Welcome back to the new school term. This newsletter is to help keep you informed about the curriculum for the grade and the day-to-day activities of the grade.

This term the following teachers will be supporting the learning of students who access the Learning Support Centre.

This Curriculum Outline is designed to communicate what your child is learning so you can support them at home this term. At Good Samaritan, we believe that the partnership between you as parents and our teachers are the most important influences on your son’s or daughter’s education.

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is responsible for setting and monitoring quality teaching, learning, assessment and school standards across NSW public, Catholic and independent schools. NESA also develops Kindergarten to Year 12 syllabuses for NSW schools. Syllabuses identify: the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes students are expected to develop at each stage; what students are expected to know and do; Learning across the curriculum areas: cross-curriculum priorities, general capabilities and other important learning for all students.

The Scope and Sequence of learning in the GSFM Learning Support Centre follows the NSW English and Mathematics Syllabuses for the Stage/s at which the students are working and are modified and adjusted according to student Personalised Plans.

Students take part in Religious Education, Science and Technology, Human Society and its Environment, and Physical Development and Health and Physical Education lessons with their general class. They also attend Creative Arts lessons and attend all excursions and extra experiences, including masses,  with their general class.

Please refer to your child’s general class Grade Newsletter for details of the content and skills being taught in these Key Learning Areas.

This term in Religious Education all students will learn about the significant events of the Liturgical Season of Easter - The Resurrection; Jesus’ appearances after the Resurrection; the Transfiguration; Pentecost and the beginning of the Church. 

Year 6 students will participate in Confirmation preparation lessons on Monday afternoons in Weeks 1 - 5.

This term in English, students will:

• Continue to participate in a variety of Speaking and Listening activities each week to develop receptive and expressive language skills.
• Participate in daily Phonological Awareness and Phonics activities to build spelling fluency and decoding skills.
• Read individually appropriate instructional texts daily with guidance to extend decoding, fluency and comprehension.
• Become familiar with the structural and grammatical features of narratives as we read a number of examples.
• Attempt to incorporate learned structural, grammatical and spelling features into daily personal writing, with guidance.
• Continue to practise correct letter formation, sizing and placement.
• Develop proficiency in using Google Drive applications on their iPads (Year 6).

• Talk with your child. Promote clear expression by asking your child questions in order for them to provide details when they are talking about something.
• Encourage your child to express an opinion and give their reasons.
• Encourage your child to listen carefully by expecting them to carry out one or two step instructions.
• Read to each other daily.
• Create regular opportunities for your child to write eg notes, lists, cards, signs, a diary.
• Talk about the structure of stories you read with your child. What was the problem? What was the series of events in the story? What was the solution? How did the story end? Who were the main characters? Where was the story set?

This term in Mathematics, students will learn about:

- Recognising and recording larger numbers and identifying the Place Value of digits.

- Addition and Subtraction strategies.

- Time 

- 2D and 3D shapes.

- Position and direction.

Look for opportunities to encourage your child to think mathematically. 

• how many _____ do you think there are? (estimation) Get them to try again if their estimate is unreasonable.
• how many _____ will I need?
• what notes/coins should I use to pay for ______?
• encourage a sense of time by timing how long it takes to brush teeth, eat breakfast, go to soccer training etc
• read numbers together. Ask what number would come before or after?
• use language of position - left, right, beside, under, north, south, east, west.

In the GSFM Learning Support Centre, we focus on the development of the Social and Emotional Learning Competencies of Self Management Skills and Interpersonal Skills within the PDHPE Syllabus.

While much of the instruction is in response to identified student needs that arise, this term students will further develop their understanding of respect and what respectful relationships look and feel like.

• Encourage your child to be responsible by organising for themselves what they need for school each day.
• Encourage your child to be independent by expecting them to carry out specific appropriate chores at home.
• Monitor your child’s television and internet use.
• Ensure that your child gets enough sleep by establishing a consistent bedtime routine.
• Talk with your child about what they are doing at school and how they are feeling about school.

Please note that students who access the Learning Support Centre will complete homework tasks from this setting and are not expected to complete the homework tasks assigned by their general classroom teacher.

Students are to read aloud an appropriately matched text from school to parents daily, for 15 to 20 minutes. A record of this is to be kept in the Student Reading Log. Home reading books for the week are to be returned to the LSC and replaced each Monday.

Homework - Mondays

Reading books returned and new books selected.

Reading logs checked.

Library - Tuesdays 

Please note Year 6 students who access the LSC will not be attending Library lessons with their general classes. They will borrow books from the Library on Tuesdays. 

All other students who access the LSC  will attend Library lessons with their general classes.

Cooking - Fridays, odd weeks.

Please support your child to be Ready to Learn each day by ensuring he/she has the following:

Munch and Crunch

Water Bottle

Recess and Lunch

School Hat

Charged iPad (Yrs 3-6)

Head phones

CLASSROOM

Each class uses their co created behaviour matrix as a guide to help support and maintain a safe and positive classroom environment always linking in with our 3 school rules:

• Be Safe
• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible. 

These rules are supported by the classroom correction sequence. The sequence is used as a visual reminder for students to support them in getting back on track with learning.

Individual student’s positive behaviour within the Learning Support Centre will be acknowledged by the placing of a sticker on the student’s ‘bucket’. When a student gains twenty stickers, they can choose a reward activity from the list compiled collaboratively.

Positive whole group behaviour will be acknowledged by a ‘smiley face’ being placed on a chart at the end of each session. When the group has achieved thirty smiley faces, they will receive a group reward such as free time or outside games.

PLAYGROUND

This term our tokens that are handed out for positive behaviours on the playground will be collected in each classroom’s token boxes. This way the students will be able to see as a class what a great job they are doing.

As a school the students have unpacked, role played and practiced positive and respectful ways they can interact with each other on their playground with a set of Social Norms. 

 SOCIAL NORMS FOR OUR PLAYGROUND

Social norm #1: Meet and greet politely.

• Say greetings, introductions, and goodbyes.
• Politely offer and receive compliments.
• Be able to start and finish conversations.

Social norm #2: Take turns talking.

• Listen when others are speaking and look them in the eye.
• Wait if adults are talking. 
• Respond appropriately and at the right time.

Social norm #3: Pay attention to others.

• Stop what you’re doing so you can listen.
• Read people’s emotions through their body language and facial expressions.
• Change your behaviour to match what other people are doing, such as quieting down with the rest of the room.

Social norm #4: Think about others before acting.

• Ask for consent.
• Don’t cut in line.
• Wait your turn.
• Stand a comfortable distance away when talking. 

Social norm #5: Cooperate with others.

• Follow directions when you’re asked to.
• Ask for help when you need it.
• Apologise when necessary.
• Be flexible and open to new ideas. 

All students are expected to be neatly dressed in their school uniform or sports uniform each day. Classroom teachers will monitor the wearing of the uniform on a day-to-day basis and inappropriate dress will be brought to the attention of the student and, where necessary, parents. 

Students are expected to wear the correct Summer/Winter uniform including the correct footwear.

GOOD SAMARITAN CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL UNIFORM

Students are also expected to wear the correct Sports Uniform on sports days:

ALL ITEMS OF UNIFORM MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED WITH THE CHILD’S NAME

Ongoing communication between school and home is essential. The school aims to work in partnership with the home and recognises that parents wish to be informed of any problems. Likewise, there is a need for parents to keep the school informed of any events that may impact on the life of their child at school.

Through this mutual communication we aim to provide a safe and supportive environment for your child.

1. If you have any educational/behaviour concerns about your child always contact your child’s classroom teacher in the first instance. Your child’s classroom teacher will always make contact with you if they have any concerns regarding your child’s education or behaviour. 
2. Grades and classes across the school are supported by Middle Leaders. You are welcome to contact the Middle Leader/s responsible for your child’s class/grade if you have continued concerns regarding your child’s education or behaviour. The Middle Leaders will also contact you when and if necessary.

Middle Leaders 2021

3. If the issue remains unresolved beyond the Middle Leader then please address your concern/s to the Assistant Principal or the Principal. 

4. Parents may contact teachers by email via the school office (info@gsfmdow.catholic.edu.au) but are asked to understand that a response may not be immediate and certainly cannot be expected beyond the regular hours of the school day or week. 

At Good Samaritan, we believe it is important to speak with parents either in a face-to-face meeting or over the phone when responding to emails that may be of a sensitive nature or, that may require a lengthy response. Therefore, the email response you receive may be of a generic nature. 

5. Parents are asked to understand that teachers primary responsibility throughout the school day is towards the students. Therefore, teachers are unable to engage in discussion when they are in direct supervision of students.

For any absence the school must receive notification of the reason for the absence within 7 days of the return to school. This applies for partial absences as well as whole day absences. Please supply the reason via Compass. In the event that a notification is not supplied the absence will be recorded as Unjustified/Unexplained.

Whole School Term 2 Dates:

Further information regarding events will be distributed closer to each of the dates.

APRIL:

22/04: School Photos

23/04: ANZAC Day Prayer

27/04: Diocesan Cross Country

30/04: Autism Awareness Day 

MAY:

3/05-4/05: Principals’ Overnight Retreat

6/05: Mother’s Day Liturgy

7/05: Mother’s Day Stall

11/05-20/05: NAPLAN testing

17/05 Athletics Carnival 

21/05: PUPIL FREE DAY Students do not attend school on this day

22/05-23/05: Confirmation Weekend

23/05: Pentecost

24/05-28/05: Screens Down Week

26/05: National Sorry Day

CEDoW School Director Peter Hill visit to GSFM

31/05: Reconciliation Week

JUNE:

3/06: MABO Day

11/06 Term 2 PB4L Day (Mufti Day)

14/06: Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend

15/06: Sth Coast Netball Gala Day

18/06: Semester One Reports distributed to Parents

21/06-25/06: Parent Teacher Interview Week

25/06: Term 2 concludes