Reading with your child at home is one of the most valuable ways to support their development and foster a lifelong love of books. But it's not just about reading the words—it's about engaging with the story and helping your child build understanding, critical thinking, and imagination. A really good way to do this is by asking your child questions before, during and after reading. We often get asked what questions to ask your child so we have listed some below for you.

BEFORE READING

1. What do you think this book will be about?

2. Have you read any other books by this author? What was it like?

3. What do you notice on the cover of the book?

DURING READING

1. What do you think will happen next?

2. How do you think the character feels right now? Why?

3. What do you think this word means?

AFTER READING

1. What was your favorite part of the story? Why?

2. What lesson do you think the character learned?

3. If you could change the ending, how would you do it?

4. Who was your favorite character, and what would you say to them if you could?

5. Can you tell me what happened in the story from the beginning to the end?

Remember, reading is not just about learning to read words—it's about building a lifelong habit of learning, exploration, and connection with others. The questions you ask your child can help make the process more engaging and the bok more meaningful. So, next time you pick up a book together, try some of these questions and enjoy the journey!

Every year, on November 4th, Catholics around the world celebrate the feast day of St. Charles Borromeo, a beloved saint known for his deep faith, commitment to the Church, and extraordinary service to others. This year, at St Charles we celebrated his Feast Day on Wednesday 6 November.

Who Was St. Charles Borromeo?

St. Charles Borromeo was born in Italy in 1538 into a wealthy and noble family. He became a priest and later the Archbishop of Milan, where he worked tirelessly to reform the Church and care for the people of his community. St. Charles is especially known for his work in educating young people, improving the quality of priest training, and providing for the poor and sick. He lived a life of simplicity and humility, and his deep love for God and his people is something we can all admire and strive to follow.

Why Do We Celebrate His Feast Day?

St. Charles Borromeo's feast day is a special day to honor his great work and to reflect on how we can make a difference in the world. Though St. Charles came from a wealthy family, he dedicated his life to helping those who had less than him. He cared for the sick and the poor and he always put others before himself.

He is also remembered for his devotion to education. He believed that learning about God was key to becoming a good person, so he worked hard to establish schools and seminaries to train future priests. He was a true role model, showing that no matter how old we are, we can always make a difference by serving others and staying faithful to our beliefs.

How We CelebrateD St. Charles Borromeo at School

We celebrated St. Charles Borromeo's feast day with a variety of activities that reflected his values of faith, charity, and service.

1. Christian Meditation and Prayer – We began the day with a special prayer for St Charles and prayer for our school community, asking St. Charles to help us grow in faith, love, and kindness.

2. Inflatables celebration – Students were lucky enough to enjoy an inflatable ninja course and other inflatable activities during the morning session. They had a lot of fun trying to beat each others times on the ninja course!

3. St. Charles Borromeo STEM Activity – Students worked together to design and build a church using playing cards.

4. Learning About St. Charles and Reflecting – Teachers shared stories about St. Charles Borromeo and his amazing work. Students reflected on how they can live out his values in their every day lives.

5. Celebrating with a Feast Day Mass - Students, teachers and parents came together with Fr. Charles to celebrate a special Feast Day Mass for St Charles Borromeo. It was a beautiful way to complete our celebrations of the patron of our school.

What Can We Learn from St. Charles Borromeo?

As we celebrate the feast day of St. Charles Borromeo, let us remember his example of love, service, and faith. He lived a life that put others first, and we can do the same in our school, our homes, and our community. Let’s follow his example by being kind, helping others, and always putting God at the center of our lives.

Happy Feast Day, St. Charles Borromeo! May we all strive to be like you in our own unique ways.

Part 2 -

Last week we began to look at some ways to assist in supporting your child’s critical and creative thinking skills. This week we look at some other ways to nurture these skills in your child:

1. Encourage reading and discussion - Introduce your child to a variety of different books and genres. After reading ask them questions; what did they think about the characters, what was the message in the story, what do you think might happen next? You can also ask them how they might change the story if they could write it or what should the characters do. This stimulates both critical and creative thinking!

2. Foster a growth mindset - This is the process of encouraging your child to learn through mistakes allowing their abilities to be developed through hard work and determination. Praise should be given for effort and resilience rather than just the end result of what they have done.

3. Celebrate their creativity - Create a platform for your child to showcase their creations! Whether it is an art wall in your home, family art show, storytelling night, or a performance evening where they can even distribute their own hand made tickets - the ideas are endless!

Nurturing critical and creative thinking skills at home does not need to be an overthought rigid exercise , you can weave it through the everyday conversations, activities and experiences you have with your child. By allowing your child to use their critical and creative thinking skills you are assisting them in developing skills that they will use throughout their lives. Enjoy the learning process together!

PART 1 -

In today’s rapidly changing world, equipping our children with strong critical and creative thinking skills is more important than ever. These skills enable them to analyse situations, solve problems, and approach challenges with resilience. Here are some practical strategies to help foster these skills at home.

1. Encourage questions - When your child asks “why” or “how,” engage them in discussion. Instead of giving direct answers, prompt them to think deeper. For example, ask, “What do you think might happen if…?” This encourages them to explore possibilities and form their own conclusions.

2. Play problem solving games - Incorporate games that require strategy and critical thinking, board games and puzzles are great! Classics like chess, checkers, or even complex puzzles can stimulate analytical skills. Imaginative games that involve story telling or role playing are fantastic and allow children to develop their creativity skills.

3. Promote open ended activities - Materials and toys that are great for creative play include blocks, lego and crafting items. These allow children to use their imagination to create their own masterpieces!

Stay tuned for part 2 with more hints on how you can nurture critical and creative thinking skills in your child at home!

At St Charles, we believe in the beauty of diversity! Yesterday we celebrated Multicultural Day with many fun activities acknowledging the different cultures represented within our school community. Students came dressed in traditional costumes or the colours of the countries their families come from. The day was filled with lots of learning, fun and laughter.

Throughout the day students worked through different workshops involving making hands with the colours or flags of their families, learning some traditional dances from around the world and making pizzas using the herbs from our garden in the sauce.

Before lunch, students (and teachers) were entertained by Nadia from Cavallo Capers where they participated in some singing and dancing and learned the tarantella!

A big thank you to our Italian teacher, Signora Locaso for immersing the students in such a fun filled Multicultural Day. Thanks also to our students, teachers and to the parents who helped dress their children in traditional dress or colours of the countries their families come from.

Here’s to more cultural celebrations in the future! 🌍✨

On Tuesday, the students at St Charles embarked on an excursion to Lume (Da Vinci) and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). This trip was not just an escape from the classroom; it was an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the world of art and innovation and seeing how digital technologies (our inquiry topic this term) were used to create a unique space.

Lume (Da Vinci): A Journey into the Mind of a Master

Our first stop was Lume, a spectacular immersive exhibition dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. As we entered, we were enveloped in vibrant projections of Da Vinci’s masterpieces. The blend of sight and sound transported us into his world, allowing us to experience art like never before!

Walking through the space, we encountered animated interpretations of iconic works such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. The dynamic display made the paintings come alive! It was fascinating to see how technology can enhance our understanding and appreciation of art!

One of the highlights was the section dedicated to Da Vinci's inventions. We learned about his sketches of flying machines and anatomical studies, realising how his curiosity and creativity laid the groundwork for modern science and engineering. The interactive exhibits invited us to experiment with some of these concepts, it was especially great to see the students (and one student in particular) build a replica of the emergency bridge based off da Vinci’s design.

National Gallery of Victoria: A Treasure Trove of Culture

After soaking in the brilliance of Da Vinci, we made our way to the NGV. The gallery houses an impressive collection of art from around the world. We were greeted by the grand entrance, which set the tone for an inspiring afternoon.

The students especially loved the stained glass ceiling of one room and the ancient artefacts unearthed from Europe. 

Reflecting on the Experience

As we returned to school with a bunch of tired students, they reflected on the excursion and everything they had seen during the day. Many students shared reflections of the digital presentations and music they experienced at Lume and the enormity of what da Vinci brought to our world.

💛R U OK? Day 2024💛

Throughout the week, our students have engaged in meaningful discussions about mental health and the importance of checking in with each other. We also got creative and made some amazing magnets to take home as a reminder that a simple conversation can make a big difference.

At the beginning of the school year teachers explored and discussed ways that ‘we’ ensure that every child in our school flourishes.

Our staff created a visual art piece, that reminds us of ways we can support our students at St Charles.

During National Child Protection Week we remember that we need to support every child, family and community according to their needs. This will create a healthier, fairer Australia for all children. (NAPCAN, 2024)

# NAPCAN

# MACS

At St Charles Borromeo we are proud to be supporting Blue Ribbon Day 2024.

You can help and join us in raising awareness for Blue Ribbon Day, honoring law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Raffle tickets are available in our school office:

$2 each or 3 for $5

Together, let's honor their sacrifice and recognize their dedication to keeping our communities safe.

#BlueRibbonDay

This week is National Child Protection Week.

‘Every child, in every community, needs a fair go. To treat all of Australia’s children fairly, we need to make sure every family and community has what kids need to thrive and be healthy.’ (NAPCAN, 2024)

Yesterday was a fun-filled story and craft time featuring the beloved character Elmer the elephant! 🐘📚 This story sparked creativity and imagination.

Register your preschooler for our next ‘Story and Craft time’ through our school website. We’d love for you to join us!

#ElmerTheElephant #StoryTime #CraftTime #Creativity #Imagination

100 days of school is always an amazing achievement. The students loved dressing up and having fun with their friends.

The 100 piece Lego challenge in our STEM lab was so much fun! The students loved creating Granny’s cottage 🤣

We believe in the power of partnerships with families. Working together we create a supportive environment where every child at our school is enabled to flourish.

Yesterday we held our Term 3 Student/Parent/Teacher conferences which was a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and celebrate the successes that each child in our school has made.

It is wonderful to see what can be achieved when we work together.

Our sensory garden provides children with opportunities to explore, engage, and learn through their senses. They stimulate cognitive development, creativity, and emotional well-being. By interacting with different textures, scents, colors, and sounds, children enhance their sensory processing skills, improve focus and attention, and develop a deeper connection with nature.

Here we have a foundation student calling out to friends ‘Anyone for fishing?’

🌏🌕 This week at Villa Bambini, we explored the wonders of Earth and the Moon.

From learning about the phases of the moon to understanding how it orbits our planet, we had a blast! 🚀📚🌌

#STEMeducation #KindergartenFun #ExploringSpace

Thank you so much to The Pines Shopping centre for allowing us to showcase our art work.

Our students have loved having their artwork on display.

We can’t wait until our next opportunity to share our art work with the Templestowe community. In the meantime if you’d like to see our students art work on display, and our amazing art room please book a tour of our school.

Exciting news! We have installed new art poles along our school driveway featuring our school’s Gospel values Love, Respect and Inclusion. These poles serve as a reminder of the values that we strive to promote in our school community.

Laughter filled our school hall today as our Year F-4 students enjoyed a visit from East Doncaster Cricket club.

The students participated in some exciting games that promoted teamwork.

During Week 5 the students at St Charles Borromeo listened to daily messages read by our student leaders that promoted kindness and empathy, they were also reminded about strategies that they can use when they are feeling unsafe.

Here are some strategies families can use if their child talks to them about bullying.

#bullyingnoway

Today was a beautiful morning in our library at ‘Story and Craft time’. We enjoyed reading a shortlisted picture book by Sophie Blackall ‘If I was a horse’. We all giggled at bath time!