PREP

Welcome to our Week 8 newsletter! It is hard to believe how quickly the term is flying by. We are so proud of the wonderful progress the Prep students have made since the beginning of the year. They have grown in confidence, independence and their willingness to have a go at new learning. At this stage of the term, it is normal for some children to be feeling a little tired after such a big start to school life. The students have been working incredibly hard each day, and we are reminding them that the holidays are not too far away. They should all feel very proud of their efforts.

Thank you to those who were able to attend our Prep Picnic. It was lovely to spend some time together and connect with families while reflecting on what has been a busy and successful term.

Today was a pupil free day and the St Mary’s staff spent the day participating in professional learning focused on Structured Literacy. We are looking forward to putting some of these new ideas and strategies into action in the classroom.

We are also looking forward to Week 9, as it will be our first full week of school for the Preps this year. We do not have any extra events planned, which will allow us to focus on our classroom learning. During the week we hope to update your child’s home learning book, so if the blue folder does not come home on Monday night, please know that it is safe here at school with us.

In Week 10, our final week of Term 1, we will have our Casual Clothes Day on Wednesday 1st April. Our Social Justice team will also be leading the school in a whole-school coin line, so students are encouraged to bring a gold coin donation if they are able. Our classroom has a large Caritas box, so if you have been collecting coins at home in your small Project Compassion box, we would love these returned before April 1st so they can be added to our class collection.

Our School Sports Day will take place on Thursday April 2nd. Students will dress in their sports house colours and take part in tabloid-style activities at the Lake Oval. More information about the sports day will be shared next week.

Elissa Rodger erodger@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Emma Roberts eroberts@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Liza Alexander lalexander@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 1

We have been working very hard in Grade 1 over the past couple of weeks.

The students have continued to show great role-model qualities by smoothly following classroom routines, which has been wonderful to see. They are doing an excellent job making sure they are organised, with their whiteboards and other equipment ready for learning.

In Maths, we have begun our unit on addition and subtraction. Students have been becoming familiar with using a number line and number chart to support their learning.

In Literacy, we have introduced the digraphs igh (as in light and bright) and y (as in spy and sky). Students have been learning these new sounds through a variety of engaging activities.

In Inquiry, we are continuing to learn about the past, present, and future. Just a reminder to please send in your photos. A ClassDojo message was sent out last week with more information if you have not had a chance to see it yet.

Friday Favourites have been going really well. This week, students will be sharing about their favourite place to go in Colac.

Just a reminder that readers need to be at school on Fridays so we can check diaries and change books.

The Year 1 Team Abbey and Leah

Leah Martin lmartin@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Abbey Hayes ahayes@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 2

We can’t believe there’s less than 14 days until the Term 1 school holidays! It has been a busy and exciting time in Grade 2, with students continuing to build their skills and confidence across all learning areas.

In Numeracy students have just begun our Addition and Subtraction unit. They have been improving their fluency with tens facts, learning about doubles facts to 20, and using these doubles facts to solve near doubles problems. Next week, we will be focusing on adding two-digit numbers using a number line and number chart. We have been increasingly using our LTD mats to support students in understanding these new concepts, and this hands-on, visual approach has been very helpful in building their confidence and understanding.

In Literacy, we have been reviewing the graphemes that make the /k/, /s/ and /ch/ sounds. Students have also been consolidating their understanding of sentence expansion. They are learning to enhance their kernel sentences by incorporating when, where, and why details to make their writing more engaging and informative.

This Friday, we are very excited for our excursion to COPACC to visit the Colac Historical Society. This experience will help students continue to build their understanding of local history and the importance of preserving the past. We look forward to sharing what we learn!

In Religion, students have been demonstrating their understanding of the Zacchaeus story through creative representations. It has been fantastic to see the confidence and enthusiasm students have shown when presenting their work.

On Wednesday, the 1st of April, we will be creating our whole school coin line in support of Caritas. This will also be a fun food day, with students encouraged to wear casual clothes and bring a gold coin donation to support this wonderful cause. School Sports will take place on Thursday of Week 10, with an early finish at 2:15pm on that day. Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to a strong finish to the term!

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

Deb Holland dholland@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 3

In Year 3 our main focus over the past two weeks has been NAPLAN. Before we began the real assessments, we spent a lot of time preparing and helping students feel as confident and comfortable as possible going into something that was brand new for them. On Tuesday, we completed all of our NAPLAN tasks and we are incredibly proud of our Year 3 students for their commitment, effort and positive participation throughout the process.

In Literacy, we are still enjoying our novel study of Matilda, however we are now exploring the text through a persuasive lens after finishing our narrative writing unit. Students are beginning to think more deeply about characters, opinions and how persuasive language can be used to convince an audience.

In Numeracy, we are continuing our exploration of Fractions Unit 1, consolidating our understanding of equal parts, halves and quarters, and building confidence when representing fractions in different ways.

In Inquiry, we are learning about how communities operate and the different roles, responsibilities and decisions that help communities function successfully.

Wednesday the 1st of April, will be our annual Coin Line event. As an extra incentive to bring in coins for the fundraiser, the Social Justice Team has invited students to come to school in casual clothes and bring a gold coin donation to add to the coin line. This does not have to be a gold coin — donations can also be made up of smaller coins to help create an even longer coin line. This will also be our fun food day. Go the Year 3 Goats!

Thursday April 2nd, will be our annual whole school Sports Day. This will be held at the

Lake Oval and students are encouraged to wear something that represents their house colour. More details regarding times will be shared closer to the day.

This day also marks the end of term and school will finish early at 2:15pm.

Matt Absalom mabsalom@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 4

It’s hard to believe there are only two weeks left of Term 1. It has been a busy and productive start to the year, with students settling into routines and showing great engagement in their learning.

During Literacy, the class has been building reading fluency through our repeated reading routine. Students listened to modelling, read together, and practised independently. The texts connect to our Civics and Citizenship unit, allowing students to develop their reading skills while learning about real-world topics.

In Numeracy, learning has centred on fractions as parts of a whole. Students are developing their understanding of numerator and denominator and using number lines and models to represent fractions. They are also exploring equivalent fractions and recognising that different fractions can have the same value.

In Religious Education, our focus has been preparing for the upcoming Prayer Gathering on Friday 27th March. This will be a special opportunity to reflect on Palm Sunday and the journey towards Easter. We look forward to welcoming our Year 4 families and extended families to join us in prayer.

It was great to see so many more diaries come in on Friday. It’s really pleasing to see students reading at home and working towards their goals. Thank you for your ongoing support with this.

Paula Parish pparish@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Amanda Delorenzo mdelorenzo@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Rebecca Gallagher rgallagher@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 5

Well it has certainly been a very busy fortnight in Grade 5!

Students undertook their NAPLAN testing over this last week very methodically and maturely. Apart from the initial technical difficulties on the first day, thankfully it was smooth sailing thereafter. An important box to be ticked in Grade 5, but certainly one we are all glad is behind us.

In Literacy, we are nearing the conclusion of our class novel ‘War Horse’ which the students have been enjoying, particularly the historical elements of the story. In their writing, students have been looking at persuasive texts and are writing their own persuasive text about an activity, hobby or sport they are persuading others to try. We have been working on adding in high modality words and Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary as well as using a paragraph structure for their arguments (Topic sentence, supporting details and a concluding sentence).

In Maths, we have wrapped up our work on Addition and Subtraction and are moving on to Decimals to finish up the term. The students worked really diligently in their Addition and Subtraction groups over this unit and have made some great progress in this area. Decimal understanding can be tricky for students so it’s always helpful to practise decimal language for how to say decimals (e.g. 1.863 is one and eight hundred and sixty three thousandths) and counting by decimals (which is one of the Grade 5 counting essential learnings so is also great practise). Finding ways that decimals are used in our everyday lives brings a practical connection for students e.g. looking at a runner who might have come first in a race by 0.05 (or five hundredths) of a second! Any extra practice of addition and subtraction algorithms at home is also a great idea and super useful for the long term.

In R.E., we have been busily preparing for our Prayer Gathering which has involved reflecting on the story of ‘Moses and the Burning Bush’ in the book of Exodus and then reflecting on what God is calling us to commit to in our own lives. We are looking forward to sharing our reflections and Prayer Gathering with you all on Friday morning.

Our unit on Democracy in Inquiry is quickly coming to a conclusion therefore the students are now completing their assessment for this topic. As part of connecting their understanding to real life, the students will participate in a mock election where they will vote for a political leader/party and enjoy a ‘Democracy Sausage Sizzle’. This event will happen on the last Friday the 27th of March (Week 9) of term and parents are invited to attend (It’ll be 12:30 ish). If you do plan on attending, can you please let your child’s teacher know so that we can adequately cater, and we’d love a couple of parents to man the BBQ for us too please!

We wish all our Grade 5 students participating in the Athletics on Friday the best of luck - they have all had their Prayer Gathering reflections recorded so that they are still an important part of our combined Prayer Gathering.

Have a great last couple of weeks - so close to the finish line and to celebrating the Easter season!

Rachel Downard rdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Rachael Cahill rcahill@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 6

Can you believe we are already nearing the end of Term 1?

The Grade 6 students have continued to make us all proud with their leadership and efforts in the classroom. The students did a fabulous job leading their Prayer Gathering on Friday, demonstrating great responsibility and helping set a positive tone for their final year of primary school.

In Literacy, students have continued their learning on persuasive texts. We have now completed single paragraph outlines and drafts for all three body paragraphs. Our class text is also becoming more exciting, with John waiting for the arrival of the Shah of Persia to visit the bridge.

In Numeracy, we have been working with decimals, focusing on comparing and ordering numbers to thousandths. On Wednesday, we played a fun game called Decimal Pickle, which you might like to try at home. All you need is a deck of cards and something to write with.

In Religion, we are finishing our learning by making connections between the story of Moses and the Passover, and the Resurrection and Easter.

In Civics and Citizenship, we have been comparing Australia’s system of government with the Westminster system.

We have a busy few weeks coming up, so please check the important dates below.

Friday 20th of March - Divisional Athletics

Wednesday 1st of April - Casual Clothes and Fun Food Day

Caritas Coin Line
Visit to Headspace

Thursday 2nd of April - Sports Colour Day

Last day of Term
2:15 finish.

Jess Downard jdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Jodie Hassett jhassett@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Maegen Potter mpotter@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

School Photos