Learning Centre News...

Learning Centre One

We’ve blinked and the end of term is near! It has been an exciting time down in prep as the students have been deep in their learning and exploring all things needed to be effective learners!

Throughout phonics the students have been learning about trigraphs and quadgraphs. Why have explored the sounds EAR, AIR, URE and ER. The students have participated in activities to explore these sounds and have worked to explore words that have these sounds in them.

In reading the students have been looking at opposite words such as up, down, dark, light etc from the text being explored. The students then looked at non fiction texts and used them to create a booklet in writing. The students then looked at the difference between a nonfiction and fiction text. They then explored how they can create a range of noun groups to use in their writing.

In Maths, the students have been looking at identifying the properties of a 3D shape by looking at how many faces, edges and vertices a shape has.The students then explored location and transformation by putting objects in different positions and taking images of them above, under, next to, on top etc. The students then followed a step of instructions to draw a picture and then looked at the positional language associated with location and transformation.

During religion the students have been exploring how we show forgiveness, share and show compassion in the light of Jesus. The students then looked at ways to be fair and share by participating in games that emphasized these skills. The students even unpacked a Bluey episode that looked at the importance of sharing with others and how that makes us feel in the light of what Jesus has taught us and how to treat others. Looking deeper the students then explored what it means to be compassionate and what it means to show compassion to others. The students then explored how the disciples used forgiveness, fairness and compassion through the parable of the ‘5000 Fishes’.

Some friendly reminders:

Readers - Please ensure that book bags are bought in on a Monday and they will be returned on a Tuesday with a new book.
Students require their iPads for learning. Please ensure that they’re charged and brought to school each day.
23rd August - Book week parade 9am - Come dressed up to celebrate all the newly shortlisted books for book week!
21st - 25th August - Book week
30th August - Father’s Day Breakfast 8am
31st August - Father’s Day Stall
1st September - Feast Day Mass 10am
14th September - Zoo Excursion - please come in full school uniform and runn, plastic bag with lunch, snack and drink bottle (clearly labeled).
15th September - Learning Expo - 9am in the Learning Centres.
15th September - 1pm End of Term 3

Prep Team - Amanda, Donna, Imogen, Kiah, Mary, Sam & Tina.

Learning Centre Two

5/6 CAMP!

The countdown is officially on!! Only 19 sleeps to go until the 5/6 students and teachers leave for Mt Evelyn Recreation Camp. At the start of this term, we held an online information evening where we presented the slideshow below to students and families. We are sharing this again now to refresh your memory about what was shared.

5_6 Camp - Information Session.pdf

We especially draw your attention to the 'What to Pack' list which has also been attached below. We encourage the students to pack their own bags, with your assistance, so they know exactly what they have with them while they're away.

On the first night of the camp, students can choose to perform in the OLSC talent show. This is entirely optional and, those who do not perform will be a part of the audience on the night. If your child chooses to share their talents they must let their teacher know by Friday 1st September. If they need props, these need to be organised by them and should fit into their luggage. Students should practise their routine in their own time and the routines must not go over 5 minutes in length.

CONFIRMATION

Congratulations to the Year 6 students who were Confirmed last Friday at St Andrew's parish church. They demonstrated great reverence during the mass. Many thanks to John and the LC2 team for preparing the children to be ready to receive this blessed sacrament.

LITERACY

Each 5/6 group has either begun to share a class novel or focus on a selection of picture books. Each week, the students listen to the stories being read, share their thoughts about the main events and show their understanding using a variety of processes. Alexandra's class are looking at some picture books by Chris van Allsburg, including Jumanji. Lisa's class are reading Parvana by Deborah Ellis, Scott's students are enjoying listening to Blueback by Tim Winton, Chelsea's group have started reading Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, and Ann's class are looking at Once by Morris Gleitzman.

Some friendly reminders...

Book Week and Book Fair - 21st to 25th August
Book Week parade - Wednesday 23rd August, 9 am
Father's Day breakfast - Wednesday 30th August, 8 am
Fathers Day Stall - Thursday 31st August
Feast Day Mass - Friday 1st September, 10 am
5/6 Camp to Mt Evelyn - Wednesday 6th to Friday 8th September
Whole school Learning Expo - Friday 15th September, 9 am

Year 5/6 Team: Alexandra, Ann, Anna, Chelsea, Cheryl, Danielle, Gillian, Isaac, Kristina, Lisa, Salena, & Scott.

Learning Centre Three

The last couple of weeks have been busy in Year 1 and 2’s with all the engaging learning we have been doing. On Wednesday night families came together for our Sacramental Family Evening, where we prayed, listened to and shared stories. Each family created their own family prayer photo frame to take home.

In Literacy and Inquiry, we continue to learn about animal facts. We reflected on the animals we saw during our zoo excursion, with a focus on reptiles. Students researched an animal of their own choice and began to plan and make their habitat diorama. Please note that students are welcome to bring things from home to add to their dioramas if they wish.

In Maths, we learnt how to use informal and formal units to estimate, measure and compare the length of objects. Students particularly enjoyed our snake lolly challenge, where they had to measure the snake and then measure it stretched out. The best part, of course, was when we got to eat it!!!

In Religion, we learnt about who Mary MacKillop was and why she is important to the Catholic faith. In our role as stewards of creation, we reflected on how we can all be God’s instruments and care for creation. Students made a promise to God about what they are going to do to look after God’s Creation.

A few important things to remember:

Book Week, 21-25th August (Parade Wednesday)
Father's Day breakfast, Wednesday 30th August, 8am
Fathers Day Stall, Thursday 31st August
Feast Day, Friday 1st September
Learning Expo, Friday 15th September, 9am

Year 1/2 Team - Alison, Bianca, Janeen, Jannine, Jess, Jordan, Marilyn, Shalome, Tasmin, Sue and Sarena.

Learning Centre Four

Zoo Excursion

Last Tuesday the Year 3-4’s boarded the bus for their Inquiry Excursion to Werribee Open Range Zoo. It was a fantastic experience where we all got to explore the Werribee River, Australian and African River Trails. The children were greeted by their Zoo teachers and taken by their group teachers to learn about the Lion Cubs and the eating habits of Koalas.

All the groups were timetabled to take a journey onboard the Safari tours Bus. This enabled them to get a closer look at Giraffes, Rhino’s, Zebra’s, Camels and Antelope in their natural habitat.

A fun day was had by all!

Maths

In Maths we have been learning about Area and Perimeter. The students have drawn and calculated the area and perimeter of a drawing of themselves on centimetre grid paper. We had so much fun participating in TT Rockstars as a learning tool for multiplication. This week we will be learning about our Australian currency and developing our confidence with addition and subtraction of Money equations.

Religion

We have been exploring the concept of human dignity and organisations that promote human dignity, such as St Vincent de Paul Society, Caritas or the Salvation Army. Students created information pamphlets with information about their chosen organisation, how they live our the Scriptures and how they promote human dignit