Important Dates - rissalah.nsw.edu.au€¦ · Important th DISCIPINE Ramadan begins Issue 2 April Edition Term 1 Teacher’s Professional Development Days: Monday 29th April and Tuesday

Issue 2 April Edition Term 1

Teacher’s Professional

Development Days:

Monday 29th April and Tuesday

30th April

Student’s first day of school:

Wednesday, 1st May

NAPLAN Trials:

Wednesday 1st May- Friday 3rd

May

NAPLAN Examinations:

Monday, 13th May- Friday 24th

May

Ramadan begins:

Sunday, 5th May

Students finish at 1:30pm from

Monday, 6th May

National Walk to School Day:

Friday, 15th May

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www.rissalah.nsw.edu.au

54-72 Hampden Road,

Lakemba

Ph: 02 9758 0808

KNOWLEDGE

FAITH

DISCIPINE

Important

Dates

Inside o What is happening in each

grade? - Kindergarten - Year 1

- Year 2 - Year 3 - Year 4 - Year 5 - Year 6

o Library o Anti-Bullying Day o Harmony Day o Isr’a Miraj’ o Class Awards o NAPLAN o Portfolios o Ramadan

“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill;

the willingness to learn is a choice.”

Brian Herbert Dear Parents and Caregivers, Term 1 has been a very rewarding time. Our students and staff have been involved in a wide range

of events and activities, and we have enjoyed and celebrated many successes this term. I would like to congratulate the students for their efforts throughout the term and of course, their families for the ongoing support and commitment they have demonstrated towards the College and its initiatives thus far. I would like to extend my gratitude to my exemplary teaching and non-teaching staff for their efforts throughout the term. Please make time in this holiday period to ask your children questions about what they have learnt this term. Showing ongoing positive interest in your children’s learning can impact significantly on their development. My aim is to equip my staff with the best tools to create a learning environment where it is safe and innovative, hence our teachers will be involved in professional development on Monday and Tuesday. I look forward to seeing students back at school in Term 2, on Wednesday, 1st May, insha’Allah

I wish all members of the Rissalah community a safe and relaxing holiday. JazakaAllah Khairan,

Mrs. Yeliz Fattouh Principal

Principal’s Message

Our first term of Kindergarten has been a great success! It has been such a joyful and wonderful experience for both students and staff members. All students have done an amazing job at settling in and adjusting to our daily routines. They have been actively listening, following instructions and becoming energetic learners. Ms Alameddin, Ms Metwally and Ms Taleb also had a pleasant first term and could not have asked for a brighter bunch! The teachers are excited every day to come to school because of these beautiful students. All classes have also been really busy! One thing that has been special is learning about the student’s families. Each and every student was excited to speak about their beautiful families and how they are special to them. As many of our students are from different cultural background, it has been great to learn about their different culture experiences and customs. Students asked questions and were able to understand that families may be similar or different.

For Science this term, Kindergarten students were learning about living and nonliving things. We explored concepts of living things and the environments in which they live. They had the chance to make their own plants! Students were able to predict what would happen to our plants in a couple of weeks. They waited patiently watching and watering them every day until they grew. The students were quite impressed with the results. Our first

excursion! Kindergarten students were lucky enough to attend Symbios Wildlife and what a fun day it was! We got to see so many different animals and observe them in their habitats. Students were excited to touch different types of mammals and reptiles. We had an amazing group of teachers and volunteers who helped assist to make this a fun filled day. The teachers are excited to see what Term 2 brings.

What has been happening in each grade?

Our first term of Year 1 has been wonderful! It has been such an amazing and fun experience for both staff members and students. All students have done an excellent job at settling in their new classes and adjusting to the new rules in their classrooms. For a first term Ms Zaylah, Ms Mangal and Mrs Taleb had an awesome term. We have enjoyed every ride with the students!

Year One went to Calmsley Hill City Farm. It was a very fun and enjoyable time for the students! We got to see so many different animals. Students were so fascinated to see the Peacocks feathers expand, their reactions on their faces were priceless! Students were very excited to touch different types of animals. We had an amazing group of teachers and volunteers who helped us teachers look after the students.

The students were really excited as they were able to feed and touch the Sheep’s and the Goat’s. Students loved the feeling of the soft skin the sheep and goats had! Students were able to reflect back on the living things and the different environments the animals live in as they were learning about living things in Science lesson.

During Term One, our teaching experiences took the path of discovery. We looked for and varied our activities that our students would learn and enjoy, and we made sure that we had all of the materials and other resources that we needed before class started. Technology was integrated in practically all

areas of studies to fulfil a need and not simply supplement the work intended. In English, our theme study was about heroes and our literacy lessons were linked to that theme in spelling, reading and writing. Out students were exposed to imaginative texts as well as persuasive text. The grammar lessons were directly linked to writing to enhance the students’ use of correct vocabulary within meaningful sentence and text structures. In Mathematics, our students practised their whole number skills, learning about

place value and number patterns. They also practised the concepts of length and area in Measurement and Geometry. In Science, the topic of living Things, their needs and life cycles was quite interesting to all the students. Our guided reading books had the same topic and CAPA was integrated to consolidate the Living World concepts.

In History, our students learnt the importance of the past in the present days and in PDH the ever so important topics of bullying and friendship were taught and practiced through stories, scenarios and real life situations. When our students celebrated Harmony Day, they were able to link the PDH topic to the values taught on that day,

demonstrating understanding and hopefully life-long learning experiences.

During Term 1 in Science and Technology, Year 3 students were lucky to have silkworm class pets. We got to see the entire lifecycle!

1. Our eggs arrived in the mail all the way from Melbourne. Some of the eggs had already hatched. We kept the silkworms in a shoebox. They ate an artificial food called silkworm chow.

2. The worms started to grow the next week. You can see them eating the silkworm chow.

3. In week 5 we examined our silkworms to see that they had changed colour! They also looked a lot bigger and were moving a lot more.

5.We had a cocoon! The students were so excited, but not as much as the teachers were.

4. In week 7, we changed the diet of our silkworms to mulberry leaves. They enjoyed eating the leaves so much that…

6. Within the next few days, there were more cocoons!

7. Look what we have now! In week 10 we had our first moth emerge from a cocoon.

Year 3’s adventure with silkworms

Term one has been an eventful time for our students. They have engaged in a variety of activities that have been fun, educational and informative. Students had to work on a shared reading novel, “Tales of a fourth grade nothing.”

But to enhance their learning, we brought in two pet turtles, Twinkle and Star, as a way to get them to engage with the story more over time. They got to pat the turtles, and learned about aquatic life along the way. We also had Harmony day, a day marked by celebrations of culture, diversity and language. Students decorated the walls of the school, as well as, one year 4 classroom. 4 Blue worked on creating beautiful, vibrant mosques, bringing life and culture to life. 4 Green cooked and served delicious food from a variety of cultures, educating others and themselves on the landmarks and cultural customs. 4 Red made lanterns bringing us light from every corner of the globe. It truly was a wonderful

Harmony day.

Finally, to add to their education in biology and ecology, students rounded out their term visit with a trip to Taronga zoo. They learned about unique adaptations of Australian animals, bringing them a passion for understanding nature.

Our Year 5 students surprised us with a range of differences, various perspectives and personalities which led us to find appropriate ways and strategies to accommodate their learning and social skills in and outside of the classroom. UDT Lessons-Using a survey questionnaire, students collected data regarding which country surveyors would choose as their first preference for a holiday destination. This data was then used in our UDT lessons to create a graph on Microsoft Excel. Students were able to create various types of charts, and explore a range of tools to display vivid bar graphs and pie charts.

Literacy-In the beginning of the term, students read the book, “Around the

World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne. Each week, we sat in a circle and had turns at reading a paragraph each. Towards the middle of the term, students began writing expositions. One of the

many topics discussed in class was: ‘Children under 12 years of age should

not be allowed to use mobile phones’. The topics allowed for students to critically think of argument reasons and

find supportive evidence points. Our spelling and comprehension lessons have been replaced with the online Excel Test Zone program. Students have enjoyed using their ipads during class time, to practise their typing skills and prepare for the upcoming NAPLAN tests.

Science-This term we investigated living things by referring to MRSNERG and identifying what is a living or non-living thing. In the early weeks of the term, we created an investigation planner with the aim of: how plants absorb water. Each class tested the celery stick experiment as we left our sticks in water, with food colouring over a couple of days. Students were able to observe how the food colouring travel upwards, of the stem and spread the colour onto the tips of the leaves. History-In our history unit, students have learned about The First Fleet. We discovered the factors that have led to colonisation through various videos on the internet and by reading journals written by convicts. Students created timelines, outlining significant events which took place in the Australian history.

Ice Skating

On Wednesday the 27th of March Year 6 students went to Canterbury Olympic Ice Rink as part of the end of Term reward to participate in some ice skating. For many of our students this was the first time they put ice skates on and stepped foot on the ice. Everyone was excited to participate! We had a few students who were familiar with ice skating and flourished. At the same time we had a countless number of falls from others but that did not stop them from getting up and trying again and again. We look forward to our next End of Term reward!

Gifted and Talented Class – 6 Red Art Gallery Excursion

On Thursday, 27th February, my class, 6 Red, went on an excursion to the Art Gallery of NSW. We had the amazing opportunity to view wonderful paintings, sculptures and more! Our guide, Claudia, showed us around the gallery. We were introduced to different materials used in sculptures and a variety of paintings as well. There were Aboriginal sculptures, Aboriginal paintings and even a colossal sculpture of Captain James Cook! We also saw paintings of Circular Quay and miniature sculptures of the Harbour Bridge

and Sydney Point Tower. Next, we went to a temporary exhibition where we could see an animation of the drawings of the times during war in Africa. After that, our class went to the second floor of the gallery, where we got to see very unique sculptures and paintings. There were even paintings of Ned Kelly by the famous artist Sidney Nolan, who we studied in detail in Year 5! Soon after, Claudia brought us to the top floor where we were able to make our own sculptures with only the materials we were given and a very short time period. Each of us made different and unique sculptures. The Art Gallery excursion was a very exciting and interesting excursion where we were learnt many different facts about different types of art and we acquired a deeper appreciation for the Arts.

By Nadia Haider - 6 Red

Arabic and Islamic Studies This term during Arabic and Islamic Studies in the Gifted and Talented class, we have memorised Surah Nuh and have started learning and memorising Surah Al Ma’rij. Also, every Monday our class writes a recount in Arabic about what we did on the weekend. We have also learnt how to write a procedure about what we do in the morning before we go to school. In addition to that, we have been learning different tenses different perspectives in Arabic grammar. Every Friday, our class writes dictation in Arabic and throughout the week, we learn new ayat and memorise them every day. Sheikh Nabeel makes sure our pronunciation is correct and he encourages us to memorise what we have learnt every day. This is very interesting and exciting for us because we are learning the Arabic language at a deeper level.

Remember: Kids Who Read; Succeed!

We’ve had a great Term 1 in the Library. Learning in the Library Student learning included: Reading and Comprehension Strategies; Writing Strategies; and Locating Information. How to be a Responsible Borrower, choosing and caring for books. In the Using Digital Technology lessons students have been learning and practising their Mouse and Keyboard skills through various programs. Kindergarten - MS Paint: Selecting Tools and Paintbrushes, changing size and colour Year One – MS Word: Typing a sentence, changing the Font size, style and colour Year Two – MS Word: Typing Headings, Search for, Insert and Format Topic Images Year Three – MS Word: Inserting and Formatting Word Art and Inserting Text Boxes Year Four – MS Excel: Introduction – Understanding Cell Addresses and input of Data Years Five & Six – MS Excel: Writing Survey Questions, Data Analysis and Graph Design

Library Legends This year we are using Class Dojo to run our Library Legends competition, each class has an avatar and students earn Dojo points for their class based on various positive behaviours including: Entering the Library Sensibly, Great Answers during our class discussions, Working Quietly on Computers, and Keeping the Shelves Tidy. At the end of the year the class with the most Dojo Points from Infants and from Primary will receive a reward. Library Borrowing and Returning We would like to remind students they are responsible for the library resources they borrow, and books that are not returned by the end of Week 11 Term 1, will need to be paid for. Kindest Regards Library Team: Mrs Papadopoulos (Teacher Librarian); Ms Yasmin (Librarian); and Miss Trinh (Coordinator)

National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence

On Tuesday, 12th March our students transformed into their favourite superheroes to bring awareness to bullying. Students came as Hulk, superman, bat woman and heroes that don’t wear capes their mother, doctors, policeman/policewomen teachers and many more. Rissalah College has zero tolerance to bullying and this was highlighted on the day. Selected students were involved in an Anti-Bullying workshop where students watched a VR video which was aimed at providing students strategies as a bystander and a victim. On this day, we wanted to teach our students about the types of bullying, strategies if you were bullied, what to do as a bystander and to prevent bullying.

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Rissalah College celebrated harmony day with a world tour of many countries in the world. Students learned about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, and that regardless of cultural or linguistic background, we are united by a set of core Australian values. Our students came dressed in their traditional clothes or in orange. They sampled different food from a variety of countries and had a taste of their culture as they toured different classrooms. Our classroom and corridors were decorated and filled with information about different countries. The MP from Lebanon visited our school and two kindergarten students welcomed him. He had a tour of our classrooms and was very impressed with the learning that was taking place.

Harmony Day

Isra’ and Mi’raj (Night Journey and Ascension) is one of the most significant events in the Islamic calendar. This event marks the Prophet Muhammad's ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and his ascent into heaven. Rissalah College raised awareness about the importance of the Isra’ and Mi’raj in Islam on Thursday, 11th April. We were honoured to have Sheikh Wissam as a guest speaker who explained The Night Journey and Ascension is one of the Prophet Muhammad's ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص greatest miracles and is unique to him. Many lessons are to be learnt from this miraculous event. The Ahbab Al Mustafa Group performed nasheeds and our students, teachers and parents joined in and really enjoyed their performance. The event ended with a closing dua from Sheikh Abdul Moez.

ISRA MIRAJ

This term we started with our K-6 class awards in assembly. Teachers each week personalise their class awards for two students in their class. This has allowed our students to feel a sense of ownership for their learning and this has served as a driving mechanism for our students to work more diligently.

The students in year 3 and 5 will receive NAPLAN homework for the holidays. Please adhere to the timetable so that students are prepared for their exams in term 2. A friendly reminder that NAPLAN trial examinations will occur on Wednesday, 1st May- Friday, 3rd May. There will be no NAPLAN camp in the school holidays as our school will be having renovations to improve the learning environment for our students.

At the end of Term 2, parents/carers must attend a Parent/Teacher interview where the teacher will provide a comprehensive summary of your children’s academic performance in all Key Learning Areas. At the interview parents/carers will be provided with your child’s Semester One portfolio and report.

During the month of Ramadan, the school day will commence as normal at 8:20a.m. Please ensure your children are punctual each day. However, students will be dismissed at 1:30p.m. We kindly request that you arrange for all children to be picked up promptly as there will be no staff available for supervision after hours. This will begin on Monday, 6th April.

Portfolios

Ramadan

NAPLAN

K-6 Class Awards