Specialists Updates and Celebrations

Physical Education (Prep)

This week in Prep, we were learning how to strike a ball using a tennis racket. At the start of the lesson, children were placed in pairs and practiced their rolling, stopping and scooping skills to be able to return a rolling ball to a partner. This would then help us for playing tennis later in the lesson. Then, we played some floor tennis with our partners, striking the ball on the floor. We had lots of fun experimenting using ground strokes and stopping the ball by 'squishing the tomato'. Finally, we added some cones and created a 'goal' for us to hit the ball through. We counted our 'goals' to see which pair could get the most hits through the cones! Well done all the Preps this week for practicing their tennis skills.

Music (Years 1 and 2)

In the Years 1 and 2 Music Program the semester long themes are “The Elements of Music”. Currently, our topic is “Beat”.

Students have been learning to find the beat in music and most importantly play with a steady beat. This means keeping their playing on instruments at a consistent tempo (speed) and playing in-time with other when playing in group or whole class situations.

We have been building our beat skills by learning a range of songs and playing fun and engaging games.

Environmental Education (Years 3 and 4)

Year 3 students have been learning about Waste and Recycling. They have learnt how to sort waste into the correct bins. They have also learnt about where waste goes when we put it in a bin, including landfill and a recycling plant!

The Year 4 students have been learning about gardening. They have learnt how to plant a seed, and planted their own sprouts! They are looking forward to tasting them when they are fully grown.

Visual Art (Years 5 and 6)

This week, the Year 5 and 6 students began their very first lesson in creating their own paper collages! They had a wide range of materials to choose from—magazines, books, donated collage paper, patterned paper, shape cutters, and more. We talked about how these types of collages are all about being inspired by the paper you discover, rather than searching for something specific. That’s where the magic happens—letting the paper guide you. What kind of story can you tell with the pieces you find?

The students have been using their creativity in a completely new way, and I hope they’ve enjoyed the challenge. Our inspiration came from an artist named Max, who runs a collage studio in Brunswick called ‘That Paper Joint.’ Miss Sam and I had a fantastic time learning from Max, and we’ve collaborated with him to create this unit. It’s been amazing to adapt lessons from an expert so our students can experience them too. I can’t wait to see next week’s collages!

Library

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award winners will be announced in time for Book Week.

At SMPS, we have all the shortlisted books in the categories of Younger Readers, Picture Book, Early Childhood, New Illustrator and the Eve Pownall Award (non-fiction). 

In the lead up to Book Week, teachers have been reading the shortlisted books to the students during library sessions.