TERM 3

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THE HALF-WAY HUMP

Dear Families & Friends,

Whilst we continue to acknowledge the enthusiastic achievements and efforts of our students and staff through our rigorous academic program, we cannot help but notice that some students are starting to exhibit signs of weariness (e.g. emotional fatigue, physical fatigue, and illness) as we delve further into the term's demands. We are mindful that we have 'only' reached the halfway mark (the hump), and unfortunately, we foresee a continuation of these challenges across the school community in the coming weeks, compounded by the school production, full weekends, and numerous after-school activities for our students and families.

In contrast to past terms, we lack the customary 'school closure' interval, which typically afforded everyone the opportunity to reset and bolster their resilience before the final stretch of the term. So as we proceed, we kindly urge you to bear in mind the time remaining (5 weeks) and, where possible, consider providing some additional rest opportunities, particularly if your child is not feeling 100%.

We've got this!

Collectively, let's strive to strike a balance and ensure the well-being and academic progress of our students during this period is protected. Finally, we sincerely thank our families for responding to the recent eForm sent via Operoo regarding the last day of the school term. This has been overwhelmingly welcomed by our families, as reflected in conversations at the gate in the morning, as many have identified struggles prior to and after school.

Yr.5 Intergenerational Program - Mercy Health

Each week, our Year 5 students journey to Mercy Health Aged-Care to share meaningful moments with the residents. This initiative has consistently thrived, as our students and the residents warmly embrace and actively participate in these connections. In the preceding week, the students had the opportunity to collectively read their selected novel, showcase some of their digital projects, and, most importantly, make a positive impact through their social interactions.

We extend our gratitude to Mr. Brown for his unwavering dedication in promoting this invaluable intergenerational opportunity with his students. As previously mentioned, it remains uncertain who derives more joy from this program, evident in the continuous stream of enthusiastic students who visit my office upon their return, eager to share their heart-warming experiences.

Shifting focus to Friday, a small group of Year 4 students continue to dedicate the final hour of the school week to visiting our nearby kindergarten, Nagle, engaging and establishing connections with the pre-schoolers. These invaluable community initiatives have truly stood out as highlights for our students this year. What stunning connections our students are forging within our extended community.

Another Sneaky Literacy & Numeracy Snapshot

What's this thing called, fronted adverbial phrases being taught in Yr.2?

Miss Donnelly: Yr. 2, why would I not put 'happily' at the end of this sentence?

Aidan: Because it is a fronted adverbial phrase.

I was standing quietly in background in disbelief at the knowledge of these junior students. We cannot help but be inspire by our teaching and learning practices and the impact this is clearly having on our students. Not to be out shone, Miss Maloney was teaching her Preps subordinate conjunctions on Thursday.

A sneaky highlight this week was dropping into Miss Prosser's class, and her children were working on a 'bug bear' of mine. The Year 2s were focusing on correctly using 'your' or 'you're'. Love your work, Year 2! You're doing some fabulous learning with your wonderful teacher, Miss Prosser.

It's about time... If you ever wondered what a 'clockwork' or a precision learning program looks like, venture into Yr.1.

Multiple ways...

Our Yr.2 students have been focusing on multiplication this week. The smiles and focus as evidenced on the children's faces was extraordinary.

Doing the 1%ers well in Yr.6. Love your workings Johnny!

STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The dedication of our staff to professional growth has been exceptional. In addition to their regular bi-weekly afternoon meetings, they have voluntarily dedicated extra time to professional learning on Thursday mornings before classes. These sessions, organized by Kate Stroud, our P-2 Literacy Leader, have focused on morphology, a fundamental component of our spelling approach. In alignment with our annual action plan, the emphasis is on enhancing expertise and proficiency in this critical area of literacy.

I commend the unwavering commitment our staff has demonstrated in refining their instructional practices and engaging in professional development over the past 12 months. Their grasp and application of best practices have been exceptional and, indeed, transformative. It's noteworthy that our staff's weekly schedule no longer includes 'general business' meetings. Instead, each meeting is now dedicated entirely to professional development, with a focus on refining teaching and learning approaches.

In addition to the morphology sessions, this week the staff concentrated on the next phase of The Writing Revolution (TWR) lessons and explored optimal teaching and learning strategies. These sessions, led and modelled by Sarah Rafferty (T&L Leader), covered subordinate conjunctions and high-impact teaching strategies such as questioning techniques. The insights gained from these practical sessions are immediately put into action within the classrooms. We continue to be inspired by Sarah's leadership!

Below is snapshot from Sarah's meeting and a T&L goal from our 2023 Annual Action Plan

Looking ahead, our focus in the upcoming months will be on establishing non-negotiable practices across the school. These practices encompass consistent book presentation, minimizing distractions, ensuring smooth movement throughout the school, facilitating seamless transitions between learning sessions and specialist classes, and refining instructional methods from Prep to Year 6, such as questioning techniques. We remain dedicated to establishing a coherent set of expectations and desired rhythm from Prep to Year 6, all aimed at benefiting our students.

It was delightful to hear from Mr. Blake during the week, all the way from Ireland en route to Spain and then Finland. Mr. Blake seems to be having a wonderful time on his well-deserved long service leave, spending time with his family and even playing a game of Gaelic Football during his travels. We eagerly anticipate his return in the coming weeks.

A Must Read

Please ensure you check the 'Book week' activities in Mrs Pennington's newsletter page.

Mini Vinnies Tinnies Appeal

Growing tin by tin, we once again thank our families for generously donating to our Mini Vinnies Tinnies wall in the library foyer. This will be collected 18th August.

Little Hearts of Sandy Playgroup

Next Sessions:

18th August 10am
8th September 10am

Family and friends are most welcome to attend. No age limit on toddlers or pre-schoolers. Typically we have over 20 children attend these initmate and friendly sessions

Little Gems

This might explain why your child is coming home with pockets full of sand?

We just love capturing these precious moments.

Yr.1 Rain Gauges

As part of their topic, 'Our Blue Planet', Yr.1 have been studying weather conditions and made their own rain gauges. Just for the record we have some pretty hardy plants.

Thanks for sharing your impressiive stories Lucy & Florienne written in their spare time. Our Yr.1 students have certainly been inspired by our increased focus on writing across the school.

It's always lovely to drop into Yr.3 & Yr.4 classes and capture the students engaged in their learning and acknowledge the great work they are focusing on.

In line with our current theme of 'Our Blue Planet' throughout the school, Year 3 students have been delving into the topic of natural disasters.On Friday, the playground came alive with a sea of 'green' lava as the Year 3 students created their very own volcanoes.

LOCK’EM IN

EVENT	DATE
Minnie Vinnies 'Wear a Beanie' Winter Appeal	18th August
Book Week	21st August-25th August
Book Week Parade	23rd August
Dendy Athletics	25th August
Prep, Yr.1 & Yr.2 Family Mass	26th August
Father's Day Assembly	1st September
Peter Pan Production	13th & 14th September
Day of Term 3 (supervision only - see Operoo eForm	15th September

SWIMMING & CAMP DATES

EVENT	DATE
Year 4 Camp - The Summit	18th - 20th October
Year 3 Camp - The Ranch	2nd - 3rd November
Swimming Program Yr.1- Yr.6	14th Nov - 24th Nov
School Closure - Planning 2024	27th November

And finally....

One of the many highlights each week is our assembly and the presentation of our weekly Class Awards. It's hard to look past the impressive School Captains (Millie, Luisa, Harrison & Benji) as they read and present these awards each week with such confidence and poise. Noting the increasing numbers of recipients receiving these awards each week, it's not surprising that the order for packets of 500 certificates has been doubled for the next installment.

Go the Blues,

Simon Collis

Principal

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