ExACT - Year 3 & 4

This term, Year 3 and Year 4 ExACT students participated in the World Environment Day competition. Using the Design Process, they identified issues caused by plastic and developed solutions to address them. Students investigated how they could make a meaningful impact on plastic pollution by exploring one of three focus areas: clean water initiatives, plastic pollution, or ecosystem restoration. It was a nice change, and challenge, to work with peers from different year levels!

ExACT - Year 6

Congratulations to a group within our Year 6 ExACT students for an outstanding achievement in the Cluedunnit! competition, organised by The Law Society of Western Australia.

Team Dragon Puppeteers – Chloe, Phoebe, Olivia, Winter, Maame Yaa, Zoe & Emily - placed in the top 10 schools, a remarkable accomplishment. As part of the competition, students were challenged to solve a fictional crime by formulating six questions to gather evidence. They then presented a creative piece to showcase their understanding of both the crime and relevant legal concepts.

Well done to the team for their critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork!!

Music

Our Year 5 and 6 students are learning to play the drumkit. Throughout this unit, they have learnt and practiced reading drumkit notation, which is crucial for understanding and performing music. Additionally, students have engaged in listening activities to identify various rhythms played on the drumkit, enhancing their musical ear and rhythm recognition, and used GarageBand on their iPads to practice how the high hat, snare drum and bass drum come together to create the rock beat.

Students applied their knowledge by playing along to the song "Storming," mimicking a drumkit's beat. They used drumsticks to play high hat and snare drum parts on the floor. Keeping time was challenging, as managing two distinct rhythms simultaneously proved to be a complex task.

Despite the difficulty, students persevered, demonstrating their growing musical skills and coordination. This exercise not only tested their ability to maintain rhythm but also enhanced their understanding of how different drum components work together to create a cohesive beat. It was a practical and engaging way to reinforce their learning. Then, as everyone was playing this on the floor, a number of students led the class by playing this on the drumkit. It was a great deal of fun.

At the end of this learning unit, students will have the opportunity to play the basic drumkit rock rhythm on the actual drumkit. We are proud of their progress and look forward to seeing their skills in action!

Physical Education

Our Pre-Primary, Year 1, and Year 2 students have been having a fantastic time developing their fundamental movement skills in Physical Education. This term, they have been busy learning how to throw, catch, kick, and bounce through a variety of engaging games and activities. These skills are essential building blocks for their future participation in team sports and help support their overall physical development.

Meanwhile, our Year 3 to Year 6 students have taken on more advanced challenges, participating in a diverse range of sports and fitness activities. They have been learning the rules and techniques of AFL and Netball, showing great teamwork and enthusiasm. In addition, students were training for the Cross Country event and honing their skills in Soccer, building both stamina and coordination. It’s been a vibrant and active term full of learning and fun across all year levels.

Italian

Throughout the term, students from Pre-primary to Year 6 have been immersed in a wide range of enjoyable and meaningful activities designed to enhance their understanding of the Italian language and culture.

Pre-primary students have been introduced to Italian through the beloved classic story Il Pesce Arcobaleno (The Rainbow Fish). They have participated in storytelling sessions, learned key Italian words related to the sea and friendship, and enthusiastically taken part in hands-on games and role-play activities. Pretending to be the characters from the story allowed them to practise simple phrases and express emotions in Italian in a fun and imaginative way.

In Year 2, students have been using puppets to create and perform short dialogues with a partner. This activity has helped them practise greetings, questions, and simple responses in Italian, building their confidence in speaking while also developing their creativity and cooperation skills.

Year 4 students have taken part in lively games of Italian charades, using vocabulary from our daily routine. This interactive approach has motivated students to recall and apply Italian words and phrases in a playful context, reinforcing their language learning in an enjoyable way.

Year 6 students have taken their Italian learning a step further by exploring the lives of famous Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Working in pairs and small groups, they researched key facts, practised pronunciation, and performed role-plays. These creative reenactments allowed students to use descriptive language and connect with Italian culture and history in a dynamic and memorable way.

Ignatius Liturgy