26 September 2019

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

Principal’s Messages

CLASSES FOR 2020

At this point in time, I would like to let parents know that we will be working with 6 classes again in 2020. There will be, however, a change in the class structures and the teachers for the classes. We envisage there being a Kinder (27), Year 1 (17), Year 2 (22), Year 3 (19), Year 4, (11), Year 5/6 (23). We have decided to split the current Year 3/4 class so that we avoid a cross stage composite of Year 4/5. This will also give the opportunity for our Stage 2 classes (years 3 & 4) to work and collaborate closely at this stage.

CAPTAINS 2020

Another reason to restructure our classes is the small numbers in our Year 4, 5, & 6 next year. These small classes also affect a number of other areas in the schools – one being the positions of School Captains. With only 11 children in our Year 6 class next year, our traditional model of School and Sport Captains proves problematic.

Firstly, it highlights only 3 children who would not be selected as a “captain”. There are many ramifications that arise because of this.

I would like to have discussed different options at the P&F meeting this week but that was hampered for various reasons. Before we decide how to move ahead, I would like to raise the issue with interested parents at a meeting on Tuesday evening in Week 1 of Term 4 – 15 October at 7pm.

BUDDY TRAINING

Our “buddies” next year will also be affected by our small numbers at the top end. So that we are able to provide the best support for our new Kinders, we will be seconding the Year 4 children to join the Year 5 children to train as “Big Buddies” for 2020 – this will also be the case for Kinder 2021. Our “Buddy” training will occur on Thursday of Week 1 next term – 17 October. Details next term.

GRANDPARENTS DAY

We are looking towards celebrating the wonderful gifts our Grandparents are. We will be doing this on Friday 25 October – Week 2. We will begin with a celebratory Mass at 9:15 led by Year 2 and Year 5. This will be followed by Morning Tea and a visit to the classrooms (a craft activity with your Grandchild/ren). We will then entertain you with a mini-concert. We invite you to bring along a picnic lunch to share on the oval. All are invited to celebrate these special people in our lives.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Unfortunately, we will not be holding a Christmas Concert this year. With the format becoming repetitive and the need to expand our talents within the school, we are looking towards a more significant song, dance and drama production in 2020 to compensate for the disappointment.

SWIMMING TERM 4

The children are looking forward to another season in the pool. We will, again, be travelling to the University Forum pool for lessons in Week 1-6 next term. Our swimming carnival will be in Week 8. Please fill out the permission slip for your child to participate.

PUBLIC SPEAKING

Early next term, interested children from each class will put their skills forward in an attempt to be selected to represent the school at the Regional Public Speaking Competition to be held in Week 3 on 31 October. Good luck to all those that wish to try out.

END OF TERM

We have come to the end of term so quickly, it makes my nose bleed. The children have been wonderful in their approach to their work and peer relations this term. Let’s keep up the great work in Term 4.

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE

I have been given the privilege to participate in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land along with 30 other employees of the Diocese, We will be visiting all the sacred sites in the Footsteps of Jesus through Israel and Jordan. It will be a special privilege to visit these places that make up our faith story as related to us in the 4 Gospels. The group leaves for Israel after a mass and send off with the Bishop on September 26. If you are interested in following this pilgrimage you can go to the link below where I will be recording my thoughts, insights and experiences each day.

MRS NOBLE RETURNS

Mrs Noble will be returning from leave from the beginning of Term 4. She will resume her part-time role of 2 days per week with Year 1. Mrs Hingston will continue in her role as Year 1 teacher but drop back to 3 days per week. Both Mrs Hingston and Mrs Noble have made a great team in the past and we look forward to every success for the children in Year 1.

YEAR 6 GRADUATION DATE

We have had to change the date for the Year 6 Graduation in December. It will now take place on Thursday 12 December. Apologies if this will cause some changes to previous arrangements.

DEBATING CHAMPIONS

Our team did a wonderful job last week representing the school and region at the Diocesan Debating Finals. We were the clear winner in our heat but just missed out in making the final. Well done everyone, including their wonderful coaches Mrs Carroll and Mrs McCallum.

RE News

PATRON’S FEAST DAY

We will be celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Victories on Friday, 27 September. We will begin the celebrations with Mass led by Year 3/4. We will be having a BBQ lunch ($2.00 per sandwich) followed by Tabloid Games afterwards. We always have a fun celebration and all parents and friends are welcome to join us. Children should wear sports uniform on this day also.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION LITERACY TEST

The assessment of Catholic Religious Literacy takes place annually across all schools in the diocese. This year the Year 6 children sat the test on Monday this week.

It focuses on students’ knowledge and understanding of key concepts that are addressed in the Religious Education program, the achievement of the outcomes set out in the diocesan Religion syllabus, and the ability of students to communicate this knowledge and understanding about the Catholic tradition.

The program of assessment was trialled in 2010 and implemented from 2011 onwards. Years 4 and 6 in Primary schools and Years 8 and 10 in Secondary schools are assessed each year. Both Years 6 and 10 are given a comprehensive multiple choice test based on knowledge of the RE curriculum. Years 4 and 8 complete a task based on a particular unit being studied during the year.

All together the data produced from the various testing instruments is designed to give RE teachers meaningful feedback about the students’ learning and to assist in developing the classroom teaching of Religion.

CATHOLIC MISSIONS

Thank you everyone for organising different stalls each week to raise money for Catholic Missions. This term we have raised $301.50 which will be forwarded to Catholic Missions. Wonderful work Our Lady of Victories.

P & F News

CANTEEN NEWS

We are always looking for volunteers to help out with the activities of the P&F. If you might be available for the canteen in Term 4, please access the following:

TERM 3

Pastoral Care News

We have had a very successful term here at OLV. Many people have helped make OLV grounds look great, and without your assistance, this would not have been accomplished. I would like to personally thank everyone (parents, grandparents and students). Please continue to come along to help, and to enjoy afternoon teas.

Bailey helped build the new Buddy Bench. It has been well used since. Great job, Bailey!

If someone could assist by feeding the chickens these holidays, please see me as soon as possible. Thank you in advance.

Have a safe, relaxing, enjoyable holiday. I look forward to seeing you all in Term 4.

Prayer for today: Dear God, I want to take a moment today to just say, Thank you.

Take Care and God bless

From the Office

Office Hours

The office is unattended between the hours of 11.30am to 12.00pm.

School Fees

Term 3 school fees are now overdue. It would be appreciated if all accounts are paid promptly.

If you would like to manage your account with regular payments, please contact Leanne in the office, who can help you with a payment plan. Those who are experiencing legitimate financial hardships, can make application for consideration by making an appointment to see the Principal.

Swimming

Swimming fees have now been invoiced for Term 4. Swimming will commence Week 1 in Term 4 for 6 consecutive weeks. The cost will be $65.00. Preferred payment would be upfront in Week 1, or if Weekly payments of $10.85.

Class News

Kindergarten

In Religion we viewed a You Tube clip called “What happens when I talk to God?” We used prayer starters such as ‘Jesus help me to ……’ and ‘Thank you for…..’ to help us think about what to say to God. We chose one of the prayer starters and wrote our own prayer to God. We enjoyed painting our thoughts, feelings and emotions as a prayer to God. We shared our art work with the class and recited our prayer to God. Our prayers and art work are on display in our classroom.

In Spelling we wrote words starting with our new sound /f/, eg fat and learnt that we can make a new word just by changing the vowel, eg fit. We wrote a sorry letter from the wolf to the Three Little Pigs and this week we are sharing the story about “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”.

In Maths we learnt to read and write time on the hour using analogue and digital clocks. We made our own cardboard clock with moveable hands to help us change the hour time. In week 9 we explored 3D Objects: cubes, spheres, cones and cylinders. We sorted them according to their properties eg. curved, round, pointy, flat and found out which objects roll and which ones slide. We identified objects in the environment that match these properties.

In Science we are investigating what plants need to stay alive. We planted some vegetable seeds in small pots and are amazed at how quickly they have sprouted. We must be taking very good care of them. We know that plants need water, sunlight, air and soil to grow.

We are very sad about finishing Gymnastics but look forward to developing some new skills in our swimming lessons next term. Keep safe and have a very enjoyable break. We look forward to a busy and productive Term Four.

Year 1

In English, we have been looking at the elements of narrative using the Prince Cinders story. We have used our own words to retell the orientation, sequence of events, complication and resolution. In our writing we have been trying to use interesting adjectives to describe the characters. This week, we are reading another fractured fairy tale with an Australian perspective called ‘Cindy-Ella’ by Tom Champion.

In Maths last week, we were learning about Three-Dimensional Space. We looked at a variety of 3D shapes and investigated their properties. This week, our focus is volume and capacity. We are finding ways to measure the volume of 3D space using uniform informal units.

Well done to all the children who read beautifully in our Liturgy on Monday. Thank you for taking the time to practise readings through the week, it certainly helped their confidence to read in front of the whole school!

In Science we have had some fun using the bee-bots! The children had to program the bots to follow a certain path on a grid to make it to a final destination. Time certainly went quickly in that lesson!

I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday! Looking forward to seeing you all in Term 4!

Year 2

I would like to congratulate Year 2 on how focused they have been this term. It has been busy but they have worked well. On Monday the children brought home their portfolios. Please look through them and return to school before Friday.

This term in Creative Arts our focus has been on Drama. We began our unit of work looking at how we can show different facial expressions and we also looked at body language. We will conclude our drama unit by presenting our play on Grandparents’ Day so all children will need to revise their lines over the holidays and learn our song. You will find links to all these things on compass just in case your child has lost their paper copy.

The first day back of Term 4 Year 2 will lead our morning Liturgy. The students that were present at school on Monday all have a reading to revise over the holidays.

I would like to wish everyone a safe, relaxing and enjoyable holiday.

Year 3/4

In Religion, we have been reading various books of the Christian Scriptures. St Paul wrote many letters to help spread the Good News of Jesus. His own conversion to Christianity was a fascinating text to read. The Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke, one of the authors of the Gospels. In the Acts we learnt that Matthias was chosen to take the place of Judas as one of the twelve. In Maths, we have been revising symmetry of 2D shapes and designing symmetrical patterns. This week we have been doing some ‘chance’ experiments. In English, we have been reading the picture book “Collecting Colour” by Kylie Dunstan. We each wrote a ‘colour poem’ based on our favourite colours. We also wrote a procedural text on ‘How to Make a Pandanus Leaf Mat’. This week we are attempting to weave a small mat of our own. In Science, we are observing and charting changes in the growth of the plants that are in the terrariums we made. We are also researching ‘faring methods’ of the past and the present and the methods used by Aborigines. In Geography, we have completed some research on products that we obtain from trees. Some of these products include chewing gum, corks, hair dye, wax, paper, sponges, rubber and oil. In PDH we have had discussions on ‘what we value’ and talked about the people and things that may influence the values in our lives and in our families.

Liturgy is “the work of the people” and there are many people who help make a liturgy happen. Some liturgical roles are greeter, usher, lector, gift bearer, altar server, sacristan, cantor and musician. In Maths, our focus has been multiplication and division. Yr 4 has learnt some new strategies to multiply 2-digit numbers by 1-digit. Some of these strategies have been doubling (to multiply by 2,4 and 8), the area model and factorising. Yr 4 has also practiced using halving to divide numbers by 2, 4 and 8. Yr 3 has played some multiplication games to consolidate their knowledge of multiplication tables. Two of the games played were the trading game (using base 10 and dice) and salute (using packs of cards). In English, we continue to enjoy reading the book “FernGully” by Diana Young. We have completed some story maps and summaries of chapters and are now working on writing a script for Chapter 19, The Ceremony. In Geography, we have been researching Australia’s natural resources and Japan’s natural resources and making comparisons between the two countries. To date, we have done research on pearls, diamonds, opals, coal and uranium, all of which are located naturally in Australia.

Year 5

In Religion we have looked at prayer, at what the prayer was asking and how we could help make those things happen. We are also going to write more prayers using the YOU, DO, THROUGH model.

During English, we have read a new book ‘Rose Blanch’, which is very similar to “Hitler’s Daughter’. We have discussed the book and as it has very little dialogue, we created speech bubbles to show what the characters could be saying.

In Maths, we have been working hard on our multiplication and division strategies and have used them to complete a crossword type puzzle. We are now creating our own puzzle which we will swap with a friend later in the week.

In Science, we continue to create adaptations for an existing animal whose environment has changed. For example, a rainforest animal which now finds itself in the desert.

In Geography, we have almost finished our PowerPoint on different types of houses around the world. We also have a model to make at home.

In PE, we have completed our last rotation and assessment. Next term we will begin again, with different skills.

In drama we completed our videoing and have used the video editing software on the tablets to create our news stories with background music and other special effects. We also viewed the video compilations of the other groups and gave constructive feedback.

It seems to have been a long term, but one that has flown by. We are all looking forward to a break.

Year 6

In Religion, we have continued our work on Christian Scriptures. We studied some of the Parables of Jesus and discussed how they taught the people about God and about the choices they should make. We also discussed ways they may have challenged the people of the time and stated what message they give to us today. We also studied the various images of God portrayed through the scriptures. In English, we are enjoying our novel, ‘Dragonkeeper’ by Carole Wilkinson, in class, and for home reading. We are continuing to study the techniques the author has used to develop such an interesting and exciting novel. Everyone agrees that the writing style keeps the reader wanting to read on and learn more about the events ahead. In Maths, we have been studying 2D shapes and focusing on translation, reflection and rotation. We identified the mode, constructed patterns and predicted a pattern. We are completing activities on chance this week, using the terms frequency and probability. We are also describing probability using fractions, decimals and percentages. In Geography, we are coming to the end of our unit on Asia. We learnt about topography last week and used playdough to create a mountain, in our groups, which we then cut into layers and traced to make a topographical view of it. It has been wonderful to learn so much about the various aspects of the Asian continent and to continue to improve our research and presentation skills as we learnt. In Science, we made some fantastic earthquake-proof structures. We tested them on a moving base and found some were not quite up to standard, while others showed displayed excellent ability to withstand the shaking ground force. We have enjoyed our Gymnastics lessons this term and have developed and strengthened our skills. It is hard to believe it is the end of Term 3 and we have only one more term of Primary School to go!

Class Awards

OOSH

OOSH – Upcoming School Holidays Program

OOSH has a wonderful vacation program to keep the kids amused and active. If you are looking for some time to do those important things that children hate to be dragged around to, then why not send them to OOSH for a day. See the flyer below and pick a day that suits your schedule.

One issue that may arise is the need for Casual Care on occasions. If you think that you might need this, it will be necessary to be enrolled in the service prior to making a booking. Remember that you need to contact St Nicholas OOSH to book your child in, as we can’t do it through the school.

Their contact details are, Christine 0447 288 040 or tracey.sweetman@stnicholasoosh.org.au

If you intend to use the OOSH either before or after school, you might like to download the application forms, fill them out and send them into school to pass on for processing.

Check out this link for more information on St Nicholas OOSH.