Year 3/4
Welcome
Dear Families,
It has been a pleasure welcoming students back after the holiday break and seeing them settle smoothly into the school routine. Term 2 promises to be a productive and engaging time for our Year 3/4 students. We are looking forward to several key events, including the Hands on Science incursion and our Grade 4 students preparing to celebrate their First Eucharist, an important milestone in their faith journey.
In the classroom, students will explore new topics across all learning areas, with a strong focus on developing their reading, writing, and mathematical problem-solving skills. Teachers will also support students in building independence, resilience, and collaboration through daily learning routines and tasks.
Kind regards,
The Grade 3/4 Teachers
Our Learning this Term
English: Vocabulary
Each day, students focus on two or three word groups from the weekly text. They explore the meaning of each word, break it into syllables, identify synonyms and antonyms, and use the words in meaningful sentences. Building vocabulary in this way supports students’ development in reading, writing and speaking.
English: Reading
Year 4 students are completing a novel study of Uncle Xbox, while Year 3 students are exploring Yirra and Her Deadly Dog, Demon. Each day, students participate in a class read-aloud, with a focus on building vocabulary, breaking words into syllables and understanding prefixes and suffixes. They also practise their handwriting regularly to support clear and fluent writing.
English: Writing
In Term Two, students will explore factual recount texts, learning to identify their purpose and key sections. They will examine texts about the Aboriginal flag and British settlement in Australia, focusing on locating past-tense verbs, understanding subject-specific vocabulary and recognising how these texts are structured. Vocabulary sessions will support students in building their understanding of the content.
Homework: Reading Daily, Weekly Tasks
Students are encouraged to read for 15–20 minutes each night and record their reading in their diaries using the following format:
- Title
- Time Read
- Pages
- Parent Signature
After reading, it is helpful for students to talk about what they have read. This supports their understanding and helps them think more deeply about the text. You can support your child by asking questions before, during, and after reading.
For example: Before: What interests you about this book? During: What is happening in the story? What do you think will happen next? After: Can you summarise the story? What did you enjoy about it?
Visiting your local library and choosing books that interest your child is also a great way to encourage a love of reading.
Take-Home Readers (New This Term)
This term, students will receive take-home readers matched to their individual reading and comprehension levels. Each Monday, they will be given a new book to read at home. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to build confidence, strengthen their understanding, and gradually “level up” their reading skills over time.
To support reading fluency, students are encouraged to read their take-home book multiple times across the week. Repeated reading helps children read more smoothly, accurately, and with expression.
Parents are encouraged to ask a few simple questions throughout the week using the provided question handout. There is no need to write down responses - chatting about the book is perfect! These conversations help deepen your child’s understanding while also supporting their fluency.
Students will bring their take-home reader to school every Thursday and Friday, where they will participate in a 1:1 reading session with the teacher. During this time, we will listen to your child read and support them in developing their fluency and comprehension skills.
Based on your child’s progress during these sessions, the teacher will decide whether they are ready to move on to a new book or if they would benefit from keeping the same book for an additional week to further build their fluency.
To help us care for our books, please ensure take-home readers are kept in excellent condition. Placing the book in a reading pouch or folder is highly recommended.
Homework: Curriculum Tasks
Homework tasks will be presented to each child for the week. The classroom teacher allocates the tasks based on the prior week's curriculum. Tasks are assigned to take no more than 20 minutes per session.
This term students will bring home a book to read. The book will be read over the week with the focus on building fluency and comprehension. Students are also encouraged to read their library books. Reading at home plays an important role in consolidating what is taught in our literacy lessons. Children need regular practice to develop their reading skills to the point of fluency, which is our goal. Just 15 minutes of daily reading at home with an adult can help make reading a positive and enjoyable experience.
It is very important that children spend the week re-reading their take-home book each night. Each time your child reads the text, they are building key reading skills such as letter and word recognition, comprehension, pace, fluency and expression.
Mathematics
Each day, students take part in a 10-minute Maths Daily Review. This part of the lesson revisits both current and previously covered topics, giving students the opportunity to practise and reinforce their understanding. The goal is to help transfer this knowledge into their long-term memory.
Following this, students engage in a structured maths lesson that begins with explicit teaching of new concepts. This is supported by guided practice, before students move into independent practice to apply and consolidate their learning.
To start the term, students focused on fractions. They have been learning to write unit fractions of collections and shapes, as well as identify halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, and tenths. Students will build on this knowledge by representing fractions in different ways, such as mixed numbers and improper fractions, and by identifying equivalent fractions.
Other mathematical concepts to be covered this term are:
- Measurement: Length and Area
- Statistics: Data Representation
- Space: 2D Shapes
- Number: Addition and Subtraction
Religious Education
This term in Religious Education, students are learning about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and how she is a model of discipleship. They will explore how her faith, trust in God, and willingness to say “yes” to His call make her an important figure in the Catholic Church and an inspiration for us all.
Over the coming weeks, students will also learn about and prepare for the Sacrament of the Eucharist and its significance in our lives. The Eucharist is at the heart of the Mass. Many of our Year Four students will be receiving Holy Communion for the first time on the 13th and 14th June
Inquiry
Our Inquiry topic this term is Physical Science, with a focus on heat and how it is produced and transferred between objects. Students will explore these concepts through hands-on activities and experiments. They will investigate how heat moves from one object to another, identify and classify different sources of heat, and examine the various ways heat can be generated. Students will also explore which materials transfer heat efficiently and develop an understanding of the differences between conductors and insulators.
As part of this unit, students will participate in an incursion run by “Hands on Science.” During this session, they will investigate how heat is produced, measured, and transferred. They will explore how different materials conduct and insulate heat, and observe the movement of heat through convection currents.
Students will share their learning by showcasing their experiments to the class, recording their findings, and presenting the design and creation process of their project.
Library
Get ready to kick goals with reading! National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is back for 2026, and St Andrew's is excited to join millions of children across Australia in sharing the same story at the same time on Wednesday 27 May. This wonderful annual event celebrates the joy of books, literacy and imagination together through storytelling.
This year’s featured story is Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller by Adam Jackson and Adrian
Lloyd, illustrated by Jake A. Minton. The story follows Luna Roo, a courageous young kangaroo and rookie soccer captain, as she learns to trust herself, work with her teammates and face challenges with determination and heart. Filled with action, humour and vibrant Australian animal characters, Luna Roo is a fun and inspiring story that encourages resilience, teamwork and confidence.
Our students will take part in special literacy activities inspired by the story and join in the nationwide reading celebration. We can’t wait to share this energetic and heartwarming Australian story together!
L.O.T.E. Italian
Dear parents, welcome to Term 2.
The students in Years Three and Four will begin this term by revising previously-acquired language with written and oral activities. They will use the vocabulary and grammar associated with celebrations to complete various listening and speaking tasks.
They will learn about the origins of Carnevale, what happens during this time and why people disguise themselves. They will be introduced to the various famous masks e.g. Pulcinella, Pantalone, Colombina etc and their origins. A particular focus for the students is going to be generating original materials using modelled texts and with teacher guidance to communicate in the target language and share basic topic related information.
During the lessons the students will continue to participate in playing quizzes, games and completing interactive tasks on Duolingo in order to practise their oral and speaking skills and deepen their vocabulary and grammar knowledge.
Cordiali saluti
Signora White
Art
It has been a busy and creative start to the year in the Grade 3/4 Art program! Students began by exploring the exciting world of Pop Art, experimenting with bold colours, patterns, and imaginative ideas to create eye-catching artworks.
This term, we are shifting our focus to Modern Art and watercolour painting, with inspiration from the artist Charles Demuth. Students will explore how watercolour techniques can be used to create soft blends, layering, and expressive compositions while developing their understanding of shape and design.
We are also working very hard as we prepare for our whole-school Art Show. Students are putting in a wonderful effort, and we are so excited to showcase their creativity and progress.
📅 Save the Date! Our Art Show Opening Night will be held on September 1st (Term 3) in the school hall. We look forward to celebrating our students’ artwork with you all.
♻️ Donations Appreciated
Thank you to everyone who has already donated recycled materials such as newspapers and cardboard paper towel rolls. These resources are extremely valuable in supporting our creative projects.
We are still accepting donations, so please keep them coming!
Thank you for your continued support of the Visual Arts program. We look forward to a fantastic Term 2 filled with creativity and exploration! 🎨
Warm regards,
Milena Santoro - Art Teacher
Physical Education
Welcome to term two!
In term two, the 3/4 students will participate in many group activities, including developing an understanding of sof-crosse, tennis, soccer, netball, and afl using modified rules. We will develop the skills needed to play these sports, including throwing, catching, running, dribbling, passing, etc. A large emphasis will be on working well with others, communicating positively, and showing good sportsmanship throughout group activities.
We are excited for another fun term ahead!
Miss Puetz
Performing Arts
Hello St Andrew’s 3/4 Families!
Welcome back to another term of Performing Arts. You should be very proud of your students for their contribution to dancing and music in term 1.
This term we’ll be continuing our work with the piece of music Blacksmith’s Apprentice. After nailing the Blacksmith’s Apprentice folk dance in term 1, we’ll be focusing on the musicality of the piece. Students will be able to identify different sections using instruments. Blacksmith’s Apprentice is divided into different parts for each instrument and students had some input into which part they would focus on. Using the sheet music for their chosen part, they will apply their knowledge of the treble clef on to the notation by labelling the notes and then learn their part on a multitude of instruments including piano, xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels and the marimba. As part of our notation investigation we’ll also be learning time signatures (how many beats in a bar) and why it’s important.
Once students have mastered their parts on instruments we’ll be learning to play the Blacksmith’s Apprentice piece as an ensemble, developing skills of listening to each other and playing in time, as well as using dynamics to convey meaning and make the piece more interesting!
If you would like to help your child learn more about music, download a free app called Staff Wars which tests their knowledge of treble clef notation.
Happy singing, playing instruments, acting and dancing!
Thanks,
Emma Cooper
Key Dates
May
Wednesday 13th Sushi Day
Friday 15th Assembly
Thursday 28th Incursion - Hands on Science
Friday 29th Assembly
June
Friday 5th School Incursion
Monday 8th Public Holiday
Thursday 11th Eucharist Workshop
Friday 12th Assembly
Saturday 13th Eucharist
Sunday 14th Eucharist
Monday 22nd Parent/Child/Teacher interviews
Thursday 25th Learning Celebrations
Friday 26th Term 2 concludes
As dates can be subject to change, please check the school newsletter weekly.
How to Contact Us
All of the 3/4 team members can be contacted at the following emails. When sending emails, please be mindful that we are teaching the students and allow time to reply; we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Sarah De Guzman sdeguzman@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au
Joachim Min Fa jminfa@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au
Han Nguyen hnguyen@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au
Rosemary Restaino rrestaino@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au