Year Level & Specialist Curriculum

Prep:The first few weeks will be short lessons that will introduce the students to a number of games that focus on how to cooperate with others and be a team player. As the term progresses we will focus on locomotor skills, particularly running, skipping, galloping, hopping, jumping, sliding, walking backwards and leaping.

Year 1 / 2: Students will begin the year participating in co-operative games. The aim of these games is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of play and be a team player. These will also incorporate practising the fundamental movement skills they have learnt over their first year or two at school and further develop these. Later in the term, specific focus will be on throwing and catching and different rotations and circuits we can do using these skills.

Year 3: Students will participate in modified versions of sports they will get to engage in next year at our various interschool sport days. The focus this term will be on net/wall sports. These are games in which players compete to outscore their opponent. We will look at some non-traditional games along with more traditional games like badminton and newcombe ball.

Year 4: Students will experience their first Gala Day in week 6 (Wed March 8th) which involves students participating in either rounders, hot shots tennis or newcombe ball against other schools. To prepare for this, over the coming weeks we will introduce each of these sports and practise these new skills by participating in various drills and modified games. The students will also have the opportunity to practise co-operating and supporting each other.

Year 5 / 6: Students will participate in a Gala Day in week 8 (Thursday March 23rd) which involves the students participating in one of four sports volleystars (volleyball), teeball or hot shots tennis. To prepare for this, lessons will be focused on introducing or further developing the students' knowledge of these sports with different drills and modified games. We will have a specialised coach come and teach us volleyball for three weeks to assist us with further our skills. The students will practise co-operating and supporting each other and being a team player throughout the term. The focus during this time will be on enjoying being active, whether they win or lose and encourage good sportsmanship.

Visual Arts

Welcome to Visual Arts 2023! Even though we don’t have an art show this year we still have lots of fun things to do in our Visual Art lessons.

Year Six:

The Year Six students will have a strong focus on an art piece called ‘Quadriptych’. This is a four panelled art piece that focuses on one subject from different angles. They will also look at the impressionism art movement. Impressionism was developed in the nineteenth century and is based on the practice of painting outdoors and spontaneously 'on the spot' rather than in a studio from sketches. The main impressionist subjects were landscapes and scenes of everyday life.

Year Five

The Year Five students will be looking at the art movement ‘Manga’. Manga is commonly known for their work in comics. Students will focus on themselves and draw themselves with the ‘Manga’ techniques. There will be a strong focus on the importance of line and shape, in particular the features of the face. They will also look at the impressionism art movement. Impressionism was developed in the nineteenth century and is based on the practice of painting outdoors and spontaneously 'on the spot' rather than in a studio from sketches. The main impressionist subjects were landscapes and scenes of everyday life.

Year Four

The Year Four students will create a portrait of themselves as a ‘Ringmaster’. Students will explore the use of line and shape to create focus points in their artwork. They will also create a tree of life artwork inspired by Gustav Klimt. Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter who was known for his murals, sketches, and other objects.

Year Three

The Year Three students will be focusing on the art element line. They will be creating a continuous line piece that will be a portrait of their face. The students will also be looking at the famous Disney artist, Mary Blair. They will explore how she used shape to create buildings and engage her viewers.

Auslan

"You can never truly understand one language until you understand at least two." - Geoffrey Willans

Welcome to Auslan in 2023 and to a wonderful year ahead!

Preps will commence their Auslan journey with an introduction to the Deaf Community, Auslan greetings, animal signs, and finger-spelling the alphabet. Throughout their first year, they will focus on signs associated with ‘self’ and learn to express simple preferences in sign language. Students will routinely participate in guided group activities and interactions, including signing games using repeated language structures.

Year 1 and 2 will begin the year by consolidating their Auslan vocabulary in the areas of colours, letters, numbers, animals, family, questions and everyday signs. Students will practise seeking and gaining information without the use of their voice. As the semester unfolds, new vocabulary themes will be explored, including body signs and eventually clothes, and they will develop their signed communication skills.

We will continue to teach vocabulary themes across levels to encourage signed communication between siblings at home, wherever possible.

Year 3 - 6 will initially focus on re-familiarising themselves with questioning, communicating their feelings, common signs, travel-related signs and their ability to engage in conversational sign. Students will enhance their productive and receptive Auslan skills by requesting and recording information without voice. A new vocabulary unit will be introduced entitled ’the body and clothes’, with interactive and recorded activities.

St James students will demonstrate their learning by signing production, body language and facial expression. Although Auslan has no written form, booklets with pictorial activities will also be provided and utilised to assist with the consolidation of vocabulary and receptive skills.

Performing Arts

Welcome everyone to what I hope will be a wonderful term ahead! This semester the juniors will be attending Performing Arts sessions and I am looking forward to meeting all of our new preps, as well as seeing all of the grade 1s and 2s again!

Prep - Students will be introduced to the basics of Drama. Through drama games, dramatic play and mime, students will practise using voice, movement, facial expressions and space to imagine and explore characters and situations. Later in the term we will begin a focus on dance.

Year 1 - Students will further develop their use of movement and facial expressions when exploring characters and situations, and begin to work on using their voice to convey emotions. They will explore puppetry, and create their own puppet show. Later in the term we will begin a focus on dance.

Year 2 - The Year Two drama unit theme will be Fairytales. Students will explore different fairy tale characters, and how they might talk, walk, how they feel, how they think etc, and use these understandings to get into character. They will also act out the stories in various ways (e.g. through mime), and will have a go at creating their own mixed-up fairytales! Later in the term we will begin a focus on dance.

STEMMS

Welcome back to 2023!

I am looking forward to seeing all of the students back in the lab ready to explore, design, develop, build, wonder and enjoy the ever evolving world of STEMMS (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Media Studies).

Prep- Students, this term, will be looking at using the iPads to take photos and manipulate the photos. They will then move on to logging on to computers and being able to use the keyboard and mouse.

Year 1- Students will be working through modules in Cyber Safety. They will be looking at passwords, being internet safe, knowing what websites are suitable for them, balancing screen time with real time, and information protection.

Year 2 - Students will be looking at what is a safe password and choosing one for themselves. They will be exploring some Cyber Safety sites and apps to help them develop their online safety, knowing about sharing pictures online, and real friends vs online friends.

Year 3 - Students will be working through Cyber Smart Detectives videos and

Programs where they will look at being a good cyber citizen, positive online language and knowing when it's too much screen time. They will also be developing their Google Apps skills and knowledge.

Year 4 - Students will be working through the Google Cyber Safety Programs Game On and Interland. They will work through each module and discuss and solve problems in various areas like digital footprint, being a good cyber citizen, phishing etc.

Year 5- Students will be working through the app The Lost Summer where they will be looking at issues that arise when working and playing online. They will be developing their online awareness and digital footprint.

Year 6 - Students will be looking at a variety of Cyber Safety sites and apps that are available to primary school students. They will then develop their own site, video or game to help assist Cyber Safety awareness for primary age students.