School News
Prep
We’ve had another wonderful week in Prep and are particularly proud of the way our students are demonstrating the values of responsibility, honesty, pride and support during their interactions with their peers. Last week’s collaborative group projects were a lot of fun with students cooperating and working alongside their friends beautifully.
For reading this week we have continued investigating fairy tales and particularly enjoyed learning about Little Red Riding Hood. We’ve completed story maps and discussed the different features present in the story. It’s been fabulous to see the students summarise and retell the story.
In writing students created their own fairy tales, complete with good and bad characters, settings, tricky situations and resolutions they imagined all by themselves. We’ve enjoyed sharing our stories within our classrooms and are proud of the perseverance the students have shown as they planned and completed these projects.
Maths once again saw us using lots of concrete materials while we investigated the topic of subtraction. Students have practised writing number sentences in context of stories and enjoyed ‘taking away’ frogs as they jumped off logs or ducks as they jumped in a pond.
Investigations have continued to grow and students are still enjoying role playing and investigating maths and literacy activities. Art and craft continue to be popular spaces, and many students are connecting puppet making with their retelling of fairy tales. We’ve built on students interests by introducing more opportunities to colour in and improve upon their fine motor skills.
Reminders:
- Could we kindly ask that if your child is unwell, they be kept at home. We have a lot of illness circulating at the moment and this will help to keep it from spreading further.
- Swimming week is in week 7 (beginning Monday 1st September - Friday 5th September).
- Book Week is in week 8, with our dress up day being held on Monday 8th of September
Kindest regards,
The Prep Team
Laina Brebner, Kayla Hartrick and Emma Wright
Grade 1
The highlight of the past fortnight in Level 1 has been completing and sharing our Culture Collages with our classmates. Students took great pride in presenting the food, sports, music, traditions, and celebrations that are special to their families and cultural backgrounds. It was a joy to see the enthusiasm and creativity in each collage. Here is a snapshot of some of our wonderful work!
In Literacy, we’ve been exploring the different elements of narrative writing. From crafting sizzling starts to creating endings with impact, students have also learned how to build tightening tension using pebble, rock, boulder problems. They’ve had lots of fun developing their own writing pieces, experimenting with each of these narrative techniques.
In Maths, students have been learning how to give accurate directions and follow instructions. Taking advantage of the beautiful sunshine, we headed outdoors to put our skills into practice, guiding our partners through obstacle courses and across different parts of the playground. It was a fun and active way to apply our learning!
In Wellbeing, students learned about the importance of creating strong and secure passwords. We discussed how strong passwords help keep our personal information safe online. Students then created their own strong passwords and “locked” them up to keep them safe!
Congratulations to our Shining Stars for weeks 3 and 4: Stevie, Beau, Amaline, Jude, Micah and Shekinah. Keep shining bright!
Kind regards,
The Grade 1 Team
Tim Huntington, Mel Layton, Sally Newton and Ashleigh Wilson
Grade 2
It has been another busy and exciting fortnight in Grade 2!
In Reading, we have been learning about visualising – making a picture in our minds as we read. We’ve been discussing how illustrations add meaning to a text and discovering the different elements that illustrators use to help tell the story. Bob Graham’s picture books have been a wonderful way to explore this skill.
In Writing, students have been hard at work drafting, editing and publishing their very own picture storybooks. The excitement is building as we prepare to share these special books with the Prep students next week. We can’t wait to see the pride on the children’s faces as they read their stories aloud.
In Maths, we have been learning all about fractions. Students have explored halves and quarters, not just of shapes, but also of collections. They have enjoyed solving hands-on problems, like sharing groups of counters and everyday objects equally.
Our Inquiry projects are coming to a close, and the students’ musical instrument creations look fantastic! Each child has put a lot of thought and creativity into designing and building their own instrument. We are looking forward to seeing (and hearing!) their final presentations.
Finally, a quick reminder that our school swimming program will begin in Week 7. More details will be sent home shortly, so please start preparing bathers, towels and goggles so everything is ready to go.
Well done, Grade 2s – we are so proud of your hard work and creativity!
Warm regards,
The Grade 2 Team
Allie Harrison, Sarah Jones and Brendan Van Haaster
Grade 3 & 4
Check out the photos of our proud poets! Students enjoyed showcasing their poetry anthology with their peers to celebrate the end of our poetry unit. Students were given choice as to how they preferred to publish their writing, using a range of digital or creative formats before reading them to peers. Keep an eye out for these pieces in their portfolios!
In Maths, we have explored how doubling and halving are inverse operations and useful strategies for multiplication and division facts.
In Wellbeing, students have explored various scenarios and the emotions they might entail. We have unpacked how to ask for help and find ways to solve problems.
Another reminder that swimming for year 3/4s is this coming Monday 25th, so get those swimming bags packed this weekend! We look forward to a busy but rewarding week at the pool which enables students to gain important life skills and enjoy a different form of exercise with their peers.
Kind regards,
The 3/4 Team
Damien Smith, Daena Hailey, Brent Smith, Claire Cripps and Nick Pagliaro
Grade 5 & 6
We are now officially halfway through Term 3! The past few weeks have been filled with exciting learning opportunities across all areas of the curriculum. Students have been building on their reading, writing, and maths skills whilst also exploring big ideas through Inquiry.
In Reading, students focused on procedural texts. They explored how purpose and audience shape the way a procedure is written, and practised identifying the different text structures, such as titles, goals, materials, and steps. They examined the language features that make procedures clear and easy to follow, like action verbs, sequencing words, and clear commands.
In Writing, students continued to create their own procedural texts. After brainstorming ideas connected to healthy lifestyles, they planned and drafted their work, carefully structuring their steps with precise verbs and sequencing words. They finished the week by publishing their polished procedures in creative formats, ready to share with the class.
In Spelling, the focus was on rules specific to each year level. Year 5 explored the digraph /or/ making the sound “or” as in fork, while Year 6 studied the graph /c/ making the sound “s” as in city. Students worked through word lists, activities, and games to consolidate these spelling rules.
In Mathematics, the focus was on division. Students built mental endurance through number games, revised key strategies, and worked on simple worded problems. They also began creating a flip book of division strategies that they can continue to add to as their learning grows. A short multiplication post-test was completed to track progress, and students are developing strong problem-solving skills and persistence in their mathematical thinking.
In Inquiry, students conducted water experiments. They observed how water can change between solid, liquid, and gas, and recorded their findings like true young scientists. The hands-on experiments were a highlight of the week and sparked lots of great discussions!
Week 5 has been busy, engaging, and filled with learning. We’re proud of the effort and enthusiasm students are bringing into their work each day. As we move into the second half of the term, we look forward to seeing continued growth, creativity, and collaboration across the classroom and of course, the excitement of swimming week next week!
Kind regards,
The 5/6 Team
Llinos Poole, Erin Rennick, Hayley Peirce and Alarna Creed