Classroom News

Date  

Event

Spatzenschule Lunch Order

Harmony Day Dress Up (Cultural Dress or something orange)

Spatzenschule Lunch Order Day

Harmony Week Dress Up Day

Year 6 Easter Bake Sale 8:30 AM

Term 1 Concludes at 2:30 PM

Numeracy: Plane Shapes and Patterns

In Numeracy, students have been learning to classify and group a range of plane shapes such as circles, ovals, regular and irregular shapes, triangles and quadrilaterals based on their size and defining features. They have also identified and described the similarities and differences between shapes, and practised sorting familiar shapes into categories while explaining their reasoning.

Literacy: Narrative Writing

In Literacy, students have been reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff and learning to respond expertly to a range of questions, focusing on the vocabulary and language features within the text. They have also been creating their own text innovations, applying their understanding of sentence structure to develop detailed character and setting descriptions.

History: Mesopotamia

In History, students have been learning about King Hammurabi’s written laws and their role in early societies. They have also explored how many ancient civilisations used symbols to communicate ideas and meaning. Students compared Mesopotamian writing with Indigenous ways of representing meaning, considering how different cultures share information through visual forms. An example of Indigenous symbols used to represent family words is shown below.

Maths: Addition 

Last week we learnt about the properties of 2D shapes. In our lessons we discussed how many line segments and curves make up 2D shapes and engaged in hand on activities using manipulatives to explore and create shapes.

Writing: Narrative

In writing students used the mentor text ‘The Fisherman and his Wife’ to create their own narrative. We wrote the introduction and the build up and explored how to use direct and indirect dialogue in our writing to add interest.

Library

We have done a great job of remembering our school library rules and expectations and have been showing our school values of Respect and Responsibility to keep this shared space tidy for the whole school to enjoy. We have been enjoying exploring new texts and authors and growing our love of reading.

Year 3 to 6 House Cross Country Orrong Park. 

If you’re able to support with walking to and from Orrong Park, please let your child’s teacher know. 

Harmony Week Dress Up Day

Spatzenschule Lunch Order

Maths: Adding within 1000 using regrouping. 

Students have learnt multiple strategies to solve addition problems within 1000. Strategies such as the split strategy, jump strategy and vertical addition to solve problems with and without regrouping.

Reading: Character Analysis 

Students learnt to analyse the character of Toad from The Wind in the Willows. They explored Toad’s actions and made thoughtful inferences about the character traits these actions reveal.

Writing: Narratives

Students have continued to craft engaging problems and thoughtful resolutions in their Wind in the Willows–inspired narratives. They have been learning how to write dialogue effectively and how to construct complex sentences to make their writing more detailed and engaging.

HASS: Traits

Students have been exploring how specific traits help organisms to survive. 

Wellbeing: Emotions

Students learnt how to identify emotions in others when others aren’t very expressive with their facial expressions or body language. They learnt to look at the situation to try and figure out how they may have been feeling at the time. 

Maths: TTRS World Rock Competition 

Students have jumped enthusiastically into the TTRS World Rock Competition, completing an incredible 23,000+ correct answers so far! Every Grade 4 student has been involved, with many even choosing to spend their lunchtime practising to climb the leaderboard and secure their place on the scoreboard. What a fantastic effort from our mathematicians!

Writing: Information Text 

Students have been learning the key skills needed to write an engaging information text, including how to organise facts, write clear topic sentences, and use interesting vocabulary to inform the reader. This week, students began writing their own information pieces, focusing on a city of their choice. They have been researching important facts about their city and carefully organising their ideas into paragraphs to create an informative and engaging piece of writing. It has been wonderful to see students apply the skills they have been learning and take pride in their work.

Geography: Weather Vs Climate

Students have been enthusiastically exploring weather and climate, working together in teams to design and build a home for their small pet that can survive in a chosen climate. It has been fantastic to see their fabulous teamwork as they share ideas, solve problems, and carefully think about how weather conditions might affect their pet’s home. From planning to building, students have shown great creativity, collaboration, and geographical thinking! 

Key Dates 

• Friday 20th March- T-Ball gala day 

• Celebrating Harmony week 
• Monday 23rd March: Science incursion (Animal Adaptations) 
• Wednesday 25th March: Cross country 
• Thursday 26th March: Harmony day dress up and Spatzenschule Lunch Order day 

• Friday 2nd April: Last Day of Term 1 2:30pm finish 

NAPLAN:

Well done to our amazing students for completing NAPLAN! 

They showed incredible resilience during the testing period, especially while working through some technical difficulties. Their patience, determination, and positive attitude were truly impressive. They should all be very proud of the effort you put in. We are proud of you! 

Science: 

Students learnt about animal adaptations and had a task to camouflage a butterfly in plain sight.  The photos below show the following students creating camouflage -

Harry, Oskar, Liana, Annabelle, Clara, Henning, Zoe F, Ruini, Jet, Hugo and Emre.                                  

Maths: Angles

Students are beginning their unit on angles. They are learning to identify, measure and classify angles (acute, right, obtuse and reflex) using protractors accurately. Students are also exploring how angles are formed, how they relate to turns, and how they appear in everyday contexts.

Writing: Persuasive Text 

Students are focusing on selecting strong persuasive topics and crafting engaging introductions. They are learning how to clearly state their position, introduce their main arguments, and hook the reader from the very beginning. Using the MPO (Multiple Paragraph Outline), students are organising their key ideas to ensure their writing is purposeful, structured and convincing.

History: The First Fleet and Early Colonisation

In History, students are learning about the arrival of the First Fleet and the establishment of early Australian colonies. They are exploring why Britain established colonies in Australia, how settlements were planned, and how free colonies such as South Australia were developed differently from convict colonies.

Students are examining how land was selected for settlement, the role of key figures in planning new colonies, and the impact of colonisation on First Nations peoples, including the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. Discussions focus on how colonisation affected traditional ways of life and the long-term consequences for Indigenous communities.

Year 6 Sovereign Hill Camp

On Monday, students travelled by bus to camp where they settled into their rooms and enjoyed a snack before beginning their activities. The day started with a camp introduction followed by gold panning, giving students a hands-on glimpse into life during the gold rush era. After lunch, students rotated through a range of engaging activities including an educational welcome session, candle dipping and confectionery demonstrations, and exploring the historic Main Street and Speedwell precincts. In the late afternoon students spent time at the playspace before enjoying dinner at the café. The evening concluded with the spectacular AURA Night Show before students returned to the hotel to get ready for bed after a busy and exciting first day. 

On Tuesday, students began the day with breakfast before preparing for a full day of activities around the camp. Throughout the morning and afternoon, students rotated through a variety of engaging experiences that brought the history of the gold rush to life. Activities included visiting the butcher, bowling, exploring the Labyrinth of Gold, participating in a trooper demonstration, learning about printing, and experiencing Gold Fever. After lunch, students watched a Redcoat demonstration, visited the blacksmith, and saw an exciting gold pour demonstration. They also explored the Chinese Village and enjoyed time at the playspace. After dinner, students returned to the hotel to get ready for bed, followed by a fun trivia session and cabin time before lights out after another busy and memorable day. On Wednesday, students enjoyed their final morning at camp, beginning with breakfast before packing their bags and cleaning their cabins. The morning included time at the playspace followed by engaging educational activities, including learning about the Eureka Story, watching a trooper demonstration, and taking a tour of the Red Hill Mine. These experiences helped students deepen their understanding of life during the gold rush and the events that shaped Australia’s history. After lunch, students prepared for departure before boarding the bus and returning to school in the afternoon, finishing an exciting and memorable camp experience.