PREP

What a wonderful term we have had in Prep! We are so proud of each and every student and the learning they have achieved so far. It has been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they settle into school life, build new friendships, and develop their independence.

We have certainly been very busy this term, engaging in a range of exciting learning experiences across all areas. From developing our literacy and numeracy skills to exploring new topics and participating in classroom activities, the students have shown great enthusiasm and a willingness to give everything a go.

House Sports today was a fantastic success! It was wonderful to see the children getting involved, having fun, and giving everything a go. They showed great enthusiasm as they cheered each other on and proudly represented their houses. It was so nice to see their smiling faces and such positive participation throughout the day.

It has been a joy to watch their progress and see how much they have grown already. We look forward to another great term ahead and continuing to build on all that we have learned so far.

Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter Break.

Elissa Rodger erodger@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Emma Roberts eroberts@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Liza Alexander lalexander@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 1

It’s hard to believe we’ve already reached the end of Term 1! We are incredibly proud of all that our students have achieved this term.

This week, we continued our Holy Week experiences, with students taking time to reflect and thoughtfully respond. We have also wrapped up our addition and subtraction unit in Mathematics and completed our timelines as part of our Inquiry learning.

We wish all our families a wonderful Easter and a safe, restful break. We look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for Term 2!

Leah Martin lmartin@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Abbey Hayes ahayes@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 2

As we come to the end of a wonderful term, we would like to congratulate our Grade 2 students on their fantastic efforts in learning both classroom and school-wide expectations. Their positive attitudes, respectful behaviour, and commitment to learning have been a pleasure to see each day. It has been terrific to watch their confidence grow as they take responsibility for their learning and contribute so thoughtfully to our school community.

This week has been jam packed with so many activities- Monday we shared a small liturgy together about Holy Thursday, and were prompted to consider how we can follow in Jesus’ footsteps. On Tuesday, we participated in the Stations of the Cross to remember the story of Jesus' sacrifice at the time we now call Easter. We were invited to reflect on our own lives, and the lives of others, and how they connect to Jesus’ message of hope.

Wednesday was casual clothes and fun food- thank you to all the BBQ helpers, and to parents for the gold coin donations. Raising funds for Project Compassion is just one of the many ways we act out the love of Jesus at St Mary’s. By the time you read this on Thursday, we will have concluded our school sports day and are no doubt celebrating our athletic achievements along with the beginning of the Easter break!

We wish all of our families a safe and relaxing break, filled with special moments together, and a very happy Easter. We look forward to welcoming everyone back next term feeling refreshed, recharged, and ready for more exciting learning ahead.

Matt O'Dowd modowd@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Deb Holland dholland@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 3

We have wrapped up an exceptional Term 1 and are so proud of how smoothly we have settled into Year 3. It has been a busy and exciting term filled with NAPLAN, new learning, fun experiences and whole school events. We are already looking forward to all that Term 2 will bring.

We are so proud of our participation in yesterday’s annual Coin Line event. Thank you to all families who supported this fundraiser by sending in coins and contributing to the fun of the day. It was wonderful to see our class getting involved and working together for a great cause. Fun food day was also a hit!

Today we celebrated a fantastic Sports Day over at the Lake Oval. Thank you to all families who came along to support and cheer, it was such a fun and positive way to finish the term. It was wonderful to see everyone proudly dressed in their house colours and showing great team spirit.

This week, we have been learning about Holy Week and participating in a range of meaningful activities to support our understanding. Holy Week is one of the most important times in our Catholic school calendar, and students have engaged thoughtfully in this learning.

Prayer Gathering parts have now been sent home, and any practice over the holidays is greatly appreciated as we prepare for our upcoming presentation in early Term 2.

Matt Absalom mabsalom@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 4

And just like that, Term 1 has come to an end. Well done Year 4 students. It has been a big term and you have shown great effort and commitment throughout.

The Year 4 students did an incredible job leading our Prayer Gathering. It was a special way to begin Holy Week, as they helped us reflect on the meaning of Palm Sunday and its importance in our faith. It was wonderful to see so many of our families there to join us in prayer and share in this moment together. This week, we continued our learning as we revisited the story of Holy Week, exploring the significance of Holy Thursday and the Stations of the Cross.

Last Thursday, we were fortunate to welcome Zoe Hudgell from the Colac Otway Shire Council, who spoke with the students about her role, how she was elected, and how decisions are made at a local council level. We asked the students to reflect on Zoe’s visit, and many remembered what she shared at the beginning about being a councillor starting with a genuine love for where you live. That message really stayed with them. Zoe’s passion for Colac was clear, and it was easy to see how much she cares about the community. She is making a meaningful difference, and it was a valuable experience for our students to learn from her. As part of our Civics and Citizenship learning in Humanities, students have been developing their own proposals for improvements around Lake Colac. They have been thinking carefully about community needs, how decisions are made, and how their ideas could make a positive difference.

We wish all of our families a Happy Easter and a safe, restful break. Thank you for your ongoing support throughout the term.

Paula Parish pparish@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Amanda Delorenzo mdelorenzo@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Rebecca Gallagher rgallagher@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 5

Over the past few weeks, Year 5 has been very busy, with students enjoying Holy Week activities and taking time to reflect on their meaning and importance. Alongside this, there has been a strong focus on finishing off learning tasks, with students showing great effort as we wrapped up the term.

Last Friday, we celebrated the end of our Civics and Citizenship unit with a mock election, bringing our learning about democracy to life. It was wonderful to welcome parents into the classroom to view student work and join in the fun. Students delivered campaign speeches, created flyers, ran polling booths and used preferential voting slips. We finished the day with a democracy sausage and thank you to the parents who helped with the BBQ, and a special thank you to Beth and Lauren for their support.

In Mathematics, we have completed our unit on decimals, with students making fantastic progress and showing growing confidence in their understanding even applying their skills to real life situations. When we return next term, we will be moving into fractions. Students may like to practise this at home through real-life activities such as cooking or baking.

In Literacy, we finished our class novel War Horse by Michael Morpurgo and completed draft book reviews. Many students shared how much they enjoyed the novel.

We wish all families a happy and safe holiday break.

Thank you,

The Year 5 Team

Rachel Downard rdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Rachael Cahill rcahill@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 6

What an incredible first term we’ve had with our fabulous Year 6s! It’s been jam-packed with fun and meaningful experiences, with a clear highlight being the way students have embraced their leadership roles - especially when working with their buddies. On Monday, we had Harper, Hugo and Elouise represent St Mary’s at golf, with Harper finishing in top spot and even hitting a hole in one - an amazing effort! Elouise also placed second in her section - top job, Elouise! Students participated respectfully in our Holy Week liturgies, engaging thoughtfully and deepening their understanding of each day. We also wrapped up our Love Bites program with a visit to Headspace, where students enjoyed exploring the space and learning about the support services available. Our Social Justice team did a wonderful job organising the coin line and Caritas fundraiser, with all students contributing generously to Project Compassion. In the classroom, we’ve celebrated strong persuasive writing pieces on child labour and the successful completion of our decimals unit. We hope all families have a safe and happy Easter and enjoy a well deserved holiday break, we look forward to seeing everyone in Term 2!

Jess Downard jdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Jodie Hassett jhassett@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Maegen Potter mpotter@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Birthday Wishes