Term 3, Week 7 - 24th August, 2023
From the Principal
Dear families,
Read, Grow, Inspire! The theme for Book Week this year.
It was wonderful to see all our students dressed up for our annual book character parade this year. We had Wolf Girl, Alice in Wonderland, Thing 1 & 2, Dorothy and so many more characters on display. Thank you to our parents for supporting this day and thank you to our inspiring staff for their enthusiasm.
Reflective Roo & Feedback
One of our school priorities for 2023 and beyond is To build and embed a consistent language and a common understanding of what makes a good learner at St Maria Goretti through adopting Learning Dispositions (St Maria Goretti, 2023 Annual Action Plan).
We have been focusing on what it means to be a 'Reflective Roo' at St Maria Goretti. We aim to create reflective learners who are owners of their learning.
Our teachers are implementing a range of practices and strategies that ensure feedback to students is deliberate, planned and focused on learning intentions and success criteria. These practices and strategies encourage students to be reflective learners.
One example of how feedback is used in the upper classroom is a Feedback Dialogue Framer. First, the student completes a self-assessment of their work identifying strengths and what to work on (student opinion), the teacher then identifies strengths and areas of growth (teacher feedback), and then the student responds with a plan for what to do next (student plan - what will I do now).
How can you encourage your child to be a 'Reflective Roo'? Ask...
- What was the most interesting thing you learned today?
- What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
- What steps did you take to approach this situation/task?
- What could you do to improve your work?
Parent Teacher Interviews
Please book in for your parent teacher interview via the Sentral for Parents app. Our teachers will be running interviews in Week 9 and Week 10 of this term.
These interviews are important and shouldn't be missed. They allow you to learn more about your child's social, academic and emotional development, make plans with the teacher about how you can both support your child, and build a relationship with your child's school.
Upcoming Term 3 dates
30th August- Storytime with Dad (2:30pm)
31st August- School Photos
31st August - Questacon Science Circus
1st September - Pupil Free Day (Staff CTJ Day)
7th September - Jump off Day!
Book Character Parade
Yours in education,
Casey Robinson
Principal
"Keep up your courage - we do not live here forever" (Mary MacKillop 1877)
Life in the Library
Our Book Week Celebrations
Parade - Our dress-up parade was so much fun! We had some spectacular sharing from the staff and selected students about how their costume connected to the "Read, Grow, Inspire" theme. Please enjoy the photos!
Winning Books - We have been sharing the Book of the Year and Honour Books as read-alouds or by listening and viewing them on Storybox Library.
Learning from these Amazing Books - Year 2 - 4 students told me that "Frank's Red Hat" gave us the message that we should not give up on our creative ideas. Prep - 1 have been learning about lyrebirds from the Early Childhood Book of the Year "Where the Lyrebird Lives".
Book Week Poster - Students have collaborated to completed the A-Z challenge based on the poster. See their efforts on the AccessIT homepage.
Book Fair
Our annual Book Fair will be here in 2 weeks time! Check out the Book Fair brochure in your child's library bag.
Opening Times:
Wednesday 6th September 2.30am - 3.30pm
Thursday 7th September 8.00am- 3.30pm
Friday 8th September 8.00am - 11.00pm and 2.00pm - 3.00pm
Monday 11th September 8.00am - 11.00am
Books for Home
During the recent stock-take of the Junior Fiction collection we withdrew a number of picture books. While these books are still in reasonable order they are not needed so we are preparing a bundle to go home to each school family. Please enjoy these stories at home or share them with people who will read them.
Week 6 in the Library
The Joy of Sharing Books
Happy Reading Everyone!
Anne Anderson
Teacher Librarian
Students of the Week - Week 6
Sight Word Certificates
School Photos - Thursday 31st August
Jump Rope for Heart
Parent Engagement Network
Our next PEN meeting is the 11th of OCTOBER, 3:30pm in the school library.
Please contact Casey, Melissa or Corinne to add an item to the agenda.
All parents are very welcome to attend the PEN meeting as a rewarding way to get involved with the school community and keep up to date with school events, policies and projects.
Book Fair!
Notices
Our Lady of the Southern Cross Parish - Mass Times
Sunday 27th August - 9am Mass
Sunday 3rd September - 9am Lay Lead Liturgy
Saturday 9th September - 5:30pm Mass