Icarus Community Report

Welcome

It has been a busy term for the students in the Icarus Community, with students undertaking assessments in preparation for reporting.

As the weather gets warmer, we’d like to remind families that it is important that student are staying safe in the sun by wearing their hats when outdoors and that they have a water bottle at school so that they stay hydrated throughout the day. 

We look forward to sharing with you what our students are working on!

The Icarus Community Teachers: Christina, Amandeep, Amanda and Ritu

Reading

In reading, students have been learning to summarise the main events in a fiction text using the strategy of breaking down the story into 5 elements : somebody, wanted, but, so then. They have been learning to identify who the main character is, what the main character wanted, identify the problem, how the character solved the problem, how the story ended. They have been  learning that questioning is important whilst reading to clarify meaning and further our understanding of the text. They were able to deepen their understanding of the text by asking questions before, during and after reading and were able to identify the difference between thick and thin questions. Students have been learning to make predictions about a text. They learnt to predict what the story will be about, what will happen next in the text, verify if their predictions are correct and then adjust those predictions.

Writing

In Writing, students were working on writing persuasive texts. We were learning about the structure and language features used to write a persuasive text. We were also learning about how to use various persuasive devices to make writing more interesting. The students were encouraged to use the OREO method to formulate their arguments. The students had the opportunity to plan, draft, edit, revise, and publish their persuasive text. They enjoyed publishing their final draft digitally using Book creator. Students started working on writing descriptive texts. They were encouraged to use specific adjectives, similes, metaphors and strong action verbs to make their writing more interesting and engaging for the reader. Students were able to create a Y-chart to plan describing words for their descriptive writing. 

Maths

In Maths this month students have been exploring the area of Measurement and Geometry within topics like Volume, Capacity and Mass. They have been using physical resources and hands-on activities. Developing their ability to measure, order and compare the volume, capacity and mass of different objects. They have identified and explored the properties of 3D shapes. Finally they have completed some data analysis.

Inquiry

For Inquiry students have been exploring the different groups that make up our school and community, the community/school groups they belong to and how to be an active citizen in our school/community. They have also examined the differences between laws and rules, inspected decision-making and how to contribute to our community.

SEL

In Social and Emotional Learning, students have been learning about responsible decision making. They were given opportunities to make caring and constructive choices about how to behave in different situations by following traffic light idea while making decisions. Students enhanced their understanding of how their decisions can have good or bad consequences by discussing real life scenarios. They also explored examples of physical, verbal, and psychological violence. Students were able to understand the contribution that acts of friendship can make to those who have been affected by violence. They developed their understanding of child rights and their importance. Students also learnt about how to show respect in a range of situations. 

Friendly Reminders

• Please ensure your child has a water bottle at school each day and that it is labelled with their name. 
• Please ensure your child is attending school regularly and on time as ‘It is not okay to be away’. 
• Please ensure that your child is reading their home reader for 20 minutes every night and that their reading log is filled in and signed by a parent/guardian. Students are welcome to either read a book from school or a book of their own choice from home.
• We strongly encourage students bring along some brain food (fruit and vegetables) that they may eat in class. It is important that this is included as an additional snack in their lunchbox.