The grade four students have once again shown us how well they can adapt to changing timetables. I was impressed how well the students participated in the sports events last week and were then able to slip right back into their school work. Their ability to be flexible and to step up to complete tasks is wonderful to see.

This week I have been on the lookout for students to nominate to move from silver level to the golden certificate level.This for students who can move from usually to consistently showing  the 4Rs: Responsibility, Resilience, Respect and Ready to learn.To reinforce these ideals at home you could discuss the four R’s and ways your child and ways that they demonstrate them.

As we get towards the end of the term it’s a great opportunity to focus on being resilient and focus on the positives even when we are tired. It is also vital that your child is at school every day to make sure they don’t miss out on the learning that will be assessed on. Not all work can be sent home to catch up on, skills have to taught before they can be practised independently. Currently our attendance is that 47% of students are attending 95% or more of school days. Hopefully we can work together to improve those statistics before the end of the term.

This week in maths we have been working on fractions and how two fractions can have the same value even if they are not split into the same amount of parts. We have been learning that we wouldn’t trade one half of pizza for a sixth of a pizza because it will be a smaller piece. There has been lots of comparisons made to pizza and chocolate to help the students visualise the problem so they may come home a little hungry!

The reading program this week has been changed to better meet the needs of the students. We are fortunate at St Joseph’s to have so many school officers and during reading time we have access to two school officers and myself to support their learning. The small group rotations mean that your student is working at a level that can be challenging but allows for them to succeed in their learning. The rotations are made up of different activities including teaching explicit reading behaviours, vocabulary and comprehension tasks. The students have also been engaging in silent reading after lunch. This is not only a great way to reset after a busy lunchtime but an opportunity to build on the habit of reading. During this time, I also read my own book so that the students can see first hand how much I value reading.

Miss Briody