News from our Classrooms
Prep News
The term is certainly going by very quickly in the Prep level! Today is Day 73 as we count towards 100 Days of Prep and the students are getting very excited as the magic 100 gets closer and closer.
On Friday 1st June the Prep students participated in an incursion run by Cynda and Barry from The History Box, Ballarat which was linked to our current inquiry unit "What is my History and how do I know?" They shared lots of information about what school was like in the past and they showed the students many old time toys that they were able to play with. The incursion was great as it allowed the students to get up close to many old artefacts and toys from long ago. The students were able to write with a nib and ink and they all agreed that pencils and crayons are so much easier to write with and less messy as well!. Some photos of the incursion will soon be available to look at in the foyer.
Remember to send in small packets of tissues and baby wipes as the Prep contributions to the Vinnies Appeal and to wear your PJ's or comfy clothes to school on June 15th.
Year 1/2 News
The Year 1/2 classes went on a bus excursion to visit many buildings and sites in the local area. They were excited to visit sites such as Pentridge jail, the Merri Creek and St Thomas More’s church in Hadfield. The students were able to reflect on their favourite part of the excursion and are now looking forward to researching their favourite building/site in the coming weeks.
In Literacy, the students are revisiting the purpose and audience and literal meaning in texts. They are looking at Indigenous dreamtime stories and discussing the message of the story. The students are focussing on the Dynamic Dialogue when writing narratives. They have been watching various video clips and identifying the dialogue to catch the audience’s attention.
In Numeracy, the students are using mental computation strategies such as bridging and add to ten. They are exploring the connection between addition and subtraction.
Year 3/4 News
On Saturday, our Year 3 students celebrated a very special event in their lives and in the lives of their families and the parish community. The Sacrament of First Holy Communion was a joyful occasion and our First Communicants received Jesus for the first time in a most reverent and loving way. The children looked absolutely angelic in their lovely new clothes and the smiles on their faces were truly beautiful.
As part of our Religious Education and Inquiry work this term, the 3/4 students were treated to a tour of St Fidelis’ Church where they were shown many beautiful objects, photos and statues that help us to remember and commemorate our faith traditions. Fr Michael led our tour and was very knowledgeable in telling us about the importance of making the sign of the cross in a reverent way, how the altar depicts the Last Supper, that the stained glass windows give us a warm, comforting feeling and that the photos and statues remind us of the good deeds done by saints and other important people in our Church.
At the moment the students are preparing for the Student Led Conversations which will be held in the last week of this term. During the Student Led Conversations, the students will talk about their learning goals and how they are working on achieving them. They will show evidence of their learning and highlight what they have done to improve their learning. These conversations are a great way for parents to see what their children have been doing and to listen to them talk about their own learning and how their new skills and strategies are helping them to be better, more independent learners.
Year 5/6 News
The 5/6 students have been working hard in all areas of the curriculum.
In Inquiry/R.E., the students have shared their family trees and conducted great research about their families cultural background and how they came to be in Australia. We even have a student in Year 5 who is related to Mary Queen of Scots and whose relatives are in a famous picture painted in the Gold Fields by the artist who was awarded the first Archibald prize.
The students have been studying the impact the Eureka Rebellion had and how it changed laws and started real democracy in Australia. We have also investigated the history of the Catholic church and the significant people that helped our Catholic traditions develop here.
In Maths, we have been learning all about fractions, including equivalent fractions, the fractional amount of a collection of objects and how to add and subtract fractions. We are also delving into the difference between volume and capacity, measuring volume and capacity and solving challenging problems involving these concepts.
In Literacy, we are continuing to answer literal and inferring comprehension questions as we read various texts and watch clips. We are writing letters from the perspective of a person who lived in the Ballarat Gold Fields, back home to their family. Some of the perspectives they are writing from are; an Indigenous, Chinese or Irish digger, Red Coat Soldier, English trooper or the wife of a digger. The students have been describing the weather, where they live, if they have found gold and the hardships they are facing.
*Please remind your child/children to wear their jumper and/or bomber jacket to school. All items need to be clearly labelled with their name. It is your child/children's responsibility to look after all of their property.
*Please be reminded that teachers are very busy in the morning and can only see parents briefly for minor issues, as we are responsible for students from 8:30am. If you wish to discuss something that needs to be private, or requires extensive time, then you need to arrange an appointment time that suits both parties, preferably after school.