Middle Learning Community
The Middle Learning Community jumped into Term two with full steam ahead. Over the past six weeks students’ have been exploring why Shepparton is often called the ‘Food Bowl of Australia’. They researched local farms and operations such as - ‘Tatura - A Bega Cheese Company’, SPC and local fruit orchids. Through various reading activities students discovered the value and importance of buying fruits and vegetables that are locally grown and in season.
To support our inquiry unit ‘What Makes a Healthy Lunchbox?’ 3/4’s had the privilege of participating in an incursion last week. Katie Thorp - a local nutritionist and healthy kids advisor from the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, came and spoke to the children about what a healthy lunchbox looks like and the benefits each food group has on our bodies. Each student then went back to their rooms and had the opportunity to design their ‘ideal’ lunchbox - incorporating protein, fruit, vegetables, grains/cereals and dairy.
To provide students’ with an authentic experience of farm to plate, the children have researched different materials and options they could use to create their own recycled mini garden . Children have brought in resources from home and planted an in season vegetable. Our seedlings are yet to sprout, but we are sure that over the coming weeks there will be lots of excitement in our 3/4 recycled garden.
In Literacy this term students have been looking at a weekly text and completing daily tasks to support their ability to become proficient readers. Some of the tasks include - solving words and understanding their meaning, summarizing and identifying the correct use of punctuation in a text.
In Numeracy, students have been working on multiplication. Students are currently working in mixed groupings across the year level to closely target everyone’s individual needs.
Last Thursday, the ¾’s ventured off to camp for one night. Camp this year was at ‘Camp Kookaburra’ in Corop. It included lots of outdoor adventure filled activities - Low ropes course, giant swing, flying fox, rock climbing, archery, initiatives games. We would like to give a special thanks to our parent helpers Brooke, Shane and Sath for volunteering their time and making camp an enjoyable experience for all.
See below for recounts written by some 3/4 students sharing their experiences.
On Thursday the 3/4’s went to camp. We did some archery and went on the giant swing. There were lots of different activities for the children to enjoy over the two days. I enjoyed the giant swing the most because it was fun. It felt so crazy when you dropped down. The camp hosts were very generous people - we were given some cake and milo as night time supper. - Nova 3/4 Sait.
When the 3/4’s arrived at camp we had to get our bags off the bus and put them in front of the cafeteria area. Then we went inside and our hosts explained all the rules. After that we went on a tour and were shown around Camp Kookaburra. My favourite part about Camp Kookaburra was when we got to feed the goat ‘Matilda’ and the two alpacas. Our cabins at camp were quite spacious. My room had lots of bunk beds and its own ensuite and toilet. - Audre 3/4 Johnson
Last Thursday the 3/4’s had to wake up very early to ensure they were on time and ready for camp. I was a bit nervous about camp, but once I got on the bus and sat with my buddy I knew I could do this! The bus ride there was actually quite short, most just talked with their buddy and looked out the window at the countryside. When we got to camp there was a lot of excitement, especially when we saw some of the activities. My favourite part about camp was having so many new experiences because I have never had the opportunity to do archery or low ropes before. - Noah 3/4 Maher
On Thursday we went to Camp Kookaburra Corop. Camp was really fun and I can’t wait to experience it all again in grade 4/5/6. The activities were really fun and the cabins were warm and cosy to sleep in. For dinner we had pasta and it was really good. For breakfast we got a few options, we got to pick out of cereal, toast, tin spaghetti or baked beans. Just before bed on Thursday night we had a special movie night and watched the movie ‘Luca’. My favourite part about camp was watching the teachers go on the giant swing before we left. - Georgia 3/4 Kelly
The Middle Learning Community teachers have uploaded a Maths assessment task to PAM that focused on Multiplication. It would be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate your child's successes and understand their areas of improvement.