Principal's News
Dear families,
Last week the staff began work on our school improvement focus 2023. Over the course of the year, staff will be engage in professional learning and collaborative inquiry to improve learning outcomes in Mathematics; for students to be efficient problem solvers in Mathematics.
With a whole-school approach to the teaching of Number through a strategies approach embedded in the school, our mathematics data shows that students are able to efficiently use strategies in isolation. Our next step is to build students’ toolkit of problem solving strategies so that they are better able to solve problems in different contexts.
Mathematical Problem Solving is the ability to solve problems in different contexts, such as in real life situations and in worded problems, drawing on known strategies.
Effective problem solvers are able to:
- Use metacognitive skills; understanding how they learn best, ways to think through problems and having a positive sense of themselves as a learner (a growth mindset)
- Engage with their peers collaboratively to solve problems
- Use and understand mathematical language in context
Over the course of the year, teachers will be engaging in professional learning to build their knowledge and capacity in teaching mathematical problems solving as well as engaging in peer collaboration to research and implement evidence-based practice.
Later in the year we will host a Maths Week where students will be able to share their problem solving skills with families. Also keep an eye out on Seesaw and in the newsletter for updates (as well as on our Facebook and Insta pages), including info in our newsletter on how children can develop their problems solving skills in everyday life outside of school.
Lent & Sacrament of Reconciliation
Last Wednesday we celebrated Ash Wednesday as a community with our Ash Wednesday Mass. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent - the forty day period of preparation for Easter. Lent is traditionally a period of fasting and almsgiving, just as there are periods of fasting in various cultures and traditions around the world.
During Lent, the students learn about ways they can give to others and practice forgiveness. Rather than focusing on “giving something up for Lent”, like chocolate, we encourage the children to think of ways they can take action to help or to give to someone else. One way could be donating to the Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Another way could be helping out with jobs at home. We encourage the children to consider ways they could practice forgiveness, whether at home or at school.
At the Year Three Family Night in preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a month’s time, our guest speaker Fr Ellio spoke about the physical and psychological benefits of practising forgiveness, as opposed to the negative effects of holding onto negativity, malice and anger. Practising forgiveness can have a positive physiological, psychological and spiritual impact on ourselves and others, whereas holding onto negative emotions causes stress, anxiety, sadness and frustration.
During Lent, we encourage the children to practice forgiveness, restore relationships, give to others to have a positive impact on loved ones and the wider community, and to create a greater sense of happiness, compassion and other positive emotions.
School Photos
School photos will be on Wednesday 8th March. Students must be wearing their full summer uniform, including black leather school shoes and navy socks. Hair ties must be black, navy or school colours. No jewellery, except for ear studs or sleepers. If your child has P.E. lesson on the day, please ensure they have their runners in their school bag.
Open Day
Our first Open Day for Prep 2024 enrolments is coming up next Tuesday morning between 9am and 10:45pm. Please continue to spread the word about our beautiful school! Word of mouth is a powerful thing. Please also share our Open Day posts on Instagram and Facebook.
If you are connected to a local Kinder, or ELC, or any other organisation/group related to kinder-age children, please help us by spreading the word about our school community and our Open Days. Your advocacy makes a big difference!
If you have a child who will be commencing Prep next year, please get your enrolment form in asap so that they can be included in our numbers. Thank you to those who have done so already!
Matthew Sweeney
Principal
principal@smhampton.catholic.edu.au