What's happening in our learning spaces? 

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

FOUNDATION 

There was great excitement in the Foundation area last week as the students participated in their very first excursion. On Wednesday 9th August, the students boarded a bus to the National Gallery of Victoria. As part of our current inquiry unit “How Can We Design and Create for a Purpose?” we ventured to the NGV to find out more about the different materials used to create artwork and the different stories represented by artwork.

At Up, Down and All Around: Daniel & Emma for Kids the students experienced a hands-on session to learn about the role of design in the world we live in. Using their imagination the students were able to look at everyday objects and express their creativity through design challenges and hands-on activities.

With the expertise shared by the NGV Educators Liz and John, we explored and interpreted some of the amazing artwork through the school program “Art is for Everyone”. As Inquirers, we were given time and opportunity to look closely at the beautiful historic painting “The Banquet of Cleopatra” by Giambattista Tiepolo. Some of us shared our thinking: 

• It looks like a party - Arnold 
• The girl might be a princess, she has a long dress and fancy collar on - Sofia M 
• Some are not kings because they are not at the table - Evelyn 
• There is a little dog sitting on the Queen’s lap and a big dog next to the man - Violet 

With the help of our expert educators, we then re-enacted the painting where we all played a part of the scene. 

We next ventured to the Chinese-inspired collection at the NGV, where we closely inspected “Guardian Spirit” from the Tang dynasty. Using our imaginations we designed our own guardian to protect us. Our designs included different animal features and we shared what we had created with each other.

This Thursday 17th August, we finally get to perform our dance for our families after many weeks of lessons with Danni from Footsteps.  We are excited, nervous and ready to shine on the stage. 

For the performance on Thursday night, the students will need to wear a plain white T-shirt and coloured shorts. If you have a grass skirt at home, the girls can wear that over their shorts or if you have a Hawaiian shirt, that can be worn over the white T-shirt. Please do not go and purchase grass skirts or Hawaiian shirts. The students will perform on stage wearing their runners.  A fabric lei will be provided for the performance.

We would also like to remind you of a few dates coming up this term:

• Dance Performance Night Thursday 17th August 2023 
• Superhero Day (Bully Zero Week)  Friday 18th August 2023 
• Book Week Parade  Friday 25th August 2023 

Have a wonderful week, 

Leanne Wenckowski & Alex Phillips

Foundation Team

YEAR 1/2

It has been a quieter week in 1/2,  but there was still lots of great learning and experiences!

As people of faith, we found out about Mary Mackillop, Australia’s first and only Saint, in connection to her Feast Day on August 8th. As researchers, we used videos, PowerPoints, photos and fact sheets to find out more about her life and her work. As communicators, we documented our new thinking and discoveries. We also attended Mass to celebrate her, where we learnt more about her contribution to the needy and underprivileged, by opening schools, hospitals and orphanages. Some of us were also fortunate enough to read at Mass! 

As mathematicians, we tuned in to the concept of Perimeter, which is the total distance around a shape or object. We used uniform units, such as matchsticks, unifix cubes, teddy bears and square tiles to help us measure the distance around something. As thinkers, we had to use our prior knowledge of number and addition to count and add the lengths of different sides to find the total. We also used different uniform units to make different shapes with the same perimeter. 

We are super excited for the week ahead, where we will engage in different learning tasks for Science Week and National Bullying Week, but most importantly, our Footsteps Dance performance on Thursday evening! 

Please note that students will be required to wear a costume to suit the Outback Australia theme. All students will be required to wear a khaki, beige, tan, olive green or cream shirt, with blue jeans. Please see the attached photos for reference. Contact one of the teachers if you require further clarification.  

A friendly reminder that students are invited to dress up as Superheroes for National Bullying Day on Friday 18th of August.  There will also be a dress-up day and parade for Book Week on Friday 25th, August. 

1/2 Team, 

Alycia Marsico, Vania Sparano and Vicky Karalis 

YEAR 3/4

As mathematicians, we are learning to use strategies to solve multiplication problems. During the week, we engaged in Multiplication Thinkboards to show our understanding of repeated addition, arrays, groups of and number stories. Thinkboards are a great tool to consolidate all of our learning in multiplication. 

We have had a wonderful time starting our Netball Clinics with Evette from Netball Victoria. We engaged in finding out about different positions and how to play netball. We then got to practise our different passes and then a game! We are looking forward to learning more skills and getting more time to play some games of netball. 

is week is Science Week and National Bullying Awareness Week, stay tuned for next week's newsletter where we will share some of the activities we have engaged in. Don’t forget to dress up as a superhero or wear superhero symbols (like a badge, cape or mask) on Friday 18th August. A gold coin donation will be collected on the day and money will go towards KIDS HELPLINE. 

Home Learning will be provided this week, a reminder that this is due on the Friday 25th of August. Please continue to engage in the home learning opportunities with your children and sign this when completed along with your child's reading diary. 

Reminder:

We are looking forward to our Around the World concert night on Thursday 17th of August. We will ask that students are dressed in all white and/or light clothing. A note has been sent home.

Examples can include:

Have a wonderful week!

Year 3/4 Teachers

Belinda Panzarino & Bianka Zorzut

YEAR 5/6 

Another week down as we nearly reach the halfway point of Term 3 and boy has it been busy over in the SLA building!

In Literacy, the students continued writing about their chosen saint. It has been great to see the students explore their creative abilities in order to present information about these Saints in an interesting way. The students also completed writing their individual writing goals. We have set a class goal which is to proofread and edit our writing for cohesion and structure. We spent some time discussing and exploring the different aspects of this goal and each student has now written a S.M.A.R.T. goal and action plan based on this. Each student will continue working on achieving this goal over the next few weeks with teachers and peers supporting them along the way. We look forward to seeing the students achieve success and become more confident in their writing abilities.

In Numeracy, we have continued exploring our unit centred around Area and Geometry. The students have now chosen a specific room from their floor plan to transform into a 3-D model. They are very excited to become architects and interior designers using their knowledge of area, perimeter, volume and 3-D nets/models. We are excited to continue developing our understanding of Area and building 3D models of our designs in Geometry. 

As Inquirers, our students are working in groups to create a project that will connect our community. The students have been planning interesting stories that they are going to turn into short films! We have been exploring different types of camera angles and storyboarding to assist in the planning phase of their projects. We look forward to beginning the filming stage and sharing our creations with our school community!

In performing arts, the students have been busy practising for our dance performance this week. It is amazing to see the progress the students have made since the beginning of the Footsteps programme, their confidence in dancing and getting involved has really grown. We look forward to showcasing this exciting dance to all our parents this Thursday.

A huge congratulations to our Year 6 students who completed the sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday. We were so proud of all our Year 6 students who were reverent and committed throughout the ceremony, particularly in the anointing by the Bishop. It was a beautiful service led by Father Linh and Bishop Terry, with accompanying music by Maria Forde. We were very grateful to have them as part of our service. A massive thank you to all involved: the sponsors who supported our students on the day, the staff who helped prepare the students for this sacrament and the families who attended and supported on this special day. We wish the students the best of luck in this next step on their journey of faith and we look forward to providing guidance along the way.

Have a fantastic week, 

Olivia Sargent, Aoife O’Flynn and Graham Troy.