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ANZAC DAY CEREMONY
Maddie McDowall, Baxter Phillips and Amelia Virgona from 6SH represented St Peter’s at the Bentleigh RSL Anzac ceremony last Tuesday. We are grateful to them and their families for giving of their time to show our respect to all that have served.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR STAFF
On Monday, 24th April the classroom teachers and learning support officers spent time enhancing their knowledge in the areas of teaching problem solving and reading. The day was split into two sessions with the Foundation to Year Two teams and the Year 3 to Year 6 teams having time working with Cathy Epstein our Numeracy Leader and Kerry McKee our Literacy Leader. Following the day we will continue to work within our levels and classrooms to put in place strategies learnt.
NUMERACY FOCUS
At the beginning of 2022 we decided that making sense of challenging problems needed to be our focus. In recent years there has been a huge focus on developing our mental computation skills by teaching students how to solve mathematical equations in a variety of ways highlighting efficient strategies. Through essential and formative assessment we have noted this has become a strength at St Peter's. However we have also noted that worded problems, especially 2 step problems, were challenging for many. Hence in 2022 we began a journey to develop a worded problem plan and strategy. We investigated what strategies students needed to solve challenging problems and created a Problem Solving Strategy scope and sequence.
Monday's Professional Learning Day was the next step in our journey where we primarily focused on George Polya's four principles in the problem solving process.
Polya's Principles
- Understand the Problem (What does this mean and how do we do it?)
- Devise a plan (Which strategy are we teaching?)
- Carry out the plan (solve the problem using the strategy)
- Review/Extend (Justify your answer. What if???)
This process was worked through with a number of hands on problems.
With every task we investigated, including our warm up game and number Talk, we also discussed our underlying focus - What assessment opportunities are presented here? What can it tell us about our students? What do our students understand/not understand? What do we need to provide to help them understand and where to from here?
Our next step in the process is to develop and refine a Problems solving Map/plan and how to ensure we build in student Self Efficacy.
(Self-efficacy is one's beliefs in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments)
LITERACY FOCUS
At St Peter’s we are using the theory and research known as the SCIENCE of READING to guide our practice. This is years of research into how our brains learn to read and how we MUST align our teaching practice with this knowledge. We are continually learning more about how our brains learn to read and adjusting our teaching practices to align with this.
F-2
The aim of the Junior School Professional Learning was to ensure that the practice of developing decoding skills (cracking the code) is consistent across the junior school.
The self-efficacy of children who are not systematically taught how to match sound-symbol representations automatically can be very low. With consistent systematic instruction, most children can learn these processes. It is important that a whole junior school approach is implemented so that our students know the routine of reviewing learned phoneme-grapheme correspondences and learning new ones through a multi-sensory approach of hearing, saying, reading and writing the new graphemes.
3-6
The aim of the Middle/Upper School Professional Learning was to ensure that all teachers have a thorough understanding of the processes children need to develop, in order to become proficient readers.
We are continually learning more about how our brains learn to read and adjusting our teaching practices to align with this. The reading processes which contribute to proficient reading comprehension sit under the umbrella headings of Word Recognition and Language Comprehension.
This session was used to deepen teachers’ knowledge of the Language Comprehension Processes and strategies for developing these in the classroom.
WELCOME
We welcome Catherine Basquill to the Learning Support staff at St Peter’s. Catherine has been working as a Learning Support officer in a number of settings and is also undertaking study to become a teacher. Catherine will be working in our Year 5 team.
CHANGE OF UNIFORM FROM SUMMER TO WINTER
Students have been able to wear winter uniform since the beginning of Term Two. The transition period is the first two weeks of Term Two when children can wear summer or winter uniform. From Monday, 8th May all students are required to wear winter uniform.
P & F Second Hand Uniform Shop will be open on the following mornings:
Wednesday, 3rd May - 8.30am - 8.50am
Wednesday, 10th May - 8.30am - 8.50am
PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS LAST TERM
Thank you to the families who followed all directions and ensured that they were ready and on time for their face to face or online parent teacher interview last term. At the end of this term we will provide the first of two written reports as part of our Reporting policy. In the meantime if you have any queries regarding your child’s learning or wellbeing please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher directly.
PARISH DINNER DANCE
Included in this newsletter are details of a Holy Trinity Parish Dinner Dance that will take place on Saturday, 1st July.
ENROLMENTS - FOUNDATION (PREP) 2024
Enrolments for Foundation (Prep) in 2024 have opened. If you know of neighbours or friends who have a child starting school in 2024 please let them know that tour dates and times can be found on our website https://www.spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au using the Enrolments Tab.
Current families with children already at St Peter’s that have a child starting Foundation in 2024 can access an Enrolment Information Pack from the School Office.
PARENTS AND FRIENDS MEETING
The next P & F meeting is on Monday, 8th May at 7:00pm. Entrance via front office.
DAD'S CATCH UP
Dad’s catch up this Thursday, 4th May - 7:00pm Coatesville Bowls Club. All welcome!
MUM'S CATCH UP @ COATESVILLE BOWLING CLUB
WEEK 2
Thursday, 4th May - Melbourne Writer's Festival - Selected Year 6 Students
Friday, 5th May - YEAR 2 EXCURSION TO WERRIBEE ZOO / P & F Year 2 Disco @ Springvale Indoor Sports Centre - 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Saturday, 6th & Sunday, 7th May - Year 6 Confirmation Presentation Masses
WEEK 3
Monday, 8th May - P & F Meeting - 7.00pm - 8.30pm
Tuesday, 9th May - YEAR 4 EXCURSION TO POLLYWOODSIDE
Wednesday, 10th May - Mother's Day Breakfast
Thursday, 11th May - FEDPAS - 4.00pm - 6.00pm / Year 6 Confirmation Family Workshop - 6.30pm - 7.30pm
Friday, 12th May - Mother's Day Stall
Sunday, 14th May - MOTHER'S DAY
WEEK 4
Monday, 15th May - NEWSLETTER
The bus screeched to a stop, and we all rushed out. We saw a sign that said Portsea Camp and we all got so excited. We all got our bags and sprinted to the medical centre to eat our lunch and meet the camp leaders such as Indiana Jones (Indie). We ate our lunch and then we went on to see our cabins. The cabins were very nice and we had comfortable bunk beds.
For the first activity, we went down the Giant Slide to get down to the dodge ball court. The Flying Fox was the first, we had to put harnesses on and then we were allowed to go down. It was so much fun and the view was incredible. Luckily, the tires were down the end to stop you, the people said there was a $50 dollar note in one of the tires.
Our second activity was the Scavenger Hunt. We had to try and find letters around the camp grounds to spell a word. The locations of the letters were marked on a map. This was a great way to get to know the camp.
After dinner, we had a Giant Bonfire and a Night Walk. We ate some delicious roasted marshmallows. On the night walk we walked down to the beach with our torches. We sat down on the sand with the torches off and stayed there for 1 minute to be thankful for our surroundings.
The next day we did the humongous Giant Swing, which had a pole with many different colours. The top one was the stars. The drop was very scary at first but the view and experience was very worth it.
Overall, it was an amazing camp and we all really enjoyed it.
By Thomas & David 5AC
When we arrived at camp we met Indie, who gave us all a tour of the camp and where our cabins were. We got into our cabins, unpacked our stuff and then had our morning tea. We were sorted into groups. I was in group B Then we headed to our first activity. Our first activity was a High Ropes course. We had Zeke (Who preferred Zucchini), who helped us with the high ropes course. We had to get into a harness which was quite easy for me. We had a lot of things to do while we waited for our turn on the ropes. Most of my group went on the high ropes but I didn't because I’m scared of heights, but I did try knot tying and a knee swing.
Next we had our lunch and an hour in our cabin to get to know our cabin mates. Our second activity was the Flying Fox. We had to wear a harness which we had already learnt how to do. We also had to remember how to remove the ropes from the harness.
Then it was dinner time, it was napoli pasta with salad. Then for dessert we got ice-cream with chocolate topping and sprinkles, which was delicious. Then we went back to our cabins for an hour and I went to the Gaga Pit to try to and beat the boys….I lost.
Our evening activity was a bonfire and we went on a night walk to the beach. At the bonfire we had roasted marshmallows. During the night walk to the beach we meditated for a while and checked out the amazing stars in the sky.
By Mary
Day 2
On day two we did the Scavenger Hunt while it was raining. We got into partners and Mary was mine. We were doing orange BUT half of the letters were not there, so we moved to blue. Eventually it got too wet so we couldn't finish the scavenger hunt.
We had morning tea and headed off to the next activity which was team building. We did a few teamwork activities including the helium hula hoop, human knot and the magic carpet. They were all really fun.
We had lunch and then headed off to the beach activity. We were supposed to do raft building but because of the weather we couldn’t do it. Instead we looked at a slideshow about the beach and felt things like shells and coral. We also learnt that sea glass is pollution.
We had afternoon tea and headed off to the GIANT SWING!. When we got there we went over some rules and put on our harnesses. One person hangs by their harness and the rest of the people pull them up. I almost went to the top but I was terrified.
We had dinner and then the . . . DISCO! The disco was really loud but really fun.
By Lilly
Day 3
We woke up bright and early at 7am to get ready to leave. I wanted to get dressed, pack my bag and look nice before 7:15. After finishing everything and putting my bag where it would be collected, I headed down to the to the gaga-pit after I was finished and found some of my friends there playing gaga-ball, and joined in. When we were called to our groups for morning tea I sat with my friends and ate popcorn and juice.
Then we collected lunch for that day from the teachers. We drove to the beach and climbed up a staggering 150m trail and when we reached the top where there was a gazebo we sat down and then peered over the edge and waved down to the people below. When we got down from the trail, we all headed to the beach and went to play in the water when we discovered that the water was freezing cold. So we all tried to either run away from the water or endure the cold waves. Eventually it got so cold that we were asked to get out of the water and we started to explore the beach.
When I was done exploring and found some seaglass then I headed back up to where our bags were. I dusted off my feet from sand and I ate my lunch. There were seagulls trying to eat our food so I tried to eat quickly.
When everybody had gone to the toilet, and had got all the sand of their feet, we all went on the bus to go home.
By Mary
STAR AWARDS - TERM 1 WEEK 10 - ATTITUDE!!
JUNIOR SCHOOL - For having a positive ATTITUDE towards learning the whole term!!
Patrick Walker, Hayley Stephens - FHK / Harvey Wicks, Harrison Lock - FMR / Ishaan Amal, Kristina Katsarska - FSS / Matilda Reyes, Maansi Khriste - FMS
Adele Tran, Herbie Winterton, Isaac Lutjen - 1BR / Eliza Nougher, Chloe Clayton - 1SH / Thomas Meinhardt, Victoria Valis - 1MH / Ana Mijajlovic, Georgia Spano, Aiden Jones - 1BE
Leona Rao, Alexia Vlassopoulos - 2GP / Mila Nguyen, Theo Kannavos - 2OP / Charli Figueirado, Timothy Despotis - 2MK / Rhiannon Yudhistira, Ollie Kerger - 2RN
MIDDLE SCHOOL - For having a wonderful ATTITUDE towards learning the whole term!!
Mary Natoli, Christian Pinto - 3EM / Imogen Camfield, Molly McLean, Alexia Hlongwane 3IK / Hugo Palmer, Adelaide Baker - 3AM / Stella Kalinowski, Jack Griffin - 3GG
Ellena Catania, Jordan Greco - 4KG / Archie Agrimi, Eva Hlavati - 4MM / Henryk Sheen, Isabelle Van Eeden, Savannah Castaneda - 4GS / James Bottomley, Zak Briffa - 4MH
SENIOR SCHOOL - For having a fantastic leadership ATTITUDE through volunteering, helping out and being positive throughout the term!!
Declan Gallagher, Jack Logan - 5HG / Olivia Bonnici, Jake Vayenas - 5AC / Peter Panteledis - 5PC
Holly Pelc, Noah Spano - 6KM / Jay Montague, Faith Andrinopoulos - 6LM
Congratulations to the winners of our Walk/Ride to School Day on Friday, 31st March
Junior Level - 1BR & 2OP
Senior Level - 6KM
Our next Walk/Ride2School Day will be on Friday, 19th May which is also National Walk Safely to School day.
In the meantime keep Active by Walking, Riding or Scootering to school whenever you can!!
Don't forget to have your cards clipped whenever you walk, ride or scooter to school and return your completed cards to the office to receive a new one.
Next meeting: Monday, 8th May - 7.00pm at school and online, everyone welcome.
Easter Egg Raffle - A big thank you to everyone that participated in the Easter Egg raffle and particularly to all the families that sold more than one book. We raised over $8000, half of which has been donated to the Royal Children's Hospital. Some of our winners also kindly donated their hampers on to the Monash Childrens Hospital and other charities. Thanks again to everyone for being a part of it this year and we hope you enjoyed all your Easter eggs!
Our Community Cookbook would make a great Mother's day gift for mums or grandmothers. Available to buy at this link https://www.trybooking.
YEAR 5 CAMP - THANK YOU TO STAFF
Thank you to all the teachers and staff that went on the Year 5 Camp and made it such a fun and memorable time for our children. The P&F were happy to provide a welcome home dinner for all staff that attended the Portsea Camp.
Coming up:
Year Two - Jump, Play & Disco - Friday, 5th May - information was sent to all Year Two families last term.
Mother’s Day Breakfast - Wednesday, 10th May - Calling all dads - this is your time to shine! To put on our annual Mother's day breakfast we need volunteers for 1 hour shifts. Please email or contact your class rep if you're available to help on the morning between 6.00am and 9.00am or help with setup, 5pm to 7.00pm, the night before.
Mother’s Day Stall - Friday, 12th May - Items will range between $2 - $8. Please have your child bring a bag for their purchases and their enthusiasm to buy, but also make mention that purchase limits may apply - these children love to shop! We hope all our school Mums and Nans have a wonderful Mother’s Day
We would love some parents to help with the stall. We need six people at each session, 9.00am to 11.00am and 11.30am to 1.30pm. If you haven’t volunteered at school before this is a great one to get involved with - bring a friend, dads most welcome!
Email: pnf1@spbentleigheast.catholic.
P & F Second Hand Uniform Shop will be open on the following mornings:
Wednesday, 3rd May - 8.30am - 8.50am
Wednesday, 10th May - 8.30am - 8.50am
Save the Date:
Grandparent's Day - Friday, 28th July - Details regarding the P&F morning tea and how you can participate coming soon.
