Learning and Teaching

Learning & Teaching

In Term 3 ICAS Assessments will take place. 

ICAS assessments aim to celebrate academic excellence by identifying learners who demonstrate exceptional proficiency in English and Mathematics. It provides learners with an opportunity to further challenge themselves, showcase their skills, and receive recognition for their achievements.

ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) assessments by UNSW Global, evaluate learners skills from Year 2 to Year 12. These online tests assess reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary (English) and number skills, algebra, geometry (Mathematics). 

At St Mary's learners are selected based on high performing PAT Assessment data from Terms 1 and 2. Learners from each year group (Years 2-6) are invited to participate. ICAS assessments provide insights into students' academic strengths and areas for improvement, aiming to foster continuous learning and development in key subjects.

Parents will be notified in week 1 of Term 3 of their child’s participation and are asked to complete a permission slip for the assessment to take place. 

The dates for ICAS Assessments are:

• 12th Aug: English
• 29th Aug: Mathematics

SME TV HIGHLIGHTS 

Reporting -  Mathematics Version 2.0 

Dear Parents and Carers,

At St Mary's Primary School, we are using the Mathematics curriculum 2.0 for school reporting in 2024. 

In our previous communication, we outlined these changes, including the shift to a single progression point in alignments with the Mathematics achievement standard, replacing the three separate strands (Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability).

Please note that when you receive your child's report on Friday, the reporting of Mathematics will look different. Refer to the letter sent on 29th May 2024 for detailed information regarding these changes. You will find this letter on your Compass newsfeed. 

Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we transition to this updated curriculum.

Kind regards

Clare Pentreath

Leader of Pedagogy - Mathematics 

Year 1

The Year One families participated in the Sunday Parish Mass with Father Novie. They did a beautiful job singing the opening hymn ‘Welcome to God's House’. Thank you to Clara and George who were very brave in volunteering to read the prayers of the faithful. Imogen was also very excited to participate in her final Mass at St Mary’s and carried the offertory to Father Novie. 

The Year Ones have also been very busy furthering their knowledge on Echuca History. We were lucky enough to visit the Library, St Mary’s Church and The Port. This was a great learning experience and once we returned to school we wrote down lots of facts and shared them with our peers. 

Year 6

Year Six students have been completing their final project for our Inquiry unit ‘How can we  learn from our nation's history to make a better future?’. Students were given options as to how they would like to present what they have learnt over term. 

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Many students chose to create a past and future portrait. The first portrait needed to be set in a historical period and the second portrait was to depict a future scenario. Students then wrote a paragraph to explain how historical lessons have shaped their vision for the future of Australia. 

Other students presented their learning through a historical comic. They were to ese storytelling and illustration to connect history with the future. 

Creating future vision posters was their final choice. Students had to imagine and illustrate a better future inspired by historical lessons.

Students also designed a website to explain what they believe are the most significant events in Australian History and how they have shaped Australia today. Use the links to check out their work!

Ben’s website- https://sites.google.com/smechuca.catholic.edu.au/australia-historical-events/home

Emily’s website- https://sites.google.com/smechuca.catholic.edu.au/australianhistory/home

BOOK WEEK: 17th - 23rd August. 

Get ready to celebrate your favourite books, characters , illustrators and authors with 2024 Children's Book Week theme; Reading is Magic. We're celebrating reading stories and their amazing power to transport minds and encouraging learners to be curious about the wonders in our world. During this week learners will be engaged in various Book Week learning experiences and of course a fabulous parade. More information will be provided in Term 3.