Student News

Senior Science with Mr O – Mixtures and Solutions

Our senior students have been busy investigating pure and impure substances as part of their OCHRE Science unit on Mixtures and Solutions. Students have been learning that pure substances contain only one type of substance, while impure substances contain two or more different substances.

This week, students put their scientific knowledge into practice by constructing their own water filtration systems using pebbles, activated charcoal, sand and cotton. Their challenge was to remove as many contaminants as possible from dirty water. Each material played an important role, with pebbles trapping larger particles, sand and cotton capturing smaller impurities, and activated charcoal helping to remove some contaminants and odours.

Students were excited to observe how much clearer their water became after passing through the different layers. Importantly, they also discovered that just because water looks clean does not necessarily mean it is pure or safe to drink, as invisible contaminants may still remain.

Over the next couple of weeks, students will explore the different types of mixtures, including homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures. They will investigate why some substances mix evenly while others remain visibly separate, using everyday examples such as oil and water, cordial and lemonade. Students will also have the opportunity to make their own lemonade, applying their understanding of how different ingredients combine to form a mixture.

Our final investigations will focus on solutions and the conservation of mass. Students will explore what happens when substances such as salt dissolve in water and discover that, although the salt appears to disappear, it is still present. Using scientific equipment, students will measure and compare the mass of substances before and after mixing.

These hands-on learning experiences are helping our senior students develop their scientific vocabulary, make predictions, conduct experiments and explain their observations. It has been wonderful to see their curiosity and enthusiasm as they apply their learning to real-world situations!

RRRR - TERM 4, TOPIC 8: POSITIVE GENDER RELATIONS.

At St Mary's, the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) program is taught in an age- and developmentally appropriate way. Learning is explored through a Catholic lens, with a focus on dignity, respect, compassion, inclusion, positive relationships and caring for others. 

Foundation – Learning Aims 

Students will: 

• learn that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness, dignity and respect.  
• understand that unfair, unkind or hurtful behaviours can affect others.  
• explore what positive and respectful relationships look and feel like.  
• practise ways to build positive friendships and relationships with others.  
• learn ways to keep themselves safe and identify trusted adults they can talk to when they need help.  

Levels 1 and 2 – Learning Aims 

Students will: 

• explore how ideas or expectations about genders can sometimes lead to unfair or hurtful treatment.  
• recognise different types of hurtful behaviour, including unkind words, physical actions, exclusion, teasing or making someone feel unwelcome or unsafe.  
• explore how these behaviours can affect people's feelings, relationships and sense of belonging.  
• identify and practise respectful, inclusive and supportive behaviours.  
• practise speaking up, setting boundaries and seeking help when they feel uncomfortable, unsafe or treated unfairly.  

Levels 3 and 4 – Learning Aims 

Students will: 

• recognise different forms of harmful or disrespectful behaviour, including physical, verbal and emotional behaviours.  
• explore how these behaviours can affect the person involved, people who witness them and relationships within the wider community.  
• develop an understanding of what respectful and inclusive behaviour looks like in everyday situations.  
• explore safe ways to respond when they see or experience behaviour that is unfair, harmful or inappropriate, including leaving the situation, not joining in and seeking help from a trusted adult.  
• develop help-seeking skills for situations that make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.  
• learn about consent, personal boundaries and respecting other people's choices, and understand when consent is important.  

Levels 5 and 6 – Learning Aims 

Students will: 

• develop an age-appropriate understanding of harmful behaviours connected to gender, power and relationships.  
• explore strategies for building healthy, positive and respectful relationships.  
• examine how stereotypes and expectations about gender can sometimes contribute to unfair or harmful behaviours.  
• recognise behaviours that demonstrate respect, dignity and an understanding of everyone's rights.  
• develop an understanding of affirmative consent, including the importance of freely given, informed and ongoing agreement in relationships.  
• practise ways to support peers, speak up safely and seek help when they or someone else experiences behaviour that is unsafe, harmful or disrespectful. 

Indonesian with Ibu Cath

This term in Indonesian we are exploring traditional Indonesian games. Children in the villages of Indonesia live a simple lifestyle, creating games and toys from items available to them. As a tropical country, citrus fruits grow abundantly and are easily accessible for the children and their imaginations! Students were given two lemons and the assignment to create a car which could be pulled along to play with - creatif dan pandai!! 

Foundation-Grade 2 Religion with Mrs Murray

We Are Special 

In this Unit the students have been learning that every person is special and belongs. Christians believe every person has dignity because they are created and loved by God, and that our words and actions can help others know  they are special.This week the students discussed and drew someone special in their lives and described something wonderful about them. They listen to the Scripture story 'Jesus Blesses the Children (Like 18:15-17) and used play dough to recreate the story. This led to a discussion about how Jesus welcomed everyone and that we should do the same.