teacher, Signora Sirianni.

Ciao a tutti

Wishing you all a happy and safe Easter and a wonderful holiday.

For those that are interested, there is an Ancient Rome exhibition at the NGV which is running from April to October. This might something fun to explore these holidays.

https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/whats-on/rome-empire-power-people/

A presto

Signora Sirianni

Ganbu Gulin - Indigenous Program

Throughout Term 1, we have been lucky enough to have the Ganbu Gulin program running at St. Finbar's on a Monday. This program brings together many of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to support them in building connections to their heritage and culture. Over the weeks, they have engaged in many different cultural activities lead by Indigenous role models in our community. They have enjoyed exploring their culture through cooking, sport, dance, art and connecting with others who are also of Indigenous background.

I really liked connecting to Country and it was a really good experience for us to learn about our Indigenous culture. - Harper
I really enjoyed learning the differences dances - Chloe
I liked the last week when we made damper. - Fleur
In the first or second week, some footy players came and we played with Australian animal puppets.
My favourite part was making damper with my family and having a hot chocolate. - Liam
I loved making damper. - Rory

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Peggy McDonald & Laura Zeeng

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