What's Happening in our Classrooms

Prep

What’s Happening in Prep: Week 9

What’s been happening in Prep

The Preps have been busy problem solving and learning about the importance of recycling over the past two weeks as part of our Design and Technology Inquiry unit. We designed and constructed a model of a new vehicle for Miss Hulls to get to school on time. We also designed and made our very own musical instruments. All out of recycled materials! Thank you for all your donations. For the time being, we no longer require any recycled materials as we have plenty to keep us going. 

What will be happening over the next week in Prep

Wellbeing

• Identifying the “size of the problem” and the expected reactions, to everyday problems we may encounter
• Exploring how sensory tools can help calm and regulate us

Phonics

• Revising all learnt phonemes (a, e, i, o, u, s, m, n, t, p, b, c, g, h, d, f, v)
• Practising “finger spelling” to help sound out simple CVC words

Reading

• Independently reading and practising the skills of fluency, phrasing, sounding out, pointing to words as we read and predicting
• Practising ‘Ruby’ memory words (said, is, as, all, went, play, like, school)

Writing

• Using memory words in our writing
• Using onset and rhyme to create words

Maths

• Comparing and ordering numbers to 20 using the language more/less, larger/smaller
• Revising what we have learnt about 2D shapes

Inquiry

Big Question: How might we reuse and recycle products?

Over the next week, students will be exploring the following line of inquiry:

Why do we reuse and recycle products? 

Students will be encouraged to think about how they will continue to recycle in the future.

Homework

• Continue reading and looking through Word Wizard and Decoding Detective resources in reading pouch.
• Begin exploring Mathletics (online Numeracy program) using student log in details found inside the front cover of the students reading journals.

Reminders

• School Photo Day – Tuesday 26th March
• Easter Bonnet Parade – Thursday 28th March
• Last day of Term 1, 2:30pm finish – Thursday 28th March

Year 1

What’s Happening in Year 1: Week 9

What’s been happening in Year 1

The Year 1 students have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the design process; with their recent trip to Myuna Farm being an educational excursion to research animal shelters. Students are understanding what animals need to thrive and survive. They will be designing and constructing shelters for the animals we spotted at Myuna Farm, making sure the animals have everything they need to get through the day. The focus of this Inquiry unit has been the design process; starting with an idea, building on that idea, choosing the right materials for the job and constructing the idea. 

Furthermore, students have been working hard on developing their reading and writing skills. We have explored commonly used digraphs /th/ /ch/ and /sh/. We have identified these digraphs in books and used them in our reflective writing pieces. 

What will be happening over the next week in Year 1

Wellbeing

The Year 1’s have been fortunate enough to take part in the Tennis program at school. So far, students have enjoyed developing their tennis skills with Kim, specifically perfecting their forehand hit. Students will continue to work on their future tennis careers in the upcoming week. 

Reading

Students are developing their independent reading skills. Students will be reading to their peers to develop their reading skills further. They will be focusing on identifying /ed/ words, such as rented, looked and loved. 

Writing

We will be using mentor books to develop our writing. Students will be incorporating their knowledge of digraphs in their writing, making sure that their memory words are correct. Students will be introduced to the suffix ‘ing’. As we have explored past tense, students are going to build on this by learning how to change verbs with suffixes to represent the present tense. 

Maths

Shapes, shapes and more shapes! Students are exploring the different components of 2D shapes. We have already mastered their names, now it is time to make real-world connections by finding them in our everyday lives.

Inquiry

Students will be finalising their animal shelter displays during class time. Once they have finished all students will have an opportunity to showcase their designs and constructions to their peers. 

Homework

Daily reading - we know reading at night can be tricky for some, have you tried reading in the morning before school? Can you spot any /ed/ words? 

Reminders

• The Year 1 teachers will have their planning day on Friday which means students will have a fun day filled with Specialist classes. 
• Take Home Readers will be changed on Thursday both  this week and next week.
• Harmony Day is this coming Friday, students are welcome to join in the celebration by wearing a ‘touch of orange’. We ask that students wear their normal uniform (no orange T-shirt or shorts) and wear their touch of orange as an accessory. 
• School Photos will be next Tuesday 26th March. Make sure you are looking sharp! 
• The Easter assembly is on Thursday 28th March where the Easter Raffle will be held, and the Prep students will be showcasing their wonderful Easter bonnets.

The holidays are coming up!

• Last day of Term 1: Thursday 28th March, 2:30pm finish 
• First day back of Term 2: Monday 15th April

Year 2

What’s Happening in Year 2: Week 9

What’s been happening in Year 2

The Year 2s LOVED their excursion to Moonlit Sanctuary. The students explored different reptiles, mammals and marsupials. They had an amazing opportunity to feed some wildlife and learnt key information to support their understanding of the big question for inquiry this term. A big thank you to the parent helpers who joined us on the day, we appreciated your assistance! We have received our first Pen Pal letter from our friends at Beaumaris North Primary School, we look forward to replying to them. 

What will be happening over the next two weeks in Year 2

Wellbeing

Students will be participating in Harmony Day tomorrow, Harmony Week is a celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. It is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturism, and the message of Harmony Week is everyone belongs. On Friday, students are to wear their school uniform but they are invited to add a touch of orange to help recognise and celebrate the day, such as orange socks, an orange ribbon, etc. Students are not required to bring a gold coin donation.

Reading

Students will be focusing on comprehending non fiction texts and building on the connection between descriptive language and information reports. 

Writing

Students will be collating all the amazing note taking they have been doing throughout the last couple of weeks, to produce an information report. We will also be writing to our Pen Pals.

Maths

Over the next week the Year 2 students will be collecting, representing and interpreting data. We will continue to revise all of our key learnings from the term.

Inquiry

Students will continue to work on our inquiry projects and look forward to welcoming you into our classrooms on Wednesday the 27th at 3.10pm. 

Reminders

Open Afternoon Friday 22nd March- more details to follow through Compass

Inquiry celebration- Wednesday  27th March 

This term the students have been working hard to create an information report showcasing their learnings about Australian Animals and how changes in our landscape and sky can affect these animals. To celebrate this, the Year 2 teachers would love to invite you into our classrooms on Wednesday 27th March (second last day of term) from 3-3.20pm to celebrate their amazing efforts. We look forward to celebrating the finished products with you.

Holiday Task

Next term our Geography inquiry focus will be about connection to place. Students will be learning about our local community as well as our place in the world. We will also be exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People connect to place. We ask that every student provides a photo of a place that is special to them. 

To aid success with these tasks it is beneficial if the place is very familiar, such as home, a regular holiday destination or a frequently visited place in the local area. With your child, please add a response to the assigned task on Seesaw titled “My Special Place”. We request a clear photo of the place with no people in it. If you are unable to photograph the place these holidays you can use an image from the internet. We will be accessing the photos in week 1 of term 2 and throughout the term. The Year 2 teachers have shared some of their own special places as an example for you! 

In addition to working on this project in the classroom, the students will also be creating a 'birds eye view' artwork of their special place in the art room with Miss Palermo. This will be an artwork that integrates Media Arts and Visual Art, where students will search for their special place on Google Maps, requiring a specific street address. Along with the photo, please provide a street address for your child's special place, which they can search for on Google Maps. This will aid them in creating their artwork with Miss Palermo.

If you wish to contact your child’s classroom teacher for any reason, please do so using the beau box. Beaumaris.ps@education.vic.gov.au 

Year 3

What’s Happening in Year 3: Week 9

What’s been happening in Year 3

We are so proud of our Year 3's surviving through their first NAPLAN assessments. Having a growth mindset definitely helped us through this new experience!

I have enjoyed writing a narrative for NAPLAN. I felt excited when we were told that we would be writing a narrative. Charlotte 

We have enjoyed using team games, dance parties and mindfulness activities to bring us back to/stay into the green zone.

What will be happening over the next week in Year 3

Wellbeing

• We will continue to link our well-being activities with Inquiry, particularly when managing our emotions when facing unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations.
• We will be further exploring a growth mindset.

Reading

• Reading activities will be focused on researching for our Health Inquiry summative task (see below for more information).
• We will be examining websites, video clips, articles and books for information.

Writing

• Continuing our work around persuasive writing, we will be utilising this knowledge to construct persuasive advertisements for our summative task.
• Justifying our ideas and providing supporting information will be the key to a successful advertisement.

Maths

• We will be completing activities that will revisit and reinforce concepts covered throughout the term. These activities will include: 
  • Real world problems
  • Open-ended problem-solving tasks
  • Mathematical games 

Inquiry - Health

Big Question: How might we promote healthy living choices in our school community?

Our Inquiry focus this term has been on health. So far, we have learned about the three different domains of health, how to create healthy habits, the different food groups and what they provide for our bodies and much more. With this knowledge, the students will be creating an advertisement of their choice to promote a healthy living choice within our school community. Students will use their knowledge of persuasive techniques and devices to carefully create their advertisement targeted at their chosen audience. They will be working in pairs to create either a poster, TV ad, radio ad, speech or presentation. We look forward to seeing their creations!

Homework

Students are to be completing their daily 20mins of reading along with their fortnightly Mathletics tasks.

Reminders

Have a happy and safe Easter break with your family and friends! We are looking forward to another brilliant term of learning in Year 3!

Year 4

What’s Happening in Year 4: Week 9

What’s been happening in Year 4

The Year 4 students have been working hard to publish books they have written inspired by the story ‘Why I Love Australia’ by Bronwyn Bancroft. Many have used their laptops to design illustrations for each page and they can’t wait to share them with their family. 

What will be happening over the next week in Year 4

Wellbeing

• Building emotional literacy through role play
• Exploring the size of problems and categorising them as ‘hills’, ‘mountains’ and ‘volcanoes’

Reading

• Continuation of our term novel, The Dragon Defenders
• Conducting reading groups for targeted activities
• Silent reading personal choice book

Writing

• Planning and drafting magazine articles for an ‘Intrepizine’ writing competition (a Literacy Planet feature)
• Personal writing

Maths

• Numbers on a number line
• Exploring place values smaller than one (tenths and hundredths)
• Problem solving

Inquiry

Big Question: How can we promote our local community?

Homework

Students will receive homework on a Monday and it is due on the Friday of the following week (signed diaries due every Friday). Homework consists of 20 minutes reading a night, 3- 4 Mathletics tasks to reinforce the concepts being taught at school, and one additional task, as instructed by the classroom teacher. There will be no homework for Week 9. 

Reminders

• Fill out and send back contact information for class contact list.
• Homework for Weeks 7 and 8 is due on Friday 22nd March.
• Year 4 Camp will take place in Week 1, Term 2 from Wednesday 17th April to Friday 19th April. Please remember to send signed forms back ASAP.

Year 5

What’s Happening in Year 5: Week 9

What’s been happening in Year 5

Congratulations to all the Year 5 students for demonstrating a positive attitude throughout the NAPLAN testing over the past two weeks. We are proud of you! We have been busy working away on our summative tasks for Inquiry. We are either working independently or in pairs to present our knowledge of an area of interest based on our learning in History this term using a variety of forms for the presentation.

What will be happening over the next week in Year 5

Next week we will spend our last week with Mrs Murton before she begins Maternity Leave to welcome her third child in May. We are excited to welcome Miss Cooper back to the Year 5 team at the beginning of Term 2.

Wellbeing

• Listing personal strengths that would make you successful at home, school and in the community and discussing the strengths that are common in all three settings.

Reading

• Use comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas from a variety of print and digital sources.
  
  Book Club Groups: Students read set chapters - Complete Talk Sheet - Final discussion in Literature Discussion Groups.

Writing

Use a range of software including word processing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements.

Maths

Statistics and Probability: Describe and interpret different data sets in context.

Inquiry

The students will conduct their Inquiry presentations on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Our big question is How has the Gold Rush had a lasting impact on Australia today?

Our Lines of Inquiry:

• How did the Gold Rush affect Australia’s population and migration to Australia? 
• What were the experiences of different cultural groups and classes of people on the goldfields? 
• How did the migration impact the development of Australian colonies and shape Australia as a nation? 
• What were the significant events and who were the significant people that shaped Australia as a democratic society?

Homework

Students are expected to be reading every night and completing Mathletics activities where possible.

Reminders

School Photos - Tuesday 26th of March 

Easter Assembly - Thursday 28th of March 9:15am

Term 1 ends on Thursday 28th of March at 2:30pm (early dismissal)

Term 2 begins Monday 15th of April

Anzac Day - Thursday 25th of April (Public Holiday)

Curriculum Day - Friday 26th of April (Pupil Free Day)

Photo Snippets from Year 5

Year 6

What’s Happening in Year 6: Week 9

What’s been happening in Year 6 

Where has the term gone?! Year 6 have settled in well this term and we look forward to working with them throughout the rest of the year. The School Vice Captains and Captains attended a Leadership Conference at Beaumaris Secondary last week and those representing the school at Interschool Sports continue to battle it out on the sports fields!

What will be happening over the next week in Year 6 

The second Southern FM radio broadcast is due on Thursday 28th of March.  Please tune in to 88.3FM from 8:00am. We look forward to hearing our students live on the radio!!! 

Wellbeing 

• Students will identify people they are grateful for help from.  
• Students will recognise who they can give help to in certain situations.  
• Students will rehearse situations where they can offer help to peers.  

Literacy 

• Students are practising reading fluency (accuracy, rate, prosody) through repeated oral reading strategies through inquiry linked texts.  
• Continuing to read the class novel ‘Glass House of Stars’ and looking at how the author uses magical realism to make the text relatable and engaging.  
• Students are focusing on how vocabulary and sentence fluency are used by authors to create atmosphere in their writing.  
• Students are completing and publishing historical narratives about influential 20th century Australians. 

Maths 

• Students are focusing on their knowledge of the place-value system.
• Students will be explaining the link between whole numbers and decimals and converting fractions to decimals.
• Students will be comparing and ordering decimals up to 3 decimal places and beyond.
• Students will understand the link between fractions, decimals and percentages. 

Inquiry 

Lines of Inquiry  

• How has migration to Australia changed throughout the 20th century? 
• What are the social, economic, environmental and political reasons for people migrating?
• What is the difference between an asylum seeker, a refugee and a migrant?  

Homework 

Students are expected to be reading every night and completing Mathletics activities where possible. Diaries with reading recorded will be checked weekly.  

Reminders 

Students need hats, water and runners for sport on Friday.  Students to arrive at 8:30am on Friday. Training takes place at school each Wednesday.