Term 3 Weeks 3 and 4

Dear Parents,
Please check the recent 'dates to remember' section.  More events will be inserted at a later date.


RELIGION: Revisit the three Sacraments of Initiation.  Revise the Sacrament- Baptism and the symbols. Introduce Confirmation.


ENGLISH:  Mentor Texts: Good Enough For a Sheep Station ( Writing trait - voice) / Flame Stands Waiting ( Writing trait- word choice) , morphology ( suffix-ly), phonology( or, ore, a, aw, au, t, tt ) Orthography ( add s for plurals, rules for adding ing) , Etymology ( carousel, melodies, queues, twilight, beast, ,paddock, chores, shearing, homestead, stockman ), compound words.    Make innovations from sentences.
                Writing: Continue to write daily.  Use lively verbs, adjectives, adverbs and nouns from books and brainstorm rich language from pictures to assist with writing. Continue to  model how to write historical diary entries.


MATHS:  Continue to revise subtraction regrouping, subtraction number facts, multiplication number facts and calculating change to the nearest five cents from simple transactions.  Introduce reading maps using directional language.


HASS: Continue exposing students to what life was like for a child in the 1800s and what the EKKA was like in the 1800s.

Term 3 Weeks 1and 2

Dear Parents,
This term in Week 5, the children will be attending the  Brisbane Royal Exhibition ( The Ekka) as part of our History unit. We are making comparisons between the 1800s and now. The Ekka began in 1876. Each group of five children will be accompanied by an adult. Further information will be provided closer to the date.
RELIGION:  Introduce the three Sacraments of Initiation.


ENGLISH
Writing genre:  historical diary entry.  In class, we will be writing diary entries from the perspective of a child in the 1800s. They will be based on chores, games and school of this era.
Reading Workshops: the children are enjoying reading independently for up to forty minutes while the teacher conferences with individual children. The decoding strategies we are working on are  chunking and reading on for meaning.
Literature: We are reading books based on the 1800s. The children have enjoyed listening to 'The Dog On the Tuckerbox' and  the poem  'My Country'.


MATHEMATICS
Division:  dividing by 2 number facts ( relating this to the 2x table and halves)
Subtraction number facts ( relating these to addition number facts)
Subtraction regrouping
Money: calculating change using the count on method


HASS: Life in the 1800s - transport, clothing, chores, school, punishment, games, family life


Art: Last week the children made a sheep using finger prints of white paint to make the image of the wool. This week the children will draw a charcoal picture of worker's cottage with a wooden fence which will show as a reflection on the nearby river.

Week 8

We welcome two new children to our class:  Sam and Christian.


Overview of Weeks 8 and 9:


RELIGION: We have completed our unit on the Parish and have begun the unit: Life in Jesus' Time.
We will be looking at the cultural context of that time, including what life was like, who were the shamed and honoured and the four gospel writers.
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ENGLISH:   The children are completing a narrative assessment.  We have been looking at language features that will engage the audience: onomatopoeia, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, similes, power of 3, alliteration,  3,4 and more. 


                       Sound Waves  Unit 17  (   i _e ,  y, igh, i    ie    as in icecream  )  , and 18  ( n nn   kn  as in net) 


We have been reading picture books with rich language. The children particularly enjoyed listening to and reading 'Knots In A Counting Rope'. This can be found on my blog. It contains lots of rich language.


MATHEMATICS:  We have been practising reading time on both analogue and digital clocks. The children also need to write the time in words.
2:15 is written as: quarter past 2 or 15 minutes past 2
2:30 is written as:  half past 2 or 30 minutes past 2
2:45 is written as:  quarter to 3


HASS: This week we complete our learning about the four commemorations/celebrations in Australia - Australia Day, ANZAC Day, National Sorry Day and Queensland Day.
The children have also labelled Australia's capital cities, states and territories. They have also plotted natural and manmade landmarks- Uluru,  The Great Barrier Reef,  Sydney Opera House and Australia's Parliament House in Canberra.

TERM 2 WEEKS 1-6

TERM 2
There will be no homework this week due to it being Wellness Week.


ENGLISH:


The students have been learning to write Narratives. They have been introduced to language features such as adjectives, similes, onomatopoeia, power of three, alliteration and prepositions.  I have encouraged the children to be 'thinkers' when they are writing so as to write quality narratives that will engage the audience.


Sound Waves; the following graphemes have been covered:  ee e ea y  ey as in bee, l ll as in lizard,
ai, at a_e, a as in snail,  h as in house


MATHS


Concepts covered in weeks 1-6:  simple fractions, multiplication, sharing, addition regrouping, numbers to 10 000 and odd and even numbers.


HASS
Special days in Australia: Australia Day,  ANZAC Day,  Sorry Day.  Queensland Day will be covered next week.


RELIGION


Roles of the priest and bishop. 

Homework

Dear Parents,


There will be no homework for the next fortnight due to NAPLAN this week and Wellness Week in Week 6.  Home readers will be sent home this Friday and next week.

Term 1 Week 9

Dear Parents,


This week will be the last week for Homework this term.


Religion:  We have completed the unit on Creation and will begin the unit on Jesus as the Messiah.


English:  The students are completing their first draft of a Persuasive text: Picking up rubbish should be a new school rule. When finished, the students will edit their work and write a final copy. Towards the end of the week, we will begin to revise how to plan, write and edit Imaginative texts. The students are working through a NAPLAN Language Conventions booklet. 




Mathematics:  We are revising counting patterns. The students are also learning about Mass ( weight) and capacity.  I encourage you to look at items at home that are measured in grams (g), kilograms (kg), millilitres (mL) and litres (L) and discuss these with your children.  Cooking also helps with understanding these formal units of measurement.




Science: Last Friday, the students enjoyed their first lesson about the Sun, Earth and Moon and what causes day and night. We will continue this unit this week.

Cross Country

Dear Parents,
The Cross Country will be held on the last Tuesday of the term ( 27/3), This is also a Free Dress Day. It will be a gold coin donation for Caritas. We are encouraging the students to wear their house colour t-shirt with shorts and sandshoes that are appropriate to run in.

Week 8

Dear Parents,
On Wednesday afternoon in week 10, Three Green will be hosting Assembly.


Overview:
RELIGION:  We are completing our unit on Creation and will begin the Unit about Jesus as the Messiah.
ENGLISH:  Grammar- common and proper nouns
                     Sound Waves - the 'i' sound as in igloo
                     Completing our assessment of a Persuasive text,
                     Writing an Imaginative text


MATHS    Revising how to interpret a calendar ( grade 2 concept)
                  Measuring length - cm and m
                  Nearest 10 strategy when adding 9


SCIENCE: What causes day and night.


    

Books

Dear parents,


Sometimes I am going to add a book to  the website link that corresponds with the sound we are learning.    I have added 'Hugless Douglas" that corresponds to the 'd' sound .  In class, the children will be reading along with the book.  They will make a list of words in the book that have the graphemes d or dd.

Week 4

Welcome to Week 4 in 3Green J This week is a going to be a busy but FUN week as it is the beginning of Lent. Thank you again to all those parents who attended the Parent Teacher Evening and THANK YOU for helping your children complete their homework this week J

THE WEEK AHEAD

Monday

• Homework will be sent home today. Please look at the twitter to see how to set the homework out. We will go over this in class again. Home Readers will be sent home.

Tuesday

• Today is Shrove Tuesday. Each child is asked to bring 50cents to take part in making and eating pancakes. The money will be collected and donated to Caritas.

Wednesday

• Today students will participate in Italian.
• Today is Ash Wednesday and there will be a Prep to Year 3 liturgy 10:15am in Church.
• Assembly in Sienna at 2.15pm. The assembly is earlier today, as it is the Year 6 leadership commissioning.
• Please return home readers, as they will be changed in class.

Thursday

• Today students will have their Library lesson. Please bring a library bag to borrow. The students are trying really hard to participate in the Great Library Bag Challenge. 

Friday

• Today Homework is due back.
• Today students will participate in their PE lesson. Children need to wear their sports uniform to school.
• Please return home readers, as they will be changed in class for students to read over the weekend.

 

THIS WEEK'S FOCUSES:

Religion: We are unpacking the Beatitudes and looking at key vocabulary. We are looking at key proclamations and making connections with modern day Catholic organisations who promote moral living.
SoundWaves: We are learning about the ‘k, c, q, ck, x, ch’ sound, as in crazy kites k, k, k.
Spelling Rule / Pattern: We are learning about past tense verbs and how to add ‘es’ to base words.
Writing – We are writing Persuasive texts, as well as exploring some simple editing strategies.
Comprehension – We are learning about the main idea and supporting points.
Daily Number Facts – We are learning our rainbow facts (friends of ten).
Maths – We are learning about the value of Australian money, how to count collections of coins, and equivalence.
Health – Child Safety (Daniel Morcombe)
HASS – We are continuing our Unit of work: The Role of Rules. We are looking at making decisions democratically and participating and contributing to communities.

We have been having so much FUN in Grade 3! Please check our twitter account and have a look at all the things we have been doing in class.
 
Have a great week! May God Bless You all throughout the week.

Week 3

THE WEEK AHEADMonday - Homework sent home
Tuesday - Music (Sport Uniform Day)
Wednesday –  Italian, Assembly, Parent Information Evening
Thursday - Library (Students must bring a library bag to borrow)
Friday – Homework due back, PE (Sport Uniform Day)

Value of the fortnight: Resilience
Daily Number Focus: Counting backwards 1, 2, 3
Numeracy Workshop Focus: Telling time
Spelling focus: a
​Grammar Focus: Adding 'ed', 'ing'
Comprehension Strategy: Main Idea
Writing Strategy: Editing (spelling, boundary punctuation)
Writing Genre: Persuasive Texts

Parent Information Evening 
Wednesday 7th February - Year 3 classrooms.
2 sessions in the classrooms (6:30 - 7:00pm OR 7:30 - 8:00pm)
1 session (7:00pm) in Siena hall for an address from Nick Gallen.

*** REMINDER ***
Teachers’ mornings and afternoons are jam packed with lesson planning, marking, emails, meetings and so on (the list really is endless). We spend time doing all these things, to ensure your child is successful in their learning. If you would like to see me in regards to your child, please email me to arrange an appointment. Unfortunately I will be unable to meet with you unless an appointment has been scheduled. I check my emails frequently and will email you back within a 24 hour time period Monday to Friday (emails will not typically be responded to on weekends).
For any urgent matters, it is best to phone the office. 


Kind regards,
Sonya Telford

Week 2

Welcome to Week 2.  The children begin specialist lessons this week. Physical Education is on Fridays.  The children can wear their sports uniform on Tuesdays and Fridays. There will be a whole school Mass this Wednesday at 9am in the hall. Homework begins Week 3.




Overview of Week


RELIGION:  Discuss moral living. Read the ten Commandments and discuss.


ENGLISH: Sound Waves - b sound
 Spelling rule:  double the last letter and add ed
Writing:  Introduce Persuasive Genre
Reading:  Literacy Rotations begin
Spelling: Revise words that children should be able to spell in Year 3.


MATHS:
Number facts: Adding and subtracting zero
Reading and interpreting graphs
Understanding the value of digits in a number up to 999

Information

Information


Dear Parents/Caregivers,
Please refer to this post and the prior post to ensure an easy transition to school this year.

 

Our school is proud to facilitate a caring learning environment, which enables students to continually grow academically, spiritually, physically, emotionally and socially.

I look forward to working with you and your children as partners to create a successful educational experience. Please read the below information on key policies and procedures for the year.


After School
Unless you have signed yourself in at the office (and are wearing a volunteer tag), please remain in the 'Parents Area' until 2:55pm, when the bell rings. If you see other parents entering the school grounds without a volunteer tag, please redirect them to the office.

Students are dismissed from the classroom at 2:55pm. Please make sure you have discussed with your child where and who will be picking them up (it may be the undercover area, the pick up zone 'white post' or after school care).

St Bernardine’s Behaviour Policy
The basis for our behaviour management procedures is our belief in Christian values. We believe that children need to understand that they are responsible for their own behaviours and that we as a school community will support them as they learn how to interact and live within our Christ-centred environment.

A close working relationship with parents is vital and our mutual support of each other will benefit the moral and social development of all children.

As part of an ongoing program, children will be taught about appropriate behaviours, responsibility and choices. They will explore both the positive and negative consequences of their choices.

Birthdays
Birthdays are a special time of the year for each child! If your child would like to share a small birthday treat with the class, please let me know. Please make sure you send individual sized items. Ice blocks are always a fantastic idea. We do not keep knives in our classroom, so we are unable to cut large cakes. We have 27 students in the class.

Home Readers
Home Readers will commence in Week 3. It is crucial that your child is reading aloud (side-by-side) to an adult every night. It is important that your child retells (summarises) and answers questions (comprehension) about the book as well. Home Readers will be changed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This gives your child the opportunity to develop and consolidate fluency and expression when they are rereading the text a second time.

Homework
Homework will be issued each Monday and is due Friday of the same week. Throughout the year, homework is used to reinforce literacy and numeracy skills learned at school. It is expected that each child completes their homework each week. Homework will commence in Week 3. Please do not be afraid to help your child with homework – it is an excellent role-modelling opportunity! If you have any questions about the homework, please email me.

Late Arrival
If your child arrives after 8:40am, please do not drop them off in the drop-off area. Students arriving after 8:40am should be signed in at the office using their student bag tags. Please do not bring them directly to the classroom as our attendance rolls are marked electronically. Your child's identification tag should remain on their school bag. If your child has a new bag, please transfer their tag over. If your child has lost their bag tag, please contact the office.

It is also a legal requirement that any parent or helper must sign in at the office if they are on the school grounds between 8:40am and 2:55pm each day. This is to ensure that requirements relating to both fire safety and student safety are met.

Meetings and Parent/Teacher Interviews
Teachers’ mornings and afternoons are jam packed with lesson planning, marking, emails, meetings and so on (the list really is endless). We spend time doing all these things, to ensure your child is successful in their learning. If you would like to see me in regards to your child, please email me to arrange a meeting. Unfortunately, I will be unable to meet with you unless an appointment has been scheduled. I will email you back within a 24 hour time period Monday to Friday (please understand that emails will not typically be responded to on weekends). For any urgent matters, it is best to phone the office.

Information regarding formal parent teacher interviews will be released during first term.

Open communication is essential in the successful education of your child!

Munch and Crunch
Each day we will be having 'Munch and Crunch'. I ask that you send your child's fruit or vegetable in a clearly labelled, separate container, zip lock bag or paper bag (if you can't write on the fruit. e.g. apple). Munch and Crunch gives the students an opportunity to put some nutrition into their bodies and increase their energy to learn at optimum levels. It should be small enough to eat in 5 minutes.

Some examples of foods to bring include: fresh fruit such as apples; mandarins; cut up oranges; seasonal fruit (stone fruit in the summer months); cut up watermelon; bananas; pears; cut up kiwi fruit; grapes; cherry tomatoes – the list is endless. Vegetables such as carrot and celery sticks; snow peas; cooked pumpkin and sweet potato squares; fresh broccoli florets are just some possibilities.

We ask that students not bring any packaged or processed food as we are promoting healthy, natural foods.

Movement Breaks
In our classroom we will frequently have 'movement breaks'. This is so students have the opportunity to refuel learning through the power of movement. We will be using 'GoNoodle'.
​You can also create a free account at home, if you like!

Specialist Lessons
Italian will commence in Week 1. All other specialist lessons will commence in Week 2.
P.E. - Tuesday (Sports Uniform)
LOTE (Italian) - Wednesday
Library - Thursday (must bring a library bag to borrow)
Music - Fridays (Sports Uniform)

Tuckshop
Our school tuckshop is open every day. You can choose between ordering your child's lunch/afternoon tea online (before 8:30am) through the QKR app or through the old 'brown paper bag' system with cash. I highly encourage you to use the online system. If you ever forget to send your child with lunch you can order an emergency lunch through the app before 11:30am.

Please carefully consider the food that you order for your child from the school tuckshop as we aim to educate the children to make healthy choices in their lives.

Uniform
All children are required to wear the correct school uniform. All children will wear:
Day uniforms worn three days per week, on special occasions and for educational excursions.
Sports uniforms worn on the designated HPE days each week and for sporting carnivals and special sports events.

Your child will require:
Light blue ankle socks
All black leather or leather-look shoes
(if you choose to buy your child school shoes with laces rather than velcro, please make sure they know how to tie them)
A school hat EVERYDAY (no hat, no play)
Neat and tidy hair, tied back if long, as per the parent handbook information
Jewellery in accordance with the parent handbook
NOTE: PLEASE REMEMBER TO NAME YOUR CHILD’S BELONGINGS CLEARLY TO PREVENT DISTRESS.

Term 1 Week ! 2018

Weekly Update

 

Friday 19th January 2018 - Week 1 Update!

Good morning all,

Welcome back! I am very excited to start the new school year. Our classroom is almost finished and already looking amazing!

Notices:
On the first day of school, students can bring ALL their booklist items to the classroom at 8:15am. Please place your child's booklist items UNDER their desk. Once he/she has unpacked their drink bottle and put their bag on the bag rack, your child can go back to their desk and start their word search. When the bell goes, parents are required to leave.

If your child is settled beforehand, he/she may stay in the classroom with me. I will ensure your child is fully supported as they become comfortable with their new peers and surroundings. Don't forget to remind them of who will be picking them up in the afternoon and where.

*** Please make sure all of your child's belongings are labelled and ready to go for Tuesday. This includes uniform, lunchbox, water bottle, books and stationery. ***

Tuesday morning will be a very busy time, with the children getting settled and back into routine. If there is anything you would like me to know about your child, please email me prior to Tuesday (stelford@bne.catholic.edu.au).

Also, on the first day of school, at 8:45am in the Undercover Area, there will be a Parents Morning Tea available with our Principal, Nick Gallen.

Have a wonderful weekend!

   Sonya Telford