7 June 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

I am pleased to inform our community that the staffing pressures we have experienced since the start of this term have eased in recent days. Our primary learners have returned to their original classes, and we are optimistic that we can offer greater stability over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, our secondary learners are quickly moving toward the end of the first semester. For learners in Y11 & Y12, this is a crucial time to secure their first SACE credits of 2022 and avoid unnecessary stress in the closing stages of the year. I was delighted to see a number of our senior learners attending homework club last Thursday, and I wish to commend Megan Novillos on her leadership of this initiative.

The new state government has committed to banning mobile phones for all learners during the school day. This ban represents a significant change to our school policies, where we currently only ban phones for primary learners. Sarah Bury and her team have already begun further restricting mobile phone use in readiness for this significant change. She will be sharing more detailed information with caregivers over the coming weeks.

This week we welcomed Tina Glastonbury to our school as our new Pastoral Care Worker. This appointment represents another milestone on our journey away from restrictions. We are confident that Tina will bring genuine compassion, understanding and ongoing practical support to learners and their families.

Finally, the state government has announced a $100 discount on both the 2022 and 2023 Materials and Services Charge. Full details of the announcement are included in this newsletter, and we will update our community on our progress in processing this additional task as further details become available.

Andrew Gilsenan-Reed

Secondary Report

English Year 7-12

This term, a major focus within English has been on the narrative writing unit. Across the Year 7-12 cohorts, many of our learners have been developing their skills to critically think and creatively produce captivating narratives. We have identified that it is vital for our learners to continue improving their reading comprehension and spoken language in order to write articulately. I have placed a focus on integrating collaborative reading and writing exercises and then delivering that through electronic platforms as well. This was particularly beneficial for our Year 7s and Year 9s in preparation for NAPLAN testing earlier this term. Similarly, with our senior and SACE English cohort, we have been diving deeper into examining micro-stories and found the challenges in being more creative and engaging with limited words; it is a skill in itself! We strongly encourage learners to read at school and read texts of interest from home, given that they are age and content appropriate. Reading is a powerful life skill that will enable our learners to acquire and understand vocabulary and transform their everyday spoken language into more eloquent communicators. I would be interested in knowing what successful reading strategies and platforms our learners currently use at home that personally works for them; please do share and contact me, as I am open to your suggestions.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our learners for their efforts and participation in NAPLAN this year. I would also like to particularly thank our SACE learners with the support of their families, who have been working hard to complete their assessments and taking proactive measures such as attending Homework Club to further their learning.

Megan Novillos

7/8 Science

This term, Year 7/8 science class has been learning about the basic unit of life - the Cell. They had a chance to use a light microscope to observe animal and plant cells in their laboratory work. They also got to know different parts of a microscope and its functions. Learners could use a different measurement scale of a light microscope and find the magnification factor used to view cells. They also got a chance to prepare a slide to view onion cells.

Primary Report

Foundation Class

We have been very busy in the Foundation class this term. Here is a snapshot of some of the things we’ve been learning about.

The Arts

This term, we have been looking at photography for our Media Arts Unit - Lights, Camera, Action. We have learnt how camera distance and angle can change the feelings or ideas presented in a photo. Last week we explored the impact of light and the use of direct light and defused light. We set up mini studios in the classroom to practice using lighting. We then explored light outside on the playground. Please take a look at our video.

Maths

In Maths this term, we have started exploring 2D shapes. We have been learning shape names and how to describe the sides and corners. We sorted our shapes into groups and explained our reasoning. We played ‘I’m thinking of a shape’ to help us visualise the 2D shapes we know. We also explored making different shapes that have the same number of corners or sides to begin to understand shape classifications. We then used shapes to make repeating patterns. We are moving towards learning about 3D shapes.

Investigation Time

Each week, the Foundation class have an Investigation Time lesson. During this time, learners are given the opportunity to explore various learning areas through learning stations. This Term, we have been exploring:

Learners are encouraged to develop and use our QAS Learner Dispositions during their learning. We have been focusing on Inquiring Ivy and Collaborative Cam. Here are some photos from our learning this term.

Congratulations to the following learners who have moved up groups in the Read Write Inc Phonics program this term:

We have some missing Book Bag books (readers). If you have any Book Bag books (readers) at home from previous weeks or last year, please return them to your classroom teacher. Thank you.

Kate Neu
Foundation Teacher/Primary Coordinator

Miscellaneous Items

Hot Dog Day