Classroom News
PREP
The days are quickly ticking down to the end of the year, and before we know it, our Preps will be stepping confidently into Year One.
The children are excited to showcase their learning from Semester 2 with you during Learning Conversations, and our teachers are looking forward to sharing the wonderful progress your children have made. We are so proud of their growth and achievements. So if you haven’t already, please book a time on PAM.
The last few weeks are busy, so here are some dates for the calendar-
Friday 28th November- Reports released on PAM
Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd December - Learning Conversations
Friday, 5th December – Prep Prayer Gathering 9am
Monday 8th December - Movies and Memorial Square. Please see details on PAM and consent for your child to attend.
Tuesday 9th December - Move up Day 9:15-10:45. Students meet their new teachers and class.
Tuesday, 10th December – End of Year Liturgy at 6:00 pm, the Preps will take part in our
End of Year Liturgy, where they will help to bless their Year 6 buddies as they prepare to move on to secondary school.
Wednesday 17th December -12noon Carols on the Courts. Each year level performs a Christmas Carol. Families are welcome to come along and watch us.
As the final weeks progress, we will continue to enjoy each other’s company while creating Christmas crafts and sharing special end-of-year moments together.
Liza Alexander lalexander@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Elissa Rodger erodger@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 1
This week we have been very busy organising our work to show our grown ups at Learning Conversations next week. If you haven’t already please take some time to make a booking on PAM with your child’s classroom teacher.
We will be collecting library bags and reader folders to pass onto next year's teachers, so please return these when you can. We will also be sending home your child's art smock to be washed and kept at home until next year.
On Monday 8th December we will be celebrating the end of year with our fun day. Students are to wear school uniform on this day, please ensure you have given permission on PAM for your child to attend.
We look forward to seeing you all next week at Learning Conversations.
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
In Numeracy, students have been learning how the CUBES strategy can help us solve worded mathematical problems. By Circling key numbers, Underlining important information, Boxing action words, Evaluating what steps are needed, and Solving the problem, students are becoming more confident and systematic in their approach. We have also been exploring additive patterns, identifying rules and predicting what comes next in a sequence. In addition, students have been refining their 2 times tables, working on accuracy, speed, and applying multiplication facts to real-life situations.
In Literacy, students have been investigating how different letters and letter combinations can make the same sounds. We’ve discovered that the letters i and y commonly make the /i/* sound, while the letters u and e make this sound less often. We have also learned that the letters o and a can make the /a/* sound, as heard in words like option, what, wallet, and squash. Students have enjoyed exploring these patterns in their reading and applying them to their spelling and writing.
In Religion, students have been learning about and preparing for Advent. Through discussion, prayer, and reflective activities, they are deepening their understanding of this special time in the Church year and the message of hope, waiting, and preparation it brings.
In Inquiry, students have continued their unit on Earth’s Resources, learning about renewable and non-renewable resources and how they impact our world. This week, students investigated the origin and flow of fresh water from various sources such as groundwater and reservoirs. They identified why water is an essential natural resource and explored the effects of drought and limited access to fresh water on our daily lives. Students showed great curiosity as they asked questions and made connections to their own experiences.
Our Learning Conversations are fast approaching—Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd December. We are really looking forward to sharing the fantastic achievements of our students with you. Bookings can be made on PAM. We are also very excited about our upcoming excursion to the Ballarat Wildlife Park on Friday 12th December. The students are already buzzing with excitement as we prepare for a fantastic day of learning and exploration.
Emma Roberts eroberts@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Matt O'Dowd modowd@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Amanda Delorenzo mdelorenzo@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 3
Last week the Grade 3 students wowed us with their oratory skills.
Each student was given the opportunity to write and deliver an oral presentation on a topic of their choice. We are now much more informed on topics like netball, Roblox, Eastern Europe and fishing. It was interesting to see the varied enthusiasm and effort in presentations, with many children surprising us with their knowledge.
This week was our last week of swimming lessons. We are so proud of how the children have participated in their lessons over the past few weeks, particularly their independence in drying and changing themselves.
Next week will be a very big week with Learning Conversations on Tuesday, and our big excursion to Flip Out in Ballarat on Friday.
We have begun collecting the Secret Santa gifts, and want to be sure that no child misses out, so please notify Deb or Jade if you are unable to buy a gift. Please have your wrapped, labelled gift in to us by Monday 15th December.
Dates to remember:
27/11 - Final swimming
2/12 - Learning Conversations
5/12 - Flip Out Ballarat
9/12 - Move Up Day
10/12 - End of Year Liturgy/Graduation
11/12 - Colac Cinemas Zootopia 2
Jade LoRicco jloricco@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Deb Holland dholland@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 4
Week 8 already, Year 4! The term is moving so quickly, and we’re continuing to see so much wonderful learning, enthusiasm and teamwork across the classroom.
In Numeracy, we’re continuing our split focus, with some students still working on time concepts while others continue exploring fractions. It’s been great to see students growing more confident with their chosen area and applying their problem-solving strategies more independently each week. We will be wrapping this up at the end of the week before spending the rest of the year focused on operations and problem solving skills.
In Literacy, we’re carrying on with our information reports. Students are now deep into their drafts, pulling together their research to explain how their chosen environment supports people and other living things. The effort put into planning, writing and revising has been fantastic — the reports are really taking shape!
Our Inquiry unit, Home Is Where the Habitat Is, is also continuing, and students are adding the finishing touches to their triorama scenes. The level of detail, creativity and care going into each one has been incredible. We can’t wait to show everyone!
This week is our final week of swimming. Students have been absolutely amazing — organised, respectful and enthusiastic each session. Their growing confidence in the water has been wonderful to see.
In Religion, we’re still exploring the idea of gift — both the things we can offer others and the talents we each have to share. We looked at the creation story and recognised the gift of rest God gave us on the seventh day, described beautifully by Finn as “God’s lazy Sunday.” It's been a lovely theme to reflect on as a class and continues to spark thoughtful discussions.
Next week, we have our Learning Conversations. Students will have the opportunity to present some of their work samples and share what they have been working on throughout the term. We’re really looking forward to celebrating their progress together.
Thank you!
The Grade 4 Team
Matt Absalom mabsalom@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Maegen Potter mpotter@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Susie Scott sscott@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 5
There has been a lot of action in Grade 5 over the last couple of weeks with still plenty more to come over the coming final weeks of 2025. Many students find the last couple of weeks of term challenging in many ways. There are a good number of students who are coming in ‘tired’ to class each day which we can all sympathise with after what has been a very busy term already. This may be a good time to ensure students are getting adequate rest and sleep so that they can enjoy the last couple of weeks of school with lots of energy.
The Grade 5s enjoyed their activity morning last Friday at Sacred Heart. Our students showed great participation and managed expectations well while they were going through the activities and should be proud of how they conducted themselves. Swimming also finishes up this week, with students demonstrating their survival skills in their lessons today. Again, behaviour and participation was really good during these sessions.
In Literacy, we have started reading the classic novel, ‘The Wind in the Willows’. The children are enjoying this book which is over 100 years old so it includes different language/vocabulary to what we hear/use today and old time humour as well. This week we have also started some poetry writing as a fun and creative way to finish off the year for Writing.
In Maths we have been doing some Statistics learning this week. This has involved discussing what data is, the different types of data, different ways to collect and record data and appropriate questions to ask to collect the best data for the investigation you are planning. This involved the students planning and conducting their own Grade 5 statistical investigations in small groups and creating column graphs to represent their data.
During R.E. sessions this week, students have started planning and writing their assessment speeches for our ‘Solidarity’ unit, which are a reflection of their time at St. Mary’s and the Catholic values and identity that their time here has helped them form. We look forward to having the students present these next week. We will then start to celebrate Advent in the lead up to Christmas.
We also started our Health/Puberty sessions this week. The students have been very engaged and respectful in these sessions where we are learning about and discussing growing up, changes that are happening and will happen to them and girls and boys sessions that go into more detail about how and why these changes are happening to them. Some students find these sessions really fun and engaging whilst others may feel a bit uncomfortable with these kinds of conversations. However, they do present a good opportunity at home for follow up chats for any questions or extra information students might need in what can be a confusing time for them. The overarching message is that everyone progresses in their own time and that all these things that seem weird and confusing, are really normal and all adults have been through this experience as well. Often hearing this from trusted adults can be reassuring.
We are looking forward to a fun couple of final weeks leading towards the end of term. One of those days will be an excursion to the movies so keep an eye out on PAM for the permission form for this please. We look forward to seeing parents and discussing student learning in our Learning Conversations next week; please book via PAM to secure your appointment time.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Rachel Downard rdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Rachael Cahill rcahill@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
GRADE 6
We're officially on the countdown in Grade 6, and the excitement is building as we get ready to celebrate the end of our primary school journey. Plenty is happening across the classroom. In Literacy, students have been reflecting on their time at St Mary’s and creating special scrapbooks filled with memories. Our Inquiry “Shark Tank” projects are also underway and we’ve already seen some amazingly creative and inventive ideas come to life! We’ve also begun our Religion assessment, where students are reflecting on their Catholic identity and what it means to them here at St Mary’s. Plus, we’ve spent some lovely time with our Prep buddies over the past few weeks, which has been a real highlight. It’s shaping up to be a busy, fun-filled final few weeks of term!
Important Dates:
Tuesday 9th December - Move up Day
Wednesday 10th November - Graduation Mass 6pm
Friday 12th December - Adventure Park
Jess Downard jdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Jodie Hassett jhassett@smcolac.catholic.edu.au
Katie Monaghan kmonaghan@smcolac.catholic.edu.au