Learning and Teaching
Environmental Science Newsletter Term 3
Our students are looking forward to another action-packed term of learning about sustainability and taking action to care for our environment at SFS.
Juniors
Juniors have become experts on waste management here at SFS. They are taking responsibility by sorting their own waste into the right bins at school and some are even giving up their lunch playtime to help sort CDS containers. Our junior CDS waste champions are passionate about keeping the environment clean by raising awareness and taking responsibility for their choices.
In Term 3, we are exploring more ways to reuse everyday items and reduce our carbon footprint. Juniors will become creative learners and find ways to use items for a new purpose.
- Milk Carton Donations: If you would like to donate, please send clean, dry, and rinsed milk cartons (2L or 3L) through your child before August 14, 2026.
Seniors
This term, seniors will be busy learning about waste management and getting actively involved in sharing ideas to reduce and manage waste at school. To help us achieve our waste goals, seniors will have the exciting opportunity to work directly with our ResourceSmart School Facilitator.
Community Garden Market Stall
Our Community Garden Market Stall is increasingly becoming popular, thanks to our wonderful school community. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the stall, and to the staff members who have shared fresh, handpicked harvest from their personal gardens. This wouldn't be possible without our seniors, who work hard to help prepare and promote our market stall.
🍎 SFS is Becoming Nude Food Champions!
This week, our junior students have been busy exploring what goes into a "Nude Food" lunchbox. To put our learning into practice, SFS is launching a weekly Nude Food Day every Tuesday starting in Week 3! On this day, all students are strongly encouraged to bring a completely waste-free lunch.
Helpful Information: Why pack a Nude Food Lunchbox? Click What is a Nude Food Lunchbox WOOLWORTHS
Thank you for supporting our journey towards a cleaner, greener school environment!
Rebecca Soysa
rsoysa@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
Environmental Education Specialist Teacher
LS3 Juniors - Clinic 1 - Recount Writing
Our students have started the new semester with bounds of enthusiasm and energy after a well-deserved rest over the holidays. Needless to say, our families were very busy planning and enjoying many exciting activities.
In our writing clinics, students orally shared the 5w’s (who, what, where, when, why) of these experiences. They then illustrated a picture about this event detailing the 5w’s. Once our drawings were complete, our students worked hard to hear the sounds and record these as words, forming grammatically correct sentences. This is our first attempt at writing on dotted thirds.
Here are some amazing examples of our recounts.
Rebecca Xavier
rxavier@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
LS3 Junior Team Teacher
A Special Visit to Start Term 3: Welcoming Father Anthony and Brother Menji
On the very first day of Term 3, our school community was blessed with a wonderful visit from Father Anthony and a very special guest, Brother Menji, who joined us from the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) order in China. It was a beautiful way to kick off the new term and set the tone for our upcoming learning.
As our students began to immerse themselves in our new unit on Change, Father Anthony led a fantastic discussion about how change shapes our hearts and faith. He shared the stories of key biblical figures like King David and Saint Peter—individuals who went through profound personal transformations. Father Anthony explained how their willingness to change allowed them to grow closer to God and better serve their communities, showing us that change can be a powerful expression of love and faith.
Brother Menji then shared his own deeply personal journey, reflecting on his "calling to change." He spoke to the students about the courage it took to answer God's call, leave his home country, and embrace a completely new life dedicated to service. His story was a moving example for our students of how change, though sometimes daunting, can lead to incredible purpose and growth.
Our students were incredibly engaged, and RJ put together some wonderful reflections on what the visit meant to them:
Anissha - “Today I learned that you don’t have to be fluent in Latin to be a priest, and that it takes about 10 to 12 years of training. I also learned that there are four colors for a priest's vestments: green, purple, white/gold, and red. Additionally, we discussed St. Peter. He sometimes struggled to understand Jesus's actions, such as when Jesus washed the disciples' feet. Peter asked, 'Lord, are you going to wash my feet?' and suggested Jesus wash his hands and head as well. Jesus simply replied that since they were already clean, only their feet needed washing."
Ariana- “Today, Father Anthony and Brother Menji taught me that priests used to say Mass entirely in fluent Latin, and that it takes about 10 years of training to become a priest. They also explained that women cannot be ordained as priests. Additionally, I learned the story of how David defeated the powerful giant warrior, Goliath, with a single slingshot right to the forehead. Finally, we learned that a priest's vestments come in multiple colors, and each color carries a special meaning.”
Clinic 2: Mastering Mathematics Through Visual Strategies
Our mathematicians in Clinic 2 have been diving deep into multiplicative thinking! Recently, we have been exploring how to break down complex multiplication using two powerful visual strategies: the distributive property and the Area Model.
To understand these concepts, the children started with a hands-on approach. Using unifix blocks, they built large arrays (grids of blocks representing a multiplication problem). They then used a piece of string to physically partition, or split, the large grid into smaller, friendlier chunks. For example, instead of trying to calculate a large array all at once, they might split it into a "tens" section and a "ones" section. This visual hands-on work perfectly models the distributive property—the mathematical rule that lets us break a large problem into smaller parts, solve each part, and add them together to get the final answer.
The students beautifully transferred this concrete knowledge onto paper using the Area Model (a grid diagram used to visualise multiplication). Armed with these tools, the children didn't just stop at 1-digit by 2-digit equations; many actively challenged themselves to solve complex 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication equations! It has been wonderful to see their confidence and mathematical grit grow.
Immersing in Inquiry: What Has Changed?
To kick off our new Inquiry unit, we decided to skip the traditional introduction and instead let our students play the role of detectives! We set up a vibrant "provocation walk" around the room, displaying 15 to 20 historical and contemporary images from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
The images took the children on a visual journey through time, showcasing:
- Cities Then and Now: Comparing the shifting skylines of Melbourne, Singapore, Tokyo, and Mumbai.
- Environments & Culture: Observing natural landscapes before and after human impact, and witnessing the evolution of cultural celebrations over time.
- Land & Community: Exploring Indigenous land use alongside modern management, and seeing how migration, tourism, and climate change shape communities.
Equipped with a recording sheet, the students moved through the gallery, engaging in deep discussions using a See, Think, Wonder framework:
- See: What has changed here? What has stayed the same?
- Think: Why do you think this change happened in the first place?
- Wonder: Is this change helping or harming people, places, or the environment?
This immersive activity perfectly connected the students to the core heart of our new unit: the understanding that places, environments, and cultures are constantly changing, whether naturally or through human action. Over the coming weeks, we will continue to investigate how Australia is connected to our Asia-Pacific neighbours and the wider world, how these connections shape our lives, and how we can best care for our common home as these changes unfold.
Rosie Joseph
rjoseph@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
LS3 Senior Team Teacher
SENIOR SPORTS
GRADE 5/6 SPORT
The Grade 5/6 students demonstrated attentive listening during their recent training session in anticipation of their first Interschool Sport competition. The teachers provided active support to enhance the students' development in their sport and addressed any questions they had,
GRADE 3/4 SPORT
The students consistently exhibit outstanding listening abilities and a high level of motivation throughout their sports rotations. Their enthusiasm has had a beneficial effect on both their fellow students and us as coaches.
For Term Three Interschool Sport, Grades 5 and 6 students will be participating in one of the following sports: Cricket, Tennis, Basketball, Handball and Softball Five games and a lightning premiership against local schools have been scheduled.
The schools we are playing, dates and locations for these events are as follows:
- Friday 31st of July Coral Park Primary School– Home Game
- Friday August 7th Lynbrook Primary School – Away Game
- Friday August 14th St Kevins Primary School– Home Game
- Friday August 21st Hampton Park Primary School – Away Game
- Friday August 28th Kilberry Valley Primary School- Away Game
Tuesday September 1st Lightning Premiership
BASKETBALL-CASEY INDOOR STADIUM
TENNIS – CRANBOURNE TENNIS CENTRE
CRICKET, SOFTBALL – LIVINGSTONE RESERVE
EUROPEAN HANDBALL – MELBOURNE CITY SOCCER PITCHES
DISTRICT ATHLETICS
Our District Athletics Team have been selected and are training hard to represent St Francis DeSales Primary School for District Athletics which will occur on
Tuesday 18th of August at Casey Fields Athletics Track.
DIVISIONAL SUMMER NETBALL FINALS
Our Netball Mixed Team will be playing a round robin format at Casey Stadium on Wednesday 22nd of July, we wish them all the best, the students can not wait for this to occur.
NOTE PLEASE APPROVE ON NFORMA
Lulli Barbakos
Physical Education Teacher
Senior Sports Coordinator
lbarbakos@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
WHOLE SCHOOL SPORTING EVENTS
SFS TERM 3 AUSKICK CENTRE COMING!!
I am very excited to announce that SFS will be having their own Auskick Program running on our oval next term beginning in Week 6 on Wednesday August 19th from 3.20pm – 4.20pm.
Tyler is happy to run a separate group for the girls if we have enough registrations. There will be 4 sessions and the cost will be $55. Like last year students who register will also receive a pack sent to their home.
If you would like your child to attend, please use the QR Code on the flyer or the link below to register your child. HURRY SPACES ARE LIMITED AND FILLING UP FAST!!
https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/099c1b
Information has also been sent via nForma but remember you must register your child with AFL for them to be involved.
Any queries please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Giuliana
Extra-Curricular Coordinator