Learning & Teaching

NAPLAN

Our Year 3 and 5 children have recently completed their NAPLAN assessments, and we couldn't be prouder! We believe that NAPLAN makes up one part of our children’s identities as learners, as building dispositions for learning that are transferable into different contexts are equally as important as opportunities to apply our knowledge. Over the past two weeks, children tackled a variety of challenges with remarkable focus and poise. 

In Writing, imaginations soared as children crafted "Amazing Ride" narratives. We imagined characters travelling through space and time, climbing high mountains and exploring the depths of the sea. Amusement park rides stopped working, took characters on adventures and flipped, turned and swayed in the weather – a true testament to their creative storytelling!

Reading took us on a journey through diverse texts, from fascinating animal articles and sports academy websites to engaging advertisements. The children answered questions about the purpose of the text, the motivations of the characters and how the text could be improved. 

Conventions of Language unpacked our knowledge of spelling, grammar and punctuation. The children corrected errors in sentences, identified parts of speech, and explained the function of punctuation marks.

Finally, Numeracy challenged them to apply their mathematical skills to real-world problems. They tackled money calculations, deciphered travel timetables, explored cooking measurements, and demonstrated their understanding of shapes and estimation.

Throughout the assessments, our children displayed incredible confidence, calmness, and mutual support. They actively listened, remained focused, and persevered through challenging questions, even when faced with technical hiccups. Their dedication to learning was truly inspiring!

A huge thank you to all our families and educators for your unwavering support during this time. We look forward to continuing to share the achievements of our wonderful children with you.

Maths Olympiad

This year St John’s will be entering two teams into the Maths Olympiad competition. This is an annual contest that has been offered by Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads Inc (APSMO) since 1987 and is designed specifically for children working significantly above the expected standard for Maths. Unlike many other maths competitions, the Olympiads consist of four separate contests, held approximately six weeks apart, between May and September. The Olympiads are specifically designed to challenge high achieving children, however, the overall aim is to encourage these children to develop their problem solving skills in an enjoyable environment. 

Registration for the Maths Olympiad is only available to schools, and our educators have worked together with Mairead, our Numeracy leader, to determine which children will participate and how the competition will be administered at St John’s. We wish the participants all the best in their competition.

P-2 Discovery learning spaces

Our learning spaces are specifically designed by leaders and educators every three weeks to orientate curriculum, providing opportunities to transfer learning into authentic contexts. When designing our learning spaces, we look at our learning focuses in Literacy, Numeracy, Faith, Inquiry, Social and Emotional, community events and children’s current interests and use our creativity to curate spaces that are engaging (while functional) to invite children in to explore their interests and learn new things. Children make decisions about where they go during Discovery sessions (see photo example of the Village Board) and are encouraged to build stamina in their chosen space in developmentally appropriate ways.

3/4 Hub Excursion

Yesterday, the three/four hub embarked on an enriching excursion as part of our ongoing Community Project, "A Tapestry of Tradition." This project is designed to ignite within our children a deep curiosity about the natural world, fostering an understanding of diverse ecosystems and the need for conservation. To achieve this, the children visited two distinct natural environments: Studley Park and Newport Lakes. 

Children were provided with an  immersive experience in these natural settings, allowing them to directly observe and connect with the land. We aimed to cultivate a deeper understanding of our relationship with the environment. 

During the excursion, the children engaged in a variety of activities designed to enhance their observational and analytical skills. They carefully analysed the natural characteristics of each location, identifying and comparing different geographical features. This hands-on experience was further complemented by practical map reading exercises, enabling the children to navigate and interpret their surroundings.

Crucially, the excursion fostered critical thinking about the importance of environmental protection. By directly witnessing the beauty and fragility of these natural spaces, the children were encouraged to reflect on the significance of conservation efforts and their personal responsibility in safeguarding our planet.

A big thank you to our parent helpers on the day.  Your involvment is what enables these experiences to happen.

Division Swimming

Congratulations to the following children who swam at the Divisional Swimming event  at Oak Park Aquatic Centre on Tuesday. To have the opportunity to swim against children from over 50 different schools in the Maribyrnong area is a wonderful achievement. They all showed great swimming and tremendous effort to perform their very best. 

Toby P swam a great race in the 10yr Backstroke to finish in 2nd place. This has qualified him to swim at the next level, the Regional Event in Geelong in April. 

A fantastic effort Toby, the St John’s Community wishes you all the best for this next swim.

Results:

Year 4 Girls Relay team:  Evelyn T, Sienna M, Evelyn Z & Evie R      2nd place    

Year 5 Girls Relay team:  Regan M, Rhoda K, Gigi M & Ava M          4th place

 A big thank you to the parents and families who were able to come and support our children.

District Cross Country:  Friday 21st March

Good luck to our St John’s Cross Team for their event tomorrow at Hansen Reserve.

The Year 5 and Year 6 children will be running 3km and the Year 4 children will run 2km. 

Stay Connected with SIMON Everywhere

This year, we've introduced the SIMON Everywhere app, your convenient gateway to your PAM account. This user-friendly app enables us to directly communicate important updates and notifications with our school community.

We've been actively sharing information about upcoming events and exciting learning experiences on the group chat thread within the app. To ensure you don't miss any important announcements, please enable notifications for the app.

Starting in 2025, we will be transitioning all school communications to the SIMON Everywhere app. We strongly encourage all families to download the app and sign in using your PAM account credentials.

If you have any difficulties or require assistance with your PAM account details, please don't hesitate to contact the office (admin@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au, 9687 3150) or Amy (alittley@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au).