Year 6 Term 3 Newsletter

Meet The Teaching Team

6A - Tom Packham

6B - Jason Crebbin

Education Support - Natasha Davy

Welcome to Term 3

A big welcome back to all students and families. We have an exciting term ahead, filled with special events and opportunities for students to grow in their learning. Camp is coming up in Week 6, Interschool Sport is well underway, and there will be many chances for students to challenge themselves and get involved throughout the term.

The transition to high school process has also begun. Information and application forms for public school enrolments have been posted on Compass and are due back to CEPS by Friday, 8 May.

We have no doubt it will be a fantastic term, and we look forward to sharing it with you.

Tom and Jason

 Specialist Timetable

Important Dates

31/8 - School Disco

17/8 - House Athletics

26/8 - District Basketball (selected students)

24/8 - Book Week begins

25/8 - Book Week Character Parade

25/8 - Book Fair from 8:15 am

18/9 – End of Term 3 - 2:30 pm Dismissal

Daily Roll Marking

Student attendance is recorded twice daily (AM/PM)

Our electronic rolls are legal documents; therefore, we must be accountable for any absences. Please assist with this by informing the office of any absences as early as possible via phone or Compass.

Teaching and Learning

Reading

This term, students will engage with a range of texts and themes designed to deepen their comprehension and critical thinking skills. Our class novel, Wonder by R.J. Palacio, offers a powerful exploration of empathy, identity, and belonging as we follow the journey of a boy navigating life at school. In addition to a novel study, students will analyse song lyrics to uncover the deeper meaning and intent, while also developing media literacy through the examination of current news articles. Rich discussions and targeted vocabulary development will further support students in becoming thoughtful, reflective readers.

Writing

Our Writing focus for Term 3 is Persuasive Speech Writing. Students will plan, write, and present a persuasive speech arguing who they believe is the greatest person of all time, from either the past or present. They will be supported to structure a compelling argument, use persuasive language techniques, and consider how to tailor their message to suit a specific audience and context. Students will also develop their oral presentation skills, with a focus on voice, expression, and purposeful language choices to effectively engage their listeners.

Speaking & Listening

In addition to presenting their persuasive speeches to the cohort, students will be supported to develop their discussion skills with a focus on language choice (appropriate to audience & context) and voice. 

Mathematics

This term in Mathematics, students will focus on a range of number and measurement concepts. They will develop their understanding of length, mass and capacity through practical activities and unit conversions. In Number, students will consolidate their skills in adding and subtracting fractions, as well as converting between proper fractions, improper fractions and mixed numerals. They will also explore angles, learning to identify, measure and classify them using appropriate tools and terminology. Additionally, students will extend their skills in multiplying and dividing decimals. Lessons are delivered through explicit direct instruction, with opportunities for guided practice, discussion and independent application.

Humanities

This semester, Humanities will cover three large areas: Design, Technology, Business and Economics. 

We will begin creating a classroom economy using the Banqer program, developing financial literacy. We will look at wants versus needs, resources, consumers and different types of work. 

Working in groups, students will become founders of a new company and product. They will follow design principles to develop their ideas and creativity as well as demonstrate their understanding of different design and technology techniques.

They will take the product and business through a series of steps with the goal of selling this to the sharks in the “Shark Tank”. Hopefully these sharks invest in the company, taking a percentage of the profits.

Wellbeing

In Year 6, we continue to promote our school values through weekly Yarning Circle discussions and activities.

As our students prepare for the exciting transition to secondary school, student wellbeing continues to be a major focus. Throughout the term, our wellbeing lessons will begin to place a greater emphasis on high school readiness, helping students build confidence, resilience and independence for the year ahead. Towards the end of the term, students will also take part in Health Education sessions, where they will explore topics related to growth, development and puberty in a supportive and age-appropriate way. These lessons, along with our transition activities, are designed to help students feel informed, prepared and excited for the move to secondary school.

CEPS VALUES

COURTESY    RESPECT    CO-OPERATION    RESPONSIBILITY 

Fortnightly Friday assembly awards will be given to children who have shown personal growth relating to the school's values. To further support the school values, CEPS follows the SWPBS framework, which we refer to as CEPS Positive Behaviours Support. This framework encourages acknowledging positive behaviours displayed by students within the school. 

Supporting Learning from Home

Homework

In Year 6, our aim is to help students build independent study techniques in preparation for their further education.  Students are expected to read at home for a minimum of 10 minutes per day, which counts towards the 120 minutes of homework per week (CEPS Homework Policy).

Every month, students will be given a selection of homework tasks to choose from. They are expected to complete one of these research activities per week and then publish them in their homework books by 9.00am every Friday. 

In addition, Mathletics is available and encouraged to be used for at least 30 minutes per week.

To reinforce what they are learning in the classroom, some additional tasks may be set for the students to complete. All homework tasks will be given out on Friday and due the following Friday.

Term 2 Additional Information

Headphones

We have some spare headphones in our classrooms, but if your child would prefer to bring their own set of ear/headphones, please ensure that you label them. Please note that Bluetooth headphones are not compatible with our school devices. 

Phones and Devices

In accordance with the Department of Education policy, student phones and cell-enabled smart watches that are brought to school must be switched off and handed to the teacher to be stored securely during the day. Students will not have access to these phones until 3:30 pm.

Communication

Compass: Compass is the formal tool for communication regarding attendance, payments, excursions, camps, permission forms, school reports, etc.

Please use Compass to advise the school in a timely manner of all student absences.

Early Pick Up: If you need to pick up your child early, please collect them from the office area and be sure to sign them out. You will require an Early Leaver's Pass, provided by the office staff, before we are able to dismiss students. 

You can also keep up-to-date by using the school website and weekly newsletters:  http://www.cheltenhameast.vic.edu.au