With only two weeks to go of school for 2021, we are so proud of the way in which our students continue to do their best and extend their learning. I had the great pleasure this week of some visits from Year 1 and Year 4 students whose teachers were so proud of the work they were producing, that they couldn’t wait to share it with me! Also with only two weeks to go, our students are reminded of our school expectations to see us all through to the end of the year, knowing that they are getting tired.

P&F Colour Explosion 

You will have received this week the information for our planned Colour Explosion next week. We thank our P&F Committee and the other parent helpers who have made this possible and look forward to the enjoyment and excitement next week. Please ensure you have read the note so that your child is prepared for the day. 

Sport Captains 2022 Announcement

Over the past few weeks, we have been working through our School Leaders process for 2022. Last week, our candidates nominated for Sports Captains were able to speak to their Sports Colour Houses and votes were completed, in the same way as our SRC previously.

We are pleased to be able to announce our Sports Captains for 2022 are: 

Hastings: Rocco Robinson and Isabella Hawkins

Oxley: Maddyx Gray and Mia Basanovic

Macquarie: Billy Stapleton and Isabelle Moane

Mitchell: Baxter Matthews and Amelie Obeid

We thank Mr Lynch and Mrs Stephens for their work in the process of leadership positions, and families who supported their children to step up and take this opportunity. This is a good time to also remind students that they will all be leaders in various ways across Year 6, and we know they will support each other and their school.

Blessing of Memorial Garden

This afternoon we will be having a Blessing Ceremony for our Memorial Garden, remembering in a special way Mrs Saunders. We are not able to have our school community join us at this time, but will welcome her family and close friends for this occasion. We will share next week with you the finished garden and look forward to inviting families in to spend time in this special space when restrictions ease in 2022.

Star of the Year Award

Our ‘Star of the Year’ award in honour of Mrs Saunders will be given for the first time next week in our Thanksgiving Prayer Service. One child from each class will receive this award and we look forward to sharing this great news with you next week. Once again, we hope that next year will bring our community back into the school to share in these wonderful celebrations.

Celebrating Our Faith

Prayer

Advent

We have entered the season of Advent, which is a time of waiting and preparing for Christmas and the coming of Jesus. One of the beautiful symbols of this is the Advent Wreath. Here is a handy explanation of this tradition of our Church. You may like to do this at home.

Learning Together

MAI Interviews

MAI - Maths Assessment Interview - What is it?

The Maths Assessment Interview (MAI) is an assessment which is undertaken by each individual student prior to the commencement of Term 1 and focuses on four main areas of Mathematics- Counting, Place Value, Addition/Subtraction and Multiplication/Division. It is designed to provide the teacher with valuable data which is then used to guide our teaching. This information is entered into a database which allows us to track the progress of each student and target learning experiences at their point of need. 

Our aim is to provide engaging learning experiences which help students develop a conceptual understanding of numbers ie. understanding that each ‘number’ consists of a numeral/symbol (eg.7), a name (eg. seven) and a quantity (eg. ///////). Many children learn to count rote (just like learning the words to a song). The problem with this is that they may not develop an understanding of the number concepts. They will often not be able to give the number before or after, or understand the concepts of ‘more/less than’, and will experience difficulty grasping addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills without this foundational knowledge. 

Please remember to book your MAI Interview for your child using the following link www.schoolinterviews.com.au and entering Event Code 4hhdw by Wednesday 15th December 2021.

Road Safety During the Holidays

During the school holidays remind your children of key road safety messages. Help them to regularly practice their road safety skills whenever you are out and about. Check out these learning resources on Safety Town.