Learning & Teaching
ST JOHN’S APPEARS ON FRONT PAGE
Our school took centre stage on 15th March, when it appeared on the front page of our local paper the Wyndham Star Weekly. By the time our students are in Year 6, our Bike Ed Program gives them the skills and confidence required to complete some long distance rides. The article spoke about the National Ride2School initiative.
RIDE TO SCHOOL DAY
Last Friday we celebrated Ride2School Day. This national event is Australia’s largest celebration of riding, walking, skating and scooting to school. St John’s was one of over 400 Victorian schools involved. It was great to see so many families leave the car in the garage and choose to take a different mode of transport to school. In the pictures below is a map showing just how far some students rode on the day. The dots show the locations where some students began their journey.
YEAR 2 GARDEN BEDS
The Year 2s have been studying the concept of Sustainability as part of their Inquiry Unit “Tiptoe Through our World’. To finish off this unit they are planting out our three school garden beds, with a variety of veggie seedlings. When mature these ‘crops’ will be sold at a St John’s Farmer’s Market in Term 2. The funds raised will be used to replant the beds reinforcing the concept of sustainability. Thanks to Mark, our Maintenance Manager for all his help throughout the process.
YEAR 1 COMMUNITY VISIT
The Year 1s have been studying the concept of Community as part of their Inquiry Unit “Places and Spaces’. Students have explored members of their local community and the services provided by different groups. Last Wednesday the students were introduced to two detectives from the Police Force. They chatted with the students about Road Safety and the important role of Police within our community. As you can see from the photos they had a great time!
YEAR 5 & 6 GALA SPORTS DAY
Our senior students will be competing in a round robin carnival tomorrow 29th March. Students will be representing St John’s in Cricket, Tennis, T Ball, Volleyball and Basketball.
CROSS COUNTRY
We will be holding our St John the Apostle Cross Country trials in the last week of the term on Monday 3rd April. Students in Year 3 - 6 will be running a few laps of the school perimeter. Students can walk or run the distance with the top performers going through to represent St John’s at district cross country early in Term 2.
KABOOM SPORTS DAY & JUNIOR RACES
Once again, we will be holding a fun tabloid sports day here at school for Prep to Year 6 students. The event is run by staff from Kaboom Kid Sports. On the day the students will move through a series of fun activities where they can collect points for their team. We will also be holding some running races for students in Prep - Year 2. Parents are most welcome to join us for this fun day. This day will be held in Week 3 of Term 2.
TAKE HOME READERS
Take Home Readers Year 1 & 2
Take home readers for students in Year 1 and 2 have commenced. Students change their books twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. If they finish the book prior to the next reader change day, we suggest you have your child reread the text, to improve fluency and comprehension. A Reading Diary will be sent home with your child’s book and we encourage families to fill these in. They are a great way to track the process your child is making. Those students who have achieved a Level 28 are considered independent readers. As such they are able to choose their own reading material. We encourage families to become members of the local Julia Gillard Library in Tarneit located at 150 Sunset Views Blvd, Tarneit.
Prep Take Home Readers
The transition to school is a major milestone and you will most likely find your child is very tired at the end of the school day and needs extra rest and sleep. Home reading books do not commence in Prep until Term 2. By this time your child will have been taught several letters and sounds in class and be able to ‘sound out’ words in the home reading books.
During Term 1 the expectation is that children in Prep are read to using a range of materials including books you may have at home or by visiting the local library to borrow books. Families can also access the Sunshine Classics Online resource by following the steps below:
HOMEWORK
At St John’s we believe homework should complement classroom learning, foster work routines and provide other opportunities for students to revisit and practise curriculum covered in class. As a school we acknowledge that many parents have different expectations of homework and to formulate a homework structure which suits all is extremely challenging. We believe that daily reading is the most beneficial activity for any aged student. It provides them with the opportunity to improve their reading speed and fluency and helps develop the habits required to be a lifelong learner. With this in mind Prep and Year 1 students focus mainly on Reading, with Year 2 -6 students having the opportunity to also complete some simple literacy and numeracy tasks each week.