Curriculum Corner...

Seniors in action...

During our recent Year 5/6 assembly, students proudly presented a news-style skit based on the 1967 Referendum, providing an opportunity to demonstrate their learning in factual recount writing and Australian history.  Framed as a “Breaking News Through Time” segment, students took on  roles such as narrator, news anchors, reporters and members of the public to recount the key events and significance of this important moment in history.

The performance highlighted the features of a factual recount, including an orientation, sequence of events and historical facts presented in chronological order. Students also created a human timeline, helping to visually represent the key moments leading up to and following the referendum.

The skit provided students with a meaningful opportunity to showcase their understanding while building confidence in speaking, collaboration and performance.

Italian Festa Day of Joy!

We celebrated Italian Day on Thursday, May 28th and despite the weather not being kind to us, we had a wonderful day of joy!!!

The students really went all out with their costumes - grazie! 

There were two Leonardo da Vinci’s, one Mona Lisa, a number of gelato vendors, chefs, a Venetian gondoliere and even four of the Italian playing cards! Some friends coordinated  to wear red, white and green the colors of the Italian flag when they were standing together. I was truly buoyed by the effort that students went to with their costumes.

The students participated in Bocce, Calcio and Roman Games. They made Venetian masks and mosaics and played Scopa (an Italian card game that most Italian children grow up playing). It was wonderful to see how much our students enjoyed learning this game and playing it. I have already had a number of students ask if they can play again in class!

A BIG thank you to all our students and families for helping to celebrate Italian Day 2026!!

Ciao, ciao,

Signora Phillips

PS- Look out for the display in the Student Entry- it went up today!

Here is some feedback and what was enjoyed the most about Italian day.

Preps:

Hartley - eating the gelato

Leo - costume parade

Chloe - eating the gelato and colouring in

Isaac - eating the gelato and the Roman helmets

3/4:

Emiliana - I absolutely loved the Venetian masks because they all pop with lots and lots of colour and heaps of glitter. It is so special that everyone is equal for a day.

Archie - My favorite thing about Italian day was the gelato, the soccer match and when we made the masks.

Eliza - My favorite thing was playing Scopa because it’s fun!

1/2:

Sophia - I enjoyed making the masks because we could put anything we wanted on them.

Benji - I liked making the Venetian masks.

Julian - Playing the Roman games because the ring toss was fun!

Olivia -  I enjoyed watching the 5/6 playing soccer and eating the gelato.

Angus - I loved playing soccer and making masks.

5/6:

Georgia - I enjoyed working with my buddy and all the games with both friends and others I don’t usually play with. My team won soccer and I think I won Scopa. The costumes some people wore were really good. 

Hannah - I enjoyed making Venetian masks and hanging out with my friends.

Mathematics at St Luke's Term 2

This year our teaching staff have continued to strengthen their mathematics practice through professional learning with Anne Rogers.  Anne Rogers is a highly regarded mathematics education consultant who works with schools to strengthen evidence-informed mathematics teaching practices, with a strong focus on developing student understanding, fluency, and confidence in mathematics.

This professional learning has supported staff in building and applying consistent approaches to mathematics instruction across the school and refining practices that help students become more successful mathematicians.

An important and embedded component of our mathematics lessons is our daily fluency practice. At the beginning of lessons, students participate in targeted fluency activities that may include counting, subitising, recognising patterns, building automatic recall of addition and subtraction facts, and strengthening multiplication and division facts. These short, focused activities help develop efficiency, confidence, and number sense, creating strong foundations for future learning.

Through consistent practice, explicit instruction and opportunities to apply their knowledge we continue to support students in becoming confident, capable, and successful mathematicians.

How can you help support math fluency at home?

•  Practice skip counting together (forwards and backwards) by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and beyond. Start from a variety of numbers…

•  Encourage quick recall of number facts through short games or quizzes focusing on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. Using flash cards for this can also help for those that need a visual of the number sentence

•  Ask mathematic questions in everyday situations such as: “If we need 3 plates each and there are 3 people coming, how many plates altogether?” - also relating this to the number sentence is useful 3x3=9

•  Look for patterns in numbers together, such as identifying odd and even numbers or noticing number patterns while driving or shopping

•  Play card games or board games that involve counting, adding, grouping, or strategic thinking

•  Use everyday opportunities to discuss maths, such as cooking, measuring ingredients, sharing food equally, telling time, discussing temperature, or shopping

•  Encourage children to explain how they worked something out rather than only focusing on the answer

•  Keep practice short and positive — even 5–10 minutes of regular practice can help build confidence and automatic recall.

Most importantly, helping children see mathematics as part of everyday life and encouraging persistence when tasks feel challenging can make a significant difference to their confidence and success.

Emily Chlebica

Numeracy Leader

Division Cross Country

On Thursday 14th May, forty of our Year 4, 5 and 6 students represented St Luke's at the District Cross Country at Jells Park, against six local schools. The students displayed great team spirit as they cheered each other on. The top 12 from each event progressed to the Division Cross Country event. Eight of our St Luke's students were invited to compete. 

The Division Cross Country was run last Tuesday 2nd June at Lewis Reserve in Wantirna. The competition was fast, the conditions were damp and the wind was brisk, however the rain held off. The students represented St Luke's exceptionally well through their determination, sportsmanship, and encouragement of others throughout the day. Congratulations to Dylan, Oliver, Madison, Hannah, Sophie, Hamish, Thomas and Despina for making it all the way to division.