Learning Across the
Junior School

Message From the Assistant Principal: Head of Junior School

120 Celebrations

Last Thursday, our students had a wonderful time celebrating Loreto College Marryatville’s 120th birthday. The day began with a Mass, bringing everyone together in reflection and gratitude. This was followed by a fun-filled lunch time on the Junior School lawns, where the girls participated in old-fashioned games with the senior school students and a delicious Loreto cupcake to mark the occasion.

Leadership Liturgy

On Monday 10 February, the 2025 Junior School leaders were officially presented with their badges during the liturgy. Ms McCullah addressed the girls, highlighting the importance of students leading with responsibility, respect and kindness. She encouraged all the students to make a positive impact on the school community, reminding them that leadership takes many forms and that every student has the potential to lead in their own unique way.

Cyber Safe Families Workshops

This week, our Year 4-6 students participated in Cybersafe Workshops as part of our commitment to creating a safe and secure online environment. In today’s digital world, it is essential for students to understand both the opportunities and risks that come with technology. Cybersafe Families highlighted the importance of fostering age-appropriate, technology-inclusive environments to support students at various stages of their digital journey. These sessions played a key role in empowering our girls to be responsible and safe digital citizens.

Additionally, in a combined presentation, all students from Year 4 to 6 reviewed the Junior School’s Responsible Use of Technology Agreement to reinforce our shared commitment to online safety and responsible technology use in the Junior School.

Finally, for security purposes, I kindly request that all parents and caregivers visiting the Junior School between 8:30 am and 3:20 pm sign in at the Junior School front office. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated, as ensuring the safety of our girls is our top priority.

Lisa Sexton

Assistant Principal: Head of Junior School

Year 1: Exploring Numbers and Words

It has been an amazing start in Year 1 this year. The girls have shown amazing effort and determination with their learning already!

Over the past few weeks in Mathematics, we have been exploring teen numbers and how we can identify what parts they are made up of. We have learnt you can do this through partitioning. This is where you begin with a whole number and split it up into 2 parts. We then used our amazing maths brains to turn our findings into number sentences. We have been noticing that there are many ways you can write a number sentence to equal the same number! Some of us also saw many patterns and used that knowledge to challenge ourselves when partitioning numbers beyond 20!

In addition, we have been working hard in our Literacy lessons, reminding ourselves about different sounds one letter can make, and using this knowledge to decode new words. We have used our new vocabulary to create some fabulous simple sentences.

We are so excited to see what is yet to come!

Isabelle Zappia

R-6 Teacher

Year 3: A Strong Start to the Year!

It’s hard to believe that our Year 3 girls have already been at school for four weeks! They’ve made an incredible start to the year, laying strong foundations in several key areas of learning, and there’s much more to look forward to as they continue their journey.

Exploring Number & Place Value

In Mathematics, the girls have dived into the world of number and place value with enthusiasm and curiosity. Over the past few weeks, they’ve explored different ways of understanding numbers and how place value works to build their number sense. They’ve made excellent progress and will continue to develop these skills as the year goes on, strengthening their ability to work confidently with numbers.

Phonology & Morphology Fun

In English, the girls have been delving into the fascinating worlds of phonology and morphology. They’re thoroughly enjoying exploring the sounds of words and learning about how these sounds translate into spelling. It’s been exciting to see their confidence grow as they discover patterns in language and how different parts of words come together to create meaning.

Learning About the Brain in SEAD

In their Social, Emotional and Academic Development (SEAD) lessons, the Year 3 girls have been learning about the different parts of their brain and how they work together. This fascinating topic has helped the girls understand more about how their brains support their mental health and well-being. They’ve enjoyed discussing the ways in which each part of the brain plays a role in regulating emotions, thoughts, and actions. This knowledge will undoubtedly help them develop important skills for managing their emotions and building resilience.

Preparing for the Athletics Carnival

The excitement is building as the girls eagerly anticipate the upcoming Athletics Carnival in week 5! They’ve been working hard in Physical Education, practicing their skills, and developing their physical strength and endurance in preparation for the event. The girls are looking forward to putting their hard work into action and having a great time with their classmates, all while celebrating their athletic achievements.

The first four weeks have been full of growth, exploration, and excitement. The Year 3 girls are off to a fantastic start, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds for them! Keep up the amazing work, Year 3!

Zahra Morrish

Reception-Year 6 Teacher

Year 5: Building Our Safety Networks

This week in SEAD, we’ve been focusing on an important topic: building our safety networks. Students have been discussing the crucial idea that, in our lives, it’s essential to have a group of trusted people we can turn to when we need help or support. These safe people can be anyone—family members, friends, teachers - someone who makes us feel heard, understood, and protected.

As part of this lesson, each student created a Safety Network Hand. On their hand, they wrote down the names of the people they feel safe with. This activity helped students reflect on who they trust and who they can rely on in different situations.

Through these activities, our goal is to empower the students with the confidence to reach out for support when needed and to understand the importance of building strong, healthy relationships in their lives.

We encourage you to talk with your child about their safety network at home and remind them that it’s always okay to ask for help.