News
Music News
Year 3: Students in Year 3 will be issued with a new descant recorder instrument, free of charge. They will be taught how to care for their instrument, so families do not have to replace them during the next 5 years. They will learn to play 1 and 2 note melodies in the first term , using notes G, E and B.
Year 4: Students have been given a Pre-test to discover what they have retained from last year, so we can build on their knowledge and extend it. They are being taught to wash and keep their instrument clean, as part of caring for their recorder.
Students in both grades are learning to research factual and historical information about the piece they are studying, to gain insight into its nature and how it needs to be played.
Regards,
Mandy Thompson
Spanish News
¡Bienvenidos a Español 2023!
In Week 1 the Reception and Year 1/2 class practised saying ‘hello’ – Hola and ‘Good morning’ – Buenos Dias.
They learnt a new song called ‘Hola Hola” and made a face puppet labelling it with Me llamo… (My name is…)
Why Learn Spanish?
- Spanish is the main language spoken in over 20 countries in the world.
- Spanish is useful. You could one day communicate with over 450 million people.
- Nearly 450 million people speak Spanish as their first language and another 75 million speak it as a second language!
- Only Chinese has more native speakers than Spanish, with English coming in third with roughly 360 million.
- Spanish is easy to learn – it is phonetic – meaning the words are pronounced the way they are spelt.
- Research shows that kids who learn a second language are smarter! It will boost your problem solving, your critical thinking and listening skills AND improve your memory, concentration and ability to multi task! WOW!
- And best of all – learning Spanish is fun!
Mrs Murdock
Mini Vinnies
Zooper Dooper Fridays have returned!
Mini Vinnies will be selling Zooper Doopers at lunch time each Friday for 50c each. Limit of two iceblocks per student, all funds raised will be donated to St Vincent De Paul. If you would like to donate a packet of Zooper Doopers towards our fundraiser, please feel free to drop to the front office.
From the Mini Vinnies
Reception News
Last week in the Reception classroom, we read the storybook "Giraffes Can't Dance". This book allowed us to understand that we all have differences that we need to accept. It discusses the importance of embracing our distinctions and building the confidence and self-esteem to celebrate them. The students had so much fun creating their Gerald the giraffe finger puppet.
Middle Primary News
In the Middle Primary Class, we have started learning about time. We have been focusing on using the minute and hour hands correctly when drawing and telling the time. The students enjoyed our 'time quiz' where they were able to draw what they thought the specific time would look like on an analogue clock.
Upper Primary News
Our Year 5’s have had a fantastic start to the school year! We are already starting to achieve big goals in our small team, working through our first subject units. Moving into our new school year we created a poem inspired by our discussion around expectations and values, we hope you enjoy!
'We are going into year 5. We are going to learn and thrive. It's going to be fun. We're going to get it done. We respect our peers. Help them not shed tears. A team of friends. Working hard with a positive lens. We respect the property the school has given us. Including the school bus. We compliment our peers. Whilst they listen with their ears. Welcome to the school. We greet all. We go by the rules. We are kind to all. We never leave anyone behind. Just watch us shine.'
OSHC
Please see below letter to families which was sent out on SeeSaw prior to the start of term:
Dear Families
As you know over the past 18 months the school embarked on a process to establish an Out of School Hours Care at SCMS.
During this time, I have had continued dialogue with Michael Beelitz at Yorketown Area School about their process to establish an OSHC. This dialogue has been completely respectful, and our shared interest is ensuring that there is a viable OSHC service or indeed services for students at both schools. These conversations have continued over the holiday break.
I am writing to inform you that after careful consideration, our school has decided to discontinue the planned implementation of an Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) at St Columba’s Memorial School.
This decision has been a complex one given we had received full approval however it has been made to ensure there is a viable service for all students in Yorketown. Over the course of ongoing conversations, it has become clear that running two OSHC services in a small community such as Yorketown would put significant strain on both services.
Importantly, our students will have full access to the Happy Haven OSHC service at Yorketown Area school which will commence later this term.
This independent service will provide before, after and Vacation care for children in the SYP.
Transport will be provided from the Before School care to SCMS each morning, and from SCMS to After School care each afternoon. This mirrors the transport that is currently provided for students who attend Rural Care at YCCC.
When this service commences enrolments, I will alert our families.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Kind Regards,
Scott March
Senior Primary News
Our 6/7 students are now learning about one of the most important concepts in mathematics: BEDMAS. BEDMAS is an acronym that stands for Brackets, Exponents, Division and Multiplication, and Addition and Subtraction. This concept is used to determine the order of operations in mathematical expressions, ensuring that the answer is accurate and consistent.
Understanding BEDMAS is crucial for our students as it lays the foundation for more advanced mathematical concepts such as algebra. By following the steps outlined in BEDMAS, students can simplify and solve mathematical expressions with confidence.
In class, students have been practicing using BEDMAS in real-life scenarios and have been learning how to apply it to a variety of mathematical problems. They have also been encouraged to work together and share their understanding of this concept with their peers.
RE News
Hello!
Well here we are at the end of yet another year and what a year it has been! It is so good to be moving out of the restrictions that Covid brought us and having the school working towards being back to normal. Last night was testament to this. Looking out to the filled seats at the church for out Graduation Mass was so heart-warming and joyful. The mass itself was beautiful and both the Year 7’s and the Year 6’s did a great job at reading and with their participation. A big thanks goes to Fr John as well for leading us and helping us to understand what a unique opportunity it is to come together for a graduation mass with our families. A chance to reflect on the good and be grateful and to ask for God’s blessings for the future. It was particularly moving to see the parents of the Year 7’s stand with them for their child’s blessing. Well done all!
As we move through the season of Advent, I hope that you are trying to take things slowly and not be too caught up in the craziness that this time of year brings – as hard as that is with so many events!!! I will continue to keep you all in my prayers and I pray that your Christmas is filled with joy, peace and love. I hope that you get time to rest and recuperate and spend time together as a family.
I look forward to seeing you all back at school in 2023 but for now will leave you with this prayer:
“O sweet Child of Bethlehem, grant that we may share with all our hearts in this profound mystery of Christmas. Put into the hearts of men this peace for which they sometimes seek so desperately and which you alone can give to them.
Help them to know one another better, and to live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness, and purity.
Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness. Join them all together in your love. And give us your heavenly peace.
Amen.” – Pope John XXIII
God Bless,
Miriam Honner
APRIM
Principal's Report
It's certainly been a big two weeks here at SCMS as we move through our traditional end of year events. Last week with the support of Jo Minks, our Year 6 students provided lunch for our graduating Year 7 students. This special lunch has been a traditional part of our school for over a decade now, and this year was particularly special and well received by the students.
Last night we celebrated with our Graduating Year 7 students with a special Mass and Dinner. Our Year 6 students, as part of becoming the new leaders at our school, ran the Mass and were presented with a special leadership candle, signifying the transfer of leadership from one group to the next.
At the Graduation, dinner the Year 7s reflected on their time at SCMS with some personal reflections shared amongst their parents and significant people in their lives. They also presented a letter to their parents thanking them for all they have done up until this point. They were very special moments.
School Markets
Yesterday our 5/6/7 students did an outstanding job running their Vinnies Markets. The Markets had a carnival like atmosphere and it was great to see the support from our community, with many families coming in to support the students.
The markets taught the students some valuable lessons about the planning, operation and running of small businesses. It is looking like we will be able to make about a $1000 donation to the Vinnies Christmas Appeal which is extremely significant and will no doubt make an impact to someone's life over this Christmas period.
Presentation/Carols Night
A reminder that our Presentation/Carols night is next Tuesday the 13th of December at 6pm. Students are required to be in their formal school uniform (not sports). Students have been practising their carols over the past few weeks and I think it's going to be an outstanding night.
Book Packs
Similar to this year, the stationery will be delivered to school and managed by the staff in preparation for the 2023 school year. The school office will be open on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of January, for any uniform purchases. I'll have some information sent home next week which will elaborate on this further.
Transition
Tomorrow we will move into our class groups for 2023 which helps to familiarise students with their teachers and classmates for next year. We ran through this process last week with great success and the students all responded positively to the moves.
What's going on with the Build?
It's been slow progress currently as the builders await the structural steel and timber for the new Junior Primary Building. This is likely to arrive next week so it will be a busy period over the holiday break.
The moving of the shed was an absolute highlight for the school, and we can already see the space that this has opened up in our yard.
Over the break the Lunch Shed will be demolished, and significant services work will take place across the school, including the installation of a new septic system on for the new toilet block.
When the transportable classrooms are moved early next year a new undercover area will be built as part of the entrance to the school to ensure that there is shade for our students at play times.
The space where the lunch shed was occupied will be transformed into seating areas and an avenue of trees to provide additional shade and a piazza area. This will house four square courts as well as a series of outdoor games.
Thank you
I want to say a big thank you to our school community for their support this year. Out of all the years impacted by the pandemic, this has been probably the most challenging, as we've dealt with different peaks of the virus and the impact of that on staffing and student attendance.
Thank you for your continued understanding of the various restrictions and challenges that impact school life.
I'm incredibly optmistic that for the first time in three years we can lock in dates and events with the comfort that they won't need to have the dreaded asterisk attached to them that says, 'subject to COVID restrictions'.
In a final update, at the end of next week I will send some preliminary save the dates with an assembly and Mass roster for 2023.
See you Tuesday night.
