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.

Please be aware that due to the current COVID restrictions, this year parent information sessions will take a different format. This newsletter highlights all the necessary Term 1 information for your child, however, if you have any questions and would like to engage in a “meet and greet” phone call with your child’s teacher please follow the link below and they will be in contact with you as soon as possible. Please complete by 3pm on Wednesday 10 February 2021.

A “meet and greet” conversation is a ten minute phone conversation to discuss your child’s start to the year and for your child’s class teacher to clarify any questions you may have about your child’s school year. It is not a report on your child’s progress at this stage of the year.

https://forms.gle/fg74w9dokijJTGo78

This term the following teachers will be supporting learning in Year 4

*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 thereof 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, Year 4 will study three units:

1. ‘The Good Samaritan” focuses on the spiritual history and foundations of our school. As an introduction to the new school year, the students will revise the Parable of the Good Samaritan and reflect on ways they can be like the Good Samaritan in their daily lives.
2. ‘Living the Law of Love’ focuses on the Ten Commandments. This unit explores the ‘law of love’. It begins by recalling with students the purpose of rules in groups and communities. It then examines the Ten Commandments, focussing on their purpose and principles for living in relationship with God and each other. This forms the basis for introducing and exploring Jesus’ ‘new commandment’ with reference back to the Commandments. The unit leads to a deeper understanding of how the Commandments and Jesus’ ‘new commandment’ guide us in living in relationship with God and others.
3.  ‘Lent; A time for making choices’ focuses on the Liturgical Season of Lent as a time to reflect on how we live our lives. It explores choices and their impact on our growth and conversion. It teaches about the sacrament of Penance. The unit then reviews the events of Holy Week through the Scriptural Stations of the Cross.

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, Year 4 will be exploring ways authors organise their texts and carefully use language features and visuals to engage the reader for their desired purpose. The children will use these techniques to create their own written and digital imaginative texts and learn to utilise more sophisticated methods to communicate their ideas . 

There will be a focus on comprehension strategies during our reading episodes as we engage with a podcast text and learn to infer, question, make connections and critically analyse aspects of oral storytelling. 

Grammar, spelling and oral language skills will be focused on building rich and meaningful vocabulary which is both technically correct and creatively crafted. 

Children will have opportunities to work in a whole class, small group, individually and collaboratively throughout the term with additional support given at points of need.

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING in ENGLISH

Creating a positive and encouraging mindset toward exploring and learning the many aspects of our English curriculum is an essential criteria for your child to feel successful and grow as a learner. Here are some practical things you as a parent can do to support your child:

• Encourage a love of reading. By Year 4 children should be reading for enjoyment, therefore allow your child to choose something they are interested in to read to you. Ask questions as they read and encourage them to take risks with unknown words or play around with expression. Discuss the vocabulary used that may be foreign to them.

• Encourage your child to explain their thinking, they will be starting to form personal opinions and may have questions on world events. Take time to listen and discuss things they may have seen or heard.

• Play games, involve the children in simple things like writing your shopping list, reading a recipe to you etc. Home learning should be a positive experience for you and your child.

• Reinforce good listening skills at home. Being an active listener plays a very important role in a child’s success both inside and outside the classroom. 

• Talk with your child’s teacher if you have concerns over their learning or social emotional well being. There are many things that can stand in the way of children learning to their full potential and often we find the pieces of the puzzle come together when we do.

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 development 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, Year 4 will cover these topics: Whole Number (Place Value and Partitioning), Addition and Subtraction, Data, Fractions and Decimals (Equivalence and Place Value), Length (Recording Perimeter) and Multiplication and Division.

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING in MATHEMATICS

“Parents are important partners in ensuring a child’s mathematical success. A warm, inviting numeracy rich learning environment at home is the first step to fostering a love of mathematics in children. Research consistently shows that children who live in homes where parents nurture a positive attitude and support their child’s efforts are most likely to be confident and competent learners. Parents’ most significant influence arises from their ability to create a positive mindset about Mathematics. They do this by believing in their child’s ability to learn and succeed and by teaching them to embrace mathematical activities as opportunities for growth. Simple activities, such as incorporating math language and reasoning in routine communication with children, builds important problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Even everyday activities such as cooking and baking can provide abundant opportunities for applying and deepening an understanding of concepts such as numbering, measurement, patterning and algebra, fractions and decimals. For instance, doubling and halving measurements for baking a cake involves a high level of reasoning about numbers.” (Encouraging Maths Learning at Home: A guide for Parents) Encourage confidence in sound knowledge of foundation number patterns and tables to support their mathematical confidence and thinking. 

Enjoy your math time with your child. Build an environment where mathematical ideas are embraced and enjoyed. Engage with your child in a relaxed but supportive manner. Encourage exploration and thinking outside the box. Find math riddles, stories, songs and art ideas that extend the math learning into other areas of children’s interests. Explore the geometry, measurement and data management involved in sports and other activities. Make your home a haven for math experimentation and creativity. Cultivating mathematics learning can be a rewarding experience, opening opportunities for future academic and employment success. Plant those learning seeds gently and early, and nourish them well.(Encouraging Maths Learning at Home: A guide for Parents)

The objectives and outcomes of the Geography 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:

Year 4 will be focusing on the Geography and History outcomes during Term 2. This term we will be focusing on Science outcomes. Parents will be informed of units in Geography and History in Term Two.

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

This term in Science & Technology, students will learn to describe how living things depend on each other and the environment to survive. Students will investigate and compare advancing technologies used in food and fibre production in Australian agriculture and those used in traditional agriculture.

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

This term in Creative Arts, Year 4 will participate in music and visual arts:

Music - Let’s Play Music.

This unit provides a sequence of learning opportunities based around a chant. It uses this repertoire as a vehicle for developing students’ ability to create and structure their own composition through a series of whole-group activities that lead to a small group and individual work. Musical concepts students will learn are duration, pitch, dynamics, tone colour and structure.

Visual Arts - Throughout this unit students will be engaged in both making and responding to art forms. They will discuss reasons why artists make particular artworks and why different interpretations are possible, recognising similarities and differences in how subject matter is represented. Students will investigate selected techniques and styles to create their own artworks for a variety of different purposes and artwork displays to capture ideas and perspectives. The students will create artworks ‘all about me’ and ‘magazine silhouette’.

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.  

For Physical Education we will focus on endurance and ball skills to prepare for the Cross Country this term and develop the skills to play net and court games effectively. Students will perform and refine movement skills in variety of movement sequences and contexts, examples include: 

• Perform activities where locomotor, object control and stability skills are combined to complete a movement sequence, activity or game, eg running, dodging and sidestepping. 
• Explore and practise different techniques to propel objects towards a target, eg running, jumping and throwing techniques in court games
• Participate and use equipment in a variety of games and modified sports
• Adapt movement skills to improve accuracy and control in a variety of contexts

Students will also be provided with opportunities to develop their self-management and interpersonal skills, including leadership, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, persistence and decision-making through movement and physical activity. 

This term in PDHPE, Year 4 will be involved in two units that focus on the  content strands of “Health, Wellbeing & Relationships” and “Healthy, safe and active lifestyles”. 

The first unit involves supporting a whole school approach to explicitly teaching the following social and emotional skills as well as skills essential for classroom expectations. Keep an eye on the weekly newsletter for more information. 

Topics include: 

Active listening - What do good listeners do, Following teachers instructions

Good communication - What good speakers do, Communicating with teacher/adults, Communicating with peers, the role of Verbal & non-verbal communication, Asking for help

Group work - Think, pair, share class strategy, Partner work, Small group work

Managing challenges - Agreeing and disagreeing, staying on task 

Zones of Regulation - Role of emotions, managing emotions.

Our second unit focuses on Personal Identity/ Relationships/ Mental Health & Wellbeing Students explore how success, challenge and overcoming adversity strengthens identity. They investigate how emotional responses vary in depth and strength and describe how  their own and other’s skills and strategies contribute to healthy and safe outcomes. This is taught through the concept of “Growth Mindset”.

‘Growth Mindset’ is a concept, based on the research of Dr Carol Dweck and is primarily supporting students to develop resilience.  Resilience is an important quality for children to develop if they are going to flourish. According to Carol Dweck’s research, people have two different mindsets: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence can't be changed. A growth mindset is the belief that success is the result of practice, effort and hard work.

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING

How can you support a growth mindset in your children?

The most important thing you can do to help your child instill a growth mindset is to praise them for effort rather than for talent. Messages like “You learned that so quickly! You’re so smart!” teach the child that they either are or aren’t smart, and that effort is a sign of weakness. When they encounter difficulty in the future, they tend to then feel not smart and retreat. Instead, messages such as “I like the way you approached that problem”, or “good job to hang in there and find a different strategy that did work”, or “sorry, that seemed to be too easy for you, let’s do something more challenging”, teaches kids that effort is something we can all benefit from to reach our full potential, and that they need to be working purposefully in order to grow.

The homework in Year 4 for Term 1 will be based around reading. By this stage, your child should be able to read continuously for 20 minutes. Have your child choose a chapter book for their home reading this term, if they don’t have one please visit our library. Regularly discuss with your child the book they are reading. Ask them questions about the characters, the plot and their predictions/hopes for what will happen next.

In addition to reading each child is required to practice their multiplication facts every night, a skill that is invaluable throughout their education and beyond.

In preparation for a speaking and listening assessment, your child may be asked to prepare a short presentation.

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING

A wonderful way to support your child’s learning, is to spend quality time listening to them read and discussing their thoughts and feelings about what they are currently learning at school.

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

• Munch and Crunch which is held every morning, sometime during the first teaching session. Please pack a fruit or vegetable only snack which can be eaten in no more than 5 minutes.

• Their fully charged iPad with a protective cover and headphones.

• An adequate supply of lead pencils, coloured pencils, whiteboard markers, glue sticks and a pencil case. 

• A book for silent reading

• A library bag 

• An art shirt.

• Please ensure all your child’s belongings are marked clearly with their name and class.

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 term students are to wear the correct Summer/Winter uniform.

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 contact 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.

• Please return all Internet consent forms as soon as possible. 
• Regularly check the school newsletter for important dates and occasions for Year 4.
• Please be punctual. The school starts at 8.50 am - students should arrive from 8.30am.
• Please be aware that we are an “Anaphylaxis Aware” school and have children who have high nut allergies in our school community. This is a life threatening condition. 
• Please do not send any nut products to school.
• Change of circumstances - Please notify the school office of any change of address, phone number or circumstances that may affect your child’s safety and well-being at school.
• Good Samaritan promotes responsible waste management. Please limit the amount of packaging you put in your child’s lunchbox.