Click the link below to see our Programme of Inquiry for 2022:
Programme of Inquiry 2022
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Book Club Issue#6
The next issue of Scholastic Book Club is available online for anyone who would like to have a peruse.
Please click on the picture below:
#Orders are due by Monday the 6th of September 9am
Book Fair
Take a look at the books on offer this year.
Click on an photo to enlarge it and to scroll through all photos.
How to pay online:
- Click on the online payment portal https://parentpayments.scholastic.com.au/BookFairs (as per wish List)
- Enter State and School
- Enter credit card details and amount
- Highlight the titles you have paid for
- Record receipt number on the Wish List or print receipt
- Bring Wish List back to the school to collect books
A is for Anger
Emotions are an interesting thing. We live with them every day, and yet we can all still be so surprised when we experience certain ones. We can sometimes find ourselves at the end of a day feeling worn out, frustrated, angry or sad. Accepting that these emotions are an important part of life is a key to maintaining our long term happiness. Understanding why we are feeling a certain way, unpacking elements of our day leading up to our “big” feelings, can help us each make positive changes to our lives. Our children are no different.
You may recall, recently, I taught the students a simple process to work through when the “big” feelings come knocking. It’s based around the word S.T.O.P.
STOP what you’re doing when the “big” feelings come
TAKE A BREATH and calm yourself. You might need a few breaths!
OBSERVE what is happening. What is happening in your body right now? What is your self-talk like? What has happened leading up to these feelings? How have you behaved? What are you doing, right now? What do you observe happening in other people connected to this? What are you hearing from them? What are they doing?
PROCEED with love and kindness. Make a decision about what you need to do. What are the “A “choices you have? – see below.
As parents and caregivers, we often forget to take some time to do this for ourselves. We have busy days. Dinner preparation, shopping, bath times, homework, sport and other activities may dominate the time we have with our children and we can easily find ourselves rather wound up in “big” feelings too, particularly at the end of the day.
I spoke to the students in Assembly yesterday about making “A” choices when they become angry. Everyone gets angry and that’s okay. It’s what we do when we’re angry that counts. Some of the “A” choices the students came up with were:
- Breathe
- Find a quiet space alone to sit
- Talk to a friend
- Listen to some music that calms you
- Write in a journal.
I encourage you to share with your children what your “A” choices are when anger strikes, and ask them what they consider to be theirs. The “THINK filter” comes in handy here too, thinking about the things we can say and do to (and for) ourselves and others – your child will be able to explain that as well!. It’s a wonderful way to assist your children to develop the self-regulation skills that we all need in life and reaffirm some great well-being habits for ourselves.
Creative Arts update.
Hello there,
Just a brief update on some of the things that have been happening in the Creative Arts room.
BLC:
Last term we had a lot of fun inquiring into the different ways to tell a story. We explored storytelling through music, visual art, puppetry and drama. Here are some snap shots of the children’s learning experiences. 
The JLC and MLC classes are currently inquiring into photography. They are learning about different perspectives and camera angles. They are becoming familiar with the technology that enables them to edit and manipulate their images. The first step was to get out into the sunshine and take some photos around our beautiful school. The students were so focused and creative with their camera angles, it was wonderful to see them so inspired.
SLC
With another busy term ahead the SLC’s will have the space to have a little bit of creative fun. This term consists mainly of visual art with a little drama tossed in here and there.
Throughout the year we have focused on the elements of art. Recently the students created an artwork inspired by the ancient Grecian Urns. The main element of art incorporated in this activity is line. They turned out so well I couldn’t resist putting them on display. You can find them near the front desk, outside the staffroom.
Have a fabulous term 4 everyone.
Bye for now!
FLEXIBILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL
In light of current events in our local and global community, it seems like flexibility is the “new normal”. Being flexible is a key skill that we continually work on with our students at St. Michael’s. Being able to be flexible in our thinking is important as we learn to adapt to new conditions, approach new challenges, and grow in knowledge and new learning. Our openness to, and ability to be flexible enables us to develop co-cognitive skills such as grit, determination, perseverance and resilience. These co-cognitive skills help to produce balanced, creative members of society. As teachers we sometimes plan artificial “roadblocks” within our lessons to teach our students these co-cognitive skills. However, the pandemic we are experiencing has provided us with some very real challenges!
Our children have watched us all live, in recent times, within a climate that has forced us to be flexible. We’ve had to make adjustments to the way we work, the way we interact and, in the way we communicate and connect with each other. Our children have had to be flexible in their thinking and learning, and in the way they play and connect with their friends. This time of change has produced a great deal of learning in our awareness of ourselves and of others.
We should never underestimate the power of change and we should never underestimate the power of challenges and roadblocks as they are the catalyst to our children becoming the flexible, resilient, determined and creative members of society that we want them to be.
As Diverse Learning Coordinator, I am available to speak with you should you require any assistance in helping your child to adjust to the challenges they may face and to assist them to develop their co-cognitive skills and become more flexible in their thinking and learning. I can be contacted through the school office or by email at gpope@stmichaels.sa.edu.au
May God bless you in your parenting and caregiving, as you continually adjust to the new normal.
Change, Learning, Growth
William Authur Ward once wrote, “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” As a global and local community, we are currently experiencing one of the biggest changes we will ever see in our lifetime. As a result, while remaining optimistic and trusting in God, we are having to adjust our “sails” by re-examining our behaviour and make decisions about what we do and where we go in order to protect others in our community, and ourselves. Whether it be out of fear, concern, responsibility, whatever feelings we may be experiencing, we all play a part in this societal change. This is an incredible opportunity for our children to learn first-hand about how to think globally and act locally.
As someone with a particular interest in culture, I’ve been wondering quite a bit about how society might change, long term, as a result of this pandemic and reveal to us what we truly value, individually and collectively. What I do know is that in thinking so globally, becoming more aware of the crises around our world, our own world has had to become smaller.
Change is a necessary part of life and it is important that our children know this. It may mean we need to adapt our way of life and that is okay. Some of us may find this easier than others, and that is okay too. I hope that as your worlds have become smaller for a while and you are restricted to just the necessary activity and space you have, that you are ever mindful that you are not alone.
As we continue to socially distance ourselves, as adults, I would like to let you know that I am still available to speak with anyone who may have a concern regarding well-being or individual adjustments your child may have at school to assist them in their learning. I am contactable by email at gpope@stmichaels.sa.edu.au If you would like to speak with me personally, simply indicate this in your email and I will call you.
As we are currently unable to hold our regular Assemblies and Chapel services, you may wish to listen to my regular well-being talks for the children. These are posted via SeeSaw. There are activities for the students to complete if they wish to participate. I’ve also attached a “toolkit” from the Seasons for Growth programme which is regularly run in our school. This has some great ideas regarding self-care for you and your families. I trust that these resources will give you a starting point for some constructive discussion in your world.
Season Growth Toolkit Selfcare Times Uncertainty COVID19
Hello from the Creative Arts classroom!
Just a little note to say hello and to fill you in on the exciting things we have been doing in Creative Arts this term. We started the school year off inquiring into our identities and the wonderful things that make us unique. Each learning community has explored the wonderful world of self-portraits and some of the different ways in which we can express ourselves using different elements of art.
Here is a little taste of what the learning communities have been doing so far.
BLC:
As part of our unit of inquiry the children have created their own self portrait, using colours and pictures to express their feelings and passions. Their colourful artworks give you a cheery sense of who they are.
JLC:
The students added sentences to their portraits, communicating their interests and passions.
MLC:
The students have been learning about Cubism and have been inspired by the great Pablo Picasso’s self portraits. Cubist art depicts real people, places or objects, from an array of viewpoints. The students have created self-portraits focusing on shape, colour, viewpoint and composition.
SLC:
In preparation for the year to come the SLC students have been revisiting the elements of art. Each week there has been a different art element to focus on. The students have applied the specific art element to their creations. During this process they have inquired into a range of art styles and techniques.
Here are some work examples of what the SLC’s have been doing.
Colour
Line
Shape
Looks like fun doesn’t it! As I mentioned earlier, this is only a small taste of the amazing work all of the learning communities have been doing.
Keep smiling,
Mrs Sugars
Welcome to German for 2020!
Hi everyone,
Welcome to our German class for Term 1! I hope everyone had a wonderfully recharging school break and are ready to start a new year!
My name is Frau Daughtry and I will be taking the classes for German this term while Frau Westermann has leave.
I was previously teaching in the Middle Learning Community, but have been off on maternity/parenting leave after having my son Jack. I am really enjoying teaching German and hope your children are coming home with some new words!
So far this term:
BLC:
BLC began looking at basic greetings such as ‘guten morgen’, ‘hallo’, ‘guten tag’ and ‘auf wiedersehen’.
They are now inquiring into families (meine Familie) and learning how to say mum, dad, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa and even some pets!
JLC:
JLC began with a greetings unit, which involved practising a basic greetings dialogue with a partner.
They are now learning about meine Familie and are creating a family tree poster which they will present to class, in German!
MLC & SLC:
MLCs and SLC began by recapping greetings, working through a two person dialogue which involved asking someone’s name and how they are.
They are now creating a Keynote all about themselves, which includes emotions, information about their personalities and later some ways to communicate this with others.
Later in the term all classes will be doing an Easter topic, particularly looking into how our family and German cultures celebrate.
Make sure to quiz your child/ren on some of these topics!!
Warm regards,
Frau Daughtry
Harmony Week 2020
In week 8 this term, we celebrate Harmony Week with thousands of other schools around our country.
Harmony Week is a time to celebrate diversity in our community.
Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of our differences. As a school community, we embrace and celebrate diversity, valuing the opportunity we have daily, to grow in knowledge and understanding of each other. We believe this to be a core factor in educating our young people to be caring, responsible, and open-minded members of our global community.
Celebrations for Harmony Week will include a school community art piece. All community members are invited to contribute to this. Look for the temporary mini art hub set up by the sensory garden in the playground after school each day from 3pm – 3.45pm, Monday to Thursday in week 8. Students will contribute during the school day.
On Wednesday March 18 we would like everyone – students, parents and staff to wear something orange. Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Week. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect. You could even extend the orange theme by giving your child something orange to eat that day!
We hope that Harmony Week celebrations will encourage you to talk with your children about diversity in our community and at the same time, helping them to identify similarities between themselves and others who may be different in some ways. You could talk about differences in:
- Cultural background
- Experience
- Appearance
- Ability
- Beliefs and Values
- Behaviour
- Choices
Never underestimate the power of the conversations you can have with your children in the most incidental of moments to encourage them to think beyond themselves and toward others. I’ve always loved my conversations with my children in the car!
If you’d like to speak with me about any aspect of our Harmony Week celebrations or the Well-being programme at our school, please don’t hesitate to contact me at gpope@stmichaels.sa.edu.au
We look forward to celebrating Harmony Week together with you in week 8.