Last Thursday night it was great to be a part of our Sacrament of Reconciliation Formation Night via Zoom. A little bit different not to be face-to-face with everyone, however, still great to come together as a Parish to begin the journey of supporting our students through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Welcome to Sue Collins, our new Parish Sacramental Coordinator. A big thanks to the Parish Sacramental Team and teachers with the organisation.

Just a reminder also, at the moment, our water bubblers are still closed, so children need to bring in a water bottle each day. Also, we are still going with only pre-packaged items to bring in for a child's birthday (eg freddo frog, ice-block, packet of chips etc). Thank you in advance for your support regarding this. 

Parent-Teacher-Student Meetings

This week, all parents and their children have had the opportunity to meet with their class teacher. These important meetings have set the scene for the semester ahead. We have come through a unique and challenging period for student learning (who knows what the future may hold), so it is important for us altogether (home and school) to take a moment to reflect and the learning that has taken place and will take place moving forward. It is important to discuss areas of strength for a child and areas of challenge. What we will do at school to support, what is needed at home and what the child will need to do to take ownership for their learning also. 

Part of this is setting goals around learning. This is done continuously throughout the school year. Sometimes more formal goals are set, sometimes a focus area will be set for a child in a specific area, sometimes it centres around what a class or group of students are focusing on. Teachers work extremely hard to pinpoint areas to provide ongoing feedback throughout the day to affirm, support and challenge student learning. There are many reasons why students setting learning goals are important. Some of these reasons are;

1. Provides A Clear Path To Success
When your child sets goals, it gives him or her steps to follow so tasks are completed according to importance. This allows more time and energy to be spent on the next step in achieving their goal rather than tackling tasks as they come up.

2. Teaches Time Management & Preparedness
Having a clear plan also reduces procrastination. If your child knows exactly what they want to achieve and knows the steps required to achieve it, there is less room for procrastination.
Setting effective goals also teaches your child organisation, planning, and time management skills they can use in the classroom and at home.

3. Increases Motivation                                                              If the big picture seems too overwhelming, break bigger goals into short-term goals. This separates long-term goals into smaller, more manageable steps so your child doesn’t get discouraged and quit.

4. Measures Progress
Setting clear goals makes it easier for your child to track his or her progress. Seeing how far they have come and how much is left to do motivates them to continue working toward (and achieving) goals.

5. Gives Focus & Purpose
Setting goals determines a clear pathway to success, allowing your child to focus on what needs to get done. This goes a long way to preventing your child from becoming overwhelmed, frustrated, or discouraged. It lessens feelings of being disheartened and encourages your child to spend time on activities that contribute to his or her goals.

6. Boosts Self-Confidence
When your child starts making progress toward achieving their goals, it’s a big confidence boost! Your child’s confidence in their abilities is important for self-image in the long run, helping them tackle future goals with less anxiety. With that new-found confidence, your child can continue to set more ambitious goals.

7. Provides Challenges
If your child seems uninterested in a certain subject or school in general, set a small goal to work toward. This will keep them engaged in the classroom and encourages your child to think of new areas they can continue to improve.

Mathematician Day

Today we celebrate all things Mathematics with our first Mathematician Day. This was a fun and engaging day all centering around the world of Maths and creating a love of learning in Maths. We were visited by Mr Webb's brother, Michael who is a Magician. It was interesting to see the thinking by students when they saw some amazing magic tricks taking place. All students also rotated around to different classes to experience different Mathematical experiences. These ranged from tangrams, mapping, measuring, using technology to shapes. 

We are all Mathematicians and it was fun to see students dressing up like a Mathematician. Oddly enough, most of their outfits were what Mr Webb wears everyday! We hope everyone had a fun day and that we contributed to starting a change in attitude towards Maths. Teachers will use this as a springboard moving forward with mathematical thinking and learning in classes.