Classroom News
Specialist Learning Overviews Term 1
Physical Education Learning Overview - Term 1
Welcome back to another exciting year of Physical Education at Our Lady's Primary School! This term promises to be full of engaging activities designed to enhance your child's physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Here's a brief overview of what we have planned:
Cooperative Games Mini Lesson:
We kick off the term with a focus on cooperation, teamwork, communication, and resilience through a series of mini lessons on cooperative games. These activities will not only promote physical activity but also foster important social skills that are crucial for a well-rounded individual.
Athletics Unit - Lead Up to School Athletics Day:
Following the cooperative games, our students will dive into the thrilling world of Athletics. The Preps to Year 2 students will be introduced to fundamental running, jumping, and throwing skills, laying the foundation for future athletic achievements. Meanwhile, our Year 3 to Year 6 students will have the opportunity to refine and advance the skills they've acquired in previous years, pushing their boundaries and striving for personal improvement.
This Athletics unit serves as a lead-up to the much-anticipated End of Term School Athletics Day. It's an exciting opportunity for students to showcase the skills they've honed throughout the term in a friendly and spirited competition.
Theme for the Term - RESPECT:
This term, our overarching theme is 'RESPECT.' We believe that respect is a core value that extends beyond the classroom and into the sports field. Throughout our activities, students will be encouraged to show respect for themselves, their peers, teachers, and the rules of the game. We aim to instill a sense of fair play, empathy, and understanding as they navigate the challenges presented in physical education.
We are enthusiastic about the learning journey ahead and look forward to witnessing the growth, development, and achievements of each student. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. Let's make this term an active, enjoyable, and respectful experience for all!
Anthony Whitty & Jade Herd
Physical Education Staff
MUSIC OVERVIEWS TERM 1
🎵 Preps
Prep students will enjoy discovering the Music Room this term. As part of this term's curriculum, Prep students will practise moving to music and feeling the beat with their bodies. At Our Lady's, singing is a key part of our music program, and all students participate by singing and making music with their voices.
🎵 Year 1
This term, our Year 1 students will be developing their listening skills and discover the world of sounds around them. With exciting, hands-on activities, our young musicians will have fun learning to recognise and match sounds with different classroom instruments. These engaging experiences are designed to sharpen their listening skills, setting the stage for a deeper understanding and love for music.
🎵 Year 2
Our Year 2 students are spending this term developing their rhythm knowledge and developing their rhythmic reading skills. Through a range of fun activities using both instruments and other objects, students will learn how to write, read and perform simple Ta and Titi rhythms in the music room.
🎵 Year 3
Students in Year 3 are learning how to play the recorder this term! They were beyond excited when they found out which instrument they would be pursuing this year. During this term, we will learn about the history of the recorder. We will also learn how to play the instrument correctly and aim to be able to play our very first tune just in time for Easter! Each term, students will continue to build their skills and knowledge of the instruments and we look forward to some mini performances throughout the year.
🎵 Year 4
This term, our Year 4 students are diving into a year-long ukulele journey. They'll begin by familiarising themselves with the instrument, identifying components, and labelling both parts and strings. Throughout the academic year, students will actively participate in strumming and learning, laying the groundwork for a foundational understanding to play the instrument. Get ready for a melodic and skill-building experience!
🎵 Year 5
Get ready for a rhythmic slam dunk with our fantastic Year 5's this term! They'll be blending the worlds of sports and music as they practise basketball rhythms in the music room. By dribbling to the beat, passing the rhythm, and shooting musical notes, they'll unlock a whole new level of rhythmic creativity!
🎵 Year 6
This year the 6’s will focus on working together as an ensemble. We have been lucky enough to purchase some more instruments for our students to be able to play and perform in each class. This term students will become familiar with reading music charts, understanding chord progressions and learning how to perform together by responding to what they hear. Each term the year 6’s will learn a popular song and discover how to recreate and play it as a band.
🎵 Choir 4-6
Choir auditions will be held in the coming weeks for students wanting to join/stay in the choir.
We are pleased to announce that the OLPS Choir has been invited to perform at this year's Craigieburn Festival (2nd March). A selection of 30 students from year 5/6 will perform at the festival. More information will follow shortly!
ART OVERVIEWS - TERM 1
Preps
In Term 1, Prep students will develop fine motor skills and creativity through cutting, tearing paper, and accurate placement of pieces using glue. They will use collaging to create various art pieces such as their favourite flavoured ice cream to pieces of fruit.
Year 1
In Term 1, Year 1 students will develop their creativity, fine motor skills, and spatial awareness through the creation of collages of animals such as birds. They will learn to cut and arrange materials to express their ideas while exploring basic design principles. They will develop foundational drawing skills by exploring various lines, shapes and patterns to create artworks with movements. Students will use various drawing materials such as soft and oil pastels to create their artworks.
Year 2
In Term 1, Year 2 students will focus on expanding their ability to manipulate various everyday materials, understand basic design principles, and express themselves through collages. They will create a summer themed collage with paper bag castles and tissue paper oceans as well as flying kites against a background of painted skies.
Year 3
In Term 1, Year 3 students will cultivate a range of essential skills. They will learn to use a diverse array of art materials responsibly and correctly, showcasing not only their creativity but also their mastery over the tools of their craft. Students will develop proficiency in arranging and combining different textures and shapes in collages to create an overall effect. They will create collages to express their individuality and sailing boats on textured oceans.
Year 4
In Term 1, Year 4 students will practise arranging and glueing different elements to construct well-balanced and thoughtfully composed beach themed collages. Students will explore how contrast can be used to emphasise focal points, create depth, and evoke specific moods by creating an artwork mixed with colour and three-dimensional elements.
Year 5
In Term 1, Year 5 students will develop proficiency in creating one-point perspective drawings, where parallel lines converge to a single vanishing point. They will create a beach themed one perspective drawing using pastels. They will advance their pastel skills by mastering various blending techniques to achieve sophisticated effects. This involves exploring techniques like feathering, stippling, and cross-hatching to create smooth transitions, textures, and depth to create a detailed fruit drawing.
Year 6
In Term 1, Year 6 students will develop the skill of creating expressive and harmonious colour palettes using pastels. Students will explore the interplay of warm and cool tones and complementary colours schemes to enhance the visual impact of their floral pastel artworks. They will develop the skill of crafting cohesive and meaningful collages with a focus on storytelling. This involves selecting and arranging various materials, such as paper to create an ocean themed artwork.
Library Prep - Year 6
A variety of literature will be shared with students to encourage engagement with reading. A focus for Prep & Year 1 will be to borrow books of interest and Year 2-6 just right and books of interest. They will need to remember to bring their library bag to every session to borrow. All will have the chance to borrow books of their choice from the school library during this time, Prep every week and Year 1-6 fortnightly. Please refer to the Learning Overview Compass notification for your child’s library day. Students will have the opportunity to read independently and to share books with their peers. The borrowed library books will provide an opportunity for you to share books with your child at home. The aim is to develop a love for literature and to read not only for learning but very importantly for pleasure!
Library bags are available for purchase from the school office for $15
“Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read.” - Mem Fox
“I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.” - Roald Dahl
2024 Library Expectations
JAPANESE OVERVIEWS: TERM 1
Prep & Year 1
In term 1 our prep students will become familiar with the sound systems of the Japanese language, including pronunciation and rhythm and will be introduced to the Hiragana alphabet. They will be learning how to greet the teacher at the beginning and at the end of the lesson and how to use correct Japanese greetings at different times of the day. Students will also learn colors, Numbers (1-10) and parts of the body.
Year 2, 3 & 4
In Term1 Year 2 students will become familiar with the sound systems of the Japanese language, including pronunciation and rhythm and will be introduced to the Hiragana alphabet. They will be participating every day in classroom activities and routines to get exposure to the Japanese language. They will play board games, flashcard games, songs and gestures to revise vocabulary on greetings and classroom instructions. Students will learn numbers, colors and body parts through songs. They will be learning interesting facts about Japan and will create an information poster.
Years 5 & 6
In Term 1, students will be introduced to a few more letters of the Hiragana alphabet. They will start reading and writing simple words using the Hiragana alphabet. Students will also learn body parts and how to describe people in Japanese. They will be learning days of the week and months of the year, counting in Japanese and how to write numbers 1-10 using Kanji characters. Students will also learn to give a short self introduction in Japanese.
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