Monarch Community Report
Reading
Students worked on reading and interpreting persuasive texts, including debating. Students were exposed to bias and prejudice arguments. They identified the difference between fact and opinion and cause and effect.
Students continued to work on improving their reading fluency by reading out loud to an audience and focus on providing each other’s reading with feedback to support others on how to improve their fluency.
Student also engaged in weekly individual reading groups where they worked towards their own personal reading goal.
Writing
In writing, the year 5/6 students worked on their ability to persuade the reader by drawing on the persuasive techqniues of alliteration, facts, opinions, repetition, rhetorical questions, emotive language, exaggeration and the power of three (adjectives). Students worked in small groups and individually to plan and perform debates on current real world problems. They explored the structure of persuasive texts working alongside the writing process. Students developed their spelling skills through weekly spelling lesson using simple and complex spelling pattern.
Numeracy
In Numeracy, the grade 5/6 students have been focusing on the essential concepts of money, fractions, decimals, and ratios. Students have gained an understanding of financial literacy, acquiring the skills to manage money effectively nand the practical application of mathematics in everyday life. They learnt the essential concepts such as budgeting, saving, and making informed financial decisions. Students learnt to order decimals and unit fractions and locate them on a number line. They connected fractions, decimals and percentages as different representations of the same number. Students added and subtracted tenths and hundredths. They also learnt to recognise and solve problems involving simple ratios.
Inquiry
Students have been learning about sustainability through the eyes of geographers and scientists. They have worked in small groups to build their own weather stations, including barometers, rain gauges, wind vanes and anemometers. Students used these apparatuses to record and monitor the weather each day, and compare it to forecasts made by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Events
- Monday, November 13th - Imagineering Program Final Workshop
- Weeks 10 & 11 - Swimming
- Thursday, December 14th - Graduation Day
- Tuesday, December 12th - Funfields Excursion
Dance Showcase
Reminders
IT’S NOT OKAY TO BE AWAY!
While it is important for your child to stay home to recover if they are unwell, it is imperative that your child comes to school. Teachers make every effort to provide sequential, challenging and engaging programs. These programs do not factor in absences. If your child is absent they miss out on vital instructions and basic skills. Effects of absences accumulate over time and can have implications to future as well as current academic achievement.
If your child is to be absent, it is your responsibility, as a parent, to alert the office or classroom teacher to this situation - this can be done via Compass, in person or phone call to the office.
IT’S NOT GREAT TO BE LATE!
It is imperative that your child is punctual to school every day. There are so many things to do in a day at school that being late causes frustration to all concerned. Students miss out on the roll call, vital information about the day or events which are coming up, notices and teaching instruction. Of course, if your child has a medical appointment, it is far better that your child comes in late than taking a whole day off. However, sleeping in or being slow in the morning is unacceptable. Again, this sets an unfavourable pattern for later in life.
Homework:
Each week students will have homework to complete. The homework consists of nightly reading and a mathematics activity on Prodigy or My Numeracy. Homework is expected to be completed and handed in each Friday morning through the school diary. It would be helpful if you worked out a homework schedule with your child, which will help them to organise their time and reduce stress for them and your whole family. Make sure you take into consideration all of your child’s out of school commitments such as sport, dancing, music lessons and social events etc... Hence the invaluable use of their school diaries.
Water bottles:
It is important to supply your child with a suitable drink bottle filled with fresh water, to use whilst at school. The bottles should be brought to school every day to drink whenever they please. Water helps to improve concentration as well as used to quench their thirst especially after sports. Your understanding will be greatly appreciated.
Fruit, Vegetables and Food:
We are still trying to encourage families to cut down on processed foods such as chips, chocolates and lollies for play lunch in exchange for fabulous fruits and vegetables. We are also trying to encourage students to make healthier choices for lunches and snacks. Please send your child with fresh fruit and vegetables to eat throughout the day. Also, pack a nutritious lunch for your child to eat daily.
Finally, please feel free to speak with your child’s teacher or our Learning Community Leader - Zeinab. If he or she is unable to speak to you immediately, as their teaching duties are their first priority, they will be more than happy to make an appointment with you to discuss any of your concerns or questions.
Thanks for reading,
From The Monarch Team.
Zeinab, Paul, Shae, Ella, Michele and Con