School of Foundations
Head of School
Term 2 commenced with a K-4 “Welcome Back” Assembly.
Our “Welcome To Term 2 Assembly” was facilitated by Julianne Rook (Head of School) and Nicole Emerton (Assistant Principal). The students were reminded of the importance of ‘kindness” and we identified practical ways we can show kindness to others in our daily interactions. We linked this to our college WITNESS Pillar, reinforcing the importance of being kind and respectful to others.
ANZAC Assembly
At the start of Term 2, the whole college gathered to acknowledge and commemorate ANZAC Day. K-4 students learnt about the significance of the day, decorated red poppies and some students had special roles in the ceremony. It was a major logistical exercise to assemble over 1700 students in the Performance Space and our K-4 students managed this very well and were respectful throughout the ceremony.
Mother’s Day Liturgy and Sunshine Reading
A whole school liturgy in Week 2 honoured all mothers and mother figures in our lives. This was followed by a “Sunshine Reading” session for K-4 students in the Marketplace. It was wonderful to see so many mothers, grandmothers and family members joining the reading session - with picnic blankets and some snacks.
Year 3 Excursion - Royal Botanical Gardens
Earlier this week, our Year 3 students visited the Sydney Botanical Gardens and engaged in the Plant Scientists excursion. The students had the opportunity to:
- Explore plant life cycles on a guided walk through the Garden and discover how scientists classify plants.
- Investigate seed dispersal in a hands-on experiment comparing different types of seeds and how they disperse.
- Make predictions and conduct a scientific investigation into whether specific Australian plants need fire and smoke to complete their life cycles, including planting seeds to take back to school to complete the investigation.
Thank you teachers, teachers Aide’s and parents who assisted on the day. Ms Rook was also very excited to share this wonderful experience with Year 3!
The Net Kindergarten Term Week
English
In Kindergarten, students are discovering the power of persuasion. They start by practising their arguments aloud before putting them into writing. Their focus is on using reasons and incorporating words like "because" or "like" to effectively convince their audience.
Mathematics
Kindergarten students have been enjoying recognising, describing and continuing patterns. They are taking the opportunity to copy, continue and create repeating patterns using shapes, objects, colours and pictures. Importantly, students are beginning to identify the core in each pattern. The students have a keen eye and are recognising patterns in the world around them including on bag tags, in the environment and in video clips.
Religion
This semester, Kindergarten has been focusing on the driving question, "How do I appreciate others?" As part of their exploration, they examined the Bible story of "The Good Samaritan" from Luke 10:25-37. Through various activities, such as sequencing the events in the passage and using drama to interpret the facial expressions of the characters, they gained a deeper understanding of the who are people around them.
Science
Students are discovering why various materials are better suited to making certain objects. They are learning to describe familiar objects and investigate materials and their design purpose.They have used their hands to discover what materials various objects around our school are made from.
CAPA/English
Kindergarten LOVE imaginative play AND they LOVE stories…so when The DramaTool Box came to St Luke’s that’s exactly what Kindergarten experienced! During this time, our facilitator, Bella, brought the Australian Indigenous story of ‘Tiddalik the Frog’ to life with Kindergarten through drama and language. There were smiles and character voices galore!
The Net Stage 1 Term 2 Week 3
Stage 1 has had a wonderful start to the term with a lot of exciting learning happening in every space! The students have had a deep dive into their inquiry units and enjoyed exploring new concepts in English and Mathematics through a range of tasks.
Just a reminder, If you need to contact the classroom teachers please use the email address below for each year group:
Year 1 - stlukesyear1parents@parra.catholic.edu.au
Year 2 - stlukesyear2parents@parra.catholic.edu.au
Please add your child’s name and class in the subject to best direct your email to the right Teacher.
English
Stage One students have started the term using their imagination and creating texts that entertain others. With a ‘writing to entertain’ focus, students have been looking at the importance of language features, use of adjectives and nouns, as well as the structure of sentences in their writing that conveys a message for an audience.
Mathematics
Stage One has been learning about data. Students have learnt that data is a collection of information. During this unit, students have been asking each other questions, gathering information and graphing this information.
Religion
This term we have been exploring communities that we are a part of. Students made connections with communities they belong to and our own community, St Luke’s. Through this, students explored the Baptism of Jesus and how the Sacrament of Baptism is an important part of our faith.
Science - Tinmen
In Science the students have been learning about how living things change and grow. Students have been exploring how animals change over time through their life cycles. We have been exploring how these creatures look similar or different from birth to adulthood. Students have also researched what plants and animals need to live and grow. We drew ourselves as a baby, toddler, child and then what we may look like as a teenager and adult.
The Net Stage 2 Term 2 Week 3
English - Writing to Inform
This Term, Year 4 has been learning how to write to inform. Students completed a pre assessment task informing others about a place that is significant to them. Students reflected on their work and created writing goals. Over the next few weeks students will be applying their learning to rewrite their pre assessment taking on board all of the new learning they have done about informative texts. We are looking forward to them!
Mathematics Hogwarts
This Term, Year 4 has been taking a deeper dive into our number system and learning how it extends infinitely small and large. Students should be commended as we have tackled many aspects of Mathematics, even Decimals! Check out some of the amazing work the students have been able to show.
Religion- Gringotts
For Term 2, the Year 3 students will be exploring how Jesus is God and man. The students so far have explored the bible passage ‘Jesus calms the storm’ and have explored the importance of having faith. The students have been able to identify and explain how God will help us through hard times and will guide us. The students will continue to explore how Jesus is God and man throughout the term.
Science - Magicians
This Term, Year 3 will be exploring living things and will be exploring the driving question, ‘Where does food and clothing come from?’. The students have begun their exploration of living things by classifying living animals such as mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and more. The students have used different characteristics to sort animals into these categories. The students will be heading off to the Sydney Botanical Gardens to further explore living things and have hands-on experiences with plants.
Sport
For sport this term year 3 have been looking at basketball. The students are very excited to be playing this as it is one of the sports they enjoy playing. Students have started by getting to know the game and the skills involved, including dribbling, passing and shooting. They have been doing these skills in some relay games to make it fun and competitive.
For Year 2, students have been looking at Aboriginal cultural games and how to play these. Students are also looking at collaborating with others.
Music
Our Kindergarten students are learning how to play the glockenspiel. This vibrant instrument isn't just about playing notes; it's a gateway to creativity and development.
Playing the glockenspiel gives students an opportunity to further enhance their motor skills, pitch recognition, teamwork, and self-expression. Students are enjoying learning an instrument and playing their first song “Hot Cross Buns”.