Primary Specialists

Spanish at Saltwater P-9 College

¡Hola familias!

In recent weeks, our Prep to Year 6 students have been enthusiastically engaging in Spanish lessons that connect with the Victorian Curriculum and the IB Primary Years Programme. Students have been focusing on communication skills by learning to exchange greetings and farewells, introduce themselves, and participate in simple conversations.

Prep and Year 1 students enjoyed singing along with Rockalingua’s “A mí me gusta viajar”, colouring and naming different modes of transport in Spanish. Years 2–3 explored basic greetings and introductions through hands-on craft, writing phrases such as “Me llamo…” and “Mucho gusto” on speech bubble cut-outs. Older students in Years 4–6 worked collaboratively on conversation puzzles, linking Spanish questions and answers to practise short dialogues.

These activities not only build vocabulary but also encourage students to become communicators and risk-takers, key attributes of the IB Learner Profile. By using songs, games, and interactive resources, students are developing confidence in speaking Spanish in meaningful and enjoyable ways.

We are proud of the progress our students are making and look forward to continuing their Spanish journey.

¡Bien hecho estudiantes! (Well done students!)

The Spanish team.

Prep Art

Over the past two weeks, our Prep students have been consolidating their understanding of Pop Art through an exciting summative project. Drawing inspiration from their third Unit of Inquiry, each child selected a living thing as the subject of their artwork and incorporated key features of Pop Art they have learned.

It has been incredible to witness the dedication, creativity, and hard work that has gone into these vibrant masterpieces. Students particularly enjoyed experimenting with oil pastels to add bold, bright colours, making their artwork truly “pop”!

Well done, Preppies! We are so proud of your efforts and artistic growth.

Year 1 & 2 Art 

Over the past two weeks, students have developed their masterful, inspired artworks by taking inspiration from some of the true greats of the art world! Leonardo 

da Vinci’s Mona Lisa 

was cleverly parodied by the Grade 1s and 2s, each adding their own unique spin to the famous masterpiece. The students loved being creative and designing colourful, playful characters—most likely turning the real Mona Lisa’s smile upwards!

Next, the students gave life to the shimmering art of Gustav Klimt. They drew swirling patterns, vibrant shapes, and dazzling colours to create their own versions of The Tree of Life.

Wonderful work, Year 1s and 2s!  It has been such a pleasure to see the dedication and creativity shining through in the art room once again.

Grade 3 & 4 Art 

Our Year 3 and 4 students have been busy bringing their 3D dessert sculptures to life! 

In Week 7, the focus shifted from painting to decoration, with students exploring how to make their sculptures look both realistic and playful. Using pom poms, glitter, beads, drying clay and jewels, they added texture and vibrant pops of colour to create eye-catching finishes. 

By Week 8, many students were completing their final touches and taking time to reflect on the processes they used. They also shared how famous food artists inspired their own creative choices, making their finished artworks truly unique. 

Grade 5 & 6 Art

Over the past two weeks, Grade 5 and 6 students have been focused on creating their rubber stamp designs. They began by carving and printing a design on the front, exploring how to use positive and negative space effectively. Using this first attempt as valuable practice, they then applied their learning to the second side, producing a more confident and successful design.

Mandarin with Miss Xiong and Miss Qiao

For Mandarin, we continue to use the unique Accelerative Integrated Methodology (AIM) to help students explore both traditional Chinese culture and language. Our focus differs across year levels:

Prep

Prep students have been introduced to Mandarin in fun and engaging ways. They explored colours through a Chinese character colouring sheet, which helped them start recognizing the look and feel of written Chinese. They also practiced number games, learning to count from 1–10 with the support of Chinese hand gestures. In addition, students began to recognize and say simple Chinese characters for numbers, giving them a first step into reading and writing Mandarin. Through these activities, Prep students are building a strong and joyful foundation in the language.

Year 1-2

In the initial years, students focus on mastering the fundamentals of Mandarin, starting with counting numbers from 1–10. They also practice recognizing Chinese characters and have begun writing simple number characters. Using Chinese hand gestures, students gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and origins of each gesture. Building upon this foundation, students enhance their mathematical skills by learning to add numbers from 1–19 in Mandarin. Engaging activities such as the Chinese Dragon Number Game and Word Wall Game reinforce their learning experience.

Year 3-4

As students progress, they extend their number knowledge from 1–19 and apply it in sentence construction, such as saying their ages in Mandarin. They also completed a colour-by-number worksheet, combining art with language learning. Through online games and worksheets, students continue to strengthen their recognition of Chinese characters and pinyin, enriching their language proficiency.

Year 5-6

In the advanced stages of our program, students have expanded their knowledge of Chinese counting rules, encompassing numbers 1–10, 11–19, and 20–99. They are also developing an understanding of both Simplified and Traditional Chinese characters. Writing skills are fostered through engaging activities. Additionally, students have been reviewing their knowledge through interactive platforms like Blooket, ensuring a solid grasp of Mandarin concepts. 

In celebration of Father’s Day, all the year level students also created special Father’s Day cards in Mandarin.

Physical Education

This fortnight in Physical Education, our Grade 2–6 students have been developing their AFL kicking skills, focusing on form, execution, and applying these skills in games and activities.

Our Prep and Grade 1 students have been practicing their fundamental movement skills through a range of engaging activities, with a major focus on throwing and catching.

Grade 6 students have also begun preparing for their upcoming fitness unit in Term 4. They are currently setting personal fitness goals that they will work towards throughout the unit.

Divisional athletics 

Finally, we wish our athletics team the very best of luck as they compete in the Divisional Athletics this week at Newport Park. The students have trained diligently with Miss Evans throughout the term, and we are extremely proud of their hard work and commitment. We know they will represent our school with pride, no matter the results.