YEAR SIX

Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School provides a range of holistic learning experiences to enable students to:

• Participate in the life and mission of the school.
• Deepen their knowledge and engagement with the Catholic faith and tradition.
• Build the capacity to continuously reason, reflectively, logically and critically.
• Embrace interdependence of human existence as global citizens, who are responsible to and for themselves and others.
• Engage in learning in a multitude of ways, through personalised and self-paced learning.

Religious Education

Church and Community - Mary Woman of Faith

This unit focuses on Mary as a faithful disciple and model for the Church. Students will explore female saints and women within Scripture who lived lives of faith, courage, and trust in God. Students will recognise how the Church honours Mary by exploring significant Marian feast days. This unit will explore expressions of Mary as a model of faithful discipleship through art and music.

Prayer, Liturgy and Sacraments - Advent and Christmas 

The Liturgical Year unit enables students to explore the traditions, beliefs, Scripture and events celebrated by the Catholic community throughout the Liturgical Year and especially during the time of Advent to Christmas.

The Year 6 Liturgical Year unit in Term 4 will focus on; 

• Advent - Advent helps us to prepare for the promised Messiah.
• Christmas - The incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ is significant for the people of God.

English

The Term 4 unit focuses on building students’ skills, understandings, values and attitudes in English while exploring the emotions and events tied to significant transitions such as finishing primary school. Central to the unit are literary concepts of narrative, characterisation, symbol, imagery, and connotation. Students explore the role of literary devices in enhancing textual depth, driving students and apply these in their own compositions. Students will produce a mix of informative and imaginative pieces centred on life milestones and transitions. The unit culminates with students crafting their life's narrative and assembling a package for their future selves.

Students will continue practising their reading strategies in Reading and Fluency Groups. They will also engage in the ‘Soundwaves’ spelling program, which is encouraged to be used at home. The students will be tested on their words during the Term.

Mathematics

Mathematics lessons will be taught daily with a consistent structure of Daily Review, Mental Arithmetic, Explicit Teaching, and Routine Practice activities with Working Mathematically skills embedded throughout the lesson. The topics taught in Term 4 are;

Week 1 and 2 - Multiplicative Relations 

Week 3 and 4 - Multiplicative Relations, Non Spatial Measurement - Mass

Weeks 5, 6 and 7 - Multiplicative Relations, Geometric Measurement - Length 

Weeks 8, 9 and 10 - Geometric Measurement - (Position), 2D Spatial structure, (2D shapes) Representing Numbers 

Mathematics lessons will be differentiated to meet the learning needs of all students.  

Science and Technology

The Physical World strand focuses on the difference between contact and non-contact forces and how energy is transformed from one form to another. Students are provided with an opportunity to investigate how electrical energy can control movement in products and systems. This strand develops students’ abilities to design, test and evaluate a product or system that demonstrates energy transformation, further developing an understanding of the interrelationship between force and energy.

History

In History this term students will continue studying the unit ‘Australia as a Nation’. This unit follows on from term three to allow students to develop a deeper understanding of change and continuity in Australia and the causes and effects of changes on society. They will also have the opportunity to explore the struggles for rights and freedoms in Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students will this topic through guided inquiry by identifying an area of interest, gathering information from selected sources and creating a product to share their findings. This method of teaching will allow students to take responsibility for their own learning and give them the opportunity to share what they have learnt.

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education

Physical Education -

In sports lessons, Year 6 students will enhance their movement skills through engaging activities that promote coordination, balance, and teamwork. The program will include a focus on dance, allowing students to compose their own routines and express creativity through movement. Additionally, they will learn the fundamentals of Australian sports, such as AFL and cricket, fostering a deeper understanding of teamwork and sportsmanship. Through drills, games, and friendly competitions, students will develop their skills while emphasising the values of respect and fair play.

Year 6 students will participate in a Surf Awareness program at South Cronulla Beach. The date for this is Friday 8th November 2024. This course offers students a fun, interactive and practical learning experience where they will learn practical skills in areas such as:

• Beach and ocean safety
• Swimming and deep-water flotation techniques
• Recognising safe and unsafe swimming areas
• Wave types and how they are formed
• Identifying rips and currents
• Board paddling techniques
• Emergency response procedures

Growing Towards Wholeness - Personal Development

On Thursday 24th October the school is offering a Personal Development evening run by Catholic Care Sydney for students in Years 5 - (5 - 6:30 pm) and Year 6 - (6:45-8:15 pm). 

The evening will provide accurate information about puberty and changes that occur during puberty, in line with the set PDHPE Curriculum and Catholic Church Teachings. Students will be provided with workbooks that can be completed during the session as well as at home once the session is finished.

Peer Support will commence this term and run for five weeks. This year's Module is, “Strong Together”.

The module aims to enhance student safety and wellbeing by promoting positive relationships, positive behaviours and expectations. It leverages peer-led leadership, encouraging older students to guide their younger peers with engaging activities. The approach emphasises strengths-based strategies and calls for a whole-school commitment to ensure sustained effectiveness in creating a safe and supportive school environment that aligns beautifully with our SPBL and Mercy Values.

This mini module aims to develop leadership as well as:

• Students to know their strengths.
• Establish expectations of positive behaviour and what it looks like.
• Clarify how to take action to make things better.
• Develop resilience.

Open Parachute will then continue for the remainder of the Term. Open Parachute aims to provide practical support on mental health to students. The program aims to reduce stigma and generate authentic dialogue in classrooms about the real issues students face. The psychological skills-building exercises aim to increase empathy, self-compassion, self-awareness, mental health literacy, and self-efficacy in students.

Amadeus

Students will continue with the Amadeus Music Education Program and participate in activities in listening, performing and organising sound within their regular Classroom Music lessons. 

• It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they:
  • Arrive on time for each lesson
  • Bring their instrument and required accessories to every lesson
  • Bring their Essential Elements* music book
  • Bring a lead pencil and eraser

Creative Arts

In Music with Mr Parlato, Students will use digital technology and instruments to compose and perform looped melodies and rhythmic patterns. They will use digital tools to demonstrate their understanding of pitch and rhythm. 

Mandarin

Our students continue to enjoy participating in the Chinese language program called the Meg Language Program. The Meg Curriculum is written by the co-author of the Australian Curriculum. All students and teachers will participate in the digital learning platform via Zoom weekly sessions with educators in China.

Homework 

Term 4 Homework is essential in preparing Year 6 students for High School. They will receive a set of slides on their 'Google Classroom Homework Landing Page' each Monday. 

The homework slides clearly outline the tasks that students are expected to complete each week. The students have been made aware of the expectations around the presentation and delivery of their homework. Homework is due each Monday. If your child is unable to complete their homework, please communicate this to their classroom teacher via a handwritten note or email.  

It is an expectation that your child is bringing their diary with them to school every day. The diary is a means of communication between home and school, a record of their nightly reading and a useful tool to remind them of important dates.

Reminders 

• Uniforms need to be neat and tidy - Please ensure the correct uniform is worn on the right days and school shoes are in line with the uniform policy. 
• No extra jewellery is to be worn. 
• Hair is to be kept neat and tidy. 

Mrs Amanda Stewart (6 Blue)

Mrs Tayla Waters and Mrs Taylah Wilson (6 Gold)

Mrs Kim Noonan, Mrs Erin Wing and Mrs Clare Pisani (6 White)

Important Dates for Year 6

SPORT DAYS

Please wear your sports uniform on these days. 

6B - Tuesdays and Fridays 

6G - Tuesdays and Fridays 

6W - Tuesdays and Fridays 

LIBRARY DAYS

6B - Tuesday 

6G - Tuesdays

6W - Tuesdays

2024 - School Term 4

Parent calendar available at this link