Round the classes 

Reception class: Katie 

Since returning to school for Term 4, the Receptions have been busy learning some tricky sounds in literacy. We have also been working on writing an information report about koalas and asking questions of others to demonstrate our curiosity.

 As part of our work in maths, we have been learning about the teen numbers, how to estimate amounts of objects and how to sequence numbers on a number line.

 In HASS we have started learning about maps, we have discovered what a Bird's Eye view is and have started trying to draw in this way.

As part of our work with the Kimochis we have learnt what it means to feel left out. 

Finally, we have also been very busy making some clay art ready for the Uraidla Show. 

Year 1 class: Kelly and Troy

It has been an exciting return to school with students welcomed by Wendy Williams who backfilled Kelly on leave in Week One. We were also excited to welcome Gemma our preservice teacher into the classroom.

Students have been revising their work from last term to complete writing their information reports on animals. Students are moving into narrative writing for the remainder of the term.

In maths, students have been learning about equal groups as their first understanding of multiplication. Students have been sharing objects into two or more equal groups. They have been making equal groups with themselves, counters and other various objects while representing their thinking in multiple ways. 

Students are continually building their knowledge of simple coding using directional words. Students have been using forward, backwards, left and right to talk through their coding instructions. They are beginning to use symbol cards to test and edit their codes when using their Beebots. 

We look forward to lots of amazing work this term as well as showing off our work for the Uraidla Show!

Troy

Year 2 class: Sam

Welcome back to the start of Term 4! We hope you all had a fantastic break and are ready for another exciting term of learning and discovery. This fortnight was packed with positive feelings and marked the beginning of our journey into curiosity.

Our whole school focus for this term is 'Curious.' We believe that fostering curiosity in our students is essential for their development. Curiosity fuels a love for learning and helps children become more engaged and inquisitive in their learning. Throughout this term, we will be encouraging our students to ask questions, explore new ideas, and discover the world around them.

Week one was truly special as our Year 2 class had the privilege of attending the Oz Asia performance of 'The Little Nest' at the Festival Theatre. The performance was an interactive experience that allowed our students to immerse themselves in the world of the show. They were captivated by the puppetry, storytelling and the vibrant Indonesian cultural elements. This week we are integrating what we've learned from the excursion into our English curriculum. 

In Mathematics, our wonderful pre-service teacher India has introduced our class to the exciting topic of 'Measuring and Comparing Length.' This topic provides a practical and real-world context for our students to apply their mathematical knowledge. We are excited to see their understanding and skills in this area grow throughout the term. In the coming weeks, we will be exploring this topic further with hands-on activities and engaging exercises. We encourage you to support your child's learning by discussing measurements at home and practising measuring various objects using 'formal' and 'informal measurement'.

Samantha and India 

Year 2/3 class: Stephen and Suzie

We are starting to revise our understanding of the different writing genres. This week we have focused on persuasive text writing, ensuring we are using powerful vocabulary, organising our ideas with paragraphs and using repetition to persuade our readers. We are continuing our focus on reading comprehension.  We use comprehension strategies including summarising, activating prior knowledge and thinking about Question and Response (QAR) when answering questions.  We enjoyed completing a narrative/art task which involved writing a simple story, designing a setting for it and then making the main character out of Playdough. If you click on the links attached to this newsletter you can see us in action.

Year 4/5 class: Alex

In writing, students have been researching information about platypuses to plan for a Brightpath assessment piece on information report writing. They have been using a planning template to organise their information into subsections which they have labelled with relevant subheadings. Students have been keeping track of their sources to include in their bibliographies. 

In reading, students have been working in reading groups to unpack the literal and inferred meaning in their shared novel. They have been considering the characters' thoughts, feelings and motivations. Students have been discussing the language choices the writer made and what impact they intended to have on the reader. They have also been delving into the novel’s vocabulary, deciphering and investigating the meaning of unfamiliar words using the context of the story and dictionary definitions.

In mathematics, students are starting a unit of learning on multiplication and have completed a pre-assessment test to help them determine targeted goals for their learning. They have been continuing to complete their daily mental maths, sharing strategies with their marking group. 

Students have also been busy working on their art pieces for the Uraidla Show. Students have designed a sculpture of a ‘curious creature’ with its own unusual features. They have constructed the armature for their curious creatures using newspaper, wire, cardboard and masking tape. They have then used a layer of plaster cloth to cover the model to create a strong outer shell. 

Year 5/6 class: Sallie

In true form our class has commenced the term by hitting the ground running. We only had 2 and half days before the Year 6s were off on another camp. Aquatics Camp! We camped overnight - most in swags - and then had a full day of activities. The three groups fully immersed themselves in the 4 activities (knee boarding, catamaran sailing, small boat handling and sit kayaks). Thanks to Darren Bond, Jo Cox and Kate Griffiths who took time off work to drive, prepare food and generally supervise. 

As a whole class, we have been preparing for our information report assessment piece of writing. Our topic is native animals. The students have chosen their own animals to research and this animal has also become a focus for their art for the show (I love them...look out for the animals on paper bark backgrounds). 

The professional development we were involved in on Monday came at a crucial time because it was all about sentence structure.  Did you know that sentences are more than just a capital, full stop, noun and verb? We have been focusing on complex sentences with independent , dependent and embedded clauses. Understanding these will make our writing more sophisticated. 

In maths we have started our investigation into angles.  Ask your children about the Semaphore code and how we related this code to angles. 

Another piece of artwork we have been creating is designing and making a scene or picture out of pebbles and small rocks. Again, this artwork will be displayed at the Uraidla Show so look out for these fabulous pieces. 

Sallie 

PE: Victoria

In Physical Education this term, the Year 4-6 students are focusing their learning around the lost art of Frisbee throwing. Students have been practising their backhand and forearm throwing skills as they work towards playing some games of Ultimate Frisbee. 

The Junior Primary students are continuing to focus their learning on developing their fundamental movement skills. Each lesson the students rotate around four different stations, with each station focusing on a specific skill, like throwing, catching, striking, running, dodging or skipping. 

Indonesian: Ibu Susan

In Indonesian we have started our new story “Di Toko Saya Membeli….” (At the Shop I Bought….) in the younger classes. This includes new words plus colours and numbers. We also have new teddies, Ibu Gajah and Made the Monyet. The older students are learning vocabulary relating to transport. This topic includes looking at some traditional forms of transport in Indonesia.

Gardening: Jo

The first gardening time with the Year 1 students began with talking about our green waste at school.  The students collect the green waste from each classroom, monitor it for rubbish, empty it into the compost bins, then rinse and return the green bins to the classrooms. 

We graph the process each week giving the students some simple and practical maths recording concepts and practice. 

Our topic for this term is seeds. We observed different seeds and ordered them in size and noticed differences e.g. carrot seeds are small and fluffy whilst lettuce seeds are small and sleek. The students were introduced to monocotyledon (corn) and dicotyledon (bean) seeds and what that means in basic terms. We finished off planting some seeds in the veggie patch. 

We are getting the harvest table up and running again. It will be just inside the double door entrance to the school, selling produce from the garden. We welcome you to add your own excess produce, jams or pickles. All proceeds wilgo back to the Garden.