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Dear Parents and Carers,
It is hard to believe that we are now half way through the term. Our last two weeks have had a real focus on Learning Intentions and Success Criteria, there is a small explanation on this in our newsletter this week. I have enjoyed visiting classrooms and talking to children about their learning and they enjoy talking about what they are learning and why.
Parent Engagement Group – Upcoming Meeting
During Term 1 we decided as a school community to trial the Parent Engagement Group. We have already started in small ways and our Playground Upgrade group are beginning to get ready to start the renovations.
For us to move ahead in this trial of the Parent Engagement Group, we now need to formally dissolve the P&F Association. Cath Garrett Jones who is the Diocesan Parent Liaison Officer will be joining our Parent Meeting which will be held via zoom. She will lead us through the process of dissolution and will also guide us in moving forward with our Parent Engagement Group. The meeting will be on the 8th of September at 7pm via Zoom, so you don’t even need to leave the house. If you would like to join this meeting please RSVP to the office by the 7th of September by 5.00pm and the link to the meeting will be sent on the day of the meeting.
Homework
Over the past five weeks we have undertaken a review of our Homework Policy. Our teachers studied research based on the effectiveness of homework and the results of our surveys of parents and students. Most importantly we considered the needs of our students, we are very aware of how busy most children are after school with sport and other commitments and the strain that homework can place on families.
Our research found that there are three activities that students can complete at home that have a positive impact on both learning and wellbeing. These include:
- Home reading of high standard literature and for enjoyment.
- Activities that promote automaticity in literacy skill development (e.g., learning sight words).
- Activities that promote automaticity in numeracy skill development (e.g., learning times tables).
Homework will consist of;
Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 (Kindergarten – Year 2)
- Reading activities to, with and by parents
- Sight words
- Phonics
- Spelling
- Oral language
- Basic number skills and facts
Stage 2 (Years 3 -4)
- Independent reading on a daily basis with a focus on enjoyment.
- Maths times tables.
Stage 3 (Years 5 -6)
- Independent reading on a daily basis with a focus on enjoyment.
- Maths times tables.
There will also be a number of activities available on our weebly and students can always access studyladder.
To support the reading of quality literature on a daily basis and most importantly for enjoyment we have recently purchased some new reading resources for our students which are available in the library.
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
If you went into any classroom in the school you would see Learning Intentions and Success Criteria. This is an important part of each lesson because it helps students to understand what they are learning and what they need to do to achieve success. Here are some pictures of these in our classrooms at the moment.
Have a wonderful two weeks and please join me in saying a prayer for the people of Victoria who continue to remain in lockdown.
God Bless
Making Jesus Real – Values of the week
Week 6 - I am an active listener
Week 5 - I use safe hands and safe feet
Prime Minister Award
MJR Awards
As part of our MJR system ,we acknowledge that the following students, Hallie Forbes and Sam Raison have reached 100 Gotchas; Reuby Sheather has reached 200 Gotchas. Well Done!
Thank you Mrs Hunt!
Australian Primary Principals Day - Friday August 7th
This week staff held a special celebratory lunch to acknowledge Mrs Hunt and her contributions to the school. We also celebrated her milestone of first year as Principal which fell earlier in the year but was overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic. I am sure you will all agree that Mel's leadership during this time has been exemplary. Her calm and resilient approach has had a positive impact on the whole school community, and we are truly blessed to have such a wonderful Principal.
Year 2 News - correction
In the the last edition of our Newsletter, for some reason only 13 student responses out of 19 appeared in the Year 2 news. So here are the 6 that missed out last time. My apologies for this oversight. (Mary)
14 - Oliver Shelton – I love making things in science.
15 - Daniel Sutherland – I love sport days.
16 - Breanna Swierczynski – math groups and writing.
17 - Ayvah Wallace – I love the computers and writing stories.
18 - Shianne Xuereb – I love drawing and colouring.
19 - Tyceon Xuereb – I love Math and doing math groups.
Learning Support News
Lots of great things are happening at school in Learning Support. Our fabulous Learning Support Assistants Carol, Jane, Natasha and Roz work really hard to support our students in Literacy and Numeracy. They work daily with groups and individuals with programs like Mini Lit and Multi Lit, and in classrooms with reading groups and flexible learning groups in maths. Our LSAs go above and beyond to support our students' educational journeys; this year some students have even been lucky enough to learn the ukulele with Jane!