Year 3-6 Sector

Year 3

Term 1 has absolutely flown by — we’re not quite sure where the time went! It has been a busy and rewarding start to the year.

A big congratulations to our Year 3 students who participated in NAPLAN. Overall, it ran very smoothly, and we are incredibly proud of the effort and resilience shown by all students. The good news is they now get a well-earned break from NAPLAN until Year 5!

In Writing, students have been developing their skills in editing their work, including re-reading to check that their writing makes sense. Moving forward, students will continue to build on their ability to develop ideas, organise their writing, and strengthen their voice, word choice, fluency, and conventions. They will follow the full writing process: planning, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing their work. 

In Reading, we have finished our class novel Brindabella. Students explored character traits and learned how to find evidence in the text to support their thinking. They have also been practising summarising chapters, both as a class and independently. The story follows a boy named Pender who rescues a kangaroo joey and names her Brindabella. It is rich in descriptive language and explores themes such as nature, compassion, freedom, and the relationship between humans and animals. Students will continue to explore narrative elements, including characters and setting, while building their vocabulary through exposure to new and interesting words. 

In Mathematics, our focus has been on number and place value — a key foundation for all future maths learning (no pressure!). Students have been ordering and representing numbers beyond 10,000, identifying odd and even numbers, and using these properties in their work. They have also been partitioning, rearranging, and regrouping numbers to support their understanding and problem-solving skills.In Probability, students have been identifying and describing possible outcomes of events, using language such as likely, unlikely, and impossible. They have enjoyed conducting simple chance experiments and discussing their results using appropriate mathematical vocabulary. 

In Science, students have been busy scientists, planting beans and carefully observing and recording their growth. They have been asking important questions such as, Is it alive? How do we know? This unit has allowed students to explore the features of living things and how they can be grouped based on observable characteristics. They will also investigate living things found in our school environment, including exploring animal groups in leaf litter.

In Health (Resilience), students have been learning about emotions, identity, relationships, and staying safe. They are developing a better understanding of themselves and others, while building strategies to manage big emotions and respond to challenges. Students are also learning how their experiences, friendships, and family connections help shape who they are — all while practising how to make safe and respectful choices. 

In Humanities, students have been learning about rules and laws. They are exploring why rules are important, how they differ from laws, and how they help keep communities safe and fair. Students are also being introduced to the different levels of government — local, state, and federal — and the roles they play in our society.

Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to meeting you for parent, student and teacher conferences in the first week after the holidays…The Year 3 Team       

We are proud of all our students' efforts, positive mindsets and look forward to acknowledging and celebrating their accomplishments with them throughout these units.

Year 3 Team

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Year 4

As we come to the end of Term 1, we are proud of the wonderful progress and enthusiasm our Year 4 students have shown in their learning.

In Reading, we have continued exploring the novel ‘His Name Was Walter’, and students have been thoroughly enjoying the story. They have engaged thoughtfully with the different elements of the text, showing strong interest in the characters and themes. This has also supported the development of their vocabulary, as they encounter and discuss new and meaningful words throughout the novel.

In Writing, students have been developing their narrative skills by exploring different writing techniques. They have been learning how to plan and structure their stories, focusing on key elements such as characters, setting, and plot. Students are also beginning to use a range of writing “crafts,” such as descriptive language and interesting sentence starters, to make their narratives more engaging for the reader.

In Mathematics, students have been developing their understanding of addition and subtraction, building both accuracy and confidence with larger numbers. They have been using a range of strategies such as the split strategy, number lines, and inverse operations to solve problems efficiently. Students are also learning to explain their thinking and choose the most effective strategy for different situations. Through worded problems, they are applying these skills to real-life contexts and strengthening their problem-solving abilities.

Our Year 4 students have been thoroughly enjoying participating in a sports clinic run by the Year 12 students from Lakeview Senior College. This has been a fantastic opportunity for our students to develop their physical skills, teamwork, and confidence in a fun and supportive environment. The Year 12 leaders have done an excellent job guiding activities, demonstrating skills, and encouraging participation from all students. It has also been wonderful to see positive connections forming between the younger and older students, fostering a strong sense of community within our school.

As we wrap up Term 1, we thank you for your continued support and partnership. We wish all families a safe, restful, and enjoyable holiday break and look forward to another exciting term ahead.

''In year 4, kindness is our jam!''

Year 4 Team

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Year 5

The year 5’s have had an exciting and busy few weeks! We put in an incredible effort during NAPLAN, and are enjoying the last few weeks, where we are wrapping up our units for the term. 

In Reading, we are almost finished our class text, Boy Overboard. We have been exploring the traits of the characters, synthesising and identifying the different themes and messages in the text. We are so excited to see how the story will end for Jamal and Bibi!

In Writing, we have been crafting narratives. We have been working on creating interesting characters using the STEAL strategy. We have also been learning how to use dialogue purposefully in our writing. We are now beginning to revise and edit our work using a rubric. 

In Maths, we have been conducting surveys and representing our data in different graphs, such as line graphs and dot plot. We have also been exploring different strategies for solving addition and subtraction problems. 

We are so excited for the amazing things to come in Term 2!

Kind regards,

Grade 5 Teachers

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Year 6

In Term 1, the Year 6’s have been learning lots of new and exciting information, across each of their subject areas. 

In English, the Year 6’s have been working on a book study, as well as writing a narrative. 

In Reading, students have been studying the book ‘Skellig,’ written by David Almond. They have applied numerous comprehension strategies, to help deepen their understanding of the text. They have also been applying these strategies while reading their book of choice, helping to improve their capacity as readers. 

In Writing, students have been learning about a range of narrative devices, which they have been applying in their own writing. They are now working on a narrative and using a marking guide to help them understand what they are doing well, and what they can do to further improve their writing.

In Mathematics, for Number we have been working on place value, including decimals. We have also been working on adding and subtracting decimals, using a number line, the area model, and the bar model. For Statistics, we have been working on collecting and displaying data. We have also been analysing graphs using Mathematical language, such as mode and range.

For Humanities, students have been learning about how laws are made and enforced. They have been exploring the features of democratic systems, as well as the different levels of Government. Students have really been enjoyed this topic. 

The Year 6 cohort have achieved lots this term, and are looking forward to the weeks ahead!

Here is what some of our Year 6’s had to say about Term 1, so far:

“We’re really enjoying the book Skellig!” – Storm 

“This year has been fun. I’ve really liked training for our interschool sports.” - Koren

"In Year 6 we are cool because we thrive at school."

Grade 6 Team