General Information & Reminders

Dear Year 5 Parents,

A warm welcome to Term 4! Where has the year gone? We hope all students and families enjoyed a safe, relaxing, and happy holiday break.

We are looking forward to an exciting term ahead, filled with many wonderful learning opportunities and special events. One of the highlights will be our camp at Arrabri Lodge in late November. When we return, students can look forward to the annual Swimming Carnival, meeting their Foundation buddies, participating in the special Year 5 Christmas Charity Market, and celebrating together at the School Christmas Carols.

Students will also begin preparing for Year 6 through the Step-Up Days, where they will have the opportunity to meet their teacher and classmates for 2027.

What a fantastic term we have ahead of us!

Communication

All communication this term will be sent via Compass. Please check notifications and emails regularly to stay up to date. Compass is where you will find:

Attendance information (including submitting absence notes)
Fortnightly school newsletters
Sports carnivals and event details
Excursion and incursion information, permissions, and payments
Whole‑school announcements
Semester reports

If you have any concerns or queries throughout the term, the first place to start is with your child’s teacher. We look forward to working with you all again throughout the term.

5A - Jonny Pepi

5B - Cindi Kunaratnam (Mon-Thurs) and Jess Norder (Friday)

5C - Jackson Moffitt

Regarding communication, we ask that you do not message your child during school times as this can be distracting for them and others and is not in line with our E-Smart agreement. For any urgent messages that your child needs during school hours, please contact the school office and they will ensure the message is passed onto classroom teachers. If the message is urgent (needs to be passed to a student on that same day) please do not rely on an email just to teachers directly as the email may not always be read until after students have left for the day or the teacher may be away.

Homework

As a general guide we suggest a maximum of 40 minutes of homework on school nights. We understand that each family is different, and this remains at your discretion. We suggest that 20 of these 40 minutes be spent reading each night. Students are asked to record their daily reading in their diary and have it signed by a parent or carer.

In addition to daily reading, homework this term will include:

This term, students will be provided with a plastic homework folder, which they are expected to use to transport all homework materials between home and school. This folder should be used to carry all homework-related documents, including spelling focus word sheets and Literature Circle worksheets. Keeping all materials in the one place will help students stay organised and ensure important learning tasks are readily available when needed.
Literature Circle assigned reading and associated weekly tasks- due from week 2 - week 9. (2 x 4 weekly cycles).
Spelling tasks with weekly focus words and tasks on Literacy Planet, to consolidate spelling taught at school (Literacy Planet is optional during the weeks that Literature Circle homework is running).
Occasionally, other tasks, such as inquiry project work that needs to be completed at home.
Weekly Matific tasks will also be posted; however, these will be optional in Term 4 to allow students to focus on Literature Circle homework and spelling.

Diaries must be brought to school every day so teachers can check reading logs and homework progress and students can add any weekly spelling focus words into their diaries. The diaries also contain important information that your child needs at school such as their log in details for various applications on their ipads.

We encourage students to complete homework during the week. However, we understand that families may have busy after‑school schedules. In these cases, students may use part of the weekend to catch up, though we encourage homework‑free weekends when possible so students can rest and recharge.

If a student is absent when homework is explained, they are expected to check in with their teacher to catch up on instructions.

Year 5 Camp - Wednesday 25th November to Friday 27th November

Camp will run from 25–27 November at Arrabri Lodge, East Warburton. Located approximately 90 minutes from the Melbourne CBD and surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery, Arrabri Lodge provides a wonderful setting for a meaningful and memorable camp experience.

Students will participate in a range of activities, including giant swing, archery, orienteering, initiatives, low ropes course, flying fox, mini golf and climbing wall.

We will finish the camp with a visit to the Yarra Valley Chocolate Factory on our way back to school on Friday.

If your child has difficulty sleeping away from home, please speak with their teacher prior to camp so we can provide appropriate support.

Application for Student Leadership in 2027

The leadership application process will commence later in the term. All Year 5 students will attend a meeting to have the process and dates explained to them. Applications will be written by students at school during class time, and all students who submit an application will have an interview with school leadership. We encourage all students to apply as it is a great chance to challenge themselves, reflect on their strengths, and prepare for future opportunities.

Step Up Day and 2027 Buddies

Our students will find out their new class and teacher on the final Step Up day, please remember that the two sessions prior to this are just to become familiar with new spaces, new teachers and different students. Students will also meet their 2027 buddy and present their buddy book at the end of the year at the buddy picnic. We ask that students don't bring gifts to the buddy picnic as it can feel uncomfortable for those who don't receive one. Should your child wish to give their buddy a gift (optional) please find an alternative and discrete opportunity to do so.