Learning & Teaching 

LEARNING & TEACHING - Vira Pirrotta

Dear School Community,

This week, we came together to observe National Reconciliation Week (NRW), a significant period dedicated to fostering understanding, respect, and unity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. Running annually from May 27 to June 3, NRW invites all Australians to engage with our shared histories and build a more inclusive nation.

The Importance of National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week commemorates two critical events in Australia's history: the successful 1967 referendum, which recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the census, and the 1992 Mabo decision, which acknowledged Indigenous land rights. These milestones remind us of the ongoing journey towards reconciliation and the importance of recognising past injustices to pave the way for a better future.

Theme for 2024: "Reflect, Learn, and Act"

This year's theme, "Reflect, Learn, and Act," encourages us to pause and consider how we can contribute to reconciliation in our everyday lives. Reflecting on our history allows us to learn from past mistakes, and through education and awareness, we can take meaningful action to support reconciliation.

DION DRUMMOND 

On Tuesday, 28th May, the students participated in an educational incursion facilitated by Dion Drummond. Dion Drummond’s Aboriginal name is “Moogera”, meaning storm. He is of Torres Strait Islander descent on his mother Cindy’s side and Aboriginal from his late father’s side (Cape York Peninsula). He is one of Australia’s most experienced Indigenous performers, covering both Mainland and Islander cultures as a dancer, singer and storyteller. 

Dion shared tales, language and artefacts from both of his cultures, teaching our students about the different traditions of his Torres Strait Island and Aboriginal Indigenous heritage. Students participated in learning actions of songs and dances, and Dion highlighted some important values, such as respect and acceptance. The session was highly interactive and engaging. The students enjoyed every minute of the performances. 

Commitment to Ongoing Learning

Reconciliation is not a one-week event but a continuous process. We are committed to ongoing learning and action to support reconciliation as a school. We aim to contribute positively to the broader community's reconciliation efforts by fostering an environment of respect, understanding, and inclusion. https://youtu.be/9mBBoupyoJA

Celebration of Learning 

The celebration of learning is more than just displays of student work. It is a time for students to share and reflect on their knowledge with an authentic audience. 

It allows them to share their learning with their parents, peers and the school community.  

Please come along to see our fantastic Learning: 

• Year 1/2  Discovery Learning showcase celebration 
  • Thursday 6th June 3:30pm-4:30pm
  • Friday 9:30am - 10:30am 
• Foundation Discovery Learning celebration
  • Thursday 13th June, 3pm to 4pm  
• Year 5/6 Australian History Celebration
  • Tuesday 11th June, 3pm to 4pm 
• Year 3/4 Australian History Celebration
  • Thursday, June 13th, 3pm-4pm

We look forward to sharing what we have learned with you. 

LITERACY NEWS - Bernadette Parnis

Thank you to the parents who attended last Wednesday’s Parent Session on how to support children with reading at home. 

Over the next few weeks, I will share the information presented as promised.

How to support your child's reading development

• Read with and to your child daily—books from home, the local library, books borrowed from St Fidelis library, and take-home readers.
• Establish a home reading routine. Choose a comfortable space to read together. Find a time that works for your family, before bed, first thing in the morning, whenever it is convenient.
• Show and share your enjoyment for reading.
• Visit the local library. Let your child choose books based on their interest in both fiction and nonfiction.
• Make books with your child about topics of interest or shared experiences — a holiday photo album, a book about insects, and signs for their bedroom.
• Make a message board or space at home and encourage your child to read and leave messages for other family members.
• Ask your child to retell their favourite stories.
• Help your child learn the alphabet letters and their corresponding sounds.
• Talk about letters and sounds.
• Trace and say letters.
• Play sound games.
• Practise blending sounds into words. Ask can you guess what this word is m-o-p. Hold each sound longer than normal.
• Have your child trace a letter with their finger while saying the letter’s sound. Do this on paper, in sand, or on a plate of sugar.

- For example, the letter name is C and it makes the sound ‘c’ as in cat.

- Turn it into a game. For example, “I’m thinking of a letter and it makes the sound m”.

• Read your child’s favourite book over and over again. As you read, pause and ask your child about what is going on in the book.

I played this short YouTube clip, Nightly Reading Homework: Best Practices for Parents. 

It includes useful tips on supporting your child when listening to them read.

I also mentioned that we have two school subscriptions that are easily accessible from any device and from home using the login details provided below. 

Sunshine Online subscription includes levelled books. 

Login details are: Username StFidelis Password read123

Story Box Library provides a digital online opportunity for children to listen to the stories being read aloud by storytellers. 

Our login details are: Username - StFidelis Password - StFidelis

Lastly, I promised to include my email address. You can find this below. 

Stay tuned. More information to follow. 

Keep warm, and have a great week. 

Bernadette Parnis

bparnis@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au 

FAMILY ENGAGEMENT - Leanne Wenckowski

Storytime at St Fidelis

Each Monday afternoon during the school term, you are invited to Storytime. Come and listen to a story, enjoy completing a craft activity and have a play with some friends. Toddlers and preschoolers are welcome. Please enter via the Saunders Street gate.  Parents/carers are required to stay for the Storytime session. For further details, please contact me via my email lwenckowski@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au

RSVP: Please email me if you are attending so I can prepare resources etc.

Leanne Wenckowski

Family Engagement Leader

NUMERACY NEWS - Colleen Monaghan

I found this in my reading recently and thought it a great one to share, especially as I noted that the middle students are currently learning about 2 & 3 D shapes.  I hope you find it useful.

2D & 3D Shapes & Their Properties: Explained For Primary School Teachers, Parents & Kids

Here we provide a summary of the 2D shapes and 3D shapes covered in the maths curriculum at primary school with a specific focus on the properties of shapes that teachers and parents can support children to learn and understand.

• What are the properties of 2D shapes? 2D shapes have two dimensions, such as width and height. We will go into more detail classifying these below.
• What are the properties of 3D shapes? 3D shapes have three dimensions, such as width, height and depth. We will go into more detail classifying these below.
• When will children learn about the properties of 2D and 3D shapes? Here’s what the National Curriculum expects to be taught about the properties of shapes, separated by key stage:

KS1 children should be able to:

• Develop their ability to recognise, describe, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary.

Lower KS2 children should be able to:

• Draw with increasing accuracy and develop mathematical reasoning so they can analyse shapes and their properties, and confidently describe the relationships between them.

Upper KS2 children should be able to:

• Classify shapes with increasingly complex geometric properties and learn the vocabulary they need to describe them.

Below are some of the shapes children will need to know, including their properties, such as the number of sides.

Properties of 2D shapes

Circles

• A semi-circle has 2 sides; 1 curved side and 1 straight side. The full arc is a 180° angle.

Triangles (3-sided shapes)

• An equilateral triangle is a regular triangle, and each angle equals 60°.
• A right-angled triangle is any triangle with one right angle.
• A scalene triangle is an irregular triangle. All sides and angles are different.
• An isosceles triangle has two sides and two angles that are the same.

Quadrilaterals (4-sided shapes)

• A square is a regular quadrilateral, and each angle equals 90°.
• A kite has two pairs of equal-length sides, and the diagonals cross at right angles.
• A rectangle has two pairs of parallel straight lines and each angle equals 90°.
• A rhombus has two pairs of parallel lines, as well as equal sides and opposite equal angles.
• A trapezium has one pair of parallel lines.
• A parallelogram has two pairs of parallel lines and opposite equal angles.

Polygons

• A pentagon is any shape with 5 sides. The interior angles add up to 540°.
• A hexagon is any shape with 6 sides. The interior angles add up to 720°.
• A heptagon or septagon is any shape with 7 sides. The interior angles add up to 900°.
• An octagon is any shape with 8 sides. The interior angles add up to 1080°.
• A nonagon is any shape with 9 sides. The interior angles add up to 1260°.
• A decagon is any shape with 10 sides. The interior angles add up to 1440°.

Properties of 3D shapes

• A sphere has 1 curved surface.
• A hemisphere has 1 face, 1 curved surface and 1 edge.
• A cone has 1 face, 1 curved surface, 1 edge and 1 vertex.
• A tetrahedron, or triangular-based pyramid, has 4 faces, 6 edges and 4 vertices.
• A square-based pyramid has 5 faces, 8 edges and 5 vertices.
• A cylinder has 2 faces, 1 curved surface and 2 edges.

Prisms

• A triangular prism has 5 faces, 9 edges and 6 vertices.
• A cube has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices.
• A cuboid has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices.
• A pentagonal prism has 7 faces, 15 edges and 10 vertices.
• A hexagonal prism has 8 faces, 18 edges and 12 vertices.

SPORTS NEWS - Michael Jennings

SSV Inner North/Merri-bek Cross Country Championships 2024

Congratulations to Mia, Scarlett & Violet on finishing in the top ten competitors at the Coburg District Cross Country Championships to qualify to compete at the Inner North/Merri-bek Division Cross Country Championships held on Wednesday, 29 May, at Banyule Flats. Special congratulations to Mia and Violet on commendable performances at this event. Unfortunately, Scarlett was unable to compete.

SSV Interschool Sport Competition

Last Friday, 31 May, St Fidelis played football, soccer, and netball against St Pauls. Once again, our students displayed wonderful sporting behaviour and tremendous team spirit to achieve pleasing results. St Fidelis defeated St Pauls in football, girls' soccer, and netball and were defeated in Boys'/Mixed soccer and netball.

The next round of interschool sports is to be played on Friday, 7 June, against AIA. This is a HOME Game. Footy will be played at Shore Reserve, and girls' netball will be played in the Benny Courts. Games will be played from 9.30am to 11.00pm.

Departure for footballers will be at 9.00 am; returning at 11.30 am.

There will be no soccer or boys/mixed netball matches. AIA has forfeited these games.

Year 3/4 Sport

Through Sporting Schools Government Funding, our Year 3/4 students will participate in four soccer clinics on Fridays commencing on June 7. The program is designed by Football Australia’s technical and youth development teams to use Football as a vehicle for fun, engagement, and physical activity, with learning principles that can be then applied back into the classroom environment. 

The program focuses on learning movement skills, teamwork, coordination, and fun. It encourages children to participate in game-based activities that reflect Football Australia's ‘Play for Life’ philosophy and the Personal Development, Health, and Physical Education syllabus.

The foundation of the Football Schools Program is based on the junior program: MiniRoos. Their programs are tailored to the needs of each school, ranging in duration and are inclusive and available to students of all abilities.

ITALIAN NEWS - Rosa Fokianos

BUONGIORNO! 

Salve! (Hello!) 

Firstly, Complimenti, (Congratulations), to all the Grade 6 candidates that received their sacrament of La Cresima (Confirmation) yesterday.  May the memory of this special day always stay with you and guide you along your faith journey in life.  ✝️🕊️

Secondly, in today’s newsletter, I’d like to give families some information about a major event that just took place in Italy yesterday…domenica (Sunday) 2 guigno (June). I'm referring to La Festa della Repubblica, (Italian Republic Day).

La Festa della Repubblica is a public holiday in Italy, celebrating the establishment of the Italian Republic and the end of the monarchy, which took place on June 2nd 1946. Some of you may already know that a republic is a form of government in which the people elect, or choose, the leaders that will represent them, in this case a President. Italians celebrate this National Day by watching parades, fireworks, concerts, and sharing picnics with family and friends. Each year a wreath is laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Rome. The tomb was completed in 1924, (yes, cento -100 years ago) and has an eternal flame. It was built to honour all of Italy’s fallen soldiers.

I wonder if you have any family members that celebrated La Festa della Repubblica in Italy when they were younger? Some of your grandparents may have had photos taken in Italy on this day? If so, you might like to share them…if you have permission to do so, I could then include them in the school’s newsletter. Just email me if you do. Grazie. 📸

Update: The 107th Giro d'Italia finished on Sunday last week in Roma,  (26 maggio), with Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) taking home the maglia rosa (pink jersey) as the overall winner of this grand 3 week Italian cycling tour. Bravo Tadej!! I hope you got to watch some parts of the Giro d’Italia, even if it was a repeated broadcast. 🚴 

FESTA ITALIANA

As I mentioned in some of my classes last week and on several occasions in this newsletter, our school’s FESTA ITALIANA (Italian Day) will be taking place soon…giovedì 20 giugno 2024 (Thursday 20th June 2024).

I hope your costume ideas are coming along nicely! I have already heard some great ideas, can’t wait to see everyone dressed up in their Italian themed costume. 

I’m also pleased to say that the P&F Committee is organising an Italian themed lunch for the day, (pasta e gelato). So if your child/ren would like to be part of this luncheon, don’t forget to place your lunch order through the Quickcliq system by no later than martedì 11 giugno, (Tuesday 11th June). Grazie! 🍝🍨

Until next time…buona settimana! (Have a good week)! 

Signora Rosa 🌹

CURRICULUM OVERVIEWS