Learning & Teaching 

LEARNING AND TEACHING - Vira Pirrotta

NAPLAN INFORMATION FOR 2022

In early May, our school completed the NAPLAN online computer-based assessments for Reading, writing, Mathematics and Language Conventions (Spelling/Grammar). The Online assessments were tailored testing that allowed a wider range of student's abilities to be assessed and measured.  

In the last few weeks, the state mean was made available to Victorian schools. The mean scale score is the average performance of our group of students on the assessment. It is calculated by adding all individual student scores and dividing by the number of total scores. It can also be referred to as an average.  

Below is a table that shows how our school results compare to the state mean. I am very pleased with the achievement of our students and our school overall. Our students performed extremely well compared to the students in the state.  I would like to thank the teachers for their work last year especially in during remote learning. 

Upcoming Incursions and Excursions 

This year, the students have had many opportunities as part of the Learning and Teaching program to participate in incursions and excursions to enhance their learning. 

Earlier in the year, the students participated in a water-safety program run by Life Saving Victoria. On Monday, December 5th, the students from Years 3 to 6 will build on this experience by attending a session at Sandridge Beach. Students will learn to keep safe in and around water, particularly in open water environments. They will have the opportunity to be ‘Everyday Lifesavers’ and learn skills to help themselves in case they find themselves in trouble in the water. There will also be opportunities for them to gain practical experience in being safe around the water. 

A detailed program is in Mr Jennings' Sport news and a permission note will come home later this week. Please see the link for more information about the program.  

LSV - Open Water Learning Experience

Another opportunity that Prep to Year 6 students will have is that they will participate in a First Aid Schools Program run by St. John’s Ambulance Australia. 

On Friday the 9th of December, students will participate in 45 minutes sessions. The program provides basic first-aid training to school students and teaches them how to look out for dangers. This program links to this term's inquiries about Heath and Wellbeing.  If you have any questions, please contact me at vpirrotta@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au

NUMERACY - Colleen Monaghan

It has been a delight working in the Foundation room over the last week or two. I have been interviewing the students and finding out how well they count, read, write and order numbers. The counting skills of these Foundations have been amazing, and it shows they have been doing lots of practice at school and at home. 

One area I do notice many still need to work on is backward counting. Many can count up to and beyond 100 but struggle counting back from 24. The area of 21/20/19 tricks many. If you can continue the daily practice, but focus on this area, I am sure we will see great results as we have with their forward counting and skip counting.

The seniors have been working on division, and the one thing that makes this concept difficult for many is their lack of table facts. When students don’t know their times tables, they struggle with division, as they can’t use their knowledge of times tables to assist them.   Regular practice of the tables they don’t know can help them with this. Don’t fill their heads with the facts they know, just work on the ones they don’t. Look at strategies to assist them when they forget. Can they work on what they know and build up/ down to the fact, can they use halving, doubling?

The winners of the APSMO competition were awarded their trophies and certificates recently. Here is a photo of them that unfortunately missed last week’s newsletter.

Maya Woodhouse, Xavier Carr & Anthony Falsetta Spina.

SUSTAINABILITY - Annette Gasbarro

As part of the discovery program, the Foundation to Year 2 learners have had the opportunity to participate in gardening. During this time, they have been busy planting and organizing our vegetable garden. Earlier this year, a group of keen gardeners planted silverbeet seeds. Over time we observed the silverbeet growing.  Last week, our keen gardeners were so excited to be able to harvest the silverbeet and sell it to our school community. Congratulations to our F-2 SRC leaders who took the time to sell the silverbeet after school. We made a total profit of $36.00. It was great to see the children use their mathematical thinking when engaged in selling the silverbeet. Well done to all and thank you to our school community for your support. These funds will be used to purchase plants and garden tools. 

Last Wednesday during our discovery time, our gardeners were eager to begin preparing our next garden bed.  As collaborators, they collaborated as a team to ensure that the next garden bed will be ready in time so we can plant more summer vegetables. 

On Tuesday, the SRC sold the silverbeet from our garden in Saunders Yard. We had 11 bunches of silver beet and each bunch cost $3.00. When we were selling the silverbeet, there were three bunches left and Alessandro's dad bought all of them. It was fun and very exciting to sell to the parents. Milana and Patrick Foundation LW

Yesterday afternoon I sold silverbeet.  Silverbeet is a vegetable.  We had 11 bunches and we were selling them slowly.  A bunch was three dollars.  We sold our first bunch when we were getting ready. So we had 10 more bunches to sell. Next, when we started the shop we sold 4 more bunches, so now we had 6 left. After we sold about 3 we were back in business.  Last, we asked a man to buy a bunch and he bought all three. We were so happy.  We counted the money and we had $36.00.  I want to sell more silverbeet it was fun. Harrison 1/2 AM

While our gardeners were clearing out the garden bed, they decided that they would cut up some of the silverbeets and feed the worms in our worm towers. Our tomatoes are currently growing well, so our gardeners decided that it was time to stake them. They discovered that some of the tomato plants are 19 centimetres tall and others were only 15 centimetres tall. Our gardeners have recorded this information and we will be observing and recording the changes and growth patterns over the next few weeks. 

SPORT & PE - Michael Jennings

LIFE-SAVING VICTORIA EXCURSION

On Monday 5 December, St Fidelis Years 3-6 students will participate in Life Saving Victoria’s (LSV) practical MEGA Water Safety Program to be held at Sandridge Beach from 1.15 pm-2.45 pm. 

The students will be travelling by chartered buses, accompanied by the teachers in charge, departing St Fidelis Primary School at 11.30 am. At the conclusion of the activities, the students will depart the venue at 3.00 pm, returning to school at 3.30 pm. The students are required to bring their lunch and a drink in a  backpack. The students will have lunch at the venue prior to the activities.

STUDENTS ARE TO BRING

 ❑ Bathers

 ❑ Lightweight long-sleeved shirt

 ❑ Sunglasses that meet the Australian standard (ASNZS 1067:2003) 

❑ Warm clothing and spare towel (in case of cool weather) 

❑ SPF 30+ sunscreen 

❑ Lunch and snacks

 ❑ Rash vest (high visibility recommended) 

❑ Clearly labelled drink bottle

 ❑ Wide-brimmed hat (Please be advised that LSV strongly recommends the wearing of hats by all program participants whilst participating in the dry and water-based activities.)

 ❑ Enclosed shoes (Please be advised that LSV strongly recommends the wearing of enclosed shoes by all program participants whilst participating in the dry and water-based activities. Thongs are not recommended.)

All approved LSV Program Team Leaders and Instructors have current and the correct qualifications and/or experience for their specific role/s, including (as a minimum):

✓ LSV Community Surf Life Saving Certificate or Surf Life Saving Bronze Medallion

✓ Provide First Aid (formerly Senior First Aid)

✓ CPR

✓ Working With Children Check

✓ Attendance at an annual compulsory training workshop which covers; delivery of the program, risk processes, emergency management plans and the use of all program and safety equipment.

The MEGA Water Safety program includes activities in and out of the water. An outline of the activities has been provided for your reference.

Yours sincerely

Michael Jennings

Sport & Physical Education Coordinator

MEGA BEACH DAY

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

Be Aware and Be Prepared:

Participants will gain knowledge to keep safe when in and around water, particularly open water environments. Practical strategies such as identifying dangers (i.e. rip currents) and reading key safety signs will be delivered and will ensure they have the tools to ‘be aware and be prepared before visiting their local waterway.

Everyday Lifesaver:

Our students will be given the skills and opportunity to be ‘Everyday Lifesavers’. They’ll learn the emergency response sequence, DRSABCD, by following a variety of age-appropriate and engaging real life scenarios.

Survival Strategies:

Wearing a lifejacket, and practising important survival techniques -including the huddle, the HELP position, safely entering and exiting the water- are vital survival strategies your students can use if they find themselves in trouble in the water.

Rescue Strategies:

Rescue tubes, towels, ropes and even bike helmets are all examples of rescue items our students will have an opportunity to practice using. This will enable them to make informed decisions if ever they are required to perform a rescue.

Safe Boarding:

Body Boards are a popular activity enjoyed by many children in open waterways. Our students will learn key skills needed to stay safe, including safety equipment, how to paddle effectively, and strategies to escape LSV’s own ‘The Gauntlet’ (simulation of a wave channel)! 

ST JOHN FIRST AID FOR STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM

St Fidelis Primary School students will participate in the ‘St John First Aid In Schools Program’ on Friday 9 December 2022. Each class will participate in first aid sessions during the day either in a classroom or in the hall. Each 45-minute session will be conducted by qualified St John First Aid staff.

St John Ambulance Australia is committed to promoting the importance of first aid in the community and believes that there is no better place to start than in our schools. Every child in Australia should have access to vital first aid knowledge and with the First Aid in Schools program, this is possible. The First Aid Schools Program is a FREE program run by St John Ambulance Australia providing basic first aid training to school students across all states and territories in Australia.

STEM - Joe Frazzetto

STEM- Prevent Flooding

In the last couple of weeks, Melbourne has been hit hard with heavy rain and flooding. Overflowing rivers damage and destroy homes and businesses.  The Year 1/2 students explored the different ways that precipitation can change the landscape and how water can cause damage if it is not controlled.  We discussed the before and after effect of natural flooding disaster and how it changes the landscape.

Students collaborated and contributed and designed a floodgate that is able to prevent flooding and create and code a floodgate to control the water level of a river using the LEGO WeDo 2.0 kit and program to prevent flooding to happen.

Students were able to understand the different ways that precipitation (rain, hail, thunder and lightning, snow) can change the landscape and how water can cause damage if it is not controlled. We explored and discuss ‘What is a bird’s eye view?’  Students collaborated with their partners to design their own bird’s eye view of a river and the surrounding environment. I was in awe when I saw their bird’s eye view landscapes. They look amazing! 

I have produced and put together a short YouTube clip showcasing the Year 1/2 students’ learning, LEGO WeDo2.0 Floodgates, their Bird’s Eye View River and how it prevents flooding.

YouTube Link

ITALIAN - Rosa Fokianos

BUONGIORNO!

Salve a tutti! 

I hope everyone had a good weekend, even though parts of it felt like it was inverno winter), che freddo! ❄️☂

Oggi (today), I would like to start by asking if anyone went to the Tarantella Festival ieri (yesterday) in Reservoir, which I mentioned in last week’s newsletter article? If you did go and you took some photos and you wouldn’t mind sharing them with the school community, please do so by emailing them to me and I can add them to the newsletter.

I would also like to remind everyone of the upcoming Giornata Italiana (Italian Day). See the flyer below. I’ve been busy trying to finalise the incursion as well as other various Italian-themed activities. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the P&F for assisting with organising a special Italian-themed lunch, that is, pizza e gelato! I’m sure the order form will be coming out soon, stay tuned through Skoolbag.

Mille grazie! 😊

Don’t forget to get your Italian costume organised as well, considering…

The Italian Day is only just over 2 weeks away! 

2nd call: VOLUNTEER REQUEST

You may already know, as part of the day’s festivities, I am planning for some of the older children to learn to play bocce, (Italian lawn bowls). Luckily, I have been able to source enough sets for one class to play at one time. 

I am now wondering if there are any grandparents, nonni, or other family members in the St Fidelis community that play bocce as a hobby. If so, could they spare a little time during the day, (perhaps between 11:30-1:30 pm), to come and demonstrate to the children how the game of bocce is played. If you know of someone, please either leave me a message via the school or email me direct and we can work something out: rfokianos@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au

Grazie again, in advance. 

Buona settimana a tutti!  

Signora Rosa 🌹