from the Assistant Principal........

Welcome back everyone and a special welcome to our preps and to all our new students!

All students have settled well into their new grades and are to be congratulated on the way they have begun their year.

Most book packs have arrived and materials have been unpacked, ready to be used. If you have any difficulties in getting a book pack for your child, please contact me as soon as possible.

Once the essential items payment has been made, students will receive their diary, which is an important part of their school materials. Payment for the essential items can be made at the office or via Qkr. Should you have any questions or require financial support, please come and see me.

One of our first community activities for the term is our annual Twilight Sports evening to be held on Thursday 22nd February. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet the teachers and other families in a relaxed atmosphere, enjoy a barbeque and of course join in some fun activities.

New Uniform Guidelines

The following information assists parents and students with frequently asked questions regarding the old and new uniform:

The new uniform cannot be mixed with the old uniform.
Black school shoes are compulsory.
The sports uniform can be worn all day on days students have PE or Sport.
The school bag and jumper are compulsory with the new uniform.
The Jacket may be worn over, not in place of, the jumper.
Students who are part of the FTA (Football Techniques Australia) soccer academy are permitted to wear the FTA uniform all day on Thursdays.

It is the college expectation that all students will be in uniform at all times and would like to take to opportunity to remind parents and students that our uniform requirements are well documented in the diary – which is compulsory for all students and on the college website. A reminder that the following items are NOT part of our uniform and we ask for your support.

Artificially coloured hair
Nail polish
Facial piercings.
Uniform items that are not endorsed by our supplier PSW ( available Thursday mornings at the college or at the Hampton Park store)

Please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.

Prep L Report

Prep L have been very busy so far this term, these past few weeks have been full of firsts.

We started our first days of our schooling journey very excited and eager to learn.

We had big smiles on our faces and a brand new uniform to match.
We have been learning through developmental play, learning our letters, sounds and numbers,
We loved being part of our first photo day and our first assembly.
We really enjoyed learning about friendship with Harold the Giraffe and Janet in the Life Education Van.

We even planted seeds and we are looking forward to watching them grow as our minds grow.

We have a lot to look forward to in the next few weeks such as Twilight sports night, learning about First aid from St Johns ambulance and the swimming program.
We have loved our first few weeks of Prep and cannot wait to see what comes next.

Danii Levy

Prep/1A report

A very warm welcome to all our parents, grandparents and carers to our Carwatha College community! I am delighted to be a part of our students’ learning journey and I am looking forward to an amazing year with our awesome students. Our Prep students are looking smart in their new school uniform.

Students in Prep/ 1A are settling in well and beginning to understand our school routines. This year started with an exciting visit to the Life Education Van where we learnt about friendships and Photos Day when we put on our biggest, best smiles.

Our next big event is Twilight Sports- do not forget to send your sausage sizzle order. In March, we have our Swimming Programme- we get to go by bus to the Monash Aquatic Centre and learn to swim. Our students have been busy learning the names of letters, sounds, numbers, words and writing stories.

Please feel free to communicate with me, using the School Diary. You are also most welcome to speak to me before school or after school.

Elaine Abraham

1/2L Report

So far the students have had a great start to the year. Nearly everyone has their books but there are a few who still need to bring their diary to school.

In Science we have been investigating the different push and pull forces on different toys and things that we use such as balls, opening doors and pulling bags on wheels.

This week, the students we excited to visit the Life Education Van where they were learning about friendships. As part of our Integrated Studies, they will be making further investigations in class time by using the booklet provided.

There are many more fun things for us to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Allana Lilburne

3M Report

The Grade 3M class has made a positive start to the school year. We started the year getting to know each other. We unpacked the school rules and discussed the expectations of our classroom. When we all work together, we can get marbles in our jar. When we fill the jar we have all worked together to gain a class reward.

Grade 3M are extremely excited about playing downstairs and have enjoyed every minute of their new playground. We are also excited about 3 / 4 sport, learning new skills and playing interesting games.

The Science lessons have also been a hit in the Science Lab, focusing on ‘What is Beneath our Feet’. We will be investigating rocks and soil and how they change over time.

We have already had our first incursion about cyber safety in the Life Education van, we met Harold the Giraffe, he was very funny.

I am excited to work with students and parents throughout the year, it has been a great start!

Happy learning together.

Sonia McPhie

4S Report

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

Welcome back to a new school year for your child at Carwatha College P-12. I hope that you have all had a wonderful holiday, and are now enjoying getting back into the school routine. The students have come back very settled, enthusiastic and with a happy manner and there is already a lovely atmosphere in the classroom.

During week 1, we spent time doing a range of ‘Getting to Know You’ activities in the classroom, this allowed for the students and myself to get to know each other well. Students were also given the opportunity to reflect on their own learning. They noted down what subjects they enjoy doing, what their strengths are, where they would like to improve and also noted down a personal goal for the Term.

It was great to see how well the children responded and gave a lot of thought during their reflections. Personal reflections involve each student taking increasing responsibility of his or her own learning. Students will continue making these reflections weekly in their school diaries.

During our first week back we also looked at the two questions- What makes a good classroom? and what makes a good student? With the student’s responses we created our classroom rules. I also introduced the students to the classroom reward system called Class Dojo. It is a website that allows teachers to give students immediate feedback on their behaviours, positive and negative- whether its working hard, being kind, helping others etc. They have responded really well to the system.

Last week we had a visit from the Life Education van. The students explored cybersafety, cyber ethics and building positive relationships with friends online and offline. The students did a fantastic job at listening to the presenter and working in groups to complete the activities.

The year 4 students are very excited about competing in their first school Athletics Day that will be held on the 15th of March. Students have been practising their athletic skills during 3/4 Sport every Monday. If you have not already brought back your child’s permission form that was sent out, please do so.

The first of many Star of the Week awards were given out on Friday during our first Primary Assembly. Congratulations to Cooper, Sierra and Junior.

Looking forward to working with you and your child during the year. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at the college.

Thank you,

Jessica Di Petta

5B Report

We have had a fabulous beginning to the year in the 5B. Students have settled in to the routines and expectations of the classroom and should all be very proud of the start they have had.

In Reading students have began their Reading Scaffolding groups and should have borrowed a book to bring home. To start the term, we will be learning about the ‘Ideas’ trait in Writing. Please remind students to bring ‘seeds’ to school to help them with ideas to write about. In Mathematics our ‘Counting’ and ‘Time’ scaffolding groups start this week and in Integrated Studies students will be exploring ‘Democracy’, fairness and group decision-making. We will also be looking at the ‘Earth’s Place in Space’ in our Science Unit.

The Life Education Van has been at school and students have had the opportunity to learn about working in teams, treating others with respect and making positive choices to deal with conflict. We are looking forward to the Swimming Carnival and seeing everyone at the Twilight Sports Evening.

We would like to extend a very big welcome to Miss Naylor, Sasha, Zu Ha and Henry who are all new members of our unit.

Bree Bishop

4/5N Report

It has been a hive of activity in 4/5N over the first few weeks of school!

Everybody has settled in well and we have been having many conversations about what it means to demonstrate the College values of Excellence, Commitment, Teamwork and Respect. I am very proud to say we have even won the first Arts Award for 2018 for excellent discussion during Art with Ms McAleer.

We are all looking forward to the many activities that are coming up over the next few weeks, including:

Swimming lessons
Twilight Sports
Swimming Carnival
Athletics Carnival!

As a former Carwatha College student it has been very exciting for me to be back, surrounded by many familiar teacher faces and the fresh smiling faces of all the students! A big welcome to Zuha who is also new to our school.

Tessa Naylor

5/6Z Report

Welcome to 2018 in 5/6Z! My name is Stacy Zelazo and I am teaching Grade 5/6 this year. Last year I taught Grade 1/2 so I’m excited for the new challenge.

Students have settled in well and have already begun designing their Grade 6 jackets and talking about graduation. They have been busy completing tasks that demonstrate their understanding of different concepts and getting to know each other.

There is a lot to look forward to for the Grade 5/6’s this year! Swimming Carnival, Athletics Carnival, Gala Days, Camp and Graduation to name a few. Events coming up in term 1 are:

Life Ed Van on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th February
School photos on Monday 12th February
Swimming Carnival on Tuesday 20th February
Sizzling Snags and Sports Night on Thursday 22nd February

Stacy Zelazo

6E Report

We have had a wonderful start to the year in 6E. We have had several new students join our class and the students were all very excited to welcome Cindy, Liam and Louie into our grade. We spent the first week of school getting to know each other and as part of this the students and I exchanged letters. We also played a few games that involved telling each other more about ourselves and our interests. It has been a great way to learn more about each other.

Another important aspect of the beginning of the year has been completing assessments so we know what the students do and don’t know. We have focused on identifying their skills in Numeracy in regards to counting, telling the time, reading time tables and solving problems about elapsed time. We have also found out about the students’ spelling capabilities. This term in Integrated Studies we will be learning about our Parliamentary and legal system.

It will be a busy term for us, we have the Swimming Carnival to look forward to, along with the Athletics Carnival and the School swimming program at the end of term. I would like to congratulate the students for a fantastic start to the term and I am looking forward to a wonderful year working with them.

Tracy Elias

S.T.E.M

Students have had an exciting start to STEM. Using spaghetti and plasticine to build the tallest tower possible. Students found it challenging to support the structure to keep it standing up.

Honourable mention, for successfully having a second storey on their tower, goes to;

Jordan and Curt (6E)

Layla, Natalie and Methuka (3M)

Alannah, Alexandra, Kiera and Kiara (5B)

Ivona, Henry J, Elise, Henry W (5B)

Eleni, Eliza, Kareem (3M)

Emmanuel, Kiske and Evie (1/2L)

Leonid, Calvin and Christian (4/5N)

Haneen, Zuha and Javeen (4/5N)

Angie, Methuli and Deepti (4/5N)

Eli and Hamza (PL)

Cooper, Xander and Junior (4S)

The tallest free-standing towers were created by:

Katherine, Shreenita and Jessica (6E)

Batoor, Totem and Jasim (4/5N)

Secret Student

During STEM each week, I will have pre-selected a student to be the Secret Student for the lesson. I will be quietly observing this student and their behaviour. I will be watching for the Secret Student to be:

Focused on learning
Following the rules
Being a problem solver
Being a great listener
Doing their best work

If I notice the student doing at least three out of the five, they will receive a little certificate to congratulate them on being a great learner and class member.

Emma Braybon

Library News