Year Four
Dear Year 4 families,
As we reach the middle of the term, there is still so much to look forward to. The coming weeks will be filled with exciting learning opportunities, special events, and moments for our students to shine.
Reading
This week, our Year 4 students have continued to dive deeper into our author study of Jeannie Baker, exploring her unique storytelling style through both text and illustrations. Our focus has been on her captivating picture book Where the Forest Meets the Sea.
In Reading, students engaged in a See, Think, Wonder thinking routine, using sticky notes to record their ideas as they explored the detailed illustrations. This activity encouraged them to make careful observations (See), form interpretations (Think), and ask questions (Wonder). This aligns with the IB Learner Profile, as students acted as Inquirers, developing curiosity and building their understanding through thoughtful questioning.
Through this process, students not only examined the themes and imagery in Baker’s work, but also began to make connections between the environmental messages in the story and our own world. They are learning that reading is not just about understanding words, but about engaging deeply with ideas and perspectives.
We look forward to continuing our journey into Jeannie Baker’s works and discovering the messages she communicates through her art and storytelling.
Writing
In Writing this week, Year 4 students have been investigating news reports and their structures. We are learning to identify the key information of an event so that we can write detailed and engaging reports.
To practise these skills, students have been linking their writing to big events from our class novels. For example, 4H has been reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They explored the moment when Aslan sacrifices himself at the Stone Table as if it were a real-life breaking news story. They worked on answering the 5Ws (Who, What, Where, When, and Why) and writing clear, factual headlines to match.
By combining their understanding of narrative events with the structure of a news report, students are learning to write with accuracy, clarity, and purpose. We look forward to seeing their final polished news pieces.
Maths
In Maths, students have been exploring perimeter and area in a hands-on way. Connecting with our current unit of inquiry, they became town planners, designing their own towns, creating a key for important locations, and carefully marking the area where each building would be located. It was wonderful to see their creativity and problem-solving come to life on the page!
Additionally, students have been revising their multiplication skills and deepening their understanding of place value. They explored what happens to numbers when multiplying and dividing by powers of ten, using their place value knowledge to explain how the digits shift with each calculation.
Reminders:
Camp Deposit
A non-refundable deposit of $150 is required by 15th September to secure a spot for camp. The remaining balance will be due at a later date.
Science Week
This week we celebrated Science Week, and students had a fantastic time exploring a variety of experiments. This year’s theme, Decoding the Universe, sparked plenty of curiosity and wonder. During assembly, they were treated to a spectacular science show presented by the teachers. They conducted their own experiments back in the classroom.
Book Week
Book Week begins in Week 5, on the 18th of August with our annual Book Week parade taking place on Friday the 22nd of August. The 2025 theme is Book an Adventure! Students are encouraged to immerse themselves in lunchtime activities and all the fun throughout the week. So get your costumes ready as we look forward to your beautiful creations.
Warm regards,
The Year Four Team