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Dear Parents and Carers,
This week has seen the weather continue to be changeable. Thank you to those children who are remembering to put jumpers in to schoolbags to ensure that they get home in preparation for use tomorrow.
We always include information about Literacy and Numeracy in the newsletter, I encourage you to take the time to read through this, as there are many tips that will be useful in your discussions with your children.
There is a wide variety of different activities available to the children during recess and lunch breaks, and it is always interesting to note that preferences change as the year progresses. Handball is popular at present and it is always terrific to see all of the children join together to play this game. It has been a fantastic way for the children to connect with each other. As ever, there are challenges when lots of people join in one game and it is always good to see older children supporting younger ones in learning the skills of this game. Sometimes the challenge comes in keeping the games moving along without getting bogged down in disputes over interpretations of the rules – as ever, it is impressive to note that more of the children are choosing to keep the games moving along rather than to lose valuable playing time.
ABC – Our ABC explains what we need to be doing in order to be able to make the most of each day both at school and elsewhere in life.
Aspire – to be our best
Believe – that Jesus is with us
Connect – with each other, the world and God
When we remember these three aspects of our day at school then days will flow smoothly and we will get the most out of our learning.
Thank you to those families who are keeping us informed about absences, illnesses and changes to daily routines. As always this information helps to keep the days running smoothly.
Please continue to talk with your children about having enough to drink and eat to enjoy their day at school, as during this week some of the children have been eating their lunch at recess time.
Carols in the Park – I understand that the Carols in the Park will be on December 9. We are preparing our contribution for this year’s event.
Kinder Transition – Yesterday saw the last day of our Kinder 2019 Transition program. The children have been working with their buddies on numerous activities over the past few weeks and we enjoyed an interesting presentation about the activities that they have completed during this time. We are already looking forward to working with our new Kinder class in 2019!
Library - Well done to everyone who has been looking out for overdue library books and returning these to school. This week we’ve had a number of books handed in which is terrific to see. In terms of overdue books, our best result for this year, was an item that had been on loan for 124 days.
Please feel free to keep returning any “extra” books that you find at home.
School Fees – Thank you to those families who have already paid the fees for this term. Thank you also to those who are keeping us up to date with making payments, this is very helpful.
If your family is experiencing difficulties paying school fees, please make contact with Therese Clancy at school for assistance. There are a number of options available to assist when people are experiencing financial challenges.
Uniforms – orders for 2019 – an order form is attached to this newsletter. If you wish to place an order for 2018, please return your order to school by Friday November 30 to enable us to place the order and get it to school by the end of this year.
Swim Safe – information about this year’s Swim Safe program is being sent home today in a separate note.
SwimSafe – please return any final SwimSafe notes, so that our preparations for this program can be finalised.
Sincerely,
Therese Clancy
Principal
REC News
This week I had the pleasure of visiting the K/1/2 classroom while the Kinder transition students were here. Miss Schneider read a book to them and then the students were asked to reflect on what Christmas meant to them. It was a pleasant surprise to find that receiving presents was not at the top of the list for most of them. Here are some of their responses.
Darcey - I like having lunch with family.
Jed- I like decorating the tree.
Stella- I like driving around and looking at all of the Christmas lights.
William - I like being with my family all day.
Emma - I love Christmas dinner. Roast pork and crackling is so delicious!
Camilla M – I love spending time with all of my cousins at the beach.
Emily P – I like getting a piggyback so I can put the star on top of the Christmas tree.
Beau – I like thinking about Jesus.
Here is a prayer for all families as we enter the season of Advent.
Advent Prayer for Families
Heavenly Father, your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us, a great sign of your love. Guide us as we strive to walk in that love together as a family this Advent. As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, bring us closer to each other and to your son. Give us the grace and strength we need every day. Help us to always trust in you. Come, Lord Jesus, lead all people closer to you. Come and dispel the darkness of our world with the light of your love. Amen.
Leslie King
Classroom News – Year K/1/2
The students have been working productively to complete their units of work in the various curriculum areas. Recent assessments have demonstrated the outstanding progress the students have made in their learning this year. Each student should be incredibly proud of their hard work and achievements. In recent weeks, the students took part in Remembrance Day and related activities, including visiting the Poppy Project Exhibition. They also thoroughly enjoyed welcoming the Kindergarten Transition children to our school, who will be beginning ‘big school’ in 2019!
In Mathematics, the students have been learning about ‘chance and data’. The Kindergarten students have been learning to organise objects in a data display and interpret information presented in a data display to answer questions. They have also been learning to estimate the number of objects in a group and counting to check. The Year One students have been learning to identify possible outcomes of familiar activities and events. They have also been learning to use concrete materials or pictures of objects as symbols to create data displays where one object or picture represents one data value. The Year Two students have been learning to record observations based on tables and picture graphs developed from collected data and describe and interpret data displayed in graphs. They have also been learning to compare familiar activities and events and describe them as being ‘likely’ or ‘unlikely’ to happen. They will now turn their focus to ‘addition’.
This term, in HSIE, the students are focusing on Geography. The students are investigating three different environments: the ocean, city and country. In each environment, they will explore the major elements, ways people use them, as well as ways in which these environments are damaged.
In Personal Development and Health (PDH), the students have been learning that positive relationships are sustained by honest and open communication that is supportive and based on trust. They are learning that a strong bond with our family and friends has a profound influence on our health and well-being. The students will also learn about being aware of their responsibilities, so as to understand and have the knowledge to make informed choices and accept consequences.
This term, for Physical Education (PE), the students have been developing the key skills used in the game of Tee Ball. They have been participating in skill building activities that focus on throwing and catching, batting, fielding and running. The culmination of these activities will see students participate in a game to apply the skills they have practised. They have also been participating in tennis lessons, delivered by accredited coach, Col Maher. The students will also finalise our motor skills program, which has developed their gross motor skills, and take part in the SwimSafe program.