Week 10, Term 2 2025

Dear Families,

As we approach the conclusion of Term 2, I’d like to offer my sincere thanks for your continued support and partnership. This term has been marked by uplifting moments of growth, creativity, and connection across our community.

These reports are a celebration of our students’ achievements and a chance to reflect on their learning journeys. They also embody our school values—Kind, Respectful, and Learners—offering a meaningful opportunity for families to sit down with their children, acknowledge progress, and set personal learning goals for the semester ahead. Should you wish to discuss your child’s report further, please arrange a meeting with their classroom teacher early in Term 3.

Last week’s school discos were a tremendous success! Students danced the night away under neon lights, and the joy on their faces was amazing to see. A big thank you to our P & F Committee and team of volunteers and everyone who contributed to the vibrant and fun atmosphere. Events like these highlight the spirit of fun for our students that make our school community so special.

We’re proud to share that our school has received a special commendation at the recent SA Architecture Awards for all our capital works projects over the last 4 years. This recognition celebrates the vision and collaboration behind our contemporary learning spaces and beautifully revitalized outdoor environments. These spaces reflect our commitment to dynamic and student-centred learning and our desire to foster creativity, curiosity and connection to the natural world.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs Kristen Hyde to the position of our Mid-Year Reception teacher starting next term. We look forward to welcoming Kristen to our school.

A reminder that Term 2 concludes this Friday 4 July at 3:00pm.

Term 3 will commence on Tuesday 22 July at 8:45am. Please note that Monday 21 July is a pupil-free day as we, along with many Catholic schools in the eastern region, are gathering for a special Professional Development day.

As we enter the holiday break, I want to again thank you—our families, staff and students—for your continued engagement and support. It is a privilege to lead a community so deeply committed to nurturing young people who are not only strong learners, but also kind and respectful citizens.

Wishing you all a safe and happy term break. I look forward to welcoming you back on 22^nd July for another term of learning and growth.

Kind regards,
Adrian Grbin
Principal

Sacramental Celebrations

Over the past week some of our students celebrated their Confirmation and First Eucharist. It was a lovely celebration led by Bishop Greg O’Kelly. We wish the children all the best as full members of the Catholic Church.

In Term 4, expressions of interest will go out to families for the 2026 St Joseph’s Parish Sacramental Program.

Pope Leo

It has been lovely getting to know a little more about Pope Leo as he starts his Papal Leadership. Here are six fun facts about him:

1. He is the first American Pope
2. He likes to play Wordle!
3. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics
4. He met Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis
5. He favourite sport is tennis

The Year 6 students have spent the term been diving head first into the world of democracy, voting, and the roles of elected representatives at all levels of government – local, state and federal.

The students welcomed old scholar and current Campbelltown Councillor, Luci Blackborough, who shared her journey and the impact of local leadership. It was fascinating for the students to see their favourite local places, such as The Arc, and hear about how they came to fruition!

To further bring civics education to life, in week 7 the students stepped inside Parliament House, where they were guided by Cressida O’Hanlon, Member for Dunstan. They toured the House of Assembly, Legislative Council, and the Parliamentary Library, and even took part in a mock debate, taking on roles from Speaker to MPs! 

The class have just completed their proposals for a new process to elect student leaders, which they will put forward to Mr Grbin. 

Another highlight of the term has been the 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Shadow Judging Project! Throughout this term, they are reading and critiquing six Shortlisted CBCA Early Childhood books—honing their analytical skills and deepening their love of books. The class have been thrilled to welcome back and work with our former librarian, Kathryn, who has been guiding their analysis of each book. 

We can't wait to see all of the creative responses next week!!

There’s been lots of exciting progress happening in Numeracy this term!

We’re continuing to use Bond Blocks for our intervention work, and this term we’ve started trialing the program more broadly in Year One classrooms as part of their teaching. The teachers have already noticed that the students are really engaging with it, and our first round of assessments has shown some great early results. Based on what we’ve seen, some teachers are even looking at introducing certain parts of the program earlier than originally planned. We’ll be exploring this further next term to make sure it still supports strong learning and retention.

This is our second year as part of the Numeracy Teachers Academy, and we’ve continued using Dr Ange Rogers’ 6 Aspects of Place Value resources. Teachers began the year with a focus on place value, and have been revisiting it regularly through warm-ups, reviews, and integration with other learning areas. We’re just about to complete the mid-year PVAT (Place Value Assessment Tool), which will give us a clear picture of how students are progressing and help guide our planning for the rest of the year.

We’ve also worked together as a staff to agree on a consistent language and timeline for teaching addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. This has now been added to our school-wide Numeracy Agreement and outlines the expected year level for students to master each fact.

Recently, we’ve held two professional development sessions during staff meetings. One focused on strategies for teaching multiplication and building fluency with multiplication facts, while the other covered addition and subtraction strategies.

We’re looking forward to building on this momentum as the year continues!

This term, our music program has been buzzing with creativity and growth as students across all year levels engaged in rich, hands-on learning experiences. Here’s a closer look at what’s been happening in the music room:

Reception: Building Musical Foundations: 
Our youngest learners have been introduced to the solfège system (do–re–mi) to help them understand pitch and melody. Using melodic resonator bells, students explored the notes C, D, and E in a tactile and visual way. These colourful instruments allow children to see, hear, and play pitches, making abstract musical concepts more concrete. 

Through singing games, echo songs, and guided improvisation, students have been developing: 

• Pitch matching – accurately singing back notes they hear 

• Melodic memory – remembering and repeating short musical phrases 

• Listening and responding – following musical cues and directions in group settings 

These activities not only support musical growth but also enhance focus, coordination, and group cooperation. 

Year 1 & 2: Exploring Rhythms of the World: 
This term, our Year 1 and 2 students have been on a rhythmic journey around the world! Through a fun and engaging game called “Secret Chicken,” students explored different rhythmic patterns and learned how to listen, imitate, and create their own rhythms. 

We have been building: 

• A strong sense of beat and rhythm 

• Listening and coordination skills 

• Cultural awareness through world music influences 

• Recording rhythms using standard music notation 

As the end of Term 2 approaches, it’s nice to look back and reflect on the activity of the Parents & Friends Committee.  We’re half way through the year and half way to our fundraising total of $10,000!

We’ve been busy organising events to raise funds but most importantly, enrich the lives of the children and bring our school community together in fun and meaningful ways.  A big thank you to everyone who’s lent a hand recently—your time and energy are always appreciated.

Donut Day was a Sweet Success!

Thank you to all our wonderful families for supporting the P&F Donut Day in Week 8.  We’re excited to share that we raised $500 towards our outdoor shade project!  The students absolutely loved the treat, and the day was filled with smiles all around.

A big thank you to Foodland Norwood for their generous support and delicious donation, we truly appreciate it!

As always, we love welcoming new volunteers. Whether you can help regularly or just now and then, your involvement makes a big impact.  Please reach out.

Thank you for being such an engaged and generous community and thank you for your continued support!

Warm regards,
Parents & Friends Committee

Garlic Bread Tuesdays (Terms 3)

• A $1 favourite at recess! If you’re available to help, please contact Hanna Niznik.

Trivia Night “Through the Decades” – Saturday, 23 August 2025

• Registrations are now OPEN!   Gather your table of 10 for a night of laughs, music, and friendly competition.  Visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1413512 to register your table.  Payments by Team Captain via QKR please.
• We’re still collecting prizes and auction items, so if you, your business or you have a contact who can donate an item or voucher, we’d love to hear from you.

Are you looking for vacation care these school holidays?  There are currently vacancies at both St Francis of Assisi, Newton and The Red Shed at Marryatville Primary School.  These services provide a safe, engaging, and supportive environment for children outside of regular school hours.

Bookings & Enquiries:

• Email: oshc@ymcasa.org.au

• Phone: (08) 8200 2516

• Email: redshedoshc@gmail.com OR redshed.oshc881@schools.sa.edu.au

• Phone: 0423 025 782