Deputy Principal's Report
Hello!
Social Emotional Learning
As a PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) school, we aim to explicitly teach and reinforce expected behaviours in the same way we teach academic skills. This week, our whole school focus has been the expectation 'I can play fairly'. Across the junior school, students discussed what fair and inclusive play looks like and identified games that promote fun, enjoyment, and safe interactions. Some classes also had the opportunity to head out onto the playground to explicitly practise these skills in real play situations, demonstrating how to play with equipment and/or use their imaginations with peers demonstrating cooperation, turn-taking, and respect for others.
As part of our Respectful Relationships Social Emotional Learning program, our Year 5 students have also been exploring the concept of positive self-talk. They engaged in thoughtful discussions about how the way we speak to ourselves can impact our confidence, resilience, and wellbeing, and created some wonderful posters on Monday to showcase their learning.
Bike Ed in Year 4
Our Year 4 students have been actively participating in the Bike Ed program, which continues to provide them with valuable opportunities to develop their bike riding skills in a safe and supported environment. Students have been practicing to ride responsibly and confidently practice signalling with one arm when indicating. A sincere thank you to our Year 4 Teachers, Mr Daly and Miss Mackinnon, for the time, care and effort they have put into planning and running this engaging and practical program for our students.
NCCD
We want to take a moment to keep you informed about an important process that takes place in our school each year. As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting every student, we participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The information below explains what the NCCD is, how it works, and what it means for your child.
If you have any questions relating to your child and a potential disability, please contact Peggy McDonald, our Learning Diversity Leader.
Specialist Lesson Showcase - Physical Education
This year we aim to share a snippet of the wonderful work that happens throughout our Specialist Lessons. At St. Finbar's we are lucky enough to have two wonderful Physical Education teachers, Mrs Jenny Allen and Mrs Tania Thompson. Please enjoy a small snapshot of what has been happening in PE this semester.
This term, the Prep to Year 4 students have been developing, revising, and consolidating a range of fundamental motor skills, with a particular focus on catching and overarm throwing. Students have applied these skills through a variety of minor games that encourage participation, teamwork, and cooperation. In addition, students have enjoyed the opportunity to participate in gymnastics lessons with an assistant coach, further building their confidence, coordination, and movement skills.
Our Year 5 and 6’s have also had an action packed semester, with Track and Field and Invasion Sports driving the development of key movement concepts, tactical skills, and game sense skills. To prepare for what was to be our House Athletics carnival, students honed their techniques across various track and field events, before exploring and experiencing the purpose and benefits of fitness testing. Participating in the Beep Test was optional, however it was fabulous to see EVERY student wanting to give it a go and enjoy their testing experience! Term Two brought the excitement of Invasion Sports, with students developing their tactical game-sense across Netball, AFL, Soccer and End Ball, learning to apply tactical strategies in fast-paced game situations.
It’s been a fantastic semester of PE involving a lot of movement, teamwork and growth for all students! We look forward to watching our students grow, stay active, and continue to have fun in our upcoming PE sessions!
Thank you for your ongoing support,
Peggy McDonald & Laura Zeeng