Our Value of the Term is Respect. Over the past two months, we have explored respect through giving attention, acting for the good of all, and being mindful of others’ needs. This week, through our assembly reading below, we focused on how we learn and grow through the support of those around us.
In the same way, our school exists today because of all those who have contributed over the past 40 years. We look forward to celebrating this shared journey on Saturday evening.
“We need other human beings in order to be human. We are made for togetherness, for family, for fellowship, to exist in a tender network of interdependence.” (Desmond Tutu on Ubuntu – No Future Without Forgiveness)
Julian Wilcock
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Category: Latest News from John Colet School Belrose
Week 7 in Lower 1st
It has been another busy week in Lower 1st. We have read and retold and summarized the story ‘Owl Babies’ by Martin Wadell. In Mathematics we have been learning to count, write and represent numbers from 0-20 and model simple subtraction problems. We have discussed how to keep ourselves healthy by eating lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables and learned about the indigenous seasons. In Philosophy we talked about the word Diversity, working through the book A New Alphabet for Humanity
The following is an excerpt from the book:
This week is an opportunity to help your child to learn more about diversity, how to respect and appreciate the differences in our world, and see them as a strength.
Talk to your child about the things that make them special or unique. Can they think of something that is different about a friend or a classmate? What’s great about people being
Week 7 in 3rd Class
Yesterday we completed our final NAPLAN test and so we spent yesterday afternoon relaxing with a movie.
In Maths this week, we revised Time by looking at half past, quarter to and quarter past. We also discussed analog and digital time. Next week we will extend our skills by working with five-minute and one-minute intervals. In English we focused on spelling and grammar, consolidating our knowledge of parts of speech and learning about prepositions. We also started looking at the homophones to/too/two and next week we will practise there/their/they’re. Homophones are also part of Spelling. This week, for example, we discussed key/quay and storey/story. Apostrophes of contractions were another area we explored.
Today the children were given their Maths Online log in details and glued them into their diaries. During our Maths lesson, they signed into their Maths Online accounts on Chromebooks. This was a lesson in itself as the children learned how
Week 8 in Upper 1st
English: This week was our revision and assessment week of all of the phonemes that we have been focusing on this term: ai, ay, ie, igh, –y, -y, ee, ea, oa. We also read the story of The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl. We used this as inspiration for both our short burst and extended writing this week. The children did a wonderful job using adjectives in their writing.
Geography: We focused on Monkey Mia and Turquoise Bay in Western Australia. We spoke about what Traditional Owners means, and we looked at natural and built features.
Maths: This week we are looking at length. We are using informal units to measure lengths and we are discussing the need for a more uniformed way to measure.
Health: This week we looked at Who is in my family? And the roles and responsibilities of each member of the family. We identified different types of families
On the vegetarian lunch menu for Week 8
Monday Spinach and ricotta Ravioli served with spicy tomato and basil cream sauce
Tuesday Pearl couscous with roasted seasonal vegetables parmesan and fresh herbs
Wednesday Salad wraps with tomato, lettuce, carrot, cucumber and cheese
Thursday Cream of pumpkin soup served with crusty sour dough bread and butter
Friday Vegetable puff pastry rolls served with spiced tomato chutney
(Chefs’ selection of fruits and vegetables provided daily)
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Deputy Head of School’s Comment
On Wednesday it was a delight to spend some time sitting in on Infants Singing. It was the beautiful sound and quality of the singing which initially drew me into the hall. I ended up staying for 10 or 15 minutes. The children are currently preparing for the Easter and Anzac Assemblies which will be held on the last week of term. The original advice given to the founders of the school was that the curriculum should include Singing, Sanskrit and Shakespeare. These three subjects open the children’s mind and hearts to beautiful sounds and language. The school has faithfully stuck to this direction for the last 40 years to excellent effect.
Di Renshaw
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Head of School’s Comment
Next week, our 5th Class students will attend an overnight Leadership Camp, at The Collaroy Centre. This experience was piloted last year, with both our 5th and 6th Class students, and the feedback from both our students and staff was overwhelmingly positive.
The final two years at John Colet School, mark a pivotal time for our students. As they transition into senior roles, they embrace greater responsibilities, both personally and within our school community.
This camp marks the beginning of a journey that will unfold over the next two years. The journey will provide students with numerous opportunities to cultivate greater independence, confidence, and a strong sense of service: qualities that will be essential as they prepare for the next chapter of their educational journey in high school.
Julian Wilcock
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This week in Year 1 (Upper 1st)
Our spelling and reading focus this week has been “oa”. We also learned about the “shwa” sound and how common it is in Australian accents. In short burst writing the children wrote about a ‘Staircase to the Moon’ and with the help of our wonderful parents, we wrote an informative description of a Thorny Devil. In grammar, we have been learning how to extend our sentences to include when and where.
Maths: This week the children continue to learn how to count forward and backwards 2’s, 3’s, 5’s and 10’s from any starting point. The children also identified and described patterns when skip counting using a number line, 100’s chart, counting on and counting down.
Philosophy: Our focus has moved to forgiveness. We discussed with the children about how forgiving others makes not only them, but also you, happier and more at peace.
Geography: We looked in detail at the Pinnacles in Western
Whole school discussion topic: Compassion
This week, the students were introduced to the word ‘Compassion’ as part of The New Alphabet for Humanity. We explored its meaning and practical applications during both our Assembly and Philosophy lessons. The children engaged in thoughtful discussions about how they can show compassion in their daily lives, both at school and at home, and shared examples of kind and caring actions.
Compassion is showing kindness and care for others. Compassion is about taking care of each other and uplifting those around us. Compassion is having an awareness of a deep connection between ourselves and others, and to all living things. When children become actively involved in showing compassion, they learn about this value in a deep and lasting way.
Affirmation:
“I am caring and helpful to others.”
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They’ve only been in school 6 weeks!
We have had a busy and exciting week in Lower 1st, filled with hands-on learning and creative activities. In Mathematics, we explored addition by working on number bonds to 5. In English, the children went on a ‘Caterpillar Walk’ around the playground, stopping at different locations. Along the way, we took photos and used them to learn about verbs, past tense and prepositions before writing a recount of the caterpillar’s adventures. We then created beautiful caterpillar artworks with the help of our 6th Class Buddies.
In Science, we began learning about the seasons, exploring how the weather and environment change throughout the year.
This week, the students also presented their first news item. It was wonderful to see them express their thoughts clearly, listen attentively to their classmates, and take pride in sharing special stories about their families.
Lower 1st Teachers
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