Dear Families,
Next week, we have our scheduled three-way learning conversations on Wednesday, June 25 and Thursday, June 26. It has always been part of the culture of our school community that all parents and guardians make time to meet with the classroom teacher to review the progress of their children during the first semester of 2026.
This is particularly important this year. As with all schools in Victoria, we are required to teach and assess to the Victorian curriculum outcomes. The Victorian curriculum has recently been updated, notably in relation to the learning areas of English and mathematics. There are some significant changes to the outcomes in the Victorian curriculum 2.0, and this will impact the Semester One reports we provide to your children. Because we are assessing against revised and updated outcomes, the progression points that have been noted on previous reports are not necessarily comparable to those that you will see in this report.
It is therefore important that all parents and guardians make time to meet with their child’s teacher. We endeavour to act in partnership with you as we support our children in their learning, but like any relationship, it only works if both partners are willing to engage. As always, I will follow up with parents and guardians who do not make an appointment; please do not be offended if I call you if you do not book a meeting time.
SICK CHILDREN
This time of the year is our most difficult time of the year when it comes to sickness in our community. At the moment, we have a significant number of children and staff who are absent from school due to illness. We also, however, have a lot of children coming to school when they are unwell.
While we want children to be at school so they are not missing out on their learning, if children are sick, they should be at home so they can rest and recuperate. Children who come to school when they are sick often spread these illnesses to others, and at the moment, we have classes with lots of children away because they have caught a bug at school from another child.
Our staff have lots of skills and they take great care of all of our students, but they are not doctors. They are not qualified to diagnose illnesses or work out whether a student is sick or not. If a child looks visibly unwell and/or is complaining of feeling unwell, and we are confident that they are not doing this to avoid school, then we will call you to come and collect your child. I appreciate that there are times when you a busy; however, if you receive a call from school, it is reasonable to expect that parents or guardians will get back to us within a realistic time frame and organise for their child to be collected if they are unable to do this themselves. If you ask someone to collect your child who is not known to us and is not on our contact list, we will call you to check and will also ask for proof of identity.
SPORTS NEWS
It has been a huge few weeks of sport at St Lawrence, with students from across the school proudly representing our community in a range of interschool competitions.
At the recent Challenge MPSSA Soccer Tournament, our girls’ team made school history, taking out St Lawrence’s first-ever Premiership and securing their place in next week’s Divisional Finals. The girls displayed incredible determination, teamwork and sportsmanship across all games. Our boys’ team also had a strong tournament, finishing fourth overall and showing great resilience and skill in every match.
Earlier in the week, some of our Curiosity students also took part in their soccer tournament, where they played with great spirit and enthusiasm. It was fantastic to see our younger students engaging with interschool sport and representing St Lawrence with pride.
In addition to soccer, several Challenge students recently competed in the MPSSA Netball Tournament, where they demonstrated excellent teamwork and a positive attitude throughout the day. We also had a group of Challenge boys take part in the AFL 9’s competition, bringing energy and determination to every game.
Earlier in the term, both Curiosity and Challenge students represented the school at the cross-country event. Every runner gave their all, tackling a challenging distance with perseverance and a fantastic attitude.
Across all these events, our students have shown what it means to be part of the St Lawrence community—giving their best, supporting one another, and wearing our colours with pride. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Alessio Mantello
Sports Specialist Teacher
VISUAL ARTS NEWS
This term in Visual Art, students have engaged in a wide range of creative projects. The Exploration students explored colour through artworks inspired by picture storybooks, experimenting boldly with different combinations and techniques. Grade 1 Discovery students applied their inquiry skills by asking thoughtful questions about artwork while delving into various forms of pop art. They learned how altering colour and patterns can transform a piece. Grade 2 students focused on abstract art, exploring both messy and deliberate linework to express ideas visually. Grade 3 students created cultural art pieces and collaborated with peers, deepening their understanding of diverse traditions and the value of teamwork. Grade 4 students investigated perspective drawing, using photography to demonstrate their learning and their sketchbooks to refine their grasp of perspective principles.
Grade 5 students explored the concepts of composition, placement, and emphasis through artworks themed around windows, frames, and doors. Finally, Grade 6 students studied typography, creating calligrams and abstract lettering as they explored how text and language can be expressed artistically and brought to life through design.
Duane Zida
Visual Arts Specialist Teacher
UPCOMING DATES
TERM TWO
June
21/06: Eucharist Masses @ St Anthony’s @ 5.30pm
23/06: Semester One Reports to Go Home
25/06: Three-Way Learning Conversations: 12.30 – 6.00pm
26/06: Three-Way Learning Conversations: 12.30 – 6.00pm
July
30/06 – 04/07: NAIDOC Week Celebrations
02/07: Prayer Service: Discovery Grade Two & Curiosity Grade Three / Curiosity Grade 4 – Challenge Grade 5 & 6 @ 2.40pm
04/07: End of Term Two: Early Close @ 1.30pm
