LASALLIAN STARS TRANSITION

During Week 9 our newest students, the Lasallian STARS (Student Transition And Readiness for School) visited our Primary Campus in readiness to commence school next term. Nerves quickly disappeared as they saw their buddies waiting for their arrival at the Early Primary building. They enjoyed play-based activities in the classroom and explored our Nature Play areas and also enthusiastically met our specialist teachers who gave them a mini-taster lesson in Art, Music, Italian and PE. We look forward to welcoming and working with these new students and their families in Term 3.

Ms Belinda Melville-Jones, Lasallian STARS Class Teacher 

NAIDOC WEEK BRICKWORKS ART EXHIBITION

The Primary Campus has been involved with the Drawing Us Together project again this year for NAIDOC 2022.To celebrate NAIDOC Week 2022, Charter Hall partnered with local schools to create a children’s story book. The story, written by Alton Walley, is based on this year’s NAIDOC Message ‘Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up’, focusing on the value of leadership and how we can influence those near to us to make a positive change.

We were allocated page 1 and 2 of the book to inspire our artwork:  

Page 1:  Karri’s muddy foot ached as he kicked his old, leather footy high into the air, kicking it to his younger siblings as they played around the creek. ‘Mum said don’t kick it too far, you always kick it too far’, Abby yelled, ‘and not near the creek’, Sammy bellowed. But they would always chase it wherever Karri kicked, no matter how far. They both returned with muddy feet, ‘it fell in the creek’ they both said. ‘Quick, wash your feet’ Karri told them, looking worried he’d get in trouble, ‘Hurry, hurry’.

Page 2:  They ran and ran through the tall trees, dodging and weaving the long branches and spiderwebs. Birds would fly in all directions as they heard the bouncing of the ball and the crunching of little feet through the bush.

Please support the following artwork pictured below by Year 5 student, Ethan, and the following students from Year 6, Ben, Toby, Levi, Archie, Joseph, Frank, Tyhsen, Sam, Charlie and Veer. In the lead-up and beyond NAIDOC Week a Book Exhibition & Community Artwork will be on display at the Brickworks Marketplace and we encourage you to support this great initiative and vote for your favourite piece of artwork.Winners will be announced to schools on 22 July and the Winners Presentation and Smoking Ceremony will take place at The Brickworks on 1 August.

Thank you for your support.

Ms Kate Tyrwhitt, Art & Design Teacher and Indigenous Education Coordinator-Primary

NAIDOC @ SMC 78

NAIDOC celebrates the oldest living culture in all its forms and at the Primary Campus the focus has been on expressing our understanding through our creativity.

Our youngest learners in Early Primary have collaborate to create a snake mural that provided the backdrop to our closing assembly this week.

NAIDOC Creative Talent Award winner Lowell Hunter, known as Salty One, is a Nyul Nyul man originally from the Kimberley region in Western Australia. Lowell uses his feet to stamp, hop and carve the sand to create vast contemporary artworks that are integrated into the landscape and captured for posterity with drone photography. Year 2 and 3 students were encouraged to take up the beat of their feet and create sand art in a similar way.

The Year 4 team have been celebrating Indigenous women who Got Up, Stood up and Showed up. Do you know the achievements of women such as Nova Perris Rosalie Kunoth-Monks, Cochrane Smith and Gladys Elphick? The students also tried their hands at basket weaving with mixed results! It’s not as easy as it looks.

In Year 5 events at Maralinga in the 1950’s were used as a provocation for art responses in a similar way to many indigenous artist on display at the ART Gallery of South Australia.

The Year 6 cohort were given the opportunity to participate in the Drawing Us Together NAIDOC Project displayed at the Brickworks Market Place. If you get a chance, please vote for your favourite illustration.

These learning experiences were facilitated by Kate Tyrwhitt in collaboration with class teachers. Never underestimate the power of creativity – whatever gets you thinking is a good thing.  This year’s NAIDOC Message ‘Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up’, encourages us to think about how we can influence those near to us to make a positive change. We have all heard and witnessed how many small changes can lead to big changes.

The challenge for us all is to GET UP, STAND UP and SHOW UP not just in NAIDOC week but every week. Connection is what makes us human and may we all continue to learn from each other.

Ms Joanne Gilmore, Director Teaching & Learning
#alwayslearningalwasywillbe

2022 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS NETBALL CARNIVAL

On Friday 1 July, St Michael’s Primary students competed at the Catholic Schools Netball Carnival held at Priceline Stadium. 18 students from Year 4 showcased their netball skills against 11 other local Catholic schools from across the state. It was great to witness the boys participating in the carnival showing great resilience, endeavour, and sportsmanship with each game played. The students picked up the game naturally and at the conclusion of the day both teams were undefeated winning their respective 12 games. A special thank you to old scholars Megan and Sarah for umpiring our games, it was a day enjoyed by all!

Miss Annabel Lampard, Health and Physical Education Teacher

BIG MOUTH STRIKES AGAIN…

A great lyric from The Smiths but also a reminder about the power of our voices. There has been a fair amount going on with student voice at the Primary Campus, or as we will soon be calling it the ‘Beverley Hills Campus’ – our students are working with celebrities and even starting to sound like them!

First up – here is Frank’s report about ARCH D Podcast Leaders Day.

“Last Monday, Podcasting Leaders, Frank Marino, Sebastian Krol and Mrs Gilmore went to the Catholic Education Office for Podcasting Leaders Day. But what was the Leaders Day about? When we got there, we were sorted into different groups with people we’ve never met before. Our task was to make a podcast with three mystery sounds put together. Podcasting legend, Ira Glass answered questions we had for him, and gave students feedback on podcasts. Then Jodie Oddy from 10News and The Jodie Oddy show on Nova came in person! She gave us tips on podcasting and some students had a mock interview with her. We all got photos taken with Jodie which was so cool! After, we recorded our amazing podcasts. But there was a rule! You could only record once, with no editing!! Overall, we all had so much fun meeting these podcasting celebrities, and meeting students from different school.”

If you want to check out our podcasts click here.

TALKING ALL THINGS TECHNOLOGY…

The legends of learning in Year 5 have also been working with ARCH D and have just released the first of their podcasts. All students learnt how to script write in their own voice, ask the tough questions, and then craft and edit their first episode.

You will find these here Future Tech and then just scroll through to those labelled St Michael’s Primary. Be warned there are some wacky topics – from food robots to secret life of gaming and the evolution of technology.

The original pod squad have also made some episodes about student leadership that cover such topics:

• What would school be like if students took over?
• How do you know if you are leadership material?

These episodes were created by Frank, Charlie, Tyshen, Sebastian, Jeremy, Ben and Matthew, and you can access them below:

All podcasts are recorded with state-of-the-art technology in the Innovation Centre at the Primary Campus. It has been a privilege to work with the CESA ARCH D experts Michaela Howard-Jones and James Meston alongside teachers Mr Pagonis and Ms Burford to see what students can do when you give them the wriggle room to create. Technology and gaming might not be your cup of tea, but for us adults, it sometimes does us good to stop and have a listen to what children are saying. To quote some more song lyrics “the kids are alright”.

Look out for more podcasts in Semester 2 and our Year 5 students are now qualified as Level 1 Podcasters – we hope they will continue to entertain us with the weird, wacky and wonderful.

Ms Joanne Gilmore, Director Teaching & Learning
#alwayslearningalwayswillbe

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM PARENT WORKSHOP 2 – NURTURING THE SPIRIT OF GOD ALIVE IN US

It doesn’t happen often that we acknowledge and celebrate our children’s parents. Well, Tuesday night was one of those special occasions where the protagonists were the mums and dads of the children preparing for the sacraments of Confirmation and Communion. Our second preparatory session was held in our Primary Campus Chapel where we spent time enacting Pope Francis’ language of the head, heart and hands. Learning is the head, experience and reflection – the heart, and being a difference in the world – the hands. We looked at the sacrament of Confirmation and the importance of entrusting ourselves to the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide us. We celebrated our parents as the first trusted adults and primary educators in the life of their children and explored ways to nurture one’s own spiritual capabilities and the children’s spiritual development.

It was a special evening that we will treasure – we prayed together, laughed, and played Kahoot to test our knowledge about the sacraments. When parents were asked to show their creative skills by drawing a tree that bears the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit dedicated to their own beloved son, the chapel was imbued with the fruits of the Spirit of God at work in each mother and father present in the sacred space. When we show our children love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, forgiveness – we are witnessing the Spirit of God at work in each person. These are the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit we wish to nurture in the children entrusted to our care.

On behalf of the Sacramental Program Team, we thank you and look forward to our Communion Preparation in Term 3.

God bless.

Ms Patrizia Puglia, Director of Religion and Spirituality

RECEPTION CLASS LITURGY

Primary Value: Collaborative – “We can accomplish more together than we can alone”

On Wednesday, RW hosted our end-of-term Liturgy. The theme of the Liturgy focused on “We can accomplish more together than we can alone.”  Students reflected on our Primary Value of being ‘Collaborative’ and what that means for them at school and in their everyday life. When sharing their ideas about this week’s Gospel according to Luke (10:1-12), they reflected on the importance of showing God’s kindness, peace, love and compassion to their peers, family and our school community, just like the 72 disciples Jesus sent out to spread the Good News.

Students shared their ideas of what ‘collaborative’ means:

“When we work together, like a team”. – Clyde R (RW)
“When we help each other”. – Zara (RB)
“We are collaborative when we help our friends when they get stuck”. – Archie (RW)
“When we show God’s love”.  – Charlotte (RB)
“Working together when we learn”.  – Christian D (RW)
“Being kind to everyone”. – Angus (RG)
“Showing kindness and compassion”. – Alina (RW)
“Working together”. – Lucas (RM)

It was beautiful to see all students coming together to celebrate the first semester of their learning journey. After the liturgy we shared our morning break together and enjoyed playful inquiry.

We look forward to sharing many more liturgical celebrations together as a Reception community.

Miss Ashleigh Behrendt, Reception Teacher

ANCIENT ROME – ROMA ANTICA

In Week 10 our Year 5 and 6 students completed the Roma Antica Unit with a class celebration. Classes dressed up as Romans, presented a topic of interest and shared some delicious Italian foods. It was great to see the boys share facts and come dressed as a Roman slave, gladiator, emperor or a solider. There were a variety of facts shared such as mosaics, Roman numerals, Julius Caesar, and Roman artifacts. Thank you to all the parents and students who used their creative skills and put together a costume for the presentations!

Saluti,
Signora Saraceno