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Golden Leaves
We see signs of summer's passing in golden leaves,
shortening days, misty mornings, and autumn glow.
We sense its passing in rain that dampens, winds that chill, Harvest's bounty placed on show.
Creator God, who brings forth both green shoot and crisp frost, sunrise and sunset,
we bring our thanks for seeds that have grown, harvests gathered, storehouses filled, mouths fed.
And, as your good earth rests through winter's cold embrace, we look forward to its re-awakening when kissed by Spring's first touch.
Amen
Hello families,
It has been an absolute joy to return in Term 2. I hope everyone had a very well deserved break and enjoyed time with their families over Easter. It seems everyone has returned refreshed and energised for a new term.
I spent time over the holidays on the river and it gave me a chance to reflect on what a big first term we all had. I always continue to be amazed at our ability to manage change and be flexible when needed. I feel proud to be a part of a community that gets through these challenges together and always remain optimistic about the future. It already feels that this year there is more normality than ever in regards to school, which is a great thing. Attached below is an outline of all the wonderful things we have to look forward to in 2022.
Last week we celebrated our mothers, grandmothers and those that are a mother figure for us. These women who help to shape, guide, comfort, challenge and protect us. My heart sits with those who are missing that motherly figure in their life and find this time of year particularly difficult. I hope you found time over the weekend to do what brings you joy and comfort. I wish to thank all those who helped make these events possible last Friday. It was a brilliant day and allowed us to come back together as a school community. The buzz in the air was amazing!
Our leadership team have been working alongside Corwin to continue our Visible Learning journey this term. Staff are working to ensure our students become 'Visible Learners', meaning they have the ability to understand their own learning in a way that they can articulate how they are going, where to next and what they need to get there. When students have the skills to assess their own learning they become 'assessment capable learners'. We look forward to continuing this work and sharing more with you as we progress.
This term sees our 3/4 and 5/6 children going on camp. School camps build confidence, ignite creativity and problem-solving, stimulate a sense of adventure, encourage social interaction and team-building, and promote independence. They can also bring a slight sense of anxiety! Our staff team are doing an amazing job preparing your children for this wonderful experience. There'll be more information coming out over the coming weeks. Please ensure you read over this information and get in touch with teachers if you have any questions or concerns.
Enjoy the rest of the week everyone!
Emily
Official group photo
Casual group photo
The Foundation students went on their first official school excursion. It was even some students' first time travelling on a bus.
Our Wildlife Park visit is the hook for our Art project this term - designing a new animal and creating it as a sculpture, that will be presented at the Art show next term.
Mary and Sophia had a wonderful time at recess, collecting and ordering leaves by colour.
Congratulations to Philip's Learning Community for their outstanding fundraising effort for Caritas Australia. In total, the class raised just over $100, which is a tremendous effort.
The Ballarat City Council never disappoints, we can't wait to see what's next for the gardens surrounding school!
In Numeracy, we are beginning a unit on Statistics and Probability. During this unit, students will answer yes/no questions to collect information, organise data into simple data displays using objects and drawings, and interpret simple data displays.
We created artwork inspired by the events of Holy Week.
This was our science project - to successfully rust a nail in a week. We put salt and vinegar in a cup and open it to the air. As you can see, we successfully rusted it!
In the 1/2 Learning Community we were very lucky to have a visit from local artist, Criss Canning. She showed us some of the objects from The Gift of Oshino, an art piece we studied this term. The children asked her some amazing questions and we learnt so much about creativity and persistence.
(Left) In digi-tech, we are learning to code. Today, Noah learnt to write binary code to create images. We are using the website code.org. You may like to check it out at home! It can be used for homework tasks if you're looking for something.
(Middle) Guveer, Toby, Finn & Bede spent quality time together making cupcakes with Suzie. This provided a lovely opportunity to form connections between peers, share an experience and discuss various topics initiated by Suzie. Sometimes working in a small group outside of the classroom environment offer great well-being opportunities for ourselves & others. Thanks, Suzie for spending this time with us.
(Right) This semester, we have learnt how Catholic Social Teaching honour God’s fidelity to creation by promoting peace, love and justice. We have interpreted the principles of Catholic Social Teaching through mind mapping activities and discerned how these can be integrated into the fullness of Christian life.
Last week, the Year 5 and 6 Learning Communities participated in their third session of the Police in Schools program led by Youth Resource Officer and Leading Senior Constable Des Hudson. Here is a video of some of Year 6 students 'standing to attention'.
09/05 & 16/05 - Altas of the Heart Community Viewing | 6:30 - 8:30pm
10/05 to 20/05 - NAPLAN Test Window opens
11/05 - SAC Meeting
18/05 - Foundation Cultural Kit Incursion
19/05 & 20/05 - SSG Meetings
20/05 - Divisional Cross Country
21/05 - Election (Voting site at St Alipius Parish School)
23rd - 25th May - Year 5/6 Camp
23/05 - 27/05 - Catholic Education Week
25/05 - Catholic Schools Netball and Soccer
26/05 - Catholic Schools Football
07/06 - Year 1/2 Excursion to the National Gallery of Victoria
09/06 - Year 5 Express Yourself Hip Hop music workshop
Parent Place is located in Central Ballarat and is open between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday to Friday. Families can visit Parent Place to feed and change their babies, get information and also have a free play. Our friendly team gives general support and information on services for families with young children. We also provide early learning opportunities through our group activities such as craft time, story activities and more.
Our family violence support and free legal advice is available to all families.
Further information can also be found on our website https://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/parentplace or on our Facebook page.