Arrunga

Dear Parents/Carers,

We have had an exceptionally busy fortnight of learning. As a team we have been encouraging the students to continue to work towards their personal goals, by using a variety of practical based learning activities. Students have been applying social skills that they have learnt to solve real life problems such as; How can we include others and build respectful relationships? They have also been working towards identifying and understanding the characteristics of being a good friend.

Last week we had the opportunity to share with the wider St Luke’s Community an example of what a typical day in Arrunga looks like and the different learning activities that the students engage in; as well the importance of movement breaks. You can access the video via this link or on the St Luke’s College Facebook page.

Over the next few weeks we are collecting donations to support St Vincent de Paul for Christmas. As a community the different stages within the wider school are asked to donate specific items which will create lovely Christmas Hampers for those in our local community who need a helping hand, especially at Christmas. Students in Arrunga have been allocated bon-bons and mince pies. Collection tubs/baskets are in all classrooms for students to place their donations. We thank you in advance for your support.

As we near the end of Term 4 we have many upcoming school and community events. Parents and Carers are very welcome to join a community celebration for Stage 3 students and teachers during a Thanksgiving Liturgy for Year 6, which is to be celebrated on Thursday, December 8.

We will also be holding an information session via Zoom for our new families and a second opportunity for those families who were unable to attend the 7-10 Life Skills Curriculum information presentation held last term. Parents and Carers of students transitioning into Year 7 in 2023 are politely reminded to return the Life Skills Pattern of Study: Student and Parent/Carer

Agreement that was sent last term via email. All our families are more than welcome to join the information session on Thursday, December 8 between 4-5pm via Zoom.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Kind regards,

Mrs Catherine Goodwill

Early Stage 1 & Stage 1

We have had a fantastic fortnight of learning in our classroom! Students have been actively participating and completing Literacy and Mathematics activities. We have also seen many of the students interacting with their peers during play and encouraging one another to make safe choices. Inline with our current PBS4L reward system, students have also received certificates for participating in activities, modelling safe behaviour and demonstrating positive learning behaviours.

Over the next fortnight, we will be encouraging all students to work towards their personal goals both academically and socially. Please see below a summary of our learning.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

Mrs Natasha Narain

FOCUS FOR LEARNING & ACTIVITIES THIS FORTNIGHT:

Literacy: Through shared reading activities students are identifying various known places in their local community such as home and school whilst being introduced to other parts of Australia and the world. For the remainder of this term they will be exploring the features of these places and how to care for it.

In guided reading activities students are continuing to work on developing their reading behaviours such as page turning and pointing to words. Many students are continuing on working towards increasing their understanding of sight words and applying decoding skills, such as stretching the known sounds within a word to help sound it out.

Numeracy: Over the next fortnight students will be working on developing their multiplication and division skills. They will be consolidating their understanding of making equal groups and sharing objects. We will be encouraging students to apply various counting strategies such as counting by 1s, repeat addition and skip counting.
Creative Arts: Students will be exploring drama and dance. We will be encouraging students to participate in dramatic play and role play. They will also be working on creating a simple dance routine through the repetition and combination of various gross motor movements. Students will also continue to follow step-by-step instructions to create artwork using a variety of techniques and materials.

PDHPE: In Personal Development and Health lessons students are learning how to be safe in various settings including in the classroom and in the playground. In the next fortnight they will be learning about what it means to be a good friend and how they can show kindness to others. In Sport, students will be working on developing their hand-eye coordination and ball skills. We will also be encouraging them to take turns and work with their peers.

Stage 2, 3 & 4

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you have been enjoying the warmer weather as much as we have. The students have been exploring and using the outdoor spaces for different learning activities. Students are adjusting well to the different learning spaces within Arrunga and have been using different transitional activities and songs to support them when moving from one area to another. They have continued to work cooperatively in their Literacy and Mathematics groupings and have been actively participating with a focus on communication skills during integrated learning, exploring new content, styles and sensory experiences.

Kind regards,

Miss Isabel North

Mrs Brooke Bowden

High Support Needs Specialist Teacher High Support Needs Specialist Teacher

Email: inorth1@parra.catholic.edu.au Email: bbowden@parra.catholic.edu.au

Phone: 0408 321 594 Phone: 0491 9