Year 3/4 - Newsletter
Dear Parents & Carers,
Book Day Celebration
It’s time to celebrate books!
We’re excited to celebrate Book Day next Wednesday, 26 August. Our Book Day Parade will take place during Session 1, and we can’t wait to see everyone dressed as their favourite characters!
We’re also very excited to welcome Storyteller Anna Manuel for a special session of stories and entertainment. Please be sure to provide permission on Compass for your child to participate.
We’re looking forward to a wonderful day celebrating our love of books and reading!
Congratulations, Tristan!
We would like to congratulate 3/4A’s Tristan Knowles on his wonderful achievement with the Australian Boys Choir.
Following a successful audition, Tristan completed a six-month Probationer Program and has now been officially admitted into the formal training program as a ‘Tyro’ Singer. This is a fantastic accomplishment and reflects Tristan’s hard work, commitment and dedication.
We are very proud of Tristan and look forward to seeing him continue to develop his musical talents. The Australian Boys Choir provides exceptional music education and training for talented young singers, helping boys develop their musical and life skills, build confidence and find their voices.
To learn more about the Australian Boys Choir and its training programs, visit australianboyschoir.com.au.
What Happened in 3/4 This Fortnight?
English
During our Structured Literacy sessions, we have been learning about the Greek root ‘scop(e)’, meaning ‘see’, and the Latin roots ‘mob/mot/mov’, meaning ‘move’. We have been exploring how these roots can help us understand the meaning of new and unfamiliar words. You might like to quiz your child about what these roots mean!
Our Grammar focus has continued with revising how to use adjectives in our writing to provide greater detail and description about nouns.
In Reading and Writing, we read an information text about different types of penguins and created our own notes on the topic. We then expanded these notes into complete sentences and organised them into paragraphs under topic-specific headings: Appearance, Diet, Habitat and Life Cycle.
In the coming weeks, we will begin exploring Mythical Creatures, building our background knowledge and developing our skills in writing informative texts.
Maths
We have continued our Multiplicative Unit by exploring the connections between multiplication and division and learning how our times tables knowledge can help us solve division problems.
We have also focused on developing our understanding of using the vertical algorithm to solve multiplication problems.
Students have continued to build their multiplication fact recall through our regular use of Facts on Fire and XtraMaths.
Inquiry
Explorers Unit
As we continue our Explorers Unit, students have been investigating significant early world explorers and their contributions to exploration. Working in small groups, students have researched Bartholomew Diaz, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama and Captain James Cook, exploring their journeys, achievements and impact on the wider world.
Stop Motion Animation Incursion
On Monday 24 or Tuesday 25 August, all Year 3 and 4 students will participate in a Digi Ed Claymation Incursion.
Please check Compass for event details and provide consent and payment for your child’s attendance. Please contact the office if you require any assistance.
- Year 3/4D & 3/4E: Monday 24 August
- Year 3/4A & 3/4B: Tuesday 25 August
- 3/4C: Students will be split across the two days and join the other classes.
Stop Motion Animation
Following on from this incursion, students will use their ICT skills and knowledge of an early explorer’s life and journey to create a 1–3 minute stop-motion animation.
During Weeks 8 and 9, students will work in small groups to tell the story of an early European explorer or demonstrate what life was like aboard an explorer’s ship.
Friendology/Wellbeing
Within our Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships program, we are currently exploring help-seeking strategies. Students are learning to recognise how big a problem is, identify who they can turn to for support, understand how to ask for help effectively, and explore ways they can support and help others.
Reminders
Fidgets – The NeeDoh & Butter Squishie Craze!
A quick reminder that NeeDohs, Butter Squishies and similar toys are not generally suitable as fidget tools in the classroom.
We understand that, for some children, a fidget tool can support their learning and focus, particularly when it has been recommended by a medical professional. We absolutely support this. If this applies to your child, please let us know so we can work together to support their needs.
For students who simply enjoy having a fidget toy, if we notice that it is not supporting their focus or learning, we will encourage them to use it during recess and lunch times instead.
Please remember that fidget tools brought to school should be small, quiet and non-distracting. Slime is not permitted at school.
Cold & Flu Season
With the cold and flu season upon us, please be mindful of the health and wellbeing of other children. If your child is unwell, please provide them with a rest period at home until they are well enough to return to school.
Homework
Weekly homework continues to consist of:
- A minimum of 4 nights of reading, with at least 80 minutes per week recorded in the school diary (book title, pages read and minutes read).
- Diaries are to be brought to school each Friday, signed by a parent/carer.
- Although not compulsory, we encourage your child to complete their assigned Mathletics tasks.
Dates to Remember
- Monday 24 or Tuesday 25 August – Stop Motion Incursion (more information on Compass)
- Wednesday 26 August – Book Day Celebration & Anna Manuel Storyteller
- Friday 18 September – Last Day of Term 3