Innovation & Design

Innovation & Design, Term 2: April Newsletter - 2025

Foundation

This week our Grade 1 students revised their learning about cyber safety and identified 5 trusted adults to approach when confused, overwhelmed or worried for help. Further into this month Foundation will learn how to keep our bodies strong and healthy by choosing nutritious foods. Our big learning idea is: “What makes a healthy plate?”

We will talk about how a healthy plate includes:

🥦 Vegetables – like carrots, broccoli, and corn

🍎 Fruits – like apples, bananas, and berries

🍞 Grains – like bread, rice, and pasta

🍗 Proteins – like chicken, eggs, and beans

🥛 Dairy – like milk, cheese, and yogurt

Our little learners will have fun sorting foods into “healthy” and “sometimes” choices, and they will even create their own Healthy Plate craft to take home!

Year 1

This week our Year 1 students revised cyber safety and identified 5 trusted adults to approach when confused, overwhelmed or worried for help. Further into this month, our Grade 1 learners are exploring where our food comes from and how it gets to our plates. We’re diving into the journey food takes from the farm, to the supermarket, and finally to our homes.

Here’s what we will be learning: 🚜 Farm – We will discover that fruits, vegetables, milk, and eggs all come from farms. Farmers work hard to grow and take care of the food we eat. 🚛 Supermarket – After the farm, food is packed and taken to the supermarket in trucks. It’s then put on shelves for us to choose and buy. 🍽️ Plate – At home, we or our families cook the food and serve it on our plates, ready to enjoy!

We’ll be reading stories, watching videos, and doing fun activities to help us understand this food journey. We’re even creating our own “Food Journey” posters!

🗣️ Ask your child:

• What food comes from a farm?
• How does food get to the supermarket?
• What was your favorite part of the food journey?

Thank you for supporting your child’s learning at home!

Happy learning and healthy eating!

Year 2

This week our Year 1 students revised cyber safety and communicated their learning through a poster. Further into this month our Grade 2 students will engage in a bridge design challenge. The students will learn about the features and uses of common bridge designs such as Beam, Arch, Truss and Suspension bridges. Following this investigation the students will generate their own design ideas and draw these ideas, select their preferred idea and design, create, test and critique their bridge design over the remainder of the term.

Year 3

This term, our Year 3 students will be diving into an exciting hands-on project in Innovation and Design! They will be designing and building their very own Rube Goldberg machines — creative chain-reaction inventions that perform simple tasks in the most imaginative ways.

Using everyday materials and exploring the principles of simple machines (like levers, pulleys, and inclined planes), students will apply problem-solving skills, teamwork, and creativity to bring their ideas to life. We can't wait to see the wonderful inventions they come up with!

These are some examples of what you can expect to see in the next few weeks.

Year 4

This term, our Year  4 students have explored Food Technology. They will learn essential kitchen skills and gain confidence in cooking! 

The program has included:🔪 Safe use of kitchen equipment – Learning proper handling of tools.🧼 Hygiene and food safety – Understanding the importance of cleanliness in cooking.🥄 Cooking techniques – Practicing measuring, mixing, and preparing simple recipes.

Further, this hands-on learning experience has helped students to develop independence, teamwork, and an appreciation for healthy eating. Watch out parents and carers, you may have a chef on your hands!

Year 5 

This term, our Year 5 students are exploring the world of bridge engineering in Innovation and Design. As part of their unit, students will identify key design elements of various types of bridges — including beam, arch, truss, and suspension styles — and understand what makes each structure strong and effective.

Putting their knowledge into action, students will then work in teams to design and build their own bridges using recyclable materials. This project encourages collaboration, creativity, and sustainability as they problem-solve and experiment with real-world engineering concepts.

These are a few examples:

Year 6

This term, students in Year 6 will explore how origami can be used in science, medicine, and everyday life. Using the different pleats found in origami, they will design and construct a community garden from paper. In addition, they will identify the different design elements in our design cycle and create their own movable toy models. You will be able to see some amazing and creative models from them. 

A friendly reminder to our lovely families, we use Seesaw to showcase what we are learning in the classroom. We kindly ask all students to bring their iPads, fully charged, to their I&D sessions.

We look forward to sharing more with you throughout the year!