Welcome Back to a New School Year!

Kaya Year 6 Parents,

Now that the class allocations have been sent out, we can officially say ‘dia duit or hello’ and welcome you all to the start of the new school year. Let's do this class of 2023!

We hope that you have had a wonderful break with your families, one that has been full of rest, rejuvenation, fun and excitement.

We thought we would take this opportunity to outline a few logistics for week 1, starting Wednesday 1^st February.

OUR CLASSES

We have moved…the Year 6 classrooms are now located in the new buildings near the Nature Playground. 6M is on the right closest to the new toilets and 6H is on the left closest to the old year 6 rooms.

Also, the Year 6 crew is having a bit of a revamp - Woop Woop! Mr McSevich has a new partner in crime this year, the wonderful Mrs Ricciardone which will allow him to teach Science to the upper primary as a specialist teacher on Mondays and Tuesdays. (Did you know that before teaching he was a scientist!?!) How lucky am I, to have both my teaching partners back? 

Lastly... I have some exciting news to share with you all, I am a newly appointed ‘MRS’. Myself and my partner Damien, got married on January the 7^th at the top of a mountain in New Zealand by helicopter…it was EPIC! We then travelled from the bottom of the South island to the top of the North island in our awesome campervan - Big Bertha! What a way to spend the summer - I cannot wait to hear about all the students' summer holidays and what adventures they had! 

BOOK LIST

This year, the Year 5’s & 6’s have changed the way that we approach the organisation of your child’s learning. You will notice that the book list has slightly changed. All exercise books have been removed and, in their place, you will find several specific display folders and a ream of lined A4 Eco paper.

There are three reasons for this change, and these are outlined below:

• We are trying to minimise our impact on the environment, and we found that there were many activities that were being printed out and then being glued back into an exercise book. This is clearly an unsustainable practice and goes against our vision at OLC. If you purchase the specific folders outlined in the book list, you will find that although there is an initial cost there is no reason why they should not last until the end of their primary schooling. So, it is very important that you purchase the specific ones we have recommended in the book list.
• The hope is that the change will not only prepare your child for their journey in primary school but also help with their transition to secondary school, where they will then move to a folder-based system.
• The third reason is to encourage and develop your child’s organisational skills both inside and outside the classroom.

Along with our fortnightly Seesaw posts, at the end of each semester and when reports are submitted, your child’s progress and learning will be sent home from the folders for your perusal. We are all looking forward to a positive change that will not only benefit the environment but your child’s progress and learning moving forward.

STATIONERY

Please ensure all stationery and folders are labelled with your child’s name on them to ensure they don’t get lost throughout the year. Students are welcome to bring in spare stationery items at the start of the year. We ask that they are in a ziplock bag clearly labelled with their name. We will place these in our class storerooms for the students to replenish their pencil cases as required throughout the year.

SWIMMING LESSONS

Swimming lessons run from Wednesday 1st February (first day back) to Friday 10th February. The year 6’s are the first group in the water each day, arriving at the beach at 9.50 and returning to school at 10.40. The students may wear their sports uniform for the duration of week 1 & 2, with their bathers underneath.

PLEASE NOTE that, although thongs/slides can be worn to and from swimming lessons, shoes will be required for the remainder of the day.

Please ensure that your child comes to school with sunscreen on and the following items for swimming:

Goggles, rash vest (no rashie - no swimming), towel, school hat, thongs/slides, water bottle, waterproof bag (for wet clothes) and a change of underwear

Swimming is a very busy time where belongings can be misplaced or lost. We will both be reminding the children before, during and after the lessons that they have all of their belongings, but it would be great if you could label all items so that if something does go missing, it can make its way back to the owner.

 

COMMUNICATION

We feel that it is vital for parents and teachers to work together, and it is important to keep communication open and flowing. We invite you to contact us as soon as anything arises that you feel may affect your child at school, or if there is something that is concerning you. 

 

Our email addresses are as follows:

Mr McSevich – sean.mcsevich@cewa.edu.au

Mrs Ricciardone – sandy.ricciardone@cewa.edu.au

Mrs Hurst – anita.hurst@cewa.edu.au

 

Please also find below the specialist timetable for the first two weeks of school due to swimming lessons. Please note that this will be changed and updated once the swimming lessons have been completed. 

That’s all for now. We look forward to meeting you over the coming weeks so please, if you are on the school grounds, feel free to pop in, say hi and introduce yourself.

We can’t wait to start working with our new group of leaders, however for now enjoy the final days of the summer break and we will see you all very soon!

The Year 6 Teaching Team

Mr McSevich, Mrs Ricciardone & Mrs Hurst