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Students of the Week   

Foundation

What an exciting week it was for the Foundation students! As a school we celebrated Italian Day on Tuesday 30th November.  Everyone dressed up in the Italian colours of red, white and green. There were different Italian characters, food costumes, traditional costumes and even a Leaning Tower of Pisa. As researchers, we learnt about the Tarantella dance and danced up a storm using the new skills taught to us. At lunch time we ate delicious food with an Italian theme and enjoyed a yummy gelato. Signora Rosa organised for us to watch the film “Luca” which was set in Italy and we enjoyed the movie very much.

On Thursday we participated in our very first Sports Carnival. We wore our team colours of red, blue, green or gold and collaborated as we played many different games such as Chook Relay, Passball and Tunnel Ball. We made posters and cheered on our Grade 5/6 buddies and the 1/2 students. It was so much fun! Congratulations to the Green team for winning the shield for 2021.

As writers, we continued to develop the necessary skills to write letters. We read the story ‘The Jolly Postman’ and as researchers, we looked and listened for all the things to include in a letter. As thinkers, we applied our new knowledge by independently writing a letter to another Foundation student. We included the date, a greeting, some information about ourselves, some questions and a closing. We will have time and opportunity this week to write letters to our new teachers and even to Santa. 

As mathematicians, we continued to explore the concept of Division. As thinkers, we represented real life division stories by sharing concrete materials into equal groups by ones. We used our counting skills to identify how many we had to begin with, how many groups they were shared into and how many in each group. We also counted them to check that each group had the same amount. 

As people of faith, we began exploring the season of Advent. As researchers, we looked at different symbols that represent Advent, such as the purple and rose candles, wreath, purple cloth and the Jesus candle. As thinkers, we made connections to our own experiences and shared with each other what we knew about Advent. This week, we will explore the story of how Jesus was born and make further connections to the season of Advent as a time of waiting for the birth of Jesus, our King and Saviour. 

We ended our week in STEM, by completing the filming of our Fairytale productions. We all did a wonderful job taking on the role of our characters and confidently and courageously reading our lines. We demonstrated our skills as collaborators and communicators by working together, following directions, listening to each other and helping and supporting one another. We look forward to sharing our plays with you very soon.

It is hard to believe that our time together in Foundation is coming to an end. As a cohort we have had a great time together learning so many new skills and sharing lots of exciting moments together. We thank the parents of FAM and FLW for always being such great supporters of their children’s learning and for all of their time and effort. Without you all, all of the success achieved this year would not have been possible. Despite the challenges of remote learning we are very sure that so many experiences that we have shared this year will be lovely, positive memories of 2021.  

We wish everyone a safe, enjoyable and restful Christmas and holiday break and a Happy New Year.  

Foundation Team, Alycia Marsico and Leanne Wenckowski

Year 1/2

Week 9 was certainly action packed and filled with exciting extra curricular learning activities.  We celebrated Italian Day on Tuesday and enjoyed dressing up in Italian costumes and the colours of the Italian Flag. Grazie Signora Rosa for organising an amazing day!

On Thursday we participated in our annual St Fidelis Sports Day.  All students participated positively by trying their best, encouraging each other, following directions and demonstrating respect for the efforts of each team. The students were well drilled and appeared to enjoy showcasing their skills and teamwork.  Thanks Mr Jennings for preparing the students for this wonderful event on the school calendar. 

It’s been a challenging time in 2021 so it’s wonderful to begin planning for some joy and happiness in the lead up to Christmas.  We have begun to use an Advent calendar to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas.  We have been learning about the meaning, history and symbols behind the Advent calendar as we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. 

As readers, we have been reading books that contain the theme of design and the dispositions required to be a designer.  We read ‘The Beautiful Oops’ which illustrates how we can look positively on our mistakes in order to make something beautiful out of them. It encourages us to look for a positive outcome rather than allowing mistakes to discourage us. 

 For our Shared Inquiry unit this term, students explored the big question ‘What makes a great garden design?’. They described the purpose of design solutions and how they meet the needs of users and the environment. Have a look at some of the wonderful garden designs that they made last week.

Have an amazing week with your beautiful families!

Belinda Philippone, Stefanie Carriera and Maria Delaney

Congratulations to Sam (1/2MD) who participated in a soccer tournament and his team were runners up.

Congratulations also to the very talented Olivia Servello (1/2MD). On Sunday afternoon Olivia performed the song 'This Girl is on Fire' on the radio station 94.1 3WBC and was interviewed afterwards.  She handled the questions confidently and clearly and spoke beautifully about her singing achievements and future goals. Well done Olivia, we are very proud of you!

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YEAR 1/2MD

Year 3/4

It has been a very busy week full of excitement for our Year 3/4 learners. On Tuesday November 30th, students participated in our whole school Italian Day celebrations organized by Signora Rosa. We all had a fun filled and wonderful day where we dressed up in Italian colours or costumes, did fun Italian learning activities, participated in a Tarantella Dance Incursion, had gelati and even played Italian games like Scopa and Tombola. Grazie Signora Rosa!

 On Thursday 2nd December, we celebrated our Whole School Sports Day. Another fun-filled day. The students participated in all of the sporting  events and gave their very best effort for their House teams. They are to be congratulated for showing sportsmanship and for encouraging one another by cheering on their fellow team mates. The Green house, Mannix, were the winners of the day but in our eyes every student was a winner! Thank you to Mr Jennings for organizing yet another successful annual St. Fidelis Sports Carnival.

On Saturday 4th December at St. Fidelis Church, our Year 3 students celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. Through confession, the students encountered God’s never ending love and forgiveness and we were very proud of them. As a catholic community, our prayers are offered to all of the families and children who celebrated this sacrament.  A special thank you to Mr Mac Gregor, Father Linh and Mrs Watson for their organization and delivery of this Holy Sacrament.

As we tune in and prepare for the Season of Advent, we are using the Caritas stories to discover the true meaning of Christmas. As researchers, we will read and explore the Caritas website. As thinkers, we will collaborate with each other and share our ideas respectfully about how we can prepare our homes, minds and hearts for the coming of Jesus. An Advent wreath with four candles will be seen in our learning spaces and each week for the remainder of the year one of these candles will be lit to represent hope, peace, joy and love.

As mathematicians we are continuing to engage in a variety of learning opportunities related to Fractions. We will be comparing the size of fractions including the area model of fractions, fractions of a group and fractions on a number line.  Some of us will even be adding fractions with a common denominator.

This week also marks our last Physical Education session with Mel from Softball Victoria. The students have thoroughly enjoyed these workshops where they have focused on the fundamentals and skills of softball such as catching a thrown ball, executing an overhand throw, fielding balls, basic pitching, hitting and base running. The students will revisit these skills and play a final game of softball on Friday.

At the end of this week we say goodbye to our wonderful student teacher, Miss Isabella. We thank Isabella for all that she has done for 3/4KD and all the 3/4 students during her time with us and we wish her all the very best on her journey to becoming a teacher. 

We are excited for the week ahead and are looking forward to our Whole School Orientation Day next Monday, where we will have an opportunity to meet our new teacher(s) and will discover where our classrooms will be for next year. 

Year 3/4 team

Katarina Davidson, Mark MacGregor and Graham Troy.

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YEAR 3/4KD

Year 5/6

It has been another busy and exciting week in the Year 5/6 level. We look forward to this week being just as busy, and memorable, particularly for our Year 6 students.

Last Tuesday was ‘Italian Day’ and what a celebration it was of Italian culture! Both the students and teachers had a very enjoyable day. It began with a school parade where we had the opportunity to see the creative Italian themed costumes. In the 5/6 level, there were Marios, soccer players, Italian food and clothing featuring Italian colours! Back in the classroom, we thoroughly enjoyed watching a Disney Pixar film ‘Luca’ which was set in Italy. However, a true highlight of our day was the Italian dancing incursion called ‘Tarantella’. It is the dance that people would do to cure the effects of a spider bite, such as that of a tarantula spider.  As you can imagine, it is a very fast dance, and the students are to be congratulated on their enthusiastic participation and their excellent dancing skills! Overall, we had a great day. Special thanks to Signora Rosa for organising the activities and the delicious gelato ice-cream!

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YEAR 5/6CA

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Throughout our Inquiry unit, the students have been exploring the concepts of ethical consumerism, sustainability and what makes a good business. This week the students in 5/6 have been pitching their small business ideas, “Shark Tank” style. Each group has created their own prototype of a product that they then pitched to the year level. The students were also tasked with giving some constructive feedback to their peers, and asked interesting questions about each other's business’. We have seen some truly amazing products that we think could make millions!! Each group had to create a short presentation that explained how their product solved a problem within our community and how it was ethical and sustainable. Some of the businesses included: 

• “The Medic Bot” - a portable first aid kit that comes to you in an emergency. This revolutionary product uses an app and LEGO spike kit that is programmed to come when called. 
• “Fast Food Co” - a fast food delivery service that delivers your food using a remote controlled car! 
• “K9 Bandanas” - a small business that creates dog bandanas using old t-shirts/material. This is a sustainable product that utilises material that would otherwise go into landfill and turns it into fashionable dog wear! Proceeds from each bandana goes to the North Melbourne Dog shelter. 
• “H₂Eat” - a water bottle with extra space for food.  A very useful product to free up hand space. It is especially useful while shopping. It also helps you remember to bring your food since you are more likely to see a big water bottle than a small container with a snack in it.

Congratulations to the 5/6CA students who reflected on the second week of Advent during their assembly.  The focus was Peace and the significance of the Jesse Tree.  This week’s assembly is the third week of Advent and we will reflect on and light the pink candle of Joy.

In Numeracy, the students focussed on fractions of a group or set.  They also are learning about multiplying fractions of a whole number and multiplying fractions with different denominators.  Students are revising some mathematical concepts learnt during this semester.  Some areas include multiplication, division and volume and plotting coordinates on the cartesian plane.

It was a joy to see our students so happy and participating in the Sports Carnival on Thursday.  The house team comradery, friendly competitive banter and the thrill of participating once again, was an amazing feeling experienced by both staff and students.  It almost felt reminiscent of ‘pre-covid’ days.  The teachers were exceptionally proud of the way our Year 5/6 students cheered for their foundation buddies, during their first experience of a St Fidelis Sports' Carnival.  So many smiles were seen and the students were just so happy to be participating in a school sports day again!  

This week is a busy week for our year level with much excitement and fun to come.  Year 6 students are off to an excursion at Bounce and Queen’s park, as a final celebration of their seven year journey at St Fidelis. They are also preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday, with their Graduation ceremony proceeding afterwards.  We ask that you keep our Year 6 students in your prayers as they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We pray they are filled with God’s love and His purpose to carry out their Christian Mission in their lives ahead. 

Our Year 5 students have spent the recent weeks preparing, applying for and presenting their school leadership speeches for Year 6, 2022.  This week, our School Leaders for 2022 were announced at the Year 5 cohort assembly.  We are thrilled for those who were successful and feel confident that our school will be led by such capable, confident and articulate young leaders.  We also congratulate and thank all students who applied.  Our students were reminded that Jesus has provided each and every one of us with special and unique gifts, and He wants us to use these gifts and talents to make the world a better place, and we can do that daily, as leaders of our school in Year 6. Year 5 students also had the joy of meeting their Foundation buddies for 2022 today.  

We would like to thank all of our students and our parents for the resilience, dedication and support provided throughout the challenging year.  We are exceptionally proud of all our students and look forward to a brighter 2022.  

May the peace and joy that Christ’s birth brings at Christmas be with you throughout the coming year. We hope that 2022 is a brilliant year for you and your whole family and is filled with laughter, happiness, great health, and relaxation!  

Merry Christmas!  

Cherrie Arnold, Olivia Sargent, Viviana Clarke and Michelle Casamento