Year 5/6

Welcome

Welcome back to a new term in Year 5/6! We hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable break. We’re excited for the term ahead, with plenty of engaging learning opportunities, new challenges, and memorable experiences planned for our students.

Our focus will continue to be on building strong learning habits, fostering independence, and supporting each child to achieve their personal best. We look forward to working in partnership with you to ensure a positive and successful term for all.

5/6LP

Lucy Levett & Kayla Puetz

5/6C

Rosario Corio

5/6W

Lachlan Ware

5/6H

Aoife Harrington

Our Learning this Term

Literacy

The students will complete a two-hour literacy block daily at the beginning of each day, focusing on improving their literacy skills through daily rehearsal.

The structure of the literacy block will be as follows:

Daily Review: A brief, fast-paced review of previously taught content.

Daily Writing Review: Learning new vocabulary based on our class novels and incorporating them into our writing in different sentence types.

Literacy Skills: This component covers instruction across grammar, handwriting, reading fluency and spelling.

Literature Block: This component covers reading the class text, with a focus on developing text-level comprehension,

This term, we will continue teaching the students in their grade level during the literacy block. The aim for this change is to help enable the students to be exposed to explicit instruction catered for their year level.

Year Five

This term, the Year Fives will be reading the novel ‘Black Cockatoo’ & ‘Dirrarn’.

Black Cockatoo is a story about a young boy named Mia who discovers a dead cockatoo on his family’s property. As he tries to understand what to do, the novel explores themes of culture, responsibility, and respect for Country, highlighting the importance of listening to Elders and honouring traditions.

Dirrarn is a story about a young boy navigating identity, family, and belonging. Set in a contemporary Indigenous Australian context, the novel explores themes of connection to culture, the importance of community, and the journey of understanding who you are.

Year Six

This term, the Year Sixes will be reading the novel ‘Us Mob Walawurru’.

This novel is a powerful and engaging story that celebrates culture, identity, and connection to community. Throughout the text, students explore themes of belonging, resilience, and the importance of storytelling in sharing experiences.

Mathematics

The students will complete a one-hour daily mathematics lesson. There will be a focus this term on:

Weeks 2 & 3: Fractions and 3D Objects,

Weeks 4 & 5: 3D Objects and Decimals,

Weeks 6 - 8: Decimals and Probability,

Weeks 9 & 10: Location and Transformation

To help reinforce key mathematical concepts and strengthen students' long-term memory, we incorporate Daily Reviews at the start of each Mathematics lesson. Each student responds using a whiteboard and marker, allowing them to participate actively and share their thinking quickly. Teachers also use full-participation strategies to make these reviews and lessons engaging and effective, including Think–Pair–Share, Choral Response and Repetition, Non-volunteers, and Gestures.

Students also participate in Daily Maths Rehearsal, which focuses on developing mathematical fluency in place value and building automaticity with the four operations number facts.

Religious Education

This term, the students will be exploring the Christian values of compassion and justice through the lens of Catholic Social Teachings. They will reflect on their own experiences and the experiences of others, particularly in relation to difference and inclusion. Students will deepen their understanding of how we are called to treat every person with dignity, respect and compassion, and how we can work towards a more just and inclusive community. Through this learning, students will develop an appreciation of key Catholic Social Teaching principles. They will be encouraged to consider how these teachings can guide their everyday actions and relationships, inspiring them to make positive contributions within the school and wider community as they live out Jesus’ call to love and serve others.

Inquiry

Our Year 5 and 6 students have been enthusiastically exploring the fascinating world of light in Science this term. Through hands-on experiments and investigations, students have been learning about how light travels, how it reflects and refracts, and how we see objects around us. They will explore how different materials affect the passage of light. It has been wonderful to see their curiosity grow as they ask thoughtful questions and make connections to everyday experiences. We look forward to continuing our discoveries as we delve deeper into this exciting topic! This term, students will have an incursion where they will engage in hands-on activities, build simple circuits, and discover how electricity is used to produce light in everyday life.

Wellbeing

This term, students will begin the Respectful Relationships units of Emotional Literacy and Personal Strengths. Throughout these lessons, students will develop a deeper understanding of their emotions, learn how to recognise emotions in others, and build skills to manage challenges. They will also explore their individual strengths and how these can support their learning, relationships, and overall well-being. These units aim to build confidence, resilience, and respectful interactions both in and out of the classroom.

Throughout the term, Class Meetings will continue to be scheduled weekly. Class meetings provide students with a safe and respectful space to share ideas, discuss concerns, and strengthen our classroom and school community. These meetings support the development of communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills, while reinforcing school values and expectations. Students are encouraged to listen actively, contribute thoughtfully, and work collaboratively to build a positive, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.

Homework

In line with our St Andrew’s Homework Policy, it is an expectation that Year Five and Year Six students complete the following as homework requirements.

Weekly requirements:Each week, you are expected to complete the following:

20 minutes of reading each night
Three tasks from the activity grid each week
*in the case of a short week (school closure/public holiday), only complete two tasks from the activity grid

Please check in with your child and ensure they are logging into their homework each week. Occasionally, students will have a week off, and we will notify you via email when that is the case.

Our Homework program aims to strengthen home-school partnerships and reaffirm the role of parents and guardians as partners in education. It is an opportunity for students to reinforce and share their classroom learning and develop productive routines and time management skills.

SPECIALIST SUBJECTS

Students will have Performing Arts, Italian, Physical Education and Art every Monday. Please ensure that the correct Sports Uniform is worn.

LIBRARY BORROWING TIMES

Students must ensure that all books they borrow from the library are returned on their non-library week. Library classes are every fortnight on odd weeks. They must have an appropriate Library Bag to protect their books (not plastic).

Yr 5/6C, 5/6H & 5/6W will borrow books on a Tuesday (fortnightly).

Yr 5/6LP will borrow books on a Thursday (fortnightly).

INTERSCHOOL SPORTS

Every Thursday, students will be competing against other schools in the zone and must come to school wearing their Sport Uniform and have their hat and water bottles ready. Our winter sports are AFL, Soccer, Sofcrosse, Netball & Tennis.

Week 2 - Home game vs Oakleigh South

Week 3 - Away game vs St Peters

Week 4 - Away game vs St Pauls

Week 5 - BYE

Week 6 - Home game vs Oakleigh Grammar

Week 7 - Away game vs Murrumbeena

Week 8 - Home game vs Coatesville

Week 9 - Winter Sports Finals (only teams that make it)

SPECIALIST NEWS

Library News

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 focus this term for Years Five and Six will continue to be on spoken and written Italian. It will also be on listening for comprehension, by predicting from clues and on the introduction of the indefinite articles e.g. Un biglietto – a ticket. Una valigia- A suitcase.

The students will learn about the public transport used to get around Italy. Prendo il treno. I take the train. Prendo l’autobus. I take the bus. They will learn how to read a time table using the 24-hour clock. Il treno parte alle ventuno. The train leaves at nine p.m.

They will be encouraged to communicate orally by writing and presenting a role play, imagining that one student is a tourist in Italy and the other an Italian student of the same age, using the newly acquired vocabulary and grammar.

The students will continue to participate in singing songs, playing games and completing written activities 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 exciting start to the year in the Grade 5/6 Art program! Students have been exploring the bold and colourful world of Pop Art, with a focus on Roy Lichtenstein. Inspired by his comic-style techniques, students created their own Pop Art name collages, experimenting with bright colours, patterns, and text to express their individuality.

This term, we are continuing our Pop Art journey by learning about Keith Haring. Students will explore his iconic figures, movement, and use of line to create dynamic and meaningful artworks of their own.

We are also working very hard in preparation for our whole-school Art Show. Students are putting in a fantastic effort, and we cannot wait to showcase their creativity and talent.

📅 Save the Date! Our Art Show Opening Night will be held on September 1st (Term 3) in the school hall. We look forward to welcoming families to celebrate the amazing work of our students.

♻️ Donations Appreciated

A big thank you to those who have already contributed recycled materials such as newspapers and cardboard paper towel rolls. These are incredibly valuable for our art projects.

We are still happily accepting donations, so please keep them coming!

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Visual Arts program. We are looking forward to another creative and productive term ahead! 🎨

Warm regards,

Milena SantoroArt Teacher

Physical Education

Welcome to Term Two!

In Term Two, the 5/6s will participate in various activities that correspond to the sports played in interschool sports. These include AFL, Soccer, Sofcrosse, Netball & Tennis. Students will practice and develop the skills needed for these sports and learn about the rules for each.

A significant emphasis for our interschool sports and physical education lessons is how to demonstrate positive sportsmanship and teamwork. Students will express their understanding through listening, communication, and cooperation with their classmates and teammates.

Interschool sports games will be played on Thursdays, either at home or away to the following schools: Coatesville, St Peters, St Pauls. Oakleigh South, Oakleigh Grammar, and Murrumbeena.

On Thursdays, students will need to bring the following to school:

A small bag for their items
Water
Snack
Proper footwear and sports attire, including a hat and any additional equipment they may use for their sport.
Deodorant
Sunscreen recommended

Miss Puetz

Performing Arts

Hello 5/6 Students and Families,

Welcome to Term 2 in Performing Arts. Students should be congratulated on their great work in Term 1, including learning the Blacksmith’s Apprentice dance and the chords on the ukulele.

We have now progressed to learning the music from Blacksmith’s Apprentice, including different parts. Students are working with different sections to identify the notes on the sheet music in the treble clef and using pianos and other instruments to work out how to play each section. We will begin learning the sections soon and bit by bit we will combine all the different parts. By combining each section sequentially we will build up not only students’ musical knowledge but skills like teamwork, listening, audiation, rhythm, timing, dynamics and pitch. I can’t wait to hear the final piece once students have learnt their parts.

Once students have mastered Blacksmith’s Apprentice we’ll be moving on to the songs we want to learn to make the soundtrack to the Art Show display. Each class has selected an appropriate “colour” song and will learn to play these on a variety of instruments including Ukulele, piano, xylophones and percussion. Students will also be reinforcing their understanding of music theory, including notation, note duration and time signatures to prepare them (especially grade six!) for high school.

Happy playing and dancing!

Mrs Cooper

Classroom Organisation

Please note our Year level requirements below:

Any student who may need to bring a mobile to school is expected to hand in their phone to the school office in the morning. All phones will be returned before the end of the school day.
Sports shoes are only worn on Mondays (Specialists) and Thursdays (Interschool Sports).
Students are expected to bring their Library Bags to school on designated Library days.

Students are expected to use their Chromebooks at school and home responsibly. When carrying their Chromebooks to and from school, they are expected to use the Chromebook case supplied by the school. Please note that parents and guardians are responsible for monitoring their children whilst using their Chromebooks at home. Students are encouraged to use their Chromebooks in a shared space. It is expected that Chromebooks will be charged in readiness for the school day.

Key Dates

May

Tuesday 5th - Bentleigh District Cross Country

Thursday 7th - Whole School Road Safety Incursion

Thursday 7th - Mother’s Day Stall

Friday 8th - Mother’s Day Event 9-11am

Friday 15th - Walk Safely to School Day

Sunday 23rd - Friday 28th - National Reconciliation Week

Wednesday 27th - National Simultaneous Storytime

June

Friday 5th - School Closure

Monday 8th - King’s Birthday Public Holiday