By Miss Stephanie Musgrave
I would like to take this opportunity to reflect with you all on the wonderful year we have had opening our primary school. Together we’ve laughed, we’ve sang, we’ve explored, we’ve reflected and we’ve grown in more ways than one.
I could not have asked for a better year, full of countless blessings, all thanks to the students, staff, and parents here at Santa Sophia.
Together we are building a community of friendship and learning through our values of faith, hope and love. I see this in action each and every day shared between every individual who has brought their heart and soul into this ever-growing school.
I would like to thank the parents for placing their trust in us and journeying alongside us as we nurture the hearts and minds of these precious young children. We are grateful for all of your support and continued involvement in the learning and faith formation of our school community.
To my kindergarten students … what can I say?
The very first kindergarten class of Santa Sophia will always hold a very special place in my heart. Together, we have had the most incredible year learning and growing together. I look back over the year and I am astonished with all that we have achieved.
From our very first day together with families, cameras and excitement filling my classroom, to the upcoming Christmas celebrations – we have not stopped. Each and every term, the students have extended themselves and not only impressed us with their learning but also the high school students and teachers plus our ever growing number of visitors to our impressive school!
Looking back on the year, we have had so much fun! From building billy carts in Term 1 and exploring how we can make things that move, to integrating our knowledge of movement with coding technologies. We had a wonderful time in the city watching the book 'Possum Magic' come to life and thoroughly enjoyed teaching our high school friends all about our family heritage.
One of my favourite units was our Investigations unit on living things. From learning about the needs of farm and zoo animals, the students then skyrocketed their learning into researching about endangered animals and how we can be wise like Saint Francis in caring for the needs of animals.
Kindergarten then continued to exceed our expectations in planning and making solutions to solve the problems of fairytale characters using their knowledge of the properties of materials.
Kindergarten continue to thrive in this rich learning environment and I can honestly say that every hour of learning is their favourite time of day! We have explored big numbers, learnt to read for meaning, write with persuasive language and pray with loving and generous hearts.
With our first year so incredibly blessed, I eagerly await 2020 when we welcome our new kindergarten families. I am convinced that as our community grows, each year will only be bigger and brighter.
Once again, I thank the entire Santa Sophia community for making this year so very special to us all. May the blessings of Christ be with you and all of your loved ones during this blessed Christmas time. Have a safe and relaxing holiday and I look forward to seeing you all next year!
We recently had a wonderful day where we welcomed 154 Japanese students to our school! Read all about it on our website here: http://www.santasophiaboxhill.catholic.edu.au/In-the-Loop/News/2019/12/11/02/05/Japanese-High-School-Visit
On Monday 11 November, the Santa Sophia high school community participated in a ceremony to commemorate Remembrance Day.
View our website to read more:
Read all about our Kindy Road and Pedestrian Safety incursion on our website below and view more photos on our facebook page:
Mrs Boddy shares with us about the progress students have made in their Photography Personal Interest Project and their Term 4 project on Australian Perspectives:
Visual Arts, Term 4 - Australian PerspectivesYear 8 showcased their growth over this year in their final project for Term 4. They developed their knowledge, understanding and skills in visual arts to create artworks and interpret art. In Term 4, Year 8 explored appropriation, still life and Australian identity through designed objects, photography and painting. Their final work was a contemporary still life which reflected Australian culture. I have been very impressed with how far all Year 8 students have grown in their artistic ability. I hope those students who are taking other electives next year, can transfer all they have learnt to enhance their projects.
Photography Personal Interest Project, Term 2 - 4The Year 7 students who chose to undergo the Photography Personal Interest Project, have created a Year 7 Photography Photo Book to document their exploration of photography. They have archived their images based on various themes. Each student explored various photographic techniques, materials and processes. They engaged with deep discussions about photography as contemporary art and what constitutes a successful photograph. Within their exploration, they were introduced to artists who use photography as an art form. The students transferred their knowledge and skills of photography into a photo book. This photo book is a product of young artists working in collaboration to archive and document their exploration of photography. Well done to the 38 students who contributed to the photo book this year!
Overall, it has been a successful year in Visual Arts and we wish all our students and their families a joyful Christmas!
by Mr Castellino
On Tuesday 26th of November Mrs Kalocsai and myself conducted some action research on what it's like to be a Stage 4 Santa Sophia Catholic College student, for a day.
We dressed up in the school uniform and headed off to class. It was a very insightful day, where we worked in groups, talked with students, sat assessment tasks and worked on projects.
We attended English, Science, Geography, Religion and TAS and hung out with the students at recess and lunch. The day allowed us as leaders to appreciate the experience of the students at our College and reflect on everyday procedures and lesson activities so that we can further improve the education of the students at our College. I would recommend this experience to all teachers.
By Mr Faccin
Sports Coordinator
This term in sport is relatively quiet as much of the representative competitions and teams take a break during the term. Looking back at sport in 2019, more than 90% of students participated in our school carnivals or represented the school at a PDSSSC Gala Day or carnival. We sent students to Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics, Football (Soccer), Futsal, Oz Tag, Dance, Basketball and Netball.
With many of our carnivals and gala days already booked in for 2020 we are hoping to include PDSSSC Touch Football, Tennis and provide individuals to Rugby League as well as hoping to send students to individual trials for NSW CCC teams selections.
This year we achieved our first game wins with both Futsal teams winning several games.
I would like to wish all members of the Santa Sophia community a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.
Article by Michael Grose from Parenting Ideas
(Full article here: https://www.parentingideas.com.au/blog/parenting-ideas-holiday-survival-guide/ )
Holidays are about kicking your feet up, relaxing and getting away from the usual routines. That’s how kids see holidays.
Holiday time can be stressful for many parents. Keeping kids busy, avoiding arguments and getting time for yourself can be hard parenting work during holidays. But school holidays don’t have to be stressful. It’s a great opportunity to get your family back on track, build strong relationships and set the tone for a positive future. These ideas will help:
Establish a holiday routine
Resist being an entertainment officer
Arrange plenty of green-time, less screen-time
Create one-on-one time
Embrace festivities
Team up with other families
Prioritise parent education
**Read the full article with details about the above ideas here**:
https://www.parentingideas.com.au/blog/parenting-ideas-holiday-survival-guide/
BLOG ARTICLES FOR THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
As mentioned in our recent Parent Education Network meeting we have invested in a Parenting Ideas membership for our community.
Although there is a huge amount of resources/articles available online for parents - through this membership we can ensure we are providing you with reputable advice.
Here are some valuable blog articles to assist you during this school holiday period:
Technology Holiday guide for parents:
https://www.parentingideas.com.au/schools/insight/technology-holiday-guide-for-parents/
Preparing your child for high school:
https://www.parentingideas.com.au/schools/insight/preparing-child-high-school/
Helping children make a bright start at school:
https://www.parentingideas.com.au/schools/insight/helping-children-make-bright-start-school/
A great webinar as we start 2020!
Click HERE:
Use discount code: BALANCING to access this webinar from Parenting Ideas for FREE (normally $37) as part of our Parenting Ideas membership - **this webinar is only available until 13th January 2020)
Modern life is busy. It’s busy for parents and is becoming increasingly busy for children and teens as activities fill up the family calendar outside school hours. Extra-curricular activities bring a host of benefits for children but there’s a threshold past which the benefits are outweighed by the impacts of being over-scheduled.
Join Dr Jodi Richardson in this webinar to understand the trend towards increasing enrolments in structured after-school activities, the benefits and the drawbacks for kids, the importance of free play for children, the implications of over scheduling on children’s mental health and how to create balance in the lives of your children.
We encourage you to prepare for Christmas by praying together as a family. Here is a simple prayer you could pray together, perhaps at the start of dinner or before bed:
God of Love,Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.
He is a sign of your love.
Jesus - Don't let us miss You this Christmas season. Help us to simplify our activities so we can focus our celebration on Your birth.
May we be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the magi, and the peace of the Christ child.
We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord
Amen.
