A New Maths Syllabus and Kindergarten Has Grey Hair?
Welcome to Term 3! It has been lovely to see our students return with so much enthusiasm and energy after the holiday break. We have completed our annual school photos and our second round of parent teacher interviews already, so we are off to a flying start. This term we have some exciting events happening. Numeracy Parent Workshops, Year 4 Camp, Father’s Day Breakfast and Bookweek are just some of these things.
This year we are implementing the new Mathematics syllabus from Kindergarten to Year 6. There have been some changes that reflect the current research into the way children learn mathematics. In the new syllabus there is an increased focus on developing reasoning skills to support deeper understanding and making connections across foundational concepts in mathematics. If you are wondering what this means for your child or wondering how best to help them at home to grow in their understanding, we would love you to come to our Numeracy workshops this term. We are running a K-2 Parent workshop on Wednesday 14th August and a 3-6 Parent workshop the following Wednesday 21st August. Both workshops run from 4:00-5:30pm.
Next Tuesday afternoon our Stage 3 families have the opportunity to come and hear Rowena from Amazing me present a session on Bodies, Babies and Puberty. Rowena is a trusted and experienced presenter who has a long history with the College. She is a primary trained teacher, with more than 30 years of experience in sexuality education and a mum of three adult children. Rowena understands the many complexities and challenges at different stages in a child’s life when talking about tough topics like sex and puberty. She is passionate about what she does with the goal that open and positive conversations will be started and continued, that puberty is ‘normalised’, relationships enriched and strengthened and as a result, wise choices are made in the future. Rowena was also featured as an expert in an article on ABC News about “The questions kids ask show the changing reality of sex education”. If you are a parent of a stage 3 child, I highly recommend you attend with your child. Information about the session can be found in your emails, or you can contact the College for more details.
100 Days of Kindergarten
On Thursday, Kindergarten celebrated 100 days of kindy by dressing up as adorable 100-year-olds! From walking sticks to grey hair, they embraced the spirit of the day with joy and creativity. We loved seeing their enthusiasm and look forward to many more days of learning and fun!
God bless,
Mrs Jenny Squire
Deputy Principal – Head of Junior School
Sport
IPSSO
The Winter IPSSO season continued during Weeks 1 and 2. In Week 1, we played against Mount Annan Christian College which is always a tough opponent. Our teams played with good sportsmanship and fought bravely. Congratulations to the junior netball team who won 18-9, the senior netball team who won 44-15, the senior AFL team who won 39-3, and the junior and senior volleyball teams, who both won 2-0! In Week 2, we played against Wollondilly Anglican College. All our teams put in a great effort after such a long trip down! Congratulations to our volleyball teams, who won 3-0, our senior netball team who won 30-8 and our junior netball team who won 20-19. I also want to congratulate the junior boys soccer team, who played out a thrilling 0-0 draw- they played with outstanding sportsmanship and stayed focused the whole game!
Gymnastics
During the first two weeks of term, we kicked off our gymnastics program! These sessions, led by the fantastic team at Zing Active, are not just about learning fundamental movement skills. They’re about having fun, staying engaged, and most importantly, staying safe. The gymnastics program will continue to be a highlight for the first six weeks of term.
3-6 College Sport
This week, our Year 3-6 students began learning frisbee skills from an expert coach and Oz Tag skills from our teachers. These skills will benefit them as they develop their sporting skills and prepare to participate in the House Cup at the end of the term.
K-2 Cross Country
On Thursday Week 10 of last term, we ran the K-2 Cross Country Carnival. This event, aimed at promoting physical activity and a spirit of healthy competition, was a great success. It was great to see all the students enjoying having a go at the race and run so well! It was a fabulous way to end a great term of sport for our K-2 students!
CSSA and CIS Nominations
From time to time, the College can nominate some of our exceptional athletes to trial for CSSA or CIS representative teams. These teams are selected for high level representative competitions, drawing from almost 100 schools across NSW. If you would like the College to nominate your child for one of these events, please follow the procedure below:
- Go to the CSSA website to see the list and dates of these trials (cssa.net.au)
- Email me (jbarber@opac.nsw.edu.au), expressing your child’s interest, background, and skills in the sport
- If they fit the requirements of the trials, I will nominate them to attend
- Attend the trials with your child
Upcoming Events
Week 3
Monday (5/8)
- Zone Athletics Carnival- selected students. The bus is leaving at 8am from the College.
- Gymnastics program during PE time.
Wednesday (7/8)
- IPSSO training at 7.45 am for all students selected in an IPSSO team.
- IPSSO games against St Peters Anglican Grammar. Volleyball and netball are at St Peters, soccer and AFL are at Campbelltown Showground. Junior games begin at 11.30 am, and senior games start at 1 pm.
Thursday (8/8):
- CSSA State Netball Gala Day- selected students. The bus leaves at 7.30am from the College and will return around 3.45pm.
- CSSA State Soccer Finals- selected students. The bus leaves at 7.00am from the College and will return around 4.30pm.
Week 4
Monday (12/8):
- Gymnastics program during PE time.
Wednesday (14/8):
- IPSSO training at 7.45 am for all students selected in an IPSSO team.
- IPSSO games against Mount Annan Christian College. Boys’ soccer and AFL are at Doohan Reserve, and netball and volleyball are at OPAC. Junior games begin at 11.30 am, and senior games start at 1 pm.
God bless,
Mr Joshua Barber
Junior School Sports Coordinator
