Year Four News 

Reading

In Reading, students engaged with the process of analysing and understanding author's point of view in poetry. They extended their knowledge and learnt more about second person-point of view. Students analysed in detail author's perspective by reading Indigenous Dreamtime Stories and  poems such as ‘The Dream’ and ‘No More Boomerang’. Students were able to identify author’s point of view while reading as well as looking closely on how this influences their individual opinions as readers. In Reading Fluid Groups students gained new understanding with tailored lessons focused on their needs. Learners enjoyed mixing with peers from other classes and having lessons facilitated from other Year Four teachers.

Writing 

In Writing, students explored a variety of Indigenous Australian poetry including ‘The Rainbow Serpent’ and 'Took the Children Away’. They explored different types of poems such as, Shape, Acrostic, Haiku, Limerick, Found Poetry and Free Verse. Students selected the most appropriate one based on their writing style, to create their own poems. They found inspiration while working with the Indigenous Australian themed text ‘The Rabbits’ and investigated how a poem could be written from different perspectives. Students used this to create their own Free Verse poem using figurative language to enhance their creation while writing from a different perspective/ viewpoint. Further, they produce a Haiku poem for Sorry Day. 

We are very proud of our students’ creativity and how well they used language devices, in particular, emotive language to convey meaning within their poetry. Students were able to comprehend, explore and connect to Indigenous Australian history and culture from the past and present.

Mathematics 

Students enjoyed continuing their learning in Mathematics Fluid Groups with lessons focusing on different aspects of Place Value. They strengthened their understanding on concepts such as ordering numbers, rearranging, regrouping, partitioning and expanding. Learners  actively engaged in estimating answers to problems related to their everyday life. They investigated how close to the answer of the problem they were by measuring and counting around the classroom. Students inspected rounding to the nearest tens, hundreds and thousands successfully. They learnt more about odd and even numbers by recognising, identifying, representing, and solving problems with odd and even numbers. Further they worked closely with their classroom teachers to practice their Mathematics goals and show evidence of their learning. 

Inquiry

So far, the Unit of Inquiry  One  ‘Who We Are’, has been a successful exploration of Indigenous Australian history and culture of the past and present. Students learned new facts from the past looking at Indigenous perspective of events such as The First Contact.  They expanded their knowledge to better understand how the Colonisation of Australia happened, how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's perspectives of events differ from European settlers and, how and when  Reconciliation took place in Australia. Students connected to the event while reading ‘Sorry Day’ and listening to Kevin Rudd’s (Australian Prime Minister 2008) speech, addressing Indigenous Australians with the apology of injustice towards The Stolen Generations . They were able to identify the key concepts of perspective,  causation and form, while investigating different exposures to Indigenous Dreamtime stories, poetry and art. A  strong connection between  Unit of Inquiry  One , Reading and Writing  has  helped students to answer their wonderings and gain a  better understanding of Australian culture and history.  

Harmony Day

On Wednesday 23rd of March our school community celebrated Harmony Day. The message of Harmony Day is everyone belongs, focusing on inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of culture or linguistic background. Students attended class wearing casual/free dress with a touch of orange or their cultural background outfit to show their support to cultural diversity and inclusiveness in Australia. They engaged with fun activities with their teachers and classmates having a successful and inclusive Harmony Day. It was a time to celebrate cultural diversity here at Saltwater P-9 College, to learn about and enjoy everyone's traditions, religions, languages, food and much more!

Homework Expectations

Students have  received their homework  and are expected to return it to school  on Thursday the 31rs of March.  As part of their two week homework cycle, students are encouraged to engage with the set tasks on Mathletics, assigned from their classroom teachers  as well.  Reading every night for more than 20 minutes is recommended . Students are to fill out their reading log and ask their parents/carers to sign once they finish a book. 

Reminders 

Just a friendly reminder for those who have not complete the two forms to please complete: 

Photo Consent https://forms.gle/9ckiEKxXeAerm9Vm9  

Local Excursion https://forms.gle/csUjMcy3XiAmSezR6 

 as soon as possible.

Students are advised to apply sunscreen and bring their hats and water bottles to school every day. 

Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians, this is our last newsletter for Term  One . We wish you all, a relaxing and enjoyable school holiday!

Kind Regards,

The Year Four Team