Level Newsletters

Middle School News

Important Reminders

  • Grade 3 Excursion: A few reminders regarding our Phillip Island excursion Thursday 20 July - NEXT THURSDAY
  • Clothing - must be suitable for the predicted weather conditions (windy, cold and possibly wet) i.e. school uniform with long pants/leggings, gloves, beanies, large waterproof coat and suitable walking shoes.
  • Food - plenty of healthy food (preferably wrapper free). Include morning and afternoon snacks, lunch and dinner. Please ensure that they are substantial i.e. roll, sandwich, wrap or thermos with eating implements. A refillable bottle of water. All in a small backpack
  • Medication - should your child require additional or after school hours medication, you will need to sign a medical authority and drop off the labelled meds at the front office the day prior.
  • Insect Repellent - As Moonlit Sanctuary has suggested that students wear mosquito repellent, please apply before leaving home.
  • Students need to be at school by 8.45am for 9 am departure.

Upcoming excursion: 

Grade 4 Melbourne History Excursion needs to be approved by July 25th.

Learning in Action

Literacy: 

Grade 3: The students have begun their poetry unit by reading free verse poems and looking at imagery created by words. They have begun reading Dreamtime stories, which correlates nicely to the Inquiry unit this term. This has also linked perfectly to their writing, whereby the students have had a go at writing their own free verse poems based on the stories that have been read. Sentences have been enhanced by the use of conjunctions. 

 

Naidoc Week.

Year 3s used gum leaf shapes to decorate and write a heartfelt and helpful message from themselves to Preps. This was after viewing a BTN episode where Indigenous Elders were asked for advice by the young people making the clip. Year 3s are also so looking forward to learning more about our country’s indigenous history.

 

Grade 4: The students have analysed the elements of persuasive texts, and are currently incorporating these into their own persuasive writing. Comprehension is being developed through the distinction between facts and opinions. They have explored the careful choices of words that can sway someone one way or another. Students are currently writing their final persuasive piece (carried over from last term) to influence people to visit their continent. A clear focus has been set for the organisation, word choices and persuasive devices that should be used. 

 

Naidoc Week.

Year 4s have integrated this with the beginning of their History Inquiry unit. They have listened to stories via multi-media sources, and participated in deep dialogues that explore the Aboriginal culture to gain more genuine respect. 

 

Preview: 

Grade 3: The students will continue to read Dreamtime stories, and use these to identify word choices. This will serve as a basis for using a thesaurus to find synonyms and develop their understanding of what different words mean. They will then practise using a thesaurus to enhance their own writing. Next week the students will write a cinquain poem. 

 

Grade 4: The students will continue to identify facts and opinions by ascertaining if statements can be proven or verified. They will finish their unit on persuasive writing by using their skills to create an advertisement to persuade others to do or think what we want, thus keeping a clear vision of their audience in mind. Literature Circles will be continued, this time with a focus on highlighting personally interesting passages to their group, and backing it up with reasons. 

 

Maths: 

 

Grade 3: Grade 3s have begun their unit on Time by revising what they know. Students have used analogue clocks to show half hours, quarter hours and are now working on telling the time to the minute with analogue and digital times. This will act as preparation for their Time investigation project over the next few weeks.

In regards to Number, multiplication is the focus for the first half of this term. Students will continue to explore the concept by skip counting and making arrays. This will also help them to understand that numbers can be multiplied in any order (e.g. 3x4=4x3). The students have also practised using repeated addition to solve multiplication equations. Multiplication has been presented through real life worded problems. 

The students are encouraged to practise the 2x tables for easy recall. 

 

Grade 4: This term students will be focussing on multiplication and division. This week they have completed a pre-test for multiplication to serve as a guide for their learning goals during the unit. The majority of this week has focussed on understanding the different properties of 2D shapes, such as edges and corners, and comparing similarities. They are also learning to identify smaller shapes within larger ones, which has led to measuring the area with centimeter squares. 

 

Preview: 

Grade 3: The students will be building on their knowledge of multipication by manipulating materials and counting in ways that are meaningful to them. They will continue to practise making arrays, skip counting and using number lines to solve equations. They will adapt these skills to working with larger numbers. 

 

Grade 4: The students will be extending their knowledge of muiltplication based on the results from their pre-test. They will revise the language of multiplication, which will help them solve worded problems. They will make groups and arrays, which will help them when using larger numbers. The students will continue work with shapes, but now with a focus on symmetry. These skills will lead into our next Maths Investigation.  

 

 

Wellbeing:

This week the students have begun to explore gender norms through literature. They have identified similarities between themselves and classmates, and this lays the basis for accepting others. Fairy tales have been examined with respect to the roles that happen to be portrayed, and how this makes us feel. 

 

Inquiry: 

This term our Inquiry focus is on Australian History. All of the middle school students are beginning their study by exploring the culture of Indigenous Australians. These studies have easily been woven throughout the Literacy lessons. Reading Dreamtime stories and viewing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people explaining their culture, gives the students a better understanding of the beliefs and behaviours of Indigenous people over time. 

 

Preview: The students will continue to explore the Aboriginal culture in more depth through stories and videos. The students will be encouraged to note similarities, and to critically evaluate the reasons for various behaviours, which stem from a prominent connection to the land. 

 

Green Team Announcement:

 

The LPS Green Team is a student leadership group that is focused on protecting our environment to ensure a sustainable future. Green Team members are incredibly important students in the school. They set a great example and encourage others to care for our environment. Green Team members are student leaders. The team includes students from 3-6 who are passionate and implement sustainability projects school-wide. These students run sustainability club, which occurs every Friday at lunchtime and students P-6 can come along and be involved in sustainability projects across the school.

 

Congratulations to the following students who comprise our 2023 Green Team:

 

Grade 3: Ava S, Asha B, Aekam K

Grade 4: Paige A, Alex I, Blake J

Grade 5: Penny W, Ava T, Peyton W

Grade 6: Zach D, Aravind G, Helena K