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 learning in Kindergarten.

*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 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, Kindergarten will learn about:

• The Easter Season - This unit focuses on two Easter stories. The first tells of the women at the tomb (Lk 24:1-6) and the second of Jesus’ appearance to his disciples on the shore of Lake Tiberias (Jn 21:1-14). Students will hear about and respond to the Easter message of the Resurrection: Jesus is alive.
• Belonging to God’s people - This unit introduces the students to religious imagery, to the church building and its furnishings and to gestures used. The unit then introduces the celebration of Eucharist through a focus on key liturgical actions and objects used.

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, Kindergarten will continue to be engaged in reading and writing lessons and move towards greater independence in using high frequency words within independent writing. This will involve;

• learning to write sentences- guided and independent
• practising the correct letter formations in handwriting, incorporating the components of posture and pencil grip
• continue to practise blending and segmenting sounds/words
• learning to read and write ‘Heart’ and ‘Flash’ words
• engaging in meaningful speaking and listening activities
• listen to stories and discuss  features ( characters and the settings)

• Send your child’s reading folder to school each day.
• Review high frequency words (heart and flash words, sent home on keyring), daily.
• Listen to your child read their reader each night and ensure that all books are returned to school, in the folder, each day.
• Engage with your child in authentic and meaningful conversations. Ensure they are looking at and listening to you as this happens.
• Correct, by modelling, any incorrect pronunciation and grammatical structures when speaking with your child.
• Engage in rhyming songs and games with your child. E.g. ‘hat and cat’, ‘tail and whale’ are rhyming words because they sound the same at the end.
• Attend the Kindergarten Parents Reading Workshop Mon 16 May 2022 2pm – 3pm 

An essential component of Mathematics is the development of students’ ability to Work Mathematically. This includes the skills of Communicating, Problem Solving, Reasoning, Understanding and 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: 

This term in Mathematics, Kindergarten will learn about:

• 2D Space - Investigating triangles
• Whole Number - Ordinal numbers & Teen Numbers
• Length: long, short, tall
• Addition and Subtraction
• Fractions & Decimals - Halves and Wholes
• Patterns & Algebra - Making and repeating patterns
• Whole Number - Teen numbers
• Data - Collecting and displaying data

• Counting forwards and backwards
• Counting forwards and backwards from numbers other than 1
• Counting using ordinal numbers 1st to 10th
• Identifying numbers before and after E.g. What number comes after/before 9?
• Board games, dice games, number games
• Using everyday mathematical language - numbers, forward, backward, in front, behind, beside, under, on top, counting, patterns, repeating, continuing, whole objects and halves
• Identifying numbers in the environment
• Ensure correct formation of numbers 1-10
• Matching quantities to numbers
• Ensuring that children are correctly articulating the teen number names
• Teen numbers are made up of one group of ten and some more eg 11 is one group of ten and one more

• Review the four basic shapes and their features - circle, square, triangle, rectangle
• Use the language of time - yesterday, today, tomorrow, days of the week, months of the year, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring 

This term in History, Kindergarten will learn about:

Personal and Family Histories 

This will provide students with the opportunity to learn about their own history and that of their family. This may include sources and stories from a range of cultures and other parts of the world. Students build on their knowledge and understanding of how the past is different from the present.

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

This term in Science & Technology, Kindergarten will learn about:

On the Move

Students explore human movement, how and why some objects move and how they can make objects move. They use their senses to observe, gather information, make comparisons, describe, sort and classify movements and identify features involved in movement. They observe and explore how size, shape and surface will affect how far and how easily an object will roll and how objects can move in different ways.

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

This term in Creative Arts, Kindergarten will learn about:Students will be learning, practicing and performing the musical The Litter Muncher.

Throughout the term, students will focus on ONE scene and song with their class. Students will perfect their section by focussing on one element per lesson at the beginning of the term. Towards the end of the term all aspects of the musical will join together into whole scene rehearsals, school rehearsals, dress rehearsals and performances for the GSFM community.

• Revise Phase 2 sound mat
• Home readers each night
• Reviewing Flash & Heart words

Students should be encouraged to read at home. This could include your child reading or an adult reading to the child. Here are some tips:

1. Read funny things
2. Read anything anywhere
3. Talk to your children about what they have read
4. Follow their interests
5. Read regularly 
6. Read for pleasure
7. Variety is the spice of life!
8. Make a dedicated reading space in the home

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

• Reading Folder and readers 
• Word ring for Flash/Heart Words
• Library bag and books (Friday) - once Library resumes
• Munch and crunch
• Water bottle
• Hat 
• Notes returned promptly.

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. 

This year Winter uniform is worn from Tuesday 10 May - remembering that Monday 9 May is a Pupil Free Day (Staff Development Day - students do not attend school on this day).

Parents may use their discretion for the week on either side of these dates based on the weather.

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. This can be through email via info@gsfmdow.catholic.edu.au.  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 the teacher’s 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.

Monday 9 May

GSFM Pupil Free Day 

Friday 20 May

Athletics Carnival

Tuesday 21 June

 Parent/Teacher Interview Week

Friday 1 July

Whole School Run & Picnic