Term 4 Curriculum Newsletters

Prep

Literacy

In Literacy this term, our Prep students are learning to write their own simple narratives using the sentence structures they have learned this year. We will explore the role that characters, settings, problems and solutions play in forming interesting stories, using these story elements to create our own simple tale. 

As we begin our preparation for Sounds-Write in Year 1, we will begin to explore our bridging units exploring how one sound can be spelt using different spellings. We will continue to read and spell words with four and five sounds using the single-letter, consonant digraphs and trigraph (tch) spellings we have learnt throughout the year. Partner reading is practised regularly with an aim to grow our reading fluency and automaticity. This can be further developed by reading with your child at home every night to support their reading progress. 

Mathematics 

In Mathematics, through Daily Review, we are continually strengthening and revising learnt concepts such as counting forwards and backwards, writing number bonds, solving addition and subtraction equations, and further developing our number fluency to 20. This term, we will expand on our number and place value knowledge as we compare and order numbers up to 100 and beyond by identifying tens and ones and representing numbers using unifix, bundling sticks and base ten blocks. We will learn to add and subtract within 20 by using concrete materials and also investigate sharing collections into equal groups. 

Inquiry: Features and Familiar Places 

For our Geography unit ‘Features and Familiar Places’ we will explore the idea of place and belonging by learning about the special places in our lives, community, and local environment, and describe their purpose. We will begin to understand that places can have different meanings for different people, and that we all have a role in looking after the places we belong to. Through hands-on experiences like mapping and drawing, students learn to appreciate their community and develop an early sense of responsibility for caring for the environment around them.

Supporting Learning at Home

We ask that you please continue to read with your child every night, practise handwriting and continue counting forwards and backwards to 100 and beyond. 

Grade 1

Welcome to another exciting term in Grade One! We are looking forward to a busy, fun-filled term as students explore new ideas, build their skills and grow in confidence.

Reading and Inquiry

This term, students will explore narrative and persuasive texts connected to our Inquiry topic, How do places change over time? We will investigate how natural events and human activities change places and the environments around us.

Students will also learn about sources of water across Australia and why caring for our waterways is so important. We will explore how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples care for water sources and use their knowledge of Country to conserve water. Through reading and discussion, students will develop their understanding of these topics while practising comprehension skills and expanding their vocabulary.

Writing

In Writing, students will explore the four sentence types: statements, questions, commands and exclamations. They will practise choosing the correct punctuation and adding detail through descriptive adjectives and carefully chosen verbs.

Students will plan and compose their own narrative and persuasive pieces, developing imaginative stories and sharing opinions supported by reasons. We look forward to seeing their creativity and ideas shine through their writing!

Numeracy

In Numeracy, students will continue to strengthen their understanding of place value and build their skills in the four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Practical activities will help them explore equal groups, sharing and number patterns.

Students will also practise skip counting to find the value of collections of Australian coins and develop their skills in reading the time on analogue clocks. These experiences will help them connect their mathematical learning to everyday life.

Thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement. We look forward to a wonderful term filled with curiosity, creativity and opportunities to celebrate our students’ learning.

Warm regards,

The Grade One Team

Grade 2

A big welcome to Term 4! We hope everyone had a wonderful break and is ready for another exciting term of learning. We are looking forward to seeing our Grade 2 students continue to grow in confidence, independence and curiosity as we approach the end of the year.

In Reading, students will explore a range of narratives, traditional tales and informative texts, including Tiddler, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Little Prince and The Little Refugee. They will develop their comprehension skills by exploring characters, problems and solutions, key messages, perspectives and how illustrations support meaning.

In Writing, students will strengthen their grammar and sentence construction while developing their narrative and persuasive writing skills. They will write and publish a persuasive letter and create their own narrative inspired by The Little Refugee, which they will publish as a small book.

In Mathematics, students will explore fractions, multiplication and division, including using arrays, fact families and problem-solving strategies. They will also create and interpret maps and investigate capacity through hands-on measuring, comparing and ordering activities.

In Inquiry, students will explore Australia through maps, investigating where we live, the states, territories and capital cities, and the different ways people are connected to places. They will also learn about First Nations Countries and connections to Country, as well as compare urban, rural and remote communities.

In Wellbeing, students will develop positive coping and problem-solving strategies, including managing emotions, facing challenges, working collaboratively and considering different perspectives. They will also begin preparing for the transition to Grade 3.

We are looking forward to a wonderful final term of learning and celebrating the growth and achievements of our Grade 2 students. Thank you to our families for their continued support.

Grade 3

Literacy

In Term 4, students will continue to develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through a range of engaging learning experiences. Our core text will be Wonder by R.J. Palacio, which explores themes of kindness, empathy, friendship, acceptance and inclusion. Students will develop their comprehension skills by exploring character development, themes, author intent, vocabulary and making connections between the text and their own experiences.

In writing, students will explore a range of text types, with a particular focus on persuasive writing. They will learn to develop strong arguments, support their opinions with evidence and use persuasive language. This will be in a persuasive letter form, to persuade David and the School Council to implement more inclusive and accessible practices at school, considering how we can create a respectful and supportive environment for everyone.

Students will also continue to strengthen their spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary, while developing their ability to plan, edit and publish well-structured pieces of writing.

Wellbeing

Our Wellbeing focus for Term 4 will be on positive coping strategies and emotional literacy. Students will develop their ability to recognise, name and understand a range of emotions, as well as explore how emotions can influence their thoughts and actions. They will learn and practise positive coping strategies to help them manage challenges, navigate difficult situations and build resilience. Through discussions, reflection and collaborative activities, students will continue to develop empathy, self-awareness and positive relationships with others.

Inquiry

During Term 4, students will explore two exciting areas of Inquiry. We will begin by investigating the birth of democracy in Ancient Greece for our Civics and Citizenship unit. We will explore how democratic ideas developed, how citizens participated in decision-making and how these ideas have influenced our Australian modern democratic society.

As an extension to our Geology unit, we will then turn our attention to fossils and dinosaurs, investigating how fossils form, what they can tell us about life in the past and how palaeontologists use evidence to understand prehistoric animals and environments. Students will develop their research, questioning, critical thinking and information-gathering skills as they explore these topics.

Mathematics

In Mathematics, students will focus on developing their understanding and application of a range of mathematical concepts. Our learning will include:

• Division: Developing efficient strategies to solve division problems and applying these using problem solving strategies.

• Chance: Exploring the likelihood of events and using mathematical language to describe probability.

• Maps: Interpreting maps including grids and coordinates, using directions and developing spatial reasoning skills.

• Money: Applying financial mathematics skills to calculate costs, work with amounts of money and solve practical problems.

• Fractions: Recognising, representing, comparing and working with fractions using the bar model.

We will continue sending home a weekly homework routine in the form of a sheet for students to complete. Please encourage your child to fill in the sheet as they complete the activities. It incorporates the following routines:

Supporting Reading at Home

Please encourage your child to read aloud daily for 10-15 minutes by reading fiction texts or other texts of interest (from the school library/local library). 

Supporting Maths at Home

Short, regular practice helps build strong number foundations.

By the end of Grade 3 it is expected that students are able to recall multiplication facts of 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x and 10x times table and the related division facts. Practice on Times Table Rockstars a few times a week (for roughly 5 mins at a time) builds confidence and fluency with both multiplication and division. 

Some students are also consolidating their recall of addition and subtraction facts. Number facts practice on NumBots supports your child’s automatic recall of basic number bonds, which is essential for later maths success.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to working together to make this another successful term for our Grade 3 students!

Warm regards, 

The Grade 3 Teaching Team

Grade 4/5

Welcome back for the last term of 2026! We have settled back in straight away, ready to begin our last learning topics of the year.

In Literacy we have begun reading 'The Grandest Bookshop in the World', a magical story about Cole's Book Arcade. This text takes place in Melbourne, featuring a real book arcade that existed 100 years ago. We have so far been loving the suspenseful and action-packed text, and looking forward to writing our own narratives using a variety of skills covered in class, from rich descriptions to create suspense and atmosphere to varied sentence starters. 

In Maths we continue to use Daily Review as a way to consolidate and strengthen our understanding of past topics, and jump into a variety of new and exciting topics. We look forward to learning all about types of angles as well as estimating and measuring them, conducting research and constructing column graphs, plotting points and drawing images on coordinate planes, transformations, reflections, and fractions of quantities. 

In Inquiry, we are learning about the origins of our governing system in Australia, and how democracy began in ancient times. We will also be learning about Ancient Rome, and how history has shaped the Australia we know today. 

In Wellbeing, we continue to build on our skills of problem-solving skills, using strategies for managing stress, how and when to seek help, and using a catastrophe scale to put our problems into perspective.

Looking forward to an exciting and busy term ahead! 

Grade 6

Wow, 2026 now in our final quarter. An exciting term four awaits our senior students as we head into the final eleven weeks of 2026! This term marks an important milestone, our last one in primary school! We have a wonderful range of experiences planned to celebrate the end of the year, including a fun day at Adventure Park in Geelong and our much-anticipated graduation ceremony, which will be held at school.

Literacy

Our novel study in term 4 will be Nevermoor, a series by Jessica Townsend which is written for middle-grade readers aged 8 to 13 years old. It follows the tale of Morgan Crow, who is cursed and finds herself in a magical world, but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination.

In Writing, students will begin by exploring the features of effective letters and speeches. They will plan and write their graduation speeches, focusing on topics such as memorable teachers, school highlights, and special moments from their primary years. Throughout these lessons, students will develop their use of inclusive and emotive language, transition words, tenses, and descriptive vocabulary, while refining their editing and revision skills using checklists.

Later in the term, students will take part in an exciting project creating their own business, within a unit named “Shark Tank.” This is based on the T.V. series. The literacy component will involve looking at consumer choices, a target market, developing a product and cost & profit. 

To finish the year, students will design and write a Buddy Book for our Prep students, celebrating their journey through primary school and passing on advice to our youngest learners.

Mathematics

In Mathematics this term, students will continue to work through the Maths Hero program, designed by Shaping Minds, which provides high-impact, interactive lessons focused on explicit instruction and strong student engagement. Each session will begin with a daily review to reinforce previously taught concepts and ensure key skills are embedded over time. Our main areas of focus this term include working with percentage discount, cartesian planes, chance experiments, data tables and graphing.

Inquiry

This term’s Inquiry will explore Business and Economics, , focusing on key concepts such as being a consumer, goods and services, employment, and what work might look like in the future. Midway through the term, students will launch into their hands-on project by creating, presenting and marketing their own designed product for shark tank. They will develop a brand name, design the product, plan and implement marketing strategies and most importantly present their product to the ‘Sharks!’