Classroom News 

PREP

We can’t quite believe we are nearing the end of term 2. Not only does that mean 2 weeks of holidays for our Preps but it means that they completed half of their Prep year already. We are so proud of all the things they have achieved in so many ways. 

We look forward to celebrating each Prep next week in Learning Conversations if you have booked in with us. You will need to collect your child from the classroom and they will join us for the first couple of minutes of our catch up. If you have an appointment after school hours, it is completely up to you as to whether or not you bring your child along with you. 

Elissa and Gemma won’t be in the classroom for the duration of these Learning Conversations. All our Preps will be other teachers, having the best time. 

Swimming starts in week 2 of term 3. These will be on a Thursday. More details will be posted to DOJO once we have all the correct information. Please remember that this is only a short swimming program and focuses more on the fundamentals and how to be safe in the pool. The children love spending time in the pool and being social swimmers.

Next Thursday, the 3rd of July, we will be having our ‘Jump off day’ to raise awareness for the amazing cause Jump Rope for Heart. We will be completing lots of fun activities and doing lots of skipping. Our Preps have been trying so hard to learn how to skip.

On Friday the 4th of July it is our last day of term 2. On this day… 

We will finish the day at 2:15pm. 

We have a few exciting events happening in the month of August (term 3). We will post these details at the end of term 2 on DOJO. 

We welcomed back Kate at the beginning of week 10 for her final placement in Prep. She will be with us for the remainder of the term and the first two weeks of term 3. She will be doing lots of teaching and we wish her all the best for the duration of her placement with us. 

Read what our Preps had to say about school and the holidays:

Ollie S - I am looking forward to having icy-poles at home in the holidays.

Neal - I really like working on the motorbike with my dad in the holidays.

Alex G - I am looking forward to playing Prodigy Maths. 

River  - In the holidays I am going to fix my motorbike and ride it.

Gemma Blake                gblake@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Elissa Rodger                erodger@smcolac.catholic.edu.au  

GRADE 1

We have been busy in the Year 1 space preparing for Learning Conversations next week. We are all very excited to share some of our work with our grown ups!

To wrap up our ‘Helping Hands’ inquiry unit, students were asked to design their very own emergency vehicle. Students were challenged to be as creative as they liked! We sure had some fun heading into the art room to bring our designs to life. Lots of colour, lots of feathers and lots of mess. The children were so excited with their final products!

This week in Math we have been finalising our addition and subtraction unit. Students have been practising turn around sentences and learning new strategies to find 10 more and 10 less on a hundreds chart. In Literacy, we have been completing some writing tasks for Learning Conversations and practising to read and spell using the digraphs ai and ay.

We look forward to catching up with you all next week at Learning Conversations. If you haven’t already please book your appointment by logging into the SIMON app. 

As the term comes to an end we would like to congratulate the Year 1s on a wonderful semester. We hope you all have a restful break and we will see you again in Term 3. 

The Year 1 Team

Leah Martin                  lmartin@smcolac.catholic.edu.au 

Rebecca Murray         rmurray@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Judy Carr                        jcarr@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Paula Parish                 pparish@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 2

Welcome to the final newsletter for Term 3! We’re not quite sure how we got here so quickly, time really does fly when you’re learning… and having fun!

The most important item in today’s newsletter is booking your child’s Learning Conversation via PAM. Due to our small class sizes in Year 2, only one day has been allocated for these meetings (Tuesday). If you’re unable to attend on Tuesday, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to arrange a phone call or an alternative time. We are so proud of each child’s achievements and are excited to share and celebrate their progress with you.

This week in Maths, students have been learning about a variety of measurement units. Exploring weight and using the scales for comparisons has been a particular highlight. There’s been lots of hands-on learning and great discussion!

We hope the fluency reading packs have been helpful at home. Please let us know if your child is ready for new words or reading passages, we’ll happily top up their pack. We’re mindful not to send home extras unnecessarily, so we’ll take the lead from you.

During the Learning Conversation, you’ll receive your child’s Semester 2 Number Check-In Booklet. This resource outlines your child’s current number goals and includes some simple but effective tasks you can use to support their learning at home. We hope it becomes a fun and informal way to practise numeracy, not a chore!

We have a big final week planned: students will be finalising their first Google Slides projects on Chromebooks, participating in their Learning Conversations, and watching (and some performing in!) the St Mary’s Got Talent Grand Final. It’s going to be a week full of energy and excitement! On that note, congratulations to Percy Gannon, our singing sensation, and to Darcy, Harvey, Ollie, Owen, Fletcher and George, our Dynamic Dancers for being selected to compete in the Grand Final!

A reminder that many students have been unwell with colds and flus recently. Please keep your child home if they are unwell and log all absences through PAM. This helps us manage the spread of illness and keep everyone healthy and safe.

We are incredibly proud of every student’s growth this term, in their learning, confidence, creativity, and friendships. Their resilience and effort have been a joy to witness.

Thank you for your continued support throughout Term 3. We hope your family enjoys a well-deserved break filled with rest, play, and a few slow mornings!

The Year 2 Team

Emma Roberts            eroberts@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

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

Amanda Delorenzo   mdelorenzo@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 3

One Week to Go!

What a fantastic term it’s been in Grade 3! With just one week left before some well-deserved school holidays, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all the great things our students have achieved.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve wrapped up our testing to support report writing and we think it’s fair to say the students are feeling pretty relieved! They approached it all with a positive attitude and should be very proud of their efforts.

As we head into the final week of term, we’re enjoying some fun learning activities while taking the time to wind down and celebrate the term’s achievements together.

We hope everyone has a fantastic, restful break and that the weather is kind to us all. Thank you for your ongoing support, we look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for another great term ahead!

Jade LoRicco                  jloricco@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Deb Holland                   dholland@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 4

We’re looking forward to welcoming you to our Learning Conversations next Tuesday and Wednesday. These sessions are a great opportunity to connect, reflect, and celebrate your child’s learning journey. Students have been working incredibly hard and can’t wait to show off their work! Please remember to book a time—we’d love to see you there.

What’s Happening in the Classroom In Literacy, we’ve recently finished Leo and Ralph, and students wrapped up their learning with a thoughtful book review. We’ve now moved on to a timeless classic—The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The class is already captivated by the world of Narnia, and we’re diving deep into its themes and characters.

In Mathematics, students are exploring multiple strategies to solve addition and subtraction equations. They’re becoming more confident mathematicians as they learn to choose the most efficient method for each problem.

We warmly invite you to join us for our upcoming Grade 4 Prayer Gatherings:

• This Friday, Grade 4MA will lead a reflection on Mary and Identity
• Next Friday, Grade 4MP/SS will present a gathering focused on NAIDOC Week, celebrating the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Matt Absalom               mabsalom@smcolac.catholic.edu.au   

Maegen Potter             mpotter@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Susie Scott                    sscott@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 5

It’s hard to believe we’re already in Week 10! This term has flown by, and we’re incredibly proud of all that our students have achieved.

In Maths, we are wrapping up our unit on Time, where students have been learning to read clocks, convert between time units, and solve time-related problems. As we finish this unit, we’re turning our focus to Place Value, with targeted boost groups to consolidate number knowledge, rounding, and partitioning.

In Literacy, we have just completed our One Pager reflections based on our class novel The Night They Stormed Eureka by Jackie French. Students explored key themes, characters, and settings, and responded creatively to the book’s unexpected and powerful ending. We haven’t quite started planning our oral persuasive speeches yet, but students will soon begin selecting topics and learning how to persuade, entertain, and inform an audience.

Last week, we officially wrapped up our History unit with our Open Classroom event, where students proudly shared their Colonial Australia dioramas and written reports. It was fantastic to see the creativity and thought that went into each project. A huge thank you to all the families and special guests who attended, it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the students’ learning, and their pride was clear to see.

Next week, we look forward to seeing you for Learning Conversations. If you haven’t booked a time yet, please make sure to do so, we’d love to connect with you and share your child’s progress.

This week it has come to our attention that some of our Grade 5s have social media accounts. We encourage our parents to check whether your child has any accounts that they are not legally able to have as most require a minimum age of 13, for example TikTok. We would appreciate your support with this as we know that these types of accounts can be used inappropriately by children who are not yet old enough to understand their use and the consequences of their actions on these platforms. 

Rachel Downard                rdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Rachael Cahill                    rcahill@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 6

It’s been a busy and rewarding two weeks in Year 6! Last Friday was a special day, with our Prayer Gathering, Open Classroom, and the Biggest Morning Tea all taking place.

A big thank you to all the parents, grandparents, and friends who joined us. Your support meant so much to the students, who were clearly proud to share their learning and achievements with you.

Congratulations to our Social Justice Team for their energy and commitment in hosting a successful Biggest Morning Tea.

A big well done to all of Year 6 for the incredible effort put into their Migrant Projects, which were thoughtfully presented in our Open Classroom, and for leading a beautifully prepared and reflective Prayer Gathering.

As we wrap up this term, we will be preparing for Learning Conversations. The students have had a fantastic semester and we look forward to sharing it all with you next week. 

Important Dates:

Friday 27th June - Reports go out

Tuesday 1st July - Learning Conversations

Friday 4th July - Last day of term

Wed 15th Oct - Fri 17th Oct - Melbourne Camp

Jess Downard                     jdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Jodie Hassett                    jhassett@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Katie Monaghan              kmonaghan@smcolac.catholic.edu.au