PREP

We are so proud of our Prep children and the beautiful way they conducted themselves in the Church today. They showed such respect and confidence, and it was wonderful to see the special friendships they have formed with their buddies.

Tonight we have our Beginning of Year BBQ, beginning at 6pm and we look forward to seeing you there!

Next week we will begin learning our Stage 2 sounds in Little Learners Love Literacy. You will find a copy of the new characters in your child’s Home Learning Book, along with the Stage 2 Heart Words that we will start learning. These new sounds build on our previous Stage 1 learning. With this growing sound knowledge, students are now beginning to read and write simple words, which is very exciting!

In Numeracy, we are learning to say the days of the week in order and to recognise that Saturday and Sunday are the weekend. We are also using vocabulary such as morning, lunchtime, afternoon, and night-time to talk about what we do at different times of the day.

In our Inquiry unit, we have been learning about our families. Please see our Class Dojo post for information about how we are creating our Family Tree. We kindly ask that family photos are sent in so your child can be included in this special activity.

School Photo Day (and first Prep Wednesday): Wednesday 11th March

Prep Picnic - Wednesday 18th March 2:30pm - 3:15pm

Pupil Free Day: Thursday, 19th March

School Sports Day: Thursday 2nd April - Last day of Term 2:15 Finish--

Elissa Rodger erodger@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Emma Roberts eroberts@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Liza Alexander lalexander@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 1

Hello everyone,

We have had another busy and exciting week in Year 1!

In Inquiry, we have continued exploring our Time Traveller unit. Students have been learning about the flow of time, with a focus on the months of the year and the seasons. This week we are beginning to look at toys from the past. To support this learning, we are inviting students to bring along their favourite toy to share for Friday Favourites. We can’t wait to see and hear all about them!

In Maths, we are wrapping up our Place Value unit. Next week, we will move on to addition, where students will explore different strategies to solve simple addition facts.

In Literacy, we have been learning about homophones and practising the spelling choices ee, ea and _y. We are also continuing our fluency pairs practice, focusing on becoming smooth, automatic readers so we can concentrate more on understanding what we read rather than decoding each word.

On Wednesday, your child brought home a colouring sheet with their house colours for Sports Day. This will be a fun way to finish off the term together.

A friendly reminder to please return reader folders and homework books every Friday so we can update them for the following week.

Have a fabulous long weekend!

Leah Martin lmartin@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Abbey Hayes ahayes@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 2

Congratulations to our wonderful Grade 2 students for their continued mastery of our learning norms and their fabulous classroom behaviour. They are showing respect, responsibility and readiness to learn each day. We are so proud of the positive attitude they bring to the classroom and the way they support one another in their learning journey. Keep up the fantastic work, Grade 2!

This term in History, our students have been learning about artefacts and what they can tell us about the past. We have explored how everyday objects can reveal clues about how people lived, worked and played in different times. The students have loved becoming “history detectives,” carefully observing items and discussing what they might tell us about life in the past. A big thank you to our wonderful families for sending in special artefacts to share with the class. In Week 8, we are looking forward to extending our learning with a visit to the Colac & District Historical Society.

In Religion, we have been learning about the story of Zacchaeus and exploring its important message about forgiveness, kindness and change. Students have discussed how Zacchaeus made better choices and how Jesus showed acceptance and compassion. To deepen their understanding, the children are creating a project to retell the story in their own words and through creative presentations. We are excited to see their thoughtful and imaginative work come together.

Some reminders:

Tuesday is our specialist day. Wednesday is PE as well as Library (and readers!).

Monday 9th March is Labour Day public holiday.

Week 8- History Centre (COPACC) visit.

Deb, Matt and Tanya

Matt O'Dowd modowd@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Deb Holland dholland@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 3

We are over half way through the term already and there is no slowing down for us!

We are currently finishing up Unit 1of Place Value in Numeracy, where we have been exploring place value and building our understanding of how numbers are structured and represented. We are proud of the growth we have seen in our confidence. Next, we are beginning Fractions Unit 1.

In Literacy, we are continuing our novel study of Matilda, enjoying rich discussions about characters and themes. We are also learning how to construct a narrative.

NAPLAN begins on Wednesday. This is an opportunity for students to participate in independent learning and to demonstrate what they know. We want this experience to feel calm and encouraging — it is all about having a go and trying their very best. We have been completing practice sessions so students feel prepared and familiar with the format and expectations.

Today we celebrated our whole school Beginning of Year Mass. It was beautiful to see the Preps and their Buddies share in the traditional Buddy Blessing. It truly feels like only yesterday we were Preps ourselves, and before we know it, we will be the Buddies. Time really does fly!

Our Prayer Gatherings begin next week, and we will be leading our first gathering in Week 2 of Term 2. Prayer Gathering parts will be sent home at the end of this term so students have the opportunity to practise over the holidays.

In Inquiry, we are exploring Civics and Citizenship, looking closely at how decisions are made and why they are important in our community.

Please note that Monday 9th March is a public holiday. We hope everyone enjoys a lovely long weekend.

Matt Absalom mabsalom@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 4

Today we celebrated our Beginning of Year Mass together. It was very special to be back in the church as a whole school community. There is something meaningful about gathering in that space to begin our year with shared purpose and gratitude.

In Literacy, students are thoroughly enjoying listening to Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. They have been highly engaged in reading and writing to learn tasks connected to the novel. Last week we focused on fronted adverbials, a phrase at the beginning of a sentence that describes the verb that follows. Students then extended their sentences using the conjunction because to explain their thinking. We have been very impressed with the participation, engagement and depth of thinking during our literacy sessions.

In Maths, we have been exploring place value with five digit numbers. Students are building confidence reading, writing and manipulating larger numbers. You might like to write a five digit number at home and ask your child to:

Identify if it is odd or even
Say the number before and after
Write it in expanded form
Add 10 and subtract 10
Add 100 and subtract 100

Our Humanities topic this term is Civics and Citizenship. We are learning about how our local Colac community operates and the role local government plays in supporting it.

Throughout the unit, students explore key concepts including community, rules, laws, rights, responsibilities and belonging.

A reminder that reading folders and diaries come to school each Friday.

Paula Parish pparish@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Amanda Delorenzo mdelorenzo@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Rebecca Gallagher rgallagher@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 5

Week 6 already! We are now over halfway through the term and learning is well underway.

Students have been practising their NAPLAN strategies through worked examples in class. We have talked about how NAPLAN can sometimes feel stressful, but also discussed some helpful strategies for approaching different types of questions. Students have been doing a fantastic job applying these strategies and showing great growth mindsets.

NAPLAN Schedule

Wednesday 11th March – 9:15am: Writing
Monday 16th March – 9:15am: Reading
Monday 16th March – 12:15pm: Language Conventions
Tuesday 17th March – 9:15am: Numeracy

In Literacy, we have wrapped up our narrative writing, focusing on an animal adventure. Students loved creating these stories, and this week we also had a great go at writing complex sentences, with a strong focus on subordinating conjunctions.

In Numeracy, students have been focusing on addition and subtraction algorithms, with some students even extending into problems with internal zeros. Students have thoroughly enjoyed practising these skills, which we can often apply to real-life situations.

For humanities, we have been learning about the three levels of government (federal, state, and local) discussing who is responsible for different areas of decision-making.

In Religion, we have been focusing on Moses and the Exodus and the commitment that Moses made with God in this story.

A reminder that diaries, goals, and homework are due on Fridays if possible. Students are rewarded for completing these, so we encourage them to keep up the great effort.

Have a wonderful long weekend and stay safe!

Rachel Downard rdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Rachael Cahill rcahill@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 6

We are already over halfway through Term 1, and the time is certainly flying! Today we enjoyed a beautiful beginning-of-year Mass, with our Year 6 students doing an exceptional job delivering their buddy blessings. We are also looking forward to seeing many of our families at the BBQ this evening.

In Literacy, students have continued working on their persuasive writing pieces while also exploring Australia’s system of government across Literacy and Humanities. They have been applying The Writing Revolution strategies to help deepen their understanding and strengthen their written responses.

In Maths, students have been making excellent progress in our addition and subtraction unit. Working in smaller groups has supported deeper thinking and allowed students to build confidence and understanding.

In Religion, we have been learning about the story of Moses and are looking forward to watching The Prince of Egypt next week as part of our learning.

A few reminders:

Students who bring mobile phones to school must hand them in at the office. Please notify your child’s teacher if they are bringing a phone.
Smart watches must be on school mode during school hours.
Headphones are required and should be brought to school as soon as possible.
Sports uniform is worn on Thursdays. Students should be wearing black school shoes on non-sport days.

Jess Downard jdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Jodie Hassett jhassett@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Maegen Potter mpotter@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

School Photos