Learning and Teaching
SFS TWILIGHT SPORTS
Thursday March 7th, 2024
5.30 – 8.00 pm
Our annual Twilight Sports will be held on Thursday March 7th from 5:30 pm to 8 pm on the school grounds. This has proven to be a fantastic community event mainly due to the fact that most students attend. In fact this year we will be giving points to the students who attend that will go towards the House Community Spirit Award at the end of the year. So just by attending students will receive points for their House!
Home Group Teachers should have informed new students, including Foundation students of the House they belong to. If you have any queries about Houses please contact your Home Group Teacher.
Students will be required to wear their sports uniform on the night as they will be running, but we hope that they will wear a t-shirt that is in their house colour and wear other accessories such as hats, scarves… in their house colour.
Teresa House - Blue
Mackillop House – Yellow
Bosco House – Red
Patrick House – Green
Students will be sitting with their houses under their house marques, supervised by staff. Those that come 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th will be awarded points for their House and we will also be giving out points to the House who supports their competitors the most. A presentation will be held at the end, to announce the House winners for the house sports award and the house spirit award. The Grade 6 Gift will also be presented to the fastest Grade 6.
Parents & Friends will be supplying a free sausage to all students on the night which we are very thankful for. Please ensure you complete the form that is sent home and return to school so your child doesn’t miss out. Parents & Friends will also be selling sausages and drinks on the evening so please bring your change.
We hope to have parent and toddler races as well! And this year those who come 1st – 4th can also earn points for their child’s House.
Parents will be asked to sit on the school side of the track across from where students are sitting in their Houses.
Please refer to Operoo for further information and give permission for your child to attend.
Giuliana
gfaiola@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
Performing Arts
This week in Performing Arts the Junior students danced and sang to several different songs, including “I’m Blue”, “Waka Waka” (a favourite!), “I like to move it” and a Freeze Dance song. They then used their bodies, voices and percussion instruments to respond to a variety of music styles: Pop, Rock, Classical and Country.
Students shared with the class what they observed about each music style, how each song made them feel, which music style they liked the most and why.
We had lots of fun singing, moving, dancing and playing a variety of instruments!
CHOIR
The Choir have met and rehearsed a few times and Rachel and I were so proud of how our Grade 3 and 4 Choir members performed at the Ash Wednesday Mass. There were technical difficulties on the day and the Choir kept singing and sounded beautiful! Well done!
The Choir will be practicing each Thursday at second lunch, straight after lunch eating time. We have many events in the school calendar that we will be performing at. Choir is open to all Year 3 to 6 students.
I have really enjoyed my first few weeks at SFDS and am excited to get to know all of the students and families better throughout the year.
Nicole Parnell.
Performing Arts Teacher
nparnell@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
💻 DT Update 💻
It has been a busy start to the year with all things technology!
Our Grade 3's have begun receiving their Chromebooks which is very exciting! It is great to see that they have been showing how responsible they can be by ensuring that they are using the protective case when they are not using their device and making sure that it is brought to school fully charged! Keep up the great work Grade 3's!
In DT the students have been learning about the expected behaviours at SFS when it comes to using technology and our seniors have also read through and signed their own version of the user agreement.
The beginning of the year is also the perfect time to revisit cyber safety and strategies that can be put in place to help keep you safe when online.
Our students have been fantastic at remembering our school cyber safety motto of: STOP, BLOCK, TELL!
Keep an eye out around the school for the posters that the students have made to help advertise the importance of being safe online!
Taryn Bartlett
Digital Technology Teacher
tbartlett@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
READING AT SFS
Welcome everyone to another exciting year of Learning and Teaching at St Francis de Sales. On Tuesday night we held our Foundation Reading Night which was a great success.
Below I have included some information for all our SFS families about Reading
at home with your child, as well as information on some of the digital reading resources
that children can access at home. Children should have all received their passwords by the end of next week, if not already.
If you have any questions please see you child’s home group teacher.
Thank you
Joanna Forbes
Learning and Teaching Leader
Parents/Carers reading with their child! Does it help?
- You make a difference to your children’s reading journey
- As parents and carers, you create the home context for reading and set the tone for how reading is valued.
- Can influence children’s attitudes to reading
- Reading with your child helps their reading improve
- When parents show an interest in children’s learning, children respond positively
- (read more, develop a positive self esteem)
- development and comprehension
- Impacts positively on children’s vocabulary
Reading with your child?
Should the books your child be easy or difficult?
For the Junior children the texts read at home should be at a slightly lower level than what children are reading at school. By the time children reach Year 3, their decoding skills are well established and therefore they have more choice in the reading material they choose. However, a good rule of thumb for all children is that if your child is getting stuck on every second word or more than 5 words per page, then the book is too hard for them.
Make it Routine
Find the right time for you and your child to read. Do what works for you! Ten minutes of reading every night is what we need to aim for in Years F-2 and 15-20 minutes for Years 3-6. For the Junior children it is important that a parent/carer listens to them read and engages in this experience with them by reminding them of their strategies and discussing the text with them. Many older children like to read independently and before bedtime. This is fine and should be encouraged. For children in Years 3-6 listening to your child read aloud once or twice a week to check for fluency and expression is recommended. It is then important to find a time during the week to discuss what they are reading with them to help them develop their understanding of the text.
English is not our first language.
It does not matter!!! We encourage parents/carers to read to children in their first language. The most important thing is that you are modelling positive reading behaviours and an enjoyment of reading. This makes a huge difference to how children view and feel about reading.
Turn off devices and remove distractions
Think about where will you sit and read together if you are reading with your child? Are there any distractions that will take away from focusing on what you are reading? Consider where the best place might be.
Who holds the book?
The reader holds the book! The reader needs to be in control. Particularly with little children it is so easy for us as parents/carers to hold the book for them and turn the pages as they read, however as the one reading they need to be in control and do this for themselves so that they become independent.
Make it Enjoyable!
Reading is meant to be fun. If you are getting frustrated with them, they will sense this and get frustrated too, especially in the early stages when children are learning to read and apply the strategies taught.
Avoid using words like ‘good’, ‘excellent’, ‘getting better’ – focus more on the strategies they are using. For example, “I like how you looked at the first sound and picture to read that word”, “ I like how you changed your voice for that character” or “ I noticed you went back and re-read the bit that didn’t make sense”. Even with older readers making comments about their understanding when they are talking about the text with you also helps build their confidence. For example, “That was a great text to self-connection”, “You really have a good understanding of what happened or why that character acted that way” or “WOW. You have remembered lots of facts about…….”
Don’t Tell Them, Guide Them
If you tell your child every word they get stuck on, they won’t learn to use the reading strategies they are learning at school and will expect you to tell them every time. This isn’t going to help them develop and grow as readers. Listening to your child read each night is not a TEST – you are not checking if they can read all the words correctly as an indicator of how they are progressing in their reading development. They need to have a go at ‘figuring out’ the unknown word by applying the strategies taught. Your role is to use the prompts and tips provided to help them in this process.
My Child is an independent reader what do I do now?
Continue to share reading time – maybe the library book that they bring home OR talk about what they are reading. Show interest in their reading choices. Ask them about the book, series they have chosen to read and why they choose it. Talk to them about your reading choices.
Comprehension and ‘TALK’ is important!
TALK! TALK! TALK! . This might be talking about the pictures and what is happening in the text before you read and as you read together. After reading with your child or after they have read their book independently ask them some questions about the text. Talking to children about what they have read is not only great for developing their understanding of the text, but it also helps build their vocabulary. Parents/Carers are key to assisting children in developing and building on their use of new and more complex language. Oral Language and the key skills of speaking and listening when engaging in a discussion are central to all aspects of a child’s learning and development.
Digital Resources
YEAR LEVELS: F –Year 3
Wushka can be accessed online by students from Foundation to Year 3. Student’s login details have been provided by teachers and can be found in your child’s diary. Wushka is an excellent online reading platform as the texts provided are specifically designed to enable children to practice their decoding strategies as well as their comprehension skills through the online quizes.
YEAR LEVELS: F –Year 6
We are delighted to let you know that our school subscription allows SFS students and their family access to Story Box Library online. Story Box Library is one of my personal favourites and I highly recommend it as it really celebrates a love for reading and storytelling.
Children can watch favourite stories, read aloud by fabulous storytellers, at home. Reading aloud to children, in particular by diverse and engaging storytellers, greatly improves language and literacy skills. There are also fabulous Home Activities which children can complete related to the books read. These are great and fun to do during the holidays.
To access Story Box Library at home:
1) Visit www.storyboxlibrary.com.au
2) Choose Log In from the top right corner of the screen
3) Log in using the username and password provided below:
Username: St Francis
Password: St Francis
4) Enjoy the library of stories on any device with internet connection
YEAR LEVELS: Years 3- 6
Epic is a digital reading platform that provides children with fun ways to engage with texts online to support their reading. Children have access to an amazing collection of texts across a range of genres.
Students can access all Epic books at school for FREE during school hours. At home, students can also access ONE BOOK FOR FREE PER DAY through Epic Basic.
Parents can do this by going to https://www.getepic.com/plans . Parents will be prompted with two options to select from – EPIC BASIC OR EPIC UNLIMITED. EPIC BASIC is the FREE OPTION and children have access to only ONE book after school hours. EPIC UNLIMITED comes at a cost to parents and is a yearly subscription so we recommend Epic Basic. When you select Epic Basic you will need to enter an email address to create the home account.
Once this has been done, students can link their home account to their home group account and access epic using their class code. See below.
HOW TO LONG ON:
From a laptop/desktop computer:
Go to www.getepic.com/students
Enter class code: Teachers will provide this to students
Select student name
Start exploring and reading.
From a tablet:
Download the Epic Reading App
Tap on class code: Teachers will provide this to students
Select student name
Start exploring and reading.
YEAR LEVELS: Years 1-6
Students are provided with individual details for their study ladder account and utilise this resource as part of their goal work throughout the week. Tasks can be set by teachers and worked on at home by students when needed.
Joanna Forbes
Learning and Teaching Co-Ordinator
NEWS FLASH - Congratulations!
We are delighted to announce that the following artworks submitted by our school have been selected for the Melbourne Diocese Creative Arts Exhibition for Catholic Education Week in March, 2024.
Artwork has been submitted from Catholic Schools all around the state and these student’s entries were successful!
We are very proud of our young artists and hope many family and friends can go to visit this public exhibition in the Catholic Learning Centre in the city on the dates below.
Years 3-5 Class Possum Skin Cloak (Class AM 2023)
Deion A, Grace B, Joseph B, Ella L , Ethan N, Eden S, Tyrus B, Shihan C, Rania G, Julian P,
Ayrkiera T, Amy T, Raybel B, Tyler E, Devaprayag M, Odin P, Andrea P.
Katherine Slater
Visual Arts Teacher
kslater@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
SPORTS NEWS
SENIOR SPORTS
Grade 5's and 6's
Today our senior students participated in their second Interschool Sport Training. The weather was cooler and the students enjoyed themselves. It was great to see.
We had our Grade 3/4's participating in their Sport Rotations. Each home group participated in different Sports, therefore they have an idea of what to expect when they are the seniors of the school.
Lulli Barbakos
P.E. Teacher
lbarbakos@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 6 BIKE EDUCATION
Next week our Grade 6's will continue their 2nd level of Bike Education: Pathways. They will have their first Pathways lesson out in our community. Students will need to bring their bikes and helmets to school Friday morning and leave in front of their Learning Space in the morning. If parents are dropping off bicycles, students are able to leave them in the bike shed for the duration of the program. If it is raining heavily, please leave bicycles at home.
For the remainder of the sessions students will be using the skills they have learnt, riding on pathways in the community. We will also be looking for some parent helpers to ride with the students once they begin the pathways program. To assist you must have a current Working with Children Check registered with the school office. If you are able to ride a bike and assist between 11.35-1.30 on the following days: Friday March 1st, Friday March 8th, Friday March 15th and Friday March 22nd, please contact me at gfaiola@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
Your assistance would be greatly appreciated!
GRADE 3/4 RUGBY CLINICS
Once again we have been lucky enough to receive free Rugby Clinics from National Rugby League Victoria. Grade 3/4 students will be involved in these clinics on Friday March 1st. We ask parents to acknowledge via Operoo. A flyer has also been included in the Community section of the newsletter for any students interested in joining Rugby.
WHOLE SCHOOL SPORTING EVENTS
SFS TWILIGHT SPORTS
Please save the date!! In Week 6 on Thursday March 7th between 5.30pm – 8.00pm we will hold our annual twilight sports. Students will sit in their Houses, competing in a running and novelty race as well as cheering. At the end of the night we will announce the winning House for the sporting events and the winning House for cheering, as well as the winner of the Grade 6 Gift. This year all students who attend will get points for their House. This will go towards the Community Spirit Award which is presented at the end of the year.
Parents please refer to the separate item attached for more information. We also ask that you give permission via Operoo.
AFL COME AND PLAY PROGRAM AT SFS
We have an exciting opportunity for your children. AFL Victoria are working closely with our local Junior Football Club and they are running a Come and Play Program at our school that focuses on providing a safe and inclusive introduction to AFL while learning about the basic skills of the game.
To provide this opportunity, there will be a FREE AFL Clinic run at St Francis De Sales on Wednesday March 27th from 3.30 – 4.30pm. Parent participation is encouraged and you will need to bring and remain with your child at the clinic, which will be run on our school oval.
All year levels are welcome to attend and to provide your child with this opportunity you will need to scan the QR Code on the flyer below and register your child.
Please note, your child does not need any special clothes and on the day they will be able to wear their sports uniform to school so that they can comfortably participate in the program. They will also need to bring their water bottle and hat.
This information has also been provided via Operoo.
I look forward to seeing many students and parents joining us for the Come and Play Program!
SFS CROSS COUNTRY
On the last day of term, which will be Thursday March 28th, the whole school will be involved in our traditional Cross Country which will be held at school. We will be looking for the winning House as well as the winners for each level in the Juniors and age group in the Seniors. We will also be identifying the Senior students who will qualify to attend District Cross Country in Term 2.
Please save the date so you can come and support your child. We will also be asking for parent assistance on the day. Remember to assist you must have a current Working with Children Check registered with the school office.
Giuliana
Sports Coordinator
gfaiola@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au