Spotlight on Learning

Dear Families,

In Week 4, students learnt about people of faith who used their gifts to help others and demonstrated values such as love, kindness, care and service in Religious Education.

 In English, they wrote complete narratives with a clear beginning, middle and ending, used adverbs and different sentence types, edited their work using CUPS and continued reading The Lorax. In Reading, students explored the suffixes -er and -or and developed their fluency, accuracy and expression. 

In Mathematics, they used arrays, equal groups and sharing strategies to solve multiplication and division problems. Students also explored how movement can communicate feelings and ideas in Intergrated studies, reviewed Auslan signs and phrases related to weather, and continued discussing how gender stereotypes can influence people’s interests, choices and behaviours in Social and Emotional learning.

Learning for the Week 5/Term 3:

Religious Education:

In Week 5, students will learn that sacraments are special celebrations in the life of the Church. They will explore symbols and actions used in Baptism and understand that Reconciliation involves saying sorry and receiving forgiveness. Students will also learn about the different roles people have within a faith community and how their gifts and actions can be used to care for and serve others. They will discuss how celebrations bring people together and help them remember what is important.

English:

In Week 5, students will explore The Little Refugee by making predictions using the title, cover and illustrations, sequencing the main events and using clues to infer Anh Do’s character traits. They will also consider why families may leave their country and how people might feel when making difficult choices. Students will continue developing correct letter formation, size and spacing, and will plan, write and improve an independent piece by adding detail, strengthening word choices and checking their work.

Mathematics:

In Mathematics, students will use mathematical modelling to solve practical addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. They will represent problems using materials, drawings and number sentences, and choose suitable strategies such as equal groups, combining, partitioning, part-part-whole, separating and comparing quantities. Students will explain their thinking and recognise that different problems may require different methods.

Integrated Curriculum:

In Integrated Curriculum, students will explore how dance is used by different communities to celebrate, share traditions and tell stories. They will respectfully view and discuss cultural dance examples, including a Torres Strait Islander dance, using “I notice” and “I wonder” statements. Students will investigate a cultural dance of their choice, identify where it comes from, explain its purpose and describe what it helps people remember about culture, celebration or community.

Auslan:

In Auslan, students will use visual thinking to picture and sign actions within a story, with a focus on showing how to close different objects. They will also build their confidence and fluency by memorising and using three to five Auslan signs and phrases through interactive games such as Catch the Signs and Bean Bag Signs.

Social & Emotional Learning:

In Social and Emotional Learning, students will learn the difference between a bystander and an upstander and explore safe, respectful ways to respond when they witness unfair behaviour. They will discuss gender fairness, consider how unfair situations may make others feel and identify helpful actions such as including others, speaking up respectfully, standing beside someone or seeking support from an adult. Students will use a fairness ladder to compare different responses and explain how they can act as an upstander to support safety, fairness and inclusion.

What you can do at home

• Read together each night and talk about the message in a story. Ask your child what the author might want the reader to think, feel or learn.

   

• Practise maths in everyday life by noticing patterns at home or outside, such as patterns in tiles, clothes, blocks, counting, or nature. Ask your child to describe what repeats or what changes.

   

• Talk and share signs together by asking your child to teach you an Auslan sign or facial expression they have learned at school. Practising together helps build confidence and communication skills.

Important Reminders:

• Swimming lessons will continue next week, Week 5. Please ensure students bring all required swimming gear each day, including bathers, a towel, goggles, a swimming cap and a change of clothes. All belongings should be clearly labelled with the student’s name to prevent items from being lost or mixed up.

• School Photos - any students who were absent or missed their photo this week are scheduled to attend the make up session on Tuesday 11 August, along with a small number of remaining sibling photo bookings.

• Fidget Toys

  We kindly ask that students do not bring fidget toys to school unless their use is a planned adjustment in consultation with Allied Health Professionals. Students who bring fidget toys without an approved adjustment will be asked to place them in their school bag for the remainder of the day to take home. We appreciate your support in encouraging your child to leave fidget toys at home.

• Please ensure that you are labelling your child's belongings.

• Please remind your child to change their reading books when they need to. 

   

The Damascus Team

Contact Us @Damascus

damascus@cranbourneeast.catholic.edu.au  (all teachers) or