What's happening in our learning spaces? 

FOUNDATION 

Two weeks into Term 3 and it’s already been jam packed with lots of learning and lots of fun!  Today marks day 98 of school for us, and we are super excited as we prepare to celebrate our 100th Day of School on Wednesday. We can’t wait for all of the amazing learning opportunities and to dress up as 101 year olds on Thursday. Please join us for a parade in Hawthorn yard at 9am (weather permitting). 

As mathematicians, we tuned in to the concept of Subtraction. We are exploring different Subtraction stories and representing these with materials and drawings. As thinkers, some of us are focusing on counting out the number and crossing out or using our fingers to help us subtract, while others are focusing on counting back. We will begin learning how to write a number sentence, eg. 7 - 4 = 3. At home you can practise identifying 1 or 2 less, using the language of less and fewer. You can give your child worded subtraction stories for them to solve by making, drawing or counting back. 

As a faith community, we gathered in Church on Friday to celebrate Grandparents' Day. After mass, we had time and opportunity to engage in a shared text and some fun tasks with them. We drew portraits, did word-searches, wrote about them and shared what makes our Grandparents special. It was lovely having them join us in our learning spaces. 

As inquirers and researchers, we continued to observe our eggs and chicks! Some of our eggs had to go back to the farm to hatch as it was too cold, but farmer Linda returned them all to us after they had safely hatched. We noticed that the chicks were growing bigger. They still had soft, fluffy fur, but began to grow long, stripy feathers. We also noticed that the chicks were different colours. Some were black, white, yellow and brown. As writers, we continued to document in our Chicken Observation Journals each day. 

In Discovery Time, some of us had time and opportunity to go further and as researchers, find out more about chickens. As curious learners, we shared our wonderings, read information texts, looked at diagrams and watched videos. We have loved every minute of watching our baby chicks go from eggs, to hatchlings to chicks and now they are growing into big chickens that will start laying their own eggs in a few months back at the farm! Goodbye chickens! 

We cannot wait for the wonderful week ahead as we celebrate 100 Days of School! 

Kind regards, 

Leanne Wenckowski, Alex Phillips and Alycia Marsico 

Foundation Team 

YEAR 1/2

Smiles continue to fill our learning spaces as we dive into lots of new and exciting learning opportunities. 

In STEM, we have worked as thinkers and collaborators to create a working train network system that runs simultaneously. Last week, we had a chance to practise this, with much trial and error and many crashes! This week, we were able to apply our communication skills and collaborate to avoid all crashes and have our train system working better than even Metro! We have enjoyed this immensely and always watch in anticipation if there will be any crashes or near misses.  

On Friday, we welcomed our grandparents into our learning spaces. It was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate these special people in our lives and reflect on how lucky we are to have them. We attended the whole school mass and then got super creative. We made beautiful portraits, played games and read picture story books.. It was a memorable morning. A big thank you to all of the grandparents who attended! 

There was a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the commencement of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. As researchers, we watched videos and talked about the history, meaning and symbols. To celebrate the Games, we headed outside for the St Fidelis 1/2 Mini Olympics where we were lucky to have the sun make an appearance! As athletes, we reflected on the spirit of the Olympics bringing unity and peace to the world. Our teachers were extremely proud of our efforts and gave out lots of medals, not only for the winning teams, but for those who showed resilience, compassion, enthusiasm, positivity and good sportsmanship Together with others in our learning spaces, we tallied our medals and counted how many bronze, silver and gold each learning space had collected. It was extremely close, however, 1/2VB had the most gold medals! Well done! 

 A few friendly reminders for the upcoming week: 

• As the winter weather continues, please remember that we are only to use the internal stairs, and using the external stairs in wet weather is a safety hazard. 
• Next Tuesday, we are excited for our Engineers Without Borders Incursion, during which we will collaborate to develop housing solutions for villages in Cambodia. 
• 1/2 VS and 1/2VB learning conversations to be held on Thursday 1st August. 

Stay warm and dry,

1/2 Team Vania Sparano, Vicky Karalis and Vivian Boggis

YEAR 3/4

As inquirers, this week we have been unpacking our big question, ‘how is it all connected?’. We have been finding out about space and our work has been out of this world. We first began by making a ‘loose parts’ artwork to showcase our current understanding of the solar system. Over the coming weeks we will adjust these creations to reflect our new learning. 

As innovators, we have begun creating video pitches to showcase our STEM prototypes and all the hard work we have been doing in our groups. On Monday, Adam from AKORN visited and supported us in writing our scripts, filming and editing videos. We are nearly finished now and we can’t wait to show off our final products. 

As a school community, we celebrated Grandparents' Day and the Olympics on Friday. We were very excited to have our family members at mass and in our classrooms afterwards. Thank you to all of those who were able to attend. As athletes, we also celebrated the Olympics by identifying as many national flags as possible, running athletics trials with Mr Jennings and then finishing our day with beanbag shot put, pool noodle javelin and frisbee discus with Mrs Hogan and Mrs Thomas. 

Reminders for week 3: 

• Monday - Students wishing to participate in the 800m athletics trials, please wear sports uniform on Monday
• Wednesday - Scienceworks excursion this Wednesday, 31st July
• Thursday - Grade 4’s who are receiving their Holy Communion, please wear casual clothes for our Eucharist Retreat day on Thursday 1st August

We are also looking forward to having Mrs Panzarino back this week. Thank you to Mrs Bernadette Thomas who has been working with 3/4BP in her absence. 

Have a lovely week!

Year 3/4 Teachers

Belinda Panzarino & Sarah Hogan

YEAR 5/6

We are excited to share some wonderful news from our Year 5/6 students! 

Last week, our budding scientists embarked on an unforgettable educational journey to Scienceworks. 

During their visit, our students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in a variety of hands-on activities. From exploring the wonders of space in the planetarium to discovering the principles of physics through interactive displays, each student had a chance to engage with science in a way that sparks curiosity and creativity. One of the highlights of the trip was the Lightning Room, where students witnessed the power of electricity in a safe and controlled environment. They also enjoyed exploring the Sportsworks section, where they learned about the science behind their favourite sports and physical activities. Beyond the exhibits, our students participated in workshops led by Scienceworks educators, who shared their expertise and passion for science.

In STEM, we have been investigating how the eye works and how eyes see. We explored the different lights to find out which light is the easiest to see. We used Spike Essential to create a car that has functioning lights. We then programmed our car to have lights that light up and show where the car was driving.

We celebrated a special Grandparents Day last Friday as students. Throughout the morning, our classrooms buzzed with excitement as our grandparents joined us in various activities. We started the day with a special Mass, where students and their grandparents gathered to reflect on their blessings and share in a moment of prayer and gratitude. Following the Mass, the festivities continued with a delicious morning tea served in the hall, where grandparents enjoyed some snacks together.

Another exciting event on Friday was our Mini Olympics! The Year 5/6 students engaged in various creative and skillful challenges from the one handed pencil catch, balancing tower and the great pencil roll, each activity was met with enthusiasm and determination. The friendly competition brought out the best in everyone, with students cheering each other on and celebrating each other's achievements. This unique event not only showcased their talents but also strengthened their teamwork and sportsmanship.  We look forward to following our Aussie Olympians and Paralympians and cheering them on in Paris over the next couple of weeks! 

A big happy birthday to Miss Sargent, we hope she enjoyed her special day!

We hope you have a wonderful week!

The 5/6 Team, 

Olivia Sargent, Maddie Comrie & Bianka Zorzut