Learning and Teaching
VISUAL ART
Our young artists’ first art piece this term was inspired by our school production, “The Wizard of Oz”.
Our Juniors brought the Tin Man to artistic life in their
“Art is in the Heart” piece as they worked with foil to explore an art technique, collage. With the addition of 3D features and a sponge or printed background, students experimented with different textures to create their own version of a kind and loving Tin Man.
The Seniors in their art piece “I can see clearly now!”went beyond the well known classic story to introduce another character, “Koorin the Bilby” (an Aboriginal name meaning ‘strength’).
Through inspiration from the Victorian artist, Pete Cromer, our young artists have designed a collage of the bilby using a combination of watercolour paint, pastels and printed coloured paper. The small eye and vibrant and bold colour choices symbolised that through Koorin’s search for sight he finds joy and sees clearly now with his new friends.
“I can see clearly now” created by:
Ivy in AS (left) & Dominique in GR (right)
In the making of this new character the seniors brainstormed a storyline and with the help of Julian and Harish came the new edition entitled, “The Wizard of Oz in Oz!”. To see Koorin and find out what happens in the story, take a look at the senior art displays in the corridor in the coming week.
Art Housekeeping:
To protect students’ school clothing, students are encouraged to wear an art smock each art lesson. A buttoned shirt parents/ carers no longer need or art smock that can be worn by the students for the whole year is suggested.
Art Club - Students who have an interest in visual art and would like to further explore their skills and experiment with other young artists are encouraged to come along and join in the fun at Art Club with Melissa on Wednesdays.
Art Club is held in L.S 2 every 2nd lunch for both juniors and seniors.
Visual Art Special News!!
The result for the HOLT Annual Christmas Card Competition has been revealed!!!
It is with great pleasure we announce that Ghezana, in LS3, won first prize! This would also be the first time a Catholic school in HOLT and SFS Primary School has won this particular competition organised by Cassandra Fernando MP.
We congratulate Ghezana on her effort, interest and enthusiasm with creatively designing and entering this competition. Ghezana’s Christmas card will be displayed on Cassandra’s front cover of her official 2025 Christmas card. In addition, she will receive a $100 gift voucher from Officeworks.
We would also like to congratulate and thank the other students who eagerly shared their creativity and passion for art by entering this Christmas competition.
Melissa Junkeer
Visual Arts Teacher
mjunkeer@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
LS3 Juniors
This week, Learning Space 3 Juniors continued reflections on the story of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37). Students thoughtfully considered the question, “How can I be like the Good Samaritan?” Their responses showed a beautiful understanding of Jesus’ message about kindness, compassion, and caring for others.
Leia shared, “I can help my dad fix the car.”Mathias reflected, “I help Micah stand up.”
Other students mentioned that being like the Good Samaritan means sharing, including others, and looking out for people who need help. It was wonderful to see how each child connected the Scripture story to their own lives in such practical and heartfelt ways.
Here are some work samples that highlight their reflections and growing understanding of what it means to live out Jesus’ teachings in everyday moments.
Nuri Gil
LS3 Junior Team Teacher
ngil@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
LS3 Seniors- Reading Clinic
🚀 Stepping into Someone Else's Shoes (or Vases!): Creative Reading in Clinic 1 🚀
This week in Clinic 1, our senior readers have been flexing their literary detective skills as they tackled the tricky concept of Point of View!
Forget passive reading—our students became active code-breakers, hunting for those all-important "signal words" (like I, me, you, he, she, they) that unlock the narrator's perspective (First, Second, or Third Person).
The highlight, A fantastic challenge where the children took a story written in the Third Person and completely rewrote it from a brand-new perspective!
Imagine trying to tell a story... as a vase! This exercise wasn't just about changing words; it was a powerful lesson in empathy and imagination. The children absolutely loved sharing their unique, vase-centric tales with their peers, leading to a wonderful exchange of creative perspectives.
🔎 Storm Boy: From Reading Aloud to Expert Book Club
This term, our Literature Studies (LS3) students aren't just reading "Storm Boy"—they're dissecting it!
Our students are engaging in a dynamic, multi-stage process that encourages collaboration and in-depth analysis:
Unpacking the Author's Voice: We're helping children think like writers, debating why the author chose certain words and how that specific language shapes the story's meaning and purpose.
The "Book Club" Experience: This is where the real action happens! Students choose specialised roles—like the Discussion Director, the Illustrator, or the Passage Picker—to unpack the story's themes, characters, and settings in detail.
Personal Connection: The children are incredibly invested, sharing which parts of the story resonate most with them and defending why that passage holds personal importance.
It's fantastic to see our students take ownership of their learning and become true experts on the text!
Rosie Joseph
LS3 Senior Team Teacher
rjoseph@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
SENIOR SPORTS
BIKE EDUCATION
NOTE
Grade 5 students will remain on school grounds completing cycling skills and simulations Week 8, 9, 10.
Students will need to bring their bikes and helmets to school on Friday’s. We remind students that if they are riding to school they will need to dismount their bikes and walk on school grounds. Bicycles and helmets can be left outside the students’ Learning Space. If parents are dropping off bicycles at school, they can remain in the Bike Shed for the duration of the program.
Lulli Barbakos
Physical Education Teacher
Senior Sports Coordinator
lbarbakos@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
WHOLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS
SWIMMING
A big thank you to all the students, staff and parents for making the swimming program a huge success this year. I hope the students have learnt new skills to keep themselves safer around water.
Thank you to all the staff that were on constant supervision during the swimming program, often missing out on their breaks and there wasn’t a complaint in site. Thank you also to all the parents that assisted in the Junior change rooms. We couldn’t have run swimming without you. Finally, thanks to all the parents for ensuring their child was ready for swimming each week. It made life so much easier for all the SFS staff.
A huge thanks also to Helen at Casey Race who is the school program coordinator and all her staff for ensuring they looked after our students and that the swimming program ran smoothly.
COME & PLAY AFL FREE AFTERSCHOOL GIRLS CLINIC
Another great opportunity for our SFS girls this time!! AFL is running a FREE afterschool clinic on Wednesday December 1st from 3.20-4.20pm. It will be held on our oval. Parents are most welcome to attend and join in the fun!
Further information has been provided via nForma but please note, acknowledging the notification DOES NOT register your daughter.
For your daughter to participate you must enrol them via the AFL portal. Below is the link you can use or you can just scan the QR code on the flyer.
- Registration link: https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/499544
Parent make sure you remind your daughters, Tyler from AFL will be coming to school to run some fun AFL activities on Monday 24th November during 1st lunch playtime. Please encourage your daughters to come and try AFL with Tyler.
SENIOR PROGRAMS
GRADE 5 BIKE EDUCATION – CYCLING SKILLS AND SIMULATIONS
Grade 5 students will continue their Bike Education Program next week on Friday. They will remain on school grounds completing cycling skills and simulations.
Students will need to bring their bikes and helmets to school on Friday November 28th. We remind students that if they are riding to school they need to wear their helmet and dismount their bikes and walk on school grounds. Bicycles and helmets can be left outside the students’ Learning Space. If it is raining heavily in the morning students can leave their bikes at home.
JUNIOR PROGRAMS
We have once again been lucky enough to receive a Sporting Schools Grant funded by the Australian Government. As a result, our Junior students will be involved in gymnastics clinics run by Luke who is the Director and Head Coach for Melbourne Tumbling Academy.
The clinics will begin in December and parents have now received further information via nForma. Please ensure you have the app.
Any queries please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Giuliana
Extra-Curricular Coordinator