What's happening in our learning spaces?
| STUDENTS OF THE WEEK | |
| FLW | Alessia - For being a positive and hardworking student. Alessia has produced some magnificent and creative work pieces throughout the week. Well done. Awesome Alessia! |
| FAM | Albert - For your exciting and entertaining narratives. You engage in writing with a positive attitude and always try your best! Amazing Albert! |
| 1/2VS | Deniz - For enthusiastically participating in the relay race and tunnel ball with your friends. You are a superstar! Adam - For persisting to engage in all learning tasks with enthusiasm and the use of technology. You are an expert at using the chromebook! Amazing Adam! |
| 1/2VK | Alessia - For demonstrating enthusiasm and positivity towards your learning! Well done and keep it up Amazing Alessia. |
| 1/2VB | Madeline - For taking risks in your learning and persisting even when it felt uncomfortable. Learning can sometimes be scary and you have been very brave! Mighty amazing, Madeline! |
| 3/4BP | Tommy - For showing persistence and concentration when engaging his literacy learning this week. Terrific Tommy! |
| 3/4SH | Ella - For your amazing progress in maths this term. Your hard work, enthusiasm, and growing confidence are inspiring. Keep up the great work, Ella! Sebastian - For being a true bucket filler and lighting up our class with your kindness. We’re so lucky to have you, Seb! |
| 5/6OS | Amber - For being a strong leader who inspires her peers, sets the gold standard for teamwork, and can deliver a rebuttal so sharp it should come with a warning label, Debating Dynamo Amber! |
| 5/6BZ | Dianna - For her dedication, teamwork, and persistence in preparing for the debate - your efforts did not go unnoticed. Truly dazzling, Dianna! Zita - For being a confident listener and speaker during the debate. You nearly convinced me that students should design their own classes. Excellent work, Zita! |
| 5/6MC | Erica - For not just dominating in your debate — but changing my mind mid-argument! If convincing people was an Olympic sport, you’d have a gold medal. Well done Erica! |
FOUNDATION NEWS
It’s hard to believe it is already Week 8 of Term 4! Time really does fly when you’re having fun. It has been very busy in Foundation and there have been a lot of changes in our timetable and daily routine, but we have been super flexible and just as excited to learn!
As mathematicians, we tuned in to the concept of Location. We began exploring the location of people and objects, and described these using positional language, such as on, beside, under, over, around, in, behind, in front, in between. As thinkers and researchers, we listened to the story Rosie’s Walk and identified where Rosie went using the correct language. We played Simon Says and had to follow the teacher’s directions. We had to put our photo blocks under the table, stand behind chairs, place pencils in between crayons and walk around ottomans. We also went outside and described the position of our friends on the playground and in the yard. We took photos and recorded statements using positional language, for example, Leo is next to the tree. Chloe is going down the slide.
As inquirers, we began unpacking how to keep our bodies safe. We identified safe and unsafe scenarios and listened to the story ‘Everyone’s Got a Bottom’ to tune in to protective behaviours. As researchers, we engaged in an Incursion with Kids Roar, where we continued to explore protective behaviours. We found out about good secrets and bad secrets, the correct names for private parts and ways we can keep our bodies safe. We then discussed the importance of speaking to a trusted adult if we are feeling unsafe or if we are worried about something. As thinkers, we considered 5 adults we trust both at school and outside of school and documented these on a Safety Hand. This has been sent home to be kept on display as a reminder of our trusted adults.
Tomorrow (Tuesday 26th November), the Foundation students will attend Mass with the 5/6 students. Parents and families are welcome to attend. Mass will begin at 9:15am.
Dates to remember:
- Foundation Athletics Day - Wednesday 27th November (11:40 to 1:30pm-parents are welcome to attend)
- Christmas Carols and Christmas Picnic - Thursday 12th December
Have a wonderful week!
Leanne Wenckoswki and Alycia Marsico,
Foundation Team
YEAR 1/2 NEWS
It has been yet another busy week of learning in the Year 1/2 cohort! We began the week with an informative incursion to learn about keeping ourselves safe, and we have continued to strengthen our knowledge in areas of shape and persuasive texts.
As readers and writers, we have revisited the ou digraph, which can make four different sounds. These sounds are found in many high frequency words that are used everyday. Have a look at the lists below:
Here are some more examples. You can continue consolidating these at home by writing word lists, creating a memory card game, placing words into sentences orally or in writing or even identifying these words in texts.
As writers, we have continued to extend our thinking about persuasive texts. As thinkers, we are planning our ideas before writing a text. Last week, we provided a statement that we agreed or disagreed with. When writing, we have focused on developing reasons with strong evidence to persuade the reader to agree with our opinion. Our teachers are very impressed with our ideas! Towards the end of the week, we were given a rubric to reflect on our writing and identify the things that we had done really well.
As inquirers, we have been finding out about our big question, How can I help myself and others? Over the last few weeks, we have spent lots of time exploring ways to help others in our learning community and around the world. During the next few weeks, we are looking at how we can keep ourselves safe. On Monday, we had special visitors from KidsRoar, who talked to us about the importance of feeling safe. We participated in fun games and engaged in discussions about our right to always feel safe wherever we may go, whether it is at school, at home or even the park. We talked about the universal thumbs up symbol, to tell people that we are okay and we also looked at body parts and feelings we may get if we are feeling unsafe. As a way to reflect on this experience, we used the Safety Hand to think about five trusted adults that we can go talk to if we are feeling unsafe. We will continue to explore this further in the coming weeks.
As mathematicians, we have been finding out about two and three dimensional shapes. We have engaged in a variety of learning opportunities that have extended our thinking about different polygons. As thinkers, together we have explored, made and categorised different triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons and hexagons. Take a look at our fabulous learning!
Congratulations to 1/2VK for leading a wonderful assembly on Friday. You all read clearly and beautifully and showed lots of courage!
1/2 Team
Vania Sparano, Vicky Karalis, Vivian Boggis
YEAR 3/4 NEWS
As healthy and safe students, we engaged in our KidsRoar incursion on Monday and learned about personal safety, focusing on recognizing safe and unsafe feelings, understanding the importance of consent, and identifying trusted adults to talk to. We are also practising how to say ‘NO’ in unsafe situations and understand the difference between safe and unsafe secrets.
As writers, we have been sharpening our persuasive skills, striving to craft compelling arguments that sway our readers. In 3/4BP, we have passionately argued the case for stopping ocean pollution, refining our points to inspire action. Meanwhile, in 3/4SH, we’ve tackled the pros and cons of school uniforms, presenting thoughtful perspectives to engage our audience.
As reflective thinkers, we partnered up with a peer to assess our writing. We followed a checklist to ensure our writing met the structure of a persuasive text. We identified our writing strengths and areas for improvement.
Have a lovely week!
Belinda Panzarino & Sarah Hogan
YEAR 5/6 NEWS
Debating Day - The children did an outstanding job convincing the teachers and parents on a variety of topics during our debate morning on Thursday. We heard well-thought-out arguments both for and against several ideas. The children excelled at presenting their cases, supporting their points with plenty of evidence and data.
A heartfelt thank you to all the parents who joined us and provided their support, both on the day and throughout the week as the children prepared for the debate. It was a pleasure to have you visit the SLA and be part of this exciting experience for the children. They were all beaming with joy as they had the opportunity to present not only to their teachers but also to so many parents from our learning community.
We filmed the debates on the day however, unfortunately the children's heads were out of the picture, however you will be able to hear the debate! These will be shared to you by your child's teacher.
We have a very busy week ahead of us!
We have an incursion with St Johns ambulance about CPR.
In our Maths lessons, we wrapped up our unit on fractions last week. This week, we will be focusing on learning about chance and probability.
We were also thrilled to finish reading our class novel, The One and Only Ivan. It was an engaging book with short chapters, vivid descriptions, unique perspectives, and social issues that sparked thoughtful discussions. Both the children and teachers truly enjoyed reading this novel together. If you get the chance, ask your child about The One and Only Ivan – we're sure they'll share some insightful reflections from the book. There are additional books in the series that explore other characters from the story, which could be a great option for reading over the school holidays or as part of home learning. All the books in the series are available as PDFs online, including The One and Only Bob, The One and Only Ruby, and The One and Only Family.
We have been starting to begin our songs for carols, it would be great for students to practise and recall the lyrics at home to prepare us for this event. We will send home lyrics and links to the songs this week.
REMINDER THIS WEEK - Maths Games Day - On Wednesday we will be holding our Annual Maths Games Day. This is where students will engage in mental, physical and problem solving challenges.
We would love for any volunteers to come and support us throughout the day. You can come in for an hour or the whole day! Your child will have received a note related to the games day. If you need any further details please contact your child’s teacher. Please let us know if you are available for this day!
Important Dates:
- 25/11/24 - First Aid Incursion
- 26/11/24 - Buddy Mass @ 9:15
- 27/11/24 - Maths Games Day
- 4/12/24- Year 6 End of Year Excursion
- 6/12/24- Year 6 Graduation Night
- 12/12/24- Family Xmas Carols
Have a wonderful week,
5/6 Team
Olivia Sargent, Maddie Comrie & Bianka Zorzut