Primary Update Term 2 Week 6
Primary Build Update
As we approach the opening of the new Years 3-6 Building, some lucky students (one student from each class) was chosen to represent their class to have a guided tour of the new building and then share their experience with their class. It was a wonderful experience and the general feedback from the students was that the classrooms and building greatly exceeded their expectations. Keep an eye out for some footage and photos of this walk-through on our social media accounts.
At this stage, we anticipate being in the new Year 3-6 building at some point in Week 8. Plans are well in place to move across and students and staff are eager to start teaching and learning in our new state-of-the-art learning environment. We look forward to welcoming parents to view the space as the new building comes online.
5 Blue Assembly
Last week’s 5 Blue Class Assembly was a wonderful reflection and teaching opportunity related to the book ‘Fish in a Tree’ written by Lynda Hunt. Our Year 5 classes have been studying this novel recently. The assembly focused around being inclusive, being understanding, and celebrating differences. Year 5 Blue creatively shared with the Lavalla campus the reasons why we should do these things, as well as practical examples of what these look like within our school community. Thank you Year 5 Blue for a wonderful assembly!
Buddy Day Celebrations
As part of our Champagnat Day celebrations, students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will gather at the Lavalla Campus for Buddy Day activities and the annual Lapathon on Friday 14 June. Further details will be shared with students and families before the day.
Students will have received a Lapathon Sponsor Form today to begin collecting sponsors for the lapathon.
The College has committed to donate all monies raised from the Lapathon to support Lifelink, which is an organisation that works with the most vulnerable and marginalised in our local community. Please use the following link to access details regarding this organisation. Click here.
Newman Norms / Medals of Marcellin
Our new Newman Norms are now on our website and I encourage you to have a look at these expectations for our Primary students – Newman Norms – Newman College.
Each week our staff and students will focus on one Norm, to discuss and unpack what that norm means for our students in their day-to-day school life.
We continue our weekly ’raffle draw’ at our prayer assemblies on Mondays at each campus. In Week 5 Vidhya (Marian) and Lachlan (Lavalla) were drawn out of the raffle and congratulated for demonstrating our Newman Norm of ‘Treat our classrooms & school with pride &respect by keeping them neat and tidy and using equipment properly’.
This week Solomon (Marian) and Poppy (Lavalla) were drawn out of the raffle and congratulated for demonstrating our Newman Norm of ‘Wear our College uniform correctly & with pride’.
Congratulations to all students who received a raffle ticket in Weeks 4 & 5. These raffle tickets have now been converted into faction tokens and placed in our faction token tubes in the front office of each campus!
URSTRONG – Lesson 2 Complete
Lesson 2 Review
This term we have commenced the roll-out of the URSTRONG Friendship Curriculum across the Primary. All students through PK-6 engaged in Lesson 2 last week. The areas of focus across our year levels in Lesson 2 were:
PK-2: Naming feelings, helping students recognise and embrace both positive & negative feelings (nicely linked to our Zones of Regulation Program).
Y3 & 4: Strategies for making new friends, including how to introduce themselves and have a conversation that plants a seed for a new friendship to grow.
Y5 & 6: Anchors students in the ‘truths’ of friendship so they have realistic expectations in their relationships. Students also practiced the art of conversation.
Lesson 3 will be rolled out next week across the primary.
A reminder parents have access to a FREE URSTRONG parent membership to access hundreds of resources – including an 8 session video series. This will allow you to learn the same language & strategies being taught in the classroom through the Friendology 101 curriculum. We hope that, as a URSTRONG Family, you will reinforce the important messages of empowerment, self-compassion, & kindness at home.
Marian Campus – Morning and Afternoon Supervision
A reminder that students are not permitted to play on school equipment before or after school unless a teacher is present and supervising. This is for student safety. We ask for parent support to ensure student safety in our playgrounds.
Parents are asked to ensure their children do not take out equipment from the sports tubs to play with after school. This term there has been equipment left out on the oval most nights after families have remained on the oval after school. Unfortunately, this has resulted in lost and damaged equipment.
Australian Early Development Census
Building a national picture of child health
From May 2024, our school, along with thousands of others across the country, will participate in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).
The AEDC is a teacher-completed census (similar to a questionnaire) which provides a comprehensive picture of how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school: Pre-Primary.
The AEDC is an Australian Government Initiative and is completed nationally every three years. Children do not miss any class time while the AEDC is completed, and parents/carers do not need to supply schools with any new information.
The data collected through the AEDC is used by schools, communities and governments to better understand children and families’ needs, and identify the services, resources and support they need. AEDC data is reported at a school, community, state/territory and national level. AEDC results for individual children are not reported and the AEDC is not used as an individual diagnostic tool.
Some teachers have found that completing the AEDC made them more aware of the needs of individual children and their class, and that the data was useful for planning for transitions to Year 1 and developing programs.
Participation in the AEDC is voluntary, however the AEDC relies on all schools with children in their first year of full-time school participating in the collection. Parents/carers do not need to take any action unless they choose not to include their children in the Census. Pre-Primary parents will receive more information early next week regarding this Census.
To find out more about the AEDC and how it is being used to help children and families visit: www.aedc.gov.au.
Marian Occupational Therapy Parent Presentation
On Thursday 23 May, we welcomed Helen Cooper from Gymworks Occupational Therapy to present a Q&A session with our Marian families. We were thrilled by the enthusiastic turnout and engaging discussions. Parents gained invaluable insights into how Occupational Therapy enhances their child’s development and learning journey. Key discussion points included:
- The importance of hand strength and physical play
- Handwriting skills
- Motor planning and early intervention
- Task participation and engagement skills
- Self-regulation and parenting
The session was both enlightening and empowering. By working together we can nurture every child’s potential to thrive.
Catherine Young – Leader of Learning PK-6
Lavalla Homework Club
Parents who are sending their children to Homework Club are required to pick their children up from the Year 5 classrooms and sign them out each week. Your support is much appreciated to allow us to continue to run this program smoothly. Please note that Lavalla students are not permitted to attend the Homework Club on the Secondary Campus on Mondays.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!
Ryan von Bergheim
HEAD OF PRIMARY