English News
BOOK WEEK & BOOK FAIR
ORDER OF EVENTS
Scholastic Book Fair: Wednesday 14th August - Friday 16th August (Week 4)
Scholastic book fair open to parents before and after school.
Simultaneous Silent Reading: Monday 19th August (Week 5) 1.00 pm - 1:30 pm
Students bring along their favourite book and picnic blanket or cushion to read with friends outside.
St Pat’s Great Book Swap: Tuesday 20th August (Week 5)
Students are asked to bring in a used book from home they no longer read and they will be given an opportunity to choose a new book in a ‘swap’ while donating a gold coin where all proceeds will be given to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Donations can also be made online: https://go.greatbookswap.org.au/stpatsgreatbookswap
St Pat’s Book Week Parade: Wednesday 21st August (Week 5) - 9am
Please Join Us!
Dress as your favourite book character!
Marilyn Cosgrove Award
Premier’s Reading Challenge Raffle
Creative Performances
Book Week - Art Awards
Book Week Trivia
After a busy morning, bring a picnic rug and something to share, enjoy morning tea with your family!
Nathaniel Eckstorm Illustrator Visit Year 4: Thursday 22nd August (Week 5)
https://nathanieleckstrom.com/index.html
Tristan Bancks Author Visit via Zoom Years 5 & 6: Thursday 5th September (Week 7)
Tristan’s Novel - ‘Scar Town’ is shortlisted this year in the Book Awards!
Larrikin House are offering book sales for the event where students can purchase their books of choice and have them signed by the Author, they will send signed copies to the school to be distributed to the students after the event has finished.
https://larrikinhouse.com.au/collections/tristan-bancks-author-visit
St Patrick’s Public Speaking Competition 2024
Learning to be an effective public speaker is one of the most empowering and rewarding goals a child can pursue during their school journey. The benefits of learning to speak confidently in public at a young age, can pay huge dividends as students develop into adults. Public speaking is an important life skill that any one of us can be called upon to use at various times in our lives.
Public Speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner with the intention to inform, persuade or entertain an audience. It has a significant place in the K – 6 English Syllabus and interweaves reading, speaking and listening skills: an integral part of a child’s overall literacy development.
Next term our students will have the opportunity to participate in a new Sutherland Shire Network Public Speaking Competition. The competition will consist of four rounds:
1. Class
2. Grade
3. Stage
4. Interschool (Finals) Round.
NB: The final interschool round is only for students in Stages 2 and Stage 3.
Expectation for Participation (all students are required to participate)
- Present a prepared speech that they have written - parents may assist with preparation, however, the speech should predominantly be the child’s own work.
- Adhere to set presentation guidelines.
- Present an engaging and entertaining speech. No technology or props can be used and students are to present an oral speech - not a song, dance or movement/drama routine as part of their speech.
- Students will be scored against an assessment rubrics. Points will be awarded for the matter, method and manner of the speaker.
- Students are expected to listen to one another and be a good audience member
- Try their hardest, do their best and above all else, enjoy the experience!
Participating Schools |
St Aloysius, Cronulla St Francis De Sales, Woolooware Our Lady of Fatima, Caringbah Star of the Sea, Miranda St Catherine Laboure, Gymea St Patricks, Sutherland St Josephs, Como St John Bosco, Engadine Holy Family, Menai
Public Speaking Final - Thursday 17th October, 2024 (Term 4, Week 1)
Venue: De La Salle College, Caringbah School Hall
Timing: Stage 2, 9-12pm Stage 3, 12-3pm |
Explanation of Rounds
ROUND 1 - Class Round | |
| Date | Term 3 - Week 3 |
| Participants | Each student from K-6 will present a prepared speech to their own class. |
| Judged by | Individual classroom teachers during the week |
| Winners | The top three (3) speakers go onto the next round. |
ROUND 2 - Grade Round | |
| Date | Term 3 - Week 6 |
| Participants | The top two students from each class will present a newly prepared speech to their grade. |
| Judged by | Grade teachers |
| Winners | The top three (3) speakers go onto the Stage round. ** Kindergarten students will conclude the competition at this round. |
ROUND 3 - Stage Round (School-based Finals) | |
| Date | Term 3 - Week 9 |
| Participants | The top three (3) students from each grade. Students required to deliver a prepared and impromptu speech in this round. |
| Judged by | Stages teachers + Principal/Assistant Principal |
| Winners | Students go through to the interschool final. |
ROUND 4 - Inter-School Final | |
| Date | Conference 1 - Thursday, 17th October 2024 (Week 1) Term 4 Venue: De La Salle Caringbah Hall Time: 9-12pm Stage 2, 12-3pm Stage 3 |
| Participants | The top two students in Stage 2 and 3 from each participating school will present a prepared speech to their audience (*3 students will be selected to compete in the final from 3 and 4 stream schools).
These students will also be given an impromptu speech topic to prepare on the day. |
| Judged by | Special guest adjudicators |
| Winners | Winners will be announced on the day - schools also acknowledge winners within their own school communities. |
Teachers will address the skills of public speaking as part of their Term 3 English programs. All classes will be exploring speaking and listening, self-expression and creativity in literacy to help build students’ public speaking skills.
Teachers will also provide support to their class in writing their first speech, and students will be asked as part of their homework to continue polishing and practising their speech in readiness for their short presentation. Information regarding each of the rounds are listed below.
Round 2 - Grade Round
Two students from each class will progress through to the Grade Round. These students will be required to present a prepared speech for this round as they did for the class speeches using new topics provided by teachers.
This round will take place during Week 6 of Term 3.
Round 3 - Stage Round
If your child is selected for the Stage Round, they will be given a new list of topics to choose from. Students in the finals from Yrs 3-6 will also be required to present a short 60 second-90 second impromptu speech for a topic given to them on the day. The finals will take place during Week 9 of Term 3.
Round 4 - Interschool Finals
The two top students from Stage 2 and Stage 3 will be invited to present at the Sutherland Shire Network Interschool Finals. These students will be presenting both a prepared speech as well as an impromptu speech. An overall winner and runner up will be announced for each Stage by special guest adjudicators from the local Catholic Colleges (in our case, De La Salle and OLMC).
Topics for Round 1 - Class Round
Round 1 Topics | Prepared Topic |
Early Stage 1 |
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Stage 1 |
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Stage 2 |
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Stage 3 |
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Kind Regards,
Kim Hill & Kate Gill
3-6 News
Students from Years 3-6 will be participating in the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee again this year. The class round will be completed in the coming weeks in each classroom. Students taking part in the Spelling Bee will be given 30 random words from their reading level word list. They have 25 seconds to spell each word. Students may not be familiar with all the words they are asked to spell. However, exposing students to new words and their definitions will help expand their vocabularies and encourage them to continue reading. Refer to Compass for more information.
Mrs Hill has registered our school for the MS Readathon for the month of August, register your student here : https://www.msreadathon.org.au/fundraiser/stpatricksprimarysutherland
There is a free t-shirt for anyone that signs up and other prizes for your fundraising efforts.
We will have prizes for the students who read the most amount of books for the month of August and also for those students who raise the most amount of money for MS!
Multiple sclerosis is a neurological condition that affects more than 25,000 Aussies. It is a progressive condition that affects the central nervous system and interferes with nerve impulses from the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. MS affects people differently, common symptoms include challenges with vision mobility and speech however many are often invisible. There is no cure or cause, however, there are treatments available to help people live well with the condition.
Kim Hill
Years 3-6 English Coordinator
K-2 Phonics Update
Kindergarten
Weeks 1-2: w x y z: zip wet yet yes tax fix box zap fox
Week 3: Consolidation Week: Pitstop sound assessment of Level 3 taught sounds
Year 1
Weeks 1 - 2: /ue/ as in stew: dew few stew new pew cue due rescue cube tube fuse huge
Week 3: /ou/ as in loud: loud found ground round cloud mouth south spout
/ir/ as in stir: sir bird stir dirt first skirt swirl
Year 2
Week 1: /ar/ is in shark and class: star bark park shark art smart start party carpet market alarm garden faster nasty plaster basket
Week 2: /air/ as in air are ere ear: bare dare care stare rare scare square aircraft despair unfair staircase hairbrush bear pear tear/tearing wear/wearing
Week 3: /eer/ as in ear eer: ear clear dear fear hear gear near rear tear year beer cheer deer peer
weary appear volunteer
Kate Gill
K-2 English Coordinator