Saltwater College Newsletter

Year Five 

Dear Year Five families, 

 

A massive welcome to all of our wonderful Year Five families, those who are returning to the school and to our new families who have started at Saltwater College this year. We hope that you have all had a relaxing summer break filled with memorable moments and plenty of relaxation. We are thrilled to have your children back in our classrooms, ready to dive into another year of learning, growth and opportunities.  

 

Our students have had a fantastic start to the 2024 school year and have begun building strong relationships with their teachers and peers. Together, each class has spent time establishing some classroom expectations, which will help foster a supportive and engaging learning environment for the year. 

 

We will be having a Year Five parent information evening on the 20th of February. This will be a great opportunity for you to visit your child’s classroom space and hear about the Year Five program and how it will run this year. Please indicate your attendance through XUNO events.  

Writing: 

Students have begun to enhance their writing skills through the use of their Writer’s Notebooks. These notebooks are a place for students to gather ideas and record their personal thoughts, observations, and reflections which can inspire and help them with their future writing. Students were given the opportunity to decorate their Writers  Notebook so that it feels very personal to them and their interests. A range of different  activities have been completed in these so far such as;

  • The heart map: Students write things that are near and dear to them. 
  • The five senses: Students explore the five senses within their environment and use descriptive language to record this. 
  • Writing genres: Students created a web that included the different writing genres and the characteristics of each genre.
  •  Famous activists: Students were required to research a famous activist who stood up against some form of discrimination. They used their notebook to record what they were fighting for, their inspiration that led to them taking a stand, how they fought for change and any other findings.  

Reading:

Our Year Five students began to explore their classroom libraries and were encouraged to try and find their ‘just right’ books. A ‘just right’ book should challenge and engage the student at their individual skill level. Through this process, students not only enhance their reading skills but also develop a love for reading as they explore topics and genres that interest them. We encourage all families to have a conversation with their child about their ‘just right’ book as this will enhance their critical thinking ability and will create an environment that is supportive of, and celebrates reading. 

Maths: 

This year, our school will continue to use the Launch, Explore, Discuss (LED) method in our math lessons. This method encourages our students to engage with various math concepts through exploration and practice and will encourage them to have a deeper understanding as they are given an opportunity to collaborate and reflect with their peers. With NAPLAN fast approaching, several of our students have been receiving maths intervention and extension in conjunction with their class math lessons. These groups are concept driven and students attending are working through mathematical misconceptions and developing their understanding of different mathematical areas that will help them throughout the year. Our tutors, Leading Teachers, and Assistant Principals are working with students across the cohort, ensuring we are targeting our students at their point of learning need. 

The Year Five Team:

We are really fortunate to have a team of teachers who have a lot of experience combined across a range of year levels. They are excited to be working together and believe that their diverse skill sets will enrich and enhance the Year Five program, making it both engaging and educational.  

 

Our Assistant Principal is Ms Danielle Colling who has been a part of Saltwater College since the beginning. 

Amberly Morison, will be working as the Leading Teacher as well as in 5H, is returning to primary school after working in our high school for the last two years. 

5A: Miss Fatouros has spent the last three years teaching Year Six at Saltwater College. 

5B: Ms Rossi is moving up from Year One. 

5C: Mr Brooks is new to Saltwater College this year and previously taught Year One.

5D: Mr Mernik has previously taught Years Two and Three. 

5E: Mr Vella has been teaching for six years and taught Year Five at Saltwater College in 2023. 

5F: Ms Palombi is also moving up from Year One and is excited to work with the upper year levels. 

5G: Mrs Kaur was also apart of the Year Five team last year and has previously taught high school science. 

5H: Mrs Rotteveel has taught across all primary year levels for the last 16 years and will be sharing 5H with Mrs Morison.

5I: Ms Fatima has been teaching Year Three for the last three years at Saltwater College. 

5J: Mrs Kilner started teaching Year Five at Saltwater College in 2020. She moved to Year Six in 2022 and is excited to be back teaching Year Five this year. 

MP Visits Year Five:

5E and 5F were very fortunate to have Member of Parliament - Matthew Hilikari visit on Tuesday 13 February. MP Hilikari was visiting to present two of our students certificates for their submissions in the holiday card competition last year.

 

A huge congratulations to Aarohi for her 'Happy Holidays' card and Julia for her 'Lunar New Year' card! We are so proud of you both for being selected and published!

Important Reminders:

  • On PE days and Fridays, students are permitted to wear their sports uniform. Students must be in their full academic uniform on all other days. 
  • Wide-brimmed hats are to be worn in Term One and Term Four. Please make sure your child's hat is clearly named. 
  • Our school day commences at 8:30am and students will be welcomed into the classroom each day from 8.20am, which will give them time to prepare for their day ahead. Students are not permitted to be in the school grounds prior to 8.15am without a supervising adult. If your child needs to be dropped off at school early, please look into the Big Childcare Program which runs before and after school. Any child who arrives after 8.40am will need to enter through the front office and will need to sign in using the kiosk. 
  • Please ensure your children get in the habit of charging their laptops overnight so that they are ready to be used for learning during the school day. If you have not already, please ensure you sign the ICT agreement on XUNO for your child. This is essential as we require this before any student can use their device whilst at school.
  • If you have not already, please ensure you also complete the local excursion and photo consent forms for 2024. These are located on XUNO. 

 

We're looking forward to seeing you all at our Parent Information Night next week- Tuesday 20th February at 6pm.