Learning Enhancement
Maths ... and responding in full sentences
We’ve launched into Term 4 with lots of energy and a strong focus on learning. It is fantastic to see our students settling back into routines, showing kindness to their peers, and respecting their teachers.
Across many year levels, our Mathematics focus has turned to Data, Statistics and Probability. Students are exploring how data connects to real life by asking questions, collecting information, and representing it in different ways. In Foundation, students are busy collecting data, and our Year 6’s have begun experimenting with the representation of data using Microsoft Excel; a fun and exciting new skill that’s opening their eyes to how data is used in the world beyond the classroom.
Maths provides students with a great opportunity to share thinking and understanding, as often, students reach answers in different ways. Throughout the year, we’ve worked hard to create safe and supportive classrooms where every student feels confident to share their thinking. When doing this in maths, this means using clear reasoning and the learnt vocabulary to explain ideas. We encourage all students to always answer in complete sentences, so instead of simply saying “six,” they might say, “When you add five and one together, the answer is six.”
The expectation of answering in full sentences is not exclusive to our maths lessons. With each classroom interaction, students are encouraged to elaborate on their understanding using whole sentences, a practice that supports the development of many learning areas:
- Improved Communication Skills: Using full sentences helps students learn to express their ideas clearly and confidently - a skill that’s essential in both academic and real-world settings.
- Deeper Understanding: When students restate the question and answer in full, they demonstrate comprehension rather than just recognition. It shows they understand what they’re answering and why.
- Stronger Writing Foundations: Regular use of complete sentences when speaking builds grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure skills, which are vital for success in written tasks.
- Critical Thinking: Formulating full responses encourages students to think more deeply and reflect on their learning, rather than relying on short or surface-level answers.
The development of students' reasoning and communication skills are noticeable areas of growth for the school this year. As we continue exploring data and probability in our maths lessons, the ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing, remains a key focus. Whether students are describing a graph, explaining a pattern, or sharing their reasoning, full sentences help them connect their mathematical thinking to the world around them. With your support, we are helping students become not just better mathematicians, but confident communicators across all areas of learning. We appreciate your support in reinforcing this at home. Encouraging your child to “say it in a full sentence” can make a big difference to their learning journey.
Thank you for all that you do to support your child’s learning at home and at school, as we are gearing up for a great final term of 2025!
Jen McKillop,
Jess Moodie & Eloise Liddell.
Library News
Library News
Bookfair Success
We are delighted to share that our Bookfair has once again been a tremendous success.It has been wonderful to witness the joy and enthusiasm on students’ faces as they entered the library and explored the vibrant displays.
We extend our sincere appreciation to the dedicated team of volunteers who generously gave their time to assist with setting up and running the Bookfair before and after school. Your support is deeply valued.
Our library continues to be a welcoming and engaging space for all students. Thanks to the rewards earned through Bookfair sales, we are pleased to announce that we will be able to purchase a range of new books for students to enjoy.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this event so successful.
Bookfair colouring competition Winners
Congratulations to the following:
Foundation Vincetic/O'Sullivan - Hanah Rony
Foundation Moodie - Molly O'Brien
Foundation Pigdon - James Molisak
1 Bekirofski - Leo Seiter
1 Minogue - Billie Myles
2 Damianopoulos - Meeval Sumesh
2 Kelly - Suhavi Randhawa
3 Maher - Amrit Kaur
3 DeGuzman - Charlotte Way
4 Finn - Gretta Kelly
4 Jondahl - Shiv Saranathan
5 Austen - Lila Bellamy
5 Dyminski - Natasha Schroeders
6 Liddell - Reese Opie