Level Newsletters

Grade 5 News

Important Reminders

Sun Smart

As per our school's SunSmart policy, all students are required to wear hats until the end of April 2024.

 

Homework

A reminder that homework has begun. The homework week runs from Monday to Monday. During this time, students are required to:

*Read 4 nights and record their reading in their diary.

*Complete activities in Mathletics that equal, at least, 750 points.

Please see your child's teacher if you have any questions regarding homework.

 

 

Happy Hat Parade

This was a fun morning to round out Term 1

 

Learning in Action

Literacy: 

We began the term by looking at non-fiction texts, one was about Cyclone Tracy. We shared that non-fiction texts are a great resource for obtaining information. We also learned how text features are a great source of information and have been carefully selected by the author to serve a particular purpose. We were shown and given strategies on how to take notes about a topic. This will assist us when we will write our information reports in the future. Students also revisited and discussed the structure of a sentence, in particular, what an independent clause and dependent clause are.

 

Preview for Learning: We will be monitoring our comprehension by looking at what cohesive devices and phrases authors use in non-fiction texts. We will begin drafting an information report on our chosen natural disaster, ensuring we have included a topic sentence in each paragraph.

 

Maths: 

This fortnight we began by looking at data and discovered that there are two types of data; categorical data and numerical data. 

Categorical data: A collection of information divided into groups

Eg: What pets do you have at home?

Numerical data: Information shown in the form of numbers

Eg: How many pets do you have at home?

 

Through observations, the students collected data and presented their findings in a column graph and a dot plot.

 

Preview for Learning: We will be exploring strategies to solve all times tables efficiently. We will be using the times tables that we already know to assist us.

 

Inquiry

Our focus this term is Geography, investigating how the landscape influences the way humans live. We will be exploring this by looking at natural disasters and comparing the similarities and differences between natural disasters that occur in Australia, Asia, and North America.

So far we have learnt about cyclones. For each disaster, we will focus on:

  • What causes this natural disaster
  • What regions are impacted by this natural disaster
  • How this natural disaster impact the land and the people. 

 There are plenty more natural disasters to investigate. In the next fortnight, we will learn about volcanoes and bushfires.

 

 

Other Information

 

This year, we are inviting all interested Grade 5 and 6 students to participate in the University of Melbourne’s Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition. Students can participate independently or in groups of 2 or 3 to work on a particular research problem, present their findings and then submit their findings to the competition.

 

Students will be given time in school to work on their research problem, and it is part of the competition that all work submitted is their own, without any help from teachers or parents. Finalised student work will be submitted to the competition by the school.

 

Students who have a strength and passion for Maths, are highly motivated, enjoy tackling problems, and persist through challenges are encouraged to participate in this fantastic opportunity. 

 

Interested students must let their classroom teacher know by no later than Wednesday 1st May. There is no cost to enter the competition, and cash prizes up for grabs!

 

For more information, see the QR code below, check out their website, or contact Zahra Harvey (zahra.harvey@education.vic.gov.au).

 

 

Exciting times ahead in STEM!

We are thrilled to share some exciting updates about our STEM program! As we continue to inspire and empower our students to explore the wonders of these vital fields, we are reaching out to our wonderful community for support.

Your generosity has always been instrumental in helping us provide enriching educational experiences for our students, and we are once again asking for your support to ensure the success and sustainability of our STEM initiatives.

Your support makes a significant difference to our students' learning opportunities and the success of our STEM program. Here are a few ways you can contribute:

 

Opportunities to help: 

  • Donations of Timber/Wood, appropriate for construction E.g. Billy Cart bases or other small vehicles.   
  • If you own or are a part of a company or business who would be willing to sponsor our engineering program. 
  • If you have connections with hardware stores/companies, helping us to make contact in order to obtain suitable engineering resources. 
  • If you have any household STEM-related materials such as; plastic bottles, milk bottle lids, masking tape, balloons, wooden skewers, plastic or paper cups, unwanted CD’s or DVD’s, Aluminium Foil please drop them off outside the STEM room. 
  • Construction Crew: If you're handy with tools and have some basic experience in woodwork or mechanics, we would be delighted to have your help in the upcoming terms to assist with our Grade 6 Science and Engineering program. Please email sophiechamberlain@lysterfieldps.com or melissaadams@lysterfieldps.com

Thank you for your continued support,

 

Melissa Adams & Sophie Chamberlain

STEM Leaders

Lysterfield Primary School 

 

From the Grade 5 Teachers

Karin Halstead, Ebony Waldron, Chloe McElroy and Zahra Harvey