SCHOOL OF WONDER

Wow, Week 7 already! Time is flying by this Term! It’s been an exciting time in the School of Wonder lately, so I hope you enjoy this edition. 

Student Free Day: A reminder to families there is a student free day on Friday 7 June. Enjoy the extra long weekend!

Bon Voyage: On Monday 3 June, Emma will head to France for a sporting event, returning in Week 11 to see out the Term with our students. Please direct any urgent SOW matters to Kara McCann or Kate McGrath during this time. Thank you for your kindness and well wishes. 

-SOW Leaders 

Emma O’Keeffe & Kara McCann

Now this was fun! Crazy Hair Day was planned and implemented by the Year 3 and 4 children. We commend our parents and carers who got amongst the fun, bringing some of the most creative hair styles we’ve even seen! 

The styles were colourful, whacky, some were very elaborate! From hair spray to full-on sculptures, there was truly an amazing variety of creativity on display.

Take a look at just some of the crazy styles below or click here to view a video of the day.

School of Wonder (F-4) held their assembly on Monday 20 May with Cindy's class leading the presentation. Students followed their morning routine, reflected on year level achievements and reinforced the St Anne's College 'leave no trace' values.

Cindy's class then performed Andrew Chinn's song, Ubuntu while the students all joined them singing and dancing along. What a wonderful way for the students to head into Week 6! 

Foundation children are focussing on their teen numbers in maths. We have been learning how to use ten frames to make teen numbers and how to write numbers correctly. We have also been learning how to count on from 10.

In Religious Education, we have been talking about what is inside a Catholic Church. 

We made beautiful stained glass crosses and have put them on our windows.

National Reconciliation Week

The Year 1 and 2 children spent some time yesterday afternoon engaging in activities to reflect on National Reconciliation Week (May 27 – June 3). The theme for this year is ‘Now More Than Ever’; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are telling us now, more than ever, they need the support of all Australians to close the gap and to address the injustices they face which include issues such as incarceration rates and children in out-of-home care.

This week is an important opportunity for students across the College to reflect and acknowledge the suffering of First Nations peoples through a variety of different activities and commitments. 

Learning Expo

Year 1 and 2 students proudly displayed their work they have completed as part of their inquiry topic 'who we are' at a Learning Expo on Friday May 17 which focused on 'knowing who I am helps me to grow'. 

The work on show included portraits, timelines of the student's lives, drawings and much more. Families visited the expo along with College staff and some of the students' siblings from other year levels. It was great to see the students' pride in their work when sharing it with their loved ones, staff and fellow classmates. 

Congratulations to the students for showcasing their work in such a professional way!

National Simultaneous Storytime

Students in Years 1 and 2 participated in the annual event National Simultaneous Storytime on May 22 at noon, joining millions of other people from across the country to listen to a reading of Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker. 

Published in 2023, this special story follows Bowerbird, a curious bird who loves the colour blue and likes to collect objects in his favourite colour. The children's book also explores themes of longing and connection.

The annual event is organised by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and it aims to promote the importance of reading and literacy for young people.

Following the reading, the children participated in an array of activities that focused on the book’s main character – Bowerbird!

The children were tasked with creating a textured bird using tinned scrunched up bits of paper, creating a feather using materials collected outdoors or creating beautiful bird artworks using a variety of mediums. 

Visual Arts - Watercolours

The Year 1 and 2 children looked on in awe as Visual Arts Learning Mentor Mark demonstrated how to create a landscape watercolour artwork this week.

The children received many helpful tips and tricks to assist with creating their own watercolour paintings which began with an important lesson about the foreground, middle-ground and background of the visual field. Mark also touched on perspective as well as the different mediums used in art as the children were using one in particular – water colours. The children were able to let the lesson absorb during the first break before creating their own incredible artworks!

National Reconciliation Week 

Every year on May 26, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as the Stolen Generations.

National Sorry Day is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation. Amy's class of Year 3 and 4 children came together this week to make artworks acknowledging the Stolen Generations.

Please support our staff, and remember that drop off for children is from 8:30am. This is when staff are on duty. Prior to this any staff onsite are preparing for the day ahead, duty of care requirements mean children onsite require supervision and doing this takes staff away from their important preparation time.

Kara McCann & Emma O’Keeffe - School of Wonder Leaders

kmccann@sackialla.catholic.edu.au

eokeeffe@sackialla.catholic.edu.au

We are committed & dedicated educators

Teaching and Learning:

Our aim as Educators is always to improve student learning outcomes for all our learners. We continue to strive to improve our professional practice to ensure that our learners get the very best learning opportunities and outcomes. Our SOW team works collaboratively to provide thought provoking learning experiences to our learners. Our learner assets (collaboration, communication, self-management, thinking and researching) are life long skills that set our young people up to life long learners and to continually question, explore and challenge their thinking. Please direct any teaching and learning inquiries to Kara McCann kmccann@sackialla.catholic.edu.au

Wellbeing:

Wellbeing is a holistic term that encompasses all aspects of a student's life, including their physical, social, mental and emotional state. It is often defined as a sustainable state of positive mood and attitude, resilience, and satisfaction with self, relationships and experiences at school.

Wellbeing at St Anne’s is driven by the themes of doing our best, allowing everyone to succeed. Please direct any wellbeing inquiries to Emma O'Keeffe eokeeffe@sackialla.catholic.edu.au