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 Amaroo Blue. 

We invite you to fill in the following form to offer any additional information about your child

Amaroo Blue Parent Engagement Form

This term the following teachers will be supporting learning in Amaroo Blue:

*Teachers work under the structure of an Enterprise Agreement that includes a number of entitlements. One of these is the engagement in Profession Planning Time (PPT) where they are released from class to carry out other professional responsibilities. Each full time teacher is entitled to the equivalent of 2 hours PPT each week, or a pro-rata there for part time teachers. Therefore, all students operate across the school week with at least two teachers engaging in the classroom program of learning.

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.

At Good Samaritan we have a K-6 Scope & Sequence of learning which supports the implementation of the NESA Syllabuses. Below, is an outline of the Key Learning Area content & skills being taught this term.

All students take part in Religious Education Programs. The school also provides other opportunities for students to express and deepen their Faith through school Masses, liturgies, prayer and in Christian service and witness within their school environment and the wider community. Religious Education follows a curriculum set and approved by the Bishop of the Diocese in conjunction with the Catholic Education Office.

This term in Religious Education, students in Amaroo Blue will learn about: 

The Good Samaritan - Students will listen, view and respond to the story of The Good Samaritan and reflect on how they can be good neighbours. 

Created by God: A Gift to Share - In this unit students will learn that they are created in the image and likeness of God and loved by God. The students will come to appreciate that they have been created by God to be free and creative and to engage with all of creation. The unit introduces the second story of creation in the Book of Genesis, which speaks of the creative free act of God, an outpouring of divine love and goodness, in which we are called to share.

Lent: A time for reaching out in Love - In this unit the students will explore Lent as a time of renewal. The unit examines the season of Lent as a time to reflect on ways we can change and follow Jesus more closely through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In the Gospels we learn how Jesus gave himself for others. The unit concludes by providing students with the opportunity to reflect on the events of Holy Week, in preparation for the great celebration of the Easter Triduum and Easter season.

English is the Key Learning Area where students develop knowledge, skills and understandings about English language and literature. The students will be actively engaged in the development of skills through:

This term in English, Amaroo Blue students will:

• explore the narrative text type using familiar stories. They will identify and explore the structure and language features of narrative texts, and identify and explore how descriptive language is used, and use this knowledge to build a character and setting. They will identify and use the correct paragraph structure for narrative writing. Students will develop a plot for a narrative which includes a setting, characters and a problem to be solved. They will investigate exciting, attention-grabbing methods of starting a story. They will learn and apply proofreading and editing skills. Students will independently write a narrative using appropriate text structure, language and features. 

• Play word games that build word recognition and vocabulary skills - Scrabble, UpWords, Spot It!, Pictionary, Scattergories (to give you some ideas).
• Talk about word meanings, and point out interesting or new words when reading together. 
• Ask questions before, during, and after reading aloud. This can help your child focus attention on the ideas in the story. 
• Before reading, look at the book cover and talk about what might happen in the story (predicting). During reading, ask what questions he has about the story (questionning). After reading, talk about what happened (recount, evaluate, summarise).  
• Ask your child to summarise the story and relate it to what he/she already knows or has experienced (making connections).

An essential component of Mathematics is the development of students’ ability to Work Mathematically. This includes the skills of:

• Communicating
• Problem Solving
• Reasoning
• Understanding
• Fluency

Students’ ability to work mathematically is developed through the achievement of outcomes and working with content of the Mathematics K-6 Syllabus. Content is organised within the following content strands: 

• Play puzzles and games - jigsaw puzzles, Jenga, Memory Match, Yahtzee, Uno!, Sequence, Rummikub (to give you some ideas).
• Encourage number sense - having an idea of the size of numbers and being able to separate and combine numbers flexibly. For example, when working out 29 + 56, if you take one from the 56 and make it 30 + 55, it is much easier to work out. The flexibility to work with numbers in this way is what is called number sense and it is very important.
• Encourage students to purchase something they want with their money - let them figure out if they have enough, if they’ll get change, if they can buy more than one etc.
• Have them help with the grocery shopping and household budgeting.
• Have them prepare and cook meals, using measuring tools and following recipes.

The objectives and outcomes of the HSIE Syllabus are based on courses of study across Kindergarten to Year 6. The organisation of content for the stages in primary school is as follows:

Students in Amaroo Blue will focus on the Geography strand in Terms 1 & 2.

• Students examine natural and human features of Australia and the diverse characteristics of Australia’s neighbouring countries. They explore the different climates, settlement patterns and demographic characteristics of places and use this information to imagine what it would be like to live in different places. Students consider how people’s perceptions of places are the basis for actions to protect places and environments.
• Students investigate how people change the natural environment in Australia and other places around the world. They also explore how the environment influences the human characteristics of places. Students examine ways people influence the characteristics of places, including the management of spaces. 

The outcomes and content in the Science and Technology Syllabus are organised in the following strands and substrands:

This term in Science & Technology, Amaroo Blue will learn about:

• the growth and survival of living things and how their adaptations over time suit their environment. Students investigate how and why food and fibre are produced in sustainable, managed environments that enable people to grow and be healthy. This strand further develops students’ knowledge and understanding of the environmental and biological sciences.

The Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus is organised within the following strands: 

This term in Creative Arts, Amaroo blue students will learn about:

Visual Arts: 

Students will engage in making artworks informed by their investigations of the world as subject matter, use of expressive forms, and consideration of the audience for their works. They will develop an appreciation of their own artworks and those of others, recognising the roles of artists, audiences and how the world can be interpreted.

Music:

Students will engage in performing music of different styles and from different times and cultures by singing, playing and moving using musical concepts. They will learn how to organise sound into musical compositions using musical concepts, and engage in listening to and discussing their own music and that of others.

Students at Good Samaritan have Physical Education/Sport each week. All students participate in the School Athletics and Cross Country Carnivals. Eligible students participate in the Swimming Carnival. After these carnivals squads are chosen to represent the School at Regional and Diocesan Carnivals. Students can then be selected to compete at MacKillop and State levels. Good Samaritan has a clear policy regarding student participation in sporting gala days and representation at competitive sports. Parents are asked to become familiar with this policy. 

TBC - Library & Talktime.

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

• Reading Folder 
• iPad, fully charged
• Munch ‘n’ Crunch
• Recess 
• Lunch
• Drink bottle with water
• Library Bag 
• Art Shirt 
• Hat

At GSFM we follow a school wide classroom behaviour sequence. Each student starts the day on ‘Ready to Learn’ and is encouraged to stay on this level all day.

Amaroo Blue’s rules are displayed with visuals in the classroom. Students are encouraged to follow the rules within the classroom. Students have individual reward charts on their desk with the goal they are striving to achieve. They are rewarded with stickers and small gifts from a prize box when they achieve their goal.

Students are rewarded for positive behaviour on the playground with house colour tokens. House rewards are given frequently.

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. 

GOOD SAMARITAN CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL UNIFORM

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 2022

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.

14th-18th February- Teacher/Parent Introduction Week

18th February- Year 6 School Leadership Liturgy

28th February- Catholic Schools Week

1st March- ERC- Try Year 7 for a day

2nd March- Ash Wednesday Mass

21st March- Harmony Week

8th April- Holy Week Liturgy and Easter Hat Parade/Last day of Term One