In Reception, students have been working hard to understand the concept of equal sharing. We talked about how some amounts can be shared equally, while others can't. To explore this, we conducted a group investigation to find out which numbers can be shared equally among groups of 2 to 10, and which numbers can’t. Following this, students tackled a sharing problem where they made sure each fairytale character received an equal amount of the same foods.
Year 1/2 students had a great time exploring what lives under the Edithburgh Jetty in our recent with Jo. They discovered amazing sea creatures, plants, and shells, and their smiles said it all! We can’t wait for our upcoming excursion to Edithburgh to continue our HASS learning and discoveries. 🌊🐚
In week 4, the year 3/4 and 5 classes were lucky enough to participate in the Draw your own cartoon character with Gavin Aung Than, as part of Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival. Students said it was very fun and educational to help them learn to draw their own cartoon characters. He told students to draw lightly to allow room for errors (making them easier to be corrected). One of the students in our class was lucky enough to have a photo of them drawn by Gavin Aung Than as a cartoon character! Since the workshop, students have been using their free time to draw cartoons using the techniques explored. We are very thankful to have been offered this opportunity!
In Week 3 the Year 6/7's embarked on their camp to Adelaide to stay at West Beach Parks for 3 nights. This camp was the last primary school camp for our Year 6/7's. The camp acted as a celebration of their school year, and time together at St Columba's Memorial School. During the camp the Year 6/7's took part in many fun activities developing their independence and challenging themselves.
On Monday, students enjoyed The Beach House Glenelg playing on the bumper cars, arcade games and water slides. Students also enjoyed the water boats and water slides - executing a plan perfectly to gang up on the teachers! Our accommodation at West Beach Parks in cabins, allowed students to develop independence and responsibility in working as a team to take care of their cabin during their stay. We had amazing weather during our camp where students were able to use the swimming pool and jumping pillow.
On Tuesday, we ventured to the Central Market. Students were provided with $15 each to source their own lunch. Students enjoyed exploring the market and working out what they would spend their money on, with each student being able to budget to buy lunch, a sweet and a drink. That afternoon we had a guided tour of Haigh's Chocolate Factory. Many students decided that they would want to work here one day, as the tour guide said workers can eat as much chocolate as they like!
On Wednesday, the weather was perfect for a morning playing games on West Beach, then utilising the pool at the park. We then challenged each other to a round of Mini Golf.
On Thursday, students challenged their fears at the West Beach High Ropes course. Our morning here began with the Giant Swing. We are very proud of our cohort with each student and the staff giving this a go! We all agree that these were our favourite pictures from the camp. Students then worked through the 3-levelled activity course.
It was a fantastic week filled with laughter, fun and memories!
Teachers and ESOs have been busy testing students in the last few weeks, with the 3rd and final round of DIBELS testing. DIBELS stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills. At our school we are using this system to test students from Year 3 to Year 7. Teachers and ESO’s in Reception and Year 1/2 are using other methods, such as InitiaLit.
In Years 4-7 students have 2 tests, one to check the fluency of their reading (called ORF– or Oral Reading Fluency) and the other a test of their reading comprehension ( called MAZE or a multiple choice written test). In Year 3 students also have 2 more tests, both testing their phonics knowledge, so teachers know those students who need extra assistance and time with the basics from Junior Primary.
The data collected from these tests is entered on a digital spread sheet, which colour codes student results with one of 4 colours, to indicate to teachers where this student sits in comparison with a standard for other students, in the same grade.
- RED - indicates the lowest level, (students who need 1:1 assistance)
- YELLOW - students who need some assistance, perhaps in small groups
- BLUE - students who are considered quite able but capable of a little improvement
- GREEN - which indicates these students are outstanding and quite independent
Each student is spoken to individually, by me and told their results. They will be informed in which group their literacy skills currently place them. They know that this is only a temporary marker, and that improvement, through practice, will see their score improve. They are also shown the arrow for each test result, which indicates whether their score is higher/ lower/ the same as the last test. It is really important for any student who finds Literacy challenging, that they know that even in the lower groups, an improvement, even a slight one, is to be celebrated.
Regards,
Mandy Thompson
The Reception and Junior Primary classes have been working on making mariquitas (ladybugs) and abejas (bees).
What a fantastic effort by our SCMS Athletics team. Great sportsmanship and efforts from all involved. Overall we came third in the girls and first in boys.
Congratulations to Sergio, Archer and Lukas for winning age champion. In addition to the year 6 girls winning overall aswell as the year 4 boys overall.
It was a fantastic day, big thanks to parents and staff who helped in transport and on the day.
Green Space & Food Tech
Earlier in the term, the Green Space had a big 'change of seasons' overhaul, with students across all classes working hard and lending a hand to clear out the last of the winter beds, pull weeds, mulch, and most importantly, plant out new summer seeds and seedlings. We have strong pumpkin plants coming along in our patch, as well as corn, zucchini, strawberries, tomatoes, climbing peas, as well as some beautiful flowering plants.
We had a beautiful bearded dragon visitor to our apple tree, and plenty of interesting insects including native blue banded bees - the diversity in our garden is a great indicator of how healthy it is!
We continue to extend our knowledge and experiences through the Food Tech program in both 1:1, small group settings and class activities. The year five students have recently been working on preparation for the Graduation lunch, and students from the junior primary have been working in specialised small group and individual activities to enrich and foster skills around process and procedure.
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Dear Parents
Our ever popular "Buy One Book, Get One Free" Book Fair is open on the Wednesday 13th of November to Wednesday 27th of November.
Purchases can be made before and after school.
Many thanks, Julie
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Social