Specialist News
Physical Education
This term, in P- 2, have worked on their AFL punting skills and have demonstrated dropping the ball onto their foot before punting it. They have also worked well in partners and in small teams to better their skills and involve one another. We have worked on our punting skills with round balls and almost all students transition to punting with oval shaped balls. Due to the busyness of our term 3 calendar, the regular Grade 3 - 6 PE program had been interrupted however they actively participated in swimming lessons and were very adventurous on camp, participating in parkour, hiking and many outdoor ed activities ticking off the 'challenge and adventure' focus area of the HPE curriculum.
In the sporting world, we had 24 students attend the District Athletics Carnival and compete to the best of their abilities. We have two students who have successfully progressed to the Division stage and we wish Maya (triple jump and discus) and Alana (high jump) all the very best in their events.
In 3 - 6 Health, students engaged in a lesson about food advertising and analysed commercials of popular fast food outlets and pantry items. We discussed who the audience of these commercials would be and what strategies they use to promote their foods. We also spoke about the glossiness of the burgers in the commercials and how they differ in real life and how you never really see the actors bite, chew and swallow the foods. The students also worked in small groups to design their own commercial for their product, applying these strategies.
P-2 Performing Arts has been fun! We've moved into our Drama unit where we will see students creating plays, using actions and facial expressions and dialogue. This will continue through Term 4. The students have worked increasingly well navigating roles within the stories and acting out short scenes.
Enjoy the break!
Mrs Berthet
Auslan (Australian Sign Language)
In the Prep/1 class students have been learning to sign the numbers from 11 to 100. We have been practising through some energetic games of Buzz and Auspac, which have been a great way to build confidence and fluency. Signing two-digit numbers can be tricky in Auslan, as it requires careful hand positioning and plenty of wrist movement! We have also had a strong focus on using our ‘Bossy Hand’ and remembering not to swap hands while signing.
The Grade 2 students have been consolidating their growing vocabulary of emotion signs. We have used a memory card game where students flip over a card and sign the emotion they see. This has been a fun way to practise recalling signs quickly and accurately while revisiting all of the emotions we have learnt so far.
In the Grade 3/4 class students have also been putting their memory skills to the test! They have also been using a memory card game to practise their Auslan signs for household layouts, rooms and household items. The game has brought plenty of friendly competition into our lessons while helping students strengthen their recall of the signs we have been learning.
Our Grade 5/6 students have had a few interruptions to their usual Auslan schedule recently, with exciting events such as swimming and camp keeping everyone busy. When we return to our regular lessons, we will continue our work on interpreting the Kindness song, thinking carefully about the meaning behind the lyrics and selecting the most appropriate Auslan signs to communicate the message rather than simply translating word for word.
It has been wonderful to see students across all year levels using games, movement and teamwork to continue developing their Auslan skills! We look forward to next term.
Miss Bacon
Visual Arts
Over the past few weeks in Visual Arts, students across the school have been exploring textiles, developing new skills and experimenting with a range of materials and techniques.
Foundation students have been introduced to basic stitching techniques, learning how to carefully thread needles and create simple stitches. It has been wonderful to see their focus and pride as they begin building these important fine motor skills.
Students in Years 2–6 have extended their learning by combining stitching and an introduction to dry felting. They have been experimenting with texture, colour and layering to create unique mixed media pieces, showing increasing confidence and creativity as they work.
While students in Years 3–6 have had some interruptions due to swimming and camp, they are looking forward to continuing and developing their textile projects early next term.
Meanwhile, our Foundation to Year 2 students have also been busy creating adorable, one-of-a-kind puppy artworks using oil pastels and watercolours. These vibrant pieces highlight their growing understanding of colour, line and individuality in their artwork.
August Art Attack
A big congratulations to the students who participated in the annual August Art Attack showcase—your creativity and effort were fantastic to see. A special well done to Kaden M. for receiving an Honourable Mention- Primary Aged Student and Eloise for receiving a Special Mention- Primary Aged Student, both incredible achievements!
It has been a fantastic few weeks of creativity and learning, with students embracing new challenges and proudly developing their artistic skills.
Mrs Roberts
Digi Tech
It has been another busy and exciting term in Digital Technologies!
Our Prep–Year 2 students have completed their Blue-Bot unit, developing their understanding of sequencing, directions, algorithms and problem-solving through lots of hands-on activities. The students have enjoyed programming their Blue-Bots to navigate different challenges, and it has been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they debugged their programs and worked out how to make their robots reach their destinations.
In Term 4, our Prep and Year 1 students will turn their attention to developing fundamental computer skills. They will learn more about using our laptops, including navigating the desktop, using the keyboard and mouse, opening and saving work, and developing safe and responsible computer habits.
Our Year 2 students will take their coding knowledge to the next level with our new LEGO AI kits! They will explore the exciting world of artificial intelligence while learning how sensors, coding and robotics can work together to create clever and interactive solutions.
Meanwhile, our Year 3–6 students have continued working through their own separate LEGO AI course. One of their recent challenges involved building a robot equipped with a sensor that could detect different coloured LEGO bricks. The robot was then programmed to play a different musical note depending on the colour it detected.
The students then put their creativity to work by composing their own short musical pieces using their robots. It was wonderful to see students combining coding, robotics, problem-solving and creativity to turn a simple LEGO robot into a programmable musical instrument!
We are looking forward to another exciting term of coding, creativity, robotics and AI in Digital Technologies!
Mr Durrington
