Kindergarten

Living Well Learning Well

English

Maths

We are learning to find half.

We are learning to give reasons when we model addition.

Religion

Last Monday, Father Paul came and visited Kindergarten to show us his vestments and vessels.

Science

We are learning how objects move.

We are learning to follow a procedure.

Year 1

Mathematics

Our students used 12 hands-on counters to create a variety of equal groups, exploring how numbers can be split evenly in different ways. This interactive activity helps build a strong visual foundation for early multiplication and division skills.

Religion

On Friday 7th August we celebrated the feast day of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop with a whole school mass in the Cathedral. Mrs. Troon shared photos from a past family holiday to Penola in South Australia where Mary MacKillop spent her early adult years working and teaching here.

English

Team work makes the dream work! How many 'bossy e' words can we find in a chosen text. Students worked together to read a variety of texts and hunt for words where the 'e' at the end is making the vowel say its name (a long vowel sound).

Year 2

Religion

We are learning that saints are ordinary people who reflect God’s goodness to the world.

Students reflecting God’s goodness as they lead prayer.

Maths

Students calibrating their container when learning Volume and Capacity.

Students playing Maths games as they learn about arrays in Multiplication.

Science

Designing in Science

Car launcher - learning about forces

Boat experiment - learning about forces

Visual Art

Students create a 3D sculpture inspired by the artist Charles McGee.

Show and Tell

Playtime Fun

Rugby Skills

Awards

I am Safe, I am a Learner, and I am Valued, Respected and Cared for

Year 3

Maths - 3D shapes

Tips for parents:

Use Everyday Objects: Encourage your child to explore and identify 3D objects in everyday items like cereal boxes (prisms), cans (cylinders), and pyramid-shaped packaging. Discuss the objects, their features, and their nets.

Hands-On Building: Help your child construct models of prisms (including cubes), pyramids, and cylinders using building blocks, playdough, or online 3D tools. Focus on counting edges, vertices, and faces together.

Create and Deconstruct Nets: Work with your child to flatten boxes to see the nets of prisms. Then, try making your own nets from paper and folding them into 3D objects, discussing how each part connects.

Year 3 have been learning how to construct models of prisms, pyramids and cylinders using physical manipulatives and identifying their features.

Week 5 Maths - Fractions

Tips for parents:

Article from the Institute of Education Sciences on learning about fractions at home.

Year 4

English- What We Are Learning

In English for the next three weeks the Year 4 students are packing their imaginary bags and heading off on an epic road trip across Australia!

As part of our classroom learning in English, students are diving into a fantastic picture book called Our Country: Ancient Wonders, written by Mark Greenwood and beautifully illustrated by Frané Lessac.

What’s the Book About?

Imagine taking a journey to the most mind-blowing spots in Australia—without leaving the classroom!

This book takes kids on a tour of our continent's greatest hidden gems. From the glowing red rocks of Uluru and the giant Bungle Bungle Range, to deep underground lava tubes and prehistoric dinosaur fossil sites, it shows children just how incredible, old, and unique our backyard really is.

How This Fits Into What Your Child is Learning

We want learning to be hands-on and inspiring. Here is how this book helps your child grow in the classroom:

Exploring Australia: Kids are learning about different landscapes, how landforms were created over millions of years, and what makes Australia's natural environment so special.
Connecting with First Nations History: The book highlights the deep, ongoing connection First Peoples have had with this land for tens of thousands of years, teaching students to respect and appreciate the rich heritage of Country.
Building Reading & Writing Skills: Through vivid descriptions and stunning artwork, students are discovering how to read for information, learn new words, and tell great non-fiction stories.

Bring the Adventure Home! 🚗💨

You don't need to travel across the country to join in the fun. Here are three quick ways to keep the curiosity going at dinner or over the weekend:

Ask for a Guided Tour: Ask your child, "If you could visit one ancient place from the book—like a cave, a dinosaur dig, or a giant rock—where would you go and why?"
Fire Up Google Earth: Look up spots like the Undara Lava Tubes or Naracoorte Caves together online. It’s a great way to talk about distance and mapping!
Be Local Explorers: Next time you're on a weekend walk, look closely at the rocks, big trees, or local waterways. Talk about how long they might have been there and what stories they could tell.

"In every corner of Australia, wonders are waiting for curious explorers."
— Mark Greenwood

We can't wait to read about all the amazing facts and stories your child brings to life!

Happy exploring

Mathematics - What We Are Learning

Fractions are everywhere—from slicing up a weekend pizza to sharing a block of chocolate or measuring ingredients for a recipe. Next week Year 4 are taking their understanding of fractions to the next level by exploring how they work visually and practically!

Fractions as Lengths on a Number Line

Instead of just thinking of fractions as "parts of a shape" (like a pie chart), students are learning to place fractions along a number line.

Building Core Fractions: Students start by identifying, comparing, and plotting halves, quarters, thirds and fifths as distances from zero.
Halving to Find Related Fractions: By folding paper strips or dividing intervals on a line in half, students discover how related fractions are formed:
- Halving quarters creates eighths
- Halving thirds creates sixths
- Halving fifths creates tenths
Comparing Sizes: Placing these on a number line helps students visually grasp that as the denominator gets bigger, the equal pieces actually get smaller—and see how different fractions relate to one another!

Thinking and Reasoning Like Mathematicians

Maths isn't just about getting the right answer; it’s about how we think! Students are actively:

Exploring how different fraction families connect to each other.
Choosing strategies to solve visual fraction puzzles.
Explaining their mathematical thinking clearly to partners and the class (e.g., "I know an eight is smaller than a quarter because I halved the quarter into two equal parts").

Try This at Home: The Paper Strip Challenge ✂️

You don't need worksheets or flashcards to practice fractions at home! All you need is a strip of paper (a strip cut from an A4 page or a piece of ribbon works great).

Fold in Half: Have your child fold the strip in half. Mark the fold line. How many equal parts are there?
Fold in Half Again: Fold it in half a second time. Unfold it—now you have quarters!
Fold in Half One More Time: Ask them to predict how many equal parts there will be before unfolding. (They'll discover eighths!)
Make a Number Line: Flatten the strip out, draw a line along it, label 0 at the start and 1 at the end, and fill in where an eighth, quarter, half, and three quarters sit.

Tip for Parents: Ask your child, "How do you know that space is one-quarter?" Listening to them explain their reasoning is the best way to support their learning!

We are so proud of the curiosity and problem-solving skills our students are showing in mathematics every day.

Happy folding and measuring!

Year 5

Mathematics

We have now concluded our focus on multiplication and are now diving into the spatial world of Area! As we kick off this unit, students are learning to distinguish between two important concepts:

Area is the amount of 2D space within a closed shape.
Perimeter is the total measurement around the outside edge of a shape.

🔍 What’s Coming Up in This Unit?

Over the next few weeks, students will be extending their multiplication skills to investigate two-dimensional spatial structures through a range of hands-on activities and problem-solving tasks:

Calculating Area of Rectangles: Finding the area of squares and rectangles by using the relationship Length X Width and recording methods using formal square units such as square centimetres and square metres.
Comparing Area & Perimeter: Investigating how shapes can have the same perimeter but completely different areas, as well as how rectangles with the same area can have different dimensions.
Exploring Larger Units: Scaling up our thinking to explore larger formal units used in the real world, such as hectares and square kilometres to measure items like farms, local shires, and states!

English

In English, we completed our Cold Write, putting into practice the skills we have been developing in class. We have been breaking down what makes an effective writer and exploring strategies to strengthen our writing. We have also been focusing on spelling patterns, using these patterns to help us identify and choose the correct homophones when writing. Students have worked hard to apply these skills independently and are becoming more confident in making thoughtful choices as writers.

✏️ Pen Licence

Congratulations to our students who have recently achieved the exciting milestone of earning their Pen Licence!

Year 5 teachers will continue paying close attention to student book work, looking for consistently neat handwriting, well-presented pages and thoughtful effort across all subjects.

Writing in pen is a huge privilege and we are so proud of the care students are taking with their work. Keep putting in that top-tier effort—we can't wait to hand out even more pen licences very soon!

Science

Our Year 5 scientists have been hard at work exploring the states of matter and the fascinating properties of gases!

In our latest hands-on investigation, students combined a liquid (vinegar) with a solid (bicarbonate of soda) inside sealed ziplock bags to see if a chemical reaction would take place. The classroom was filled with energy and excitement as the two substances mixed, producing carbon dioxide gas that quickly inflated—and in some cases, popped!—the bags.

It was a fantastic way for students to observe how gas takes up space and creates pressure. Their enthusiasm for scientific discovery was incredible to see!

Science at Home:

Hands-on learning doesn't have to stop at the classroom door. What simple, safe experiments could you and your child explore together at home this week?

🧪 Year 5 At-Home Science Challenge!

Here are three quick, safe, and fun kitchen-science experiments your child can lead using simple household items:

🌋 Lava Lamp in a Glass: Fill a clear jar or glass 3/4 full with vegetable oil and top it up with water (watch them separate!). Add a few drops of food coloring, then drop in an effervescent tablet (like Alka-Seltzer). Watch colored gas bubbles carry water up through the oil!
🥛 Dancing Raisins: Drop a handful of fresh raisins into a clear glass of fresh soda water or clear fizzy drink. Watch as carbon dioxide gas bubbles attach to the rough skin of the raisins, floating them to the top like miniature life jackets before popping and dropping them back down.
✏️ Leak-Proof Bag Trick: Fill a plastic ziplock bag half-full with water and seal it. Carefully push sharpened pencils straight through both sides of the bag. The flexible polymer chains in the plastic stretch around the pencils, forming a temporary seal that keeps the water inside!

Which experiment will your young scientist try first? We’d love to see photos or hear about their findings!

Religion

This week in Religion, our Catholic students had the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We have also been learning about Caroline Chisholm and her significant contribution to the early Catholic community in Australia. Students explored her life, her work supporting families and migrants, and the ways in which her faith inspired her to serve others.

Commendations

Congratulations to our commendation recipients this fortnight who were selected for demonstrating our Living Well, Learning Well values.

Friendships

We are continuing to work closely with our students on the Living Well, Learning Well framework and it has been wonderful to see this in action—especially out on the playground!

Students have been actively putting these values into practice by learning to show empathy, encouraging positive behaviour and working to ensure everyone feels included during break times. It is fantastic to see their growth as responsible and caring members of our school community.

Year 5 Camp to Coffs Harbour (17-19 August 2026)

Get ready for an incredible journey! The upcoming Year 5 Camp is heading to the Coffs Harbour Adventure Centre for a few action-packed days of outdoor discovery, team-building and high-energy adventure. Students will take on exciting outdoor challenges, explore the coastal environment, build independence and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Be sure to check compass for the list of what to, and what not to pack, and PLEASE label all of your child's belongings.

Year 6

On Monday, Year 6 were visited by Cameron from Royal Life Saving to teach students about CPR. Cameron was very impressed with how well the students listened and participated in the session. Students learnt DRSABCD, how to apply it in an emergency situation and 30 compressions for two breaths when performing CPR.

Assistant Principal

Mrs Jessica Scully

ICAS Assessments (Year 4-6 only)