Filter Content
Welcome to our first school newsletter for Term 3.
It was wonderful to welcome our students back to school this term. The weather has been chilly, but that hasn't put a dampener on the learning and fun here at St Patrick's.
Staff were onsite on Monday 22 July to engage in professional learning targeting assessment in mathematics. There were a number of elements that made up this day, however one of the main focuses of the day was planning teaching and learning experiences with a focus on formative assessment, and using elements of regular mathematics lessons as a means of formative assessment to build a fuller image of students as learners, acknowledging what they can do and what they are working towards.
This staff development day continues our work towards our Annual Improvement Goal:
Through the use of high quality assessment in mathematics, students are appropriately challenged and engaged in their learning.
Staff also recently undertook student surveys to better gauge student's engagement in learning in relation to mathematics. This continues on from the feedback students provided in the Tell Them From Me Survey last term. As a staff we are analysing this feedback to better inform our teaching practice.
TELL THEM FROM ME PARENT FEEDBACK
I want to once again thank those parents and caregivers who took time out of their busy schedules to complete the Tell Them From Me survey last term. I want to share with you a synthesis of what we learnt from our parent community.
|
Areas of Strength |
Areas For Further Consideration |
|
*The school is warm, welcoming and inclusive of students and parents. *Children feel safe and supported at school. *Teachers are available are are willing to listen to concerns. *Teachers show a genuine interest in the learning of each individual child and there are high expectations for learning at school. |
*More advanced notice for school events for the term or year. (We have responded by sending home grade newsletters each term and creating a yearly overview of calendar dates) *School guidance for parents supporting learning at home. (We responded at school and information will be sent soon regarding some parent workshops) *Scheduling events at time that suit a wider range of parents. (This is always a difficult one, however we are actively considering the timing of school events and making changes where possible) *Reading resources for infants students. (We are investigating how to bolster our decodable text resources for our beginning readers and additional suitable reading interventions) |
Of course this is just a snap-shot of the feedback we received, however I am pleased with the overwhelmingly positive feedback. This information only serves to support what we already know, which is that St Patrick's is a wonderful community in which every student experiences continual growth in faith and improvement in learning and wellbeing.
Warmest regards,
Mr Mitchell Elks
Principal
In the explicit teaching lessons, the expected behaviours taught will be:
Firstly, if students do not have their hat they will be permitted to stay/play under
The Covered Area during lunch and recess. That is, the shaded area outside the
tuckshop and the Year 3 classroom (not the verandah where the toilets are nor the
Passive Play verandah).
Secondly, if students are given an icepack (during play) they will be asked to
remain seated on the silver seat(s) on the verandah (The Passive Play Area)
Thirdly, the students will be informed that the Church steps (both front and back)
are out of bounds. They will be informed that the steps leading up to the hall door
are in-bounds as a place to sit.
to return to their classroom during lunch and recess they must talk with a teacher
who will use their professional judgement to determine if the request is warranted
and if deemed appropriate will ensure supervision of the student.
We would very much appreciate your discussing these weekly focuses with your children and reviewing the expected and non-acceptable behaviours in our endeavour to see see that St Patrick’s is a more respectful, responsible, and safe learning community for all.
Assistant Principal
Grandparents Day Thanks!
What a wonderful day Grandparents Day was! A huge thanks to all the grandparents who were able to join us on the day. The day started out with a lovely Mass, and we share our gratitude to Father Mark and Donna for celebrating Mass. We also had a beautiful morning tea, spent time together on the playground, watched Year 1 lead a beautiful liturgical movement, and of course spent some time in the classrooms with the children. What an amazing day!
Religious Literacy Assessment – Year 4
On Monday August 5 th Year 4 will be participating in the Religious Literacy Assessment, which is an assessment that all students in the Diocese of Wollongong undertake in Year 4. The purpose of this assessment is very similar to that of NAPLAN, however this assessment tests the knowledge and understanding that the children have in the key learning area of Religious Education. It covers content areas from Kinder up until Year 3, and it gives the school an understanding of both areas of strength and potential areas for improvement in Religious Education at St Patrick’s. We wish the children the best of luck in this assessment and look forward to analysing the data and planning for improvement in the Religious literacy of our students.
First Reconciliation!
A number of friends in Year 3 have begun preparations for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation, at both The Immaculate Conception Parish in Unanderra and St Therese in West Wollongong. We wish these children all the best and we will certainly keep them in our prayers in the coming weeks.
On Thursday August 8 we will be celebrating the Feast Day of Mary MacKillop with a whole school liturgy in the church at 9am, and on Thursday August 15 we will be celebrating the Feast of the Assumption once again with a whole school liturgy in the church at 9am. All families and community members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Kind regards
Mr Sam Mattas
Religious Education Co ordinator
Please save the date for an upcoming Maths Workshop for Parents. This workshop will be via Zoom and be beneficial in suppporting your children in the area of Maths.
More information in regards to time and zoom link will be sent out as the date approaches.
Welcome to StoryBox Library
We also have a subscription called Story Box which is a digital platform for students to access a diverse range of stories and storytellers from home. Please find the username and password below.This is a wonderful resource, so please enjoy.
PREMIER'S READING CHALLENGE
I will also be finalising the Premier's Reading Challenge over the next few weeks. We have had a wonderful amount of students participate this year. The final amount of completions will be in our next newsletter.
Kind regards
Mrs Tracy Carey
Library
Wishing all the children celebrating birthdays all the very best wishes.
Hudson Tanevski - Year 2
Ellirah Gavan - Year 6
Toby Fogarty - Year 2
Sasha Naumovski - Year 3
Abbie Ruprecht - Year 3
Isabelle Ruprecht - Year 3
Citrine Nguyen - Year 5
Nichola Nebu - Year 2
