Welcome to Week 5!

Hello!

Welcome to another amazing week...it is hard to believe we are almost over the hump of this term as it feels like we are just getting started. We have a very busy back end with lots of exciting things planned. 

We have an excursion relating to our art and writing unit coming up as well as events around Eucharist and we have also been invited to participate in a tree planting session out in the Ludlow Tuart Forest...how lucky are we! 

Further details around all of these amazing experiences will be shared as they approach so keep your eyes peeled!

A few important things...

As part of our MJR program we were lucky enough to have the creator Peter Mitchell (Mitch) come in and spend some time with the kids talking about how this program is relevant to our lives...it encourages us all to add a little bit of goodness into someone's day wherever and however we can. 

One of the main points around this is the GTS...how we Greet, Treat and Speak to others. In 4DEL, we have been working hard as a class to ensure that we are greeting people using their name and making eye contact in the mornings 'checking in' and ensuring that at the end of the day we are also 'checking out' with each other until the next day.

 These little moments of connection go a long way to building positive relationships within our class! Ask your child how our tallies are going...are they on the rise? I know as a parent it can be challenging and at times embarrassing (at least for me) when my children don't use these skills but perhaps you can encourage them to practice on adults they feel comfortable with!

As part of our Wellbeing program, as a staff we have completed a Character Strengths Survey. This has been a fantastic opportunity to learn what our character strengths are...those that we go to automatically! We are also looking at what happens when we over or under use those strengths and how it can make us and others feel.

In the coming weeks, I will be doing this survey with the class so that they children can identify their character strengths...not talents. As a class we will then work on how we can best use our strengths through the day in our learning, games and interactions with others.

This week we are looking for people who show Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence. 

We will be discussing in class how we see this strength being used in others through a Strengths Spotting lens...focusing on what is right with us instead of the times we get it wrong.

For those of you that may be interested in taking this journey with us in some small way, I have included the link below.

Character Strengths Survey

IMPORTANT DATES 

Walkie, Wheelie, Waste Free Wednesday - These are ongoing for the remainder of the term. Thank you so much for your support for your child to participate!

Scholastic Book Fair - Is on this coming Tuesday and Wednesday. Please see the details in the newsletter in regards to the amounts appropriate for this event. It is on before and after school on both of these days as well as lunchtimes.

Friday 21st May - Dance for Sick Kids Fundraiser - Please send in a gold coin donation with your child and we will get our groove on in the hall after lunch!

Tuesday 25th May - Eucharist Parent Workshop - A reminder that all communicants (those receiving the sacrament) must attend with their grown up/s.

This workshop is interactive and a really lovely experience, we will begin promptly at 5.30pm in the hall. Bring a cardi...it can get cold in there!

Wednesday 26th May - We will also be celebrating National Sorry Day - acknowledging the Stolen Generations and will be asking students and staff to wear either a red, yellow or black t-shirt for a whole school photo.

The photo will take place on the oval at 11.00am. Students can wear their coloured top and black sports shorts all day. Please do not go out to specifically buy a shirt in these colours if you don't have one...predominant colours would be great!

All staff and students will be involved in spelling out the word SORRY on the oval, and the photo will be taken from a drone. The photo will happen Wednesday Week 6 at 11.00am. We appreciate your support for this awesome experience.

OUR LEARNING - 

Under Miss Tickner's guidance during our maths sessions we have been looking at the relationship between fractions and decimals. 

We are starting to connect this knowledge to how this also relates to percentages...we talked a lot about sale prices and what 50% off really means! 

This kind of knowledge is important to have tucked in our maths back pocket to draw on when we need it.

We will be having our assessment on Wednesday this week to see how we have been travelling!

We have also been learning about the parts of the bee and we made a little pollinator during our science session which really showed quite clearly how pollen is transferred from flower to flower by our clever bee friends. This was a great visual as we could see how the parts of the flower and the parts of the bee work so perfectly together.

In religion we have been learning about how parables are used to help teach us life lessons and the graces given during the receiving of the sacraments...we will finish this unit up at the end of this week before moving into our new Eucharist unit.

We are almost finished typing up our narratives, please note that some children may be bringing these home this week to finish typing. If you are happy to assist them by typing as they read, this would be great...please try and avoid changing what they have done. These narratives are a reflection of your child's journey through the writing process and reflect their abilities. 

We are moving into our new unit and one of my favourites…information reports! This is often a popular one as it can really tap into the students interests and general knowledge base. 

We will be linking this unit to our art as well as we look at creating our own sculptures of a bird of prey after our excursion to Eagles Heritage.

HOMEWORK - 

Just a reminder on this...there are a lot of children that are regularly forgetting their homework or they have not brought it to you to be signed. If you are having particular trouble with your child with this, can you please let me know. 

I advised the children on Friday that there will be consequences for them not having their homework in and completed. 

There is a very small amount for them to actually have to complete in a written way so I will be holding them more accountable considering that we are half way through the term. 

I appreciate your support in this.

Wishing you a fantastic hump week and apologies for the long post!

Caitlin