What's happening?

Foundation

It was lovely to hear that the students had a restful long weekend. This week we have begun introducing new sounds again- /m/ and /d/. The students have enjoyed using these sounds to create even more words. We have been so impressed with the students' willingness to learn these sounds and practise them at home with their sound pack and list words. By now your child should be also bringing home weekly readers. Thank you for supporting their reading at home by listening to them each day. This week we started learning ‘Red Flag Words’- words that have tricky parts or sounds not yet explicitly taught. This week’s word is: ‘the’. Ask your child to find it in their take home readers.

Maths groups are running smoothly and we continue with our Place Value topic. Students will learn about the value of numbers, what they are made of (e.g. tens and ones) and use a wide range of concrete aides to model them (e.g. ten frames, icy pole sticks).

We have begun ‘Zones of Regulations’ as part of our Social Program. We started by identifying how we feel when in the green zone, and will soon explore our feelings in the yellow, red and blue zones. We will also introduce strategies for calming down and mindful activities they can complete in order to feel their best. This is a great way for students to understand their emotions and a great tool that they can use at both school and home! 

Buddies is now every 2nd Wednesday - last week students enjoyed making some ‘all about us’ rainbows, where they got to know their buddies and record some of their favourite things. 

Thank you to those parents that have helped out with corridor reading. A reminder to put your name down on your child’s sign up sheet (breezeway for FB, FH, and FW. Outside FN’s room for FN). A reminder to return reading satchels each day. Books are changed once a week. Please ensure your child has read each book at least twice and filled in their reading log. When you read the same book twice you do not need to write and colour a new smiley face, just add a date to the previous read.

Grade 1

We cannot believe we have now passed the halfway mark of Term 1. Time flies when you’re in Grade 1!

The children have been creating family trees and writing all about their wonderful families. It has been fun to hear about all the different types of families and cultures, and celebrate their diversity! Thank you to all the families that have sent in baby photos for our guessing game. We are excited to display them in our classrooms in the coming week! 

Our Word Study focus for the past two weeks has been reviewing the sounds of the digraphs /sh/ and  /th/. These cards should already be in your child’s sound pack from Foundation, please remember to practise the sound pack regularly. 

This week in Maths groups we have continued to learn about Addition. All groups have been practising solving addition problems, using the strategies of subitising and counting on. You can support your child with these at home, through everyday addition stories and playing card matching games. Don’t forget to keep up the skip counting practise (2s, 5s and 10s). 

Grade 2

We had a terrific visit to Rippon Lea Estate this week! Our Grade 2 students learned about the history of the mansion and gardens, lifestyles of the wealthy Sargood family and the servants who worked for them, and explored items and activities that have ‘stood the test of time’, or changed for the better over time. Thank you to parent helpers who were able to attend.

This week, students are further developing their recount writing skills, with the goal of describing some of their excursion experiences using appropriate adjectives, and including their thoughts and feelings. As part of our ‘Word Study’, we have been focusing on when to using the long spellings -ck, -tch, -dge. Students have also been learning to apply their knowledge from our ‘Syntax Project’ lessons to expand their sentences using the conjunctions because, but, so.

In Maths, students have been investigating 2D shapes and 3D objects. They are learning to use appropriate mathematical language to name them and describe their features.

As part of our wellbeing program this term, we are focusing on social skills, help-seeking, emotional literacy and regulation, and gratitude.

Thank you for your support with homework: Regular reading aloud and ‘Red Flag Word’ spelling.

Optional extras: ‘Nessy Reading and Spelling’ and ‘Sunset/Jetpack Maths’ (Essential Assessment).

Grade 3

The students have completed their first two NAPLAN assessments this week. Next week, they will complete their final two assessments.  

Reading: Last week, we delved into the visualisation reading strategy. The students have loved listening to a text with rich sensory language and using their own prior knowledge to draw and colour a representation of the image in their mind on a piece of paper. This week, we begin the skill of understanding sequence by recognising the order in which things happen in a reading passage. 

Writing: Over the last two weeks, the students have revised the persuasive writing genre. The students have looked at the structure and language features as well as brainstormed multiple arguments and selected the strongest three to support their opinion before writing their persuasive text. In our grammar sessions, we have learnt to use ‘ing’ verbs at the start of our sentences. During our spelling lessons, we have looked at the grapheme ‘ai’ and ‘ay’ as well as ‘igh’ and ‘y= /i/’. 

Maths: In our math groups, we have continued to practise a range of mental and written strategies to add numbers together. We have also looked at equivalent equations and identified the missing number in number sentences with multi-digit numbers. 

Inquiry: Last week we explored the effects and potential consequences of deforestation. This week, we are learning about the impact of overfishing. 

Grade 4

Grade 4s are really starting to find their feet here in the Hub at Parkdale. Thank you for all the efforts and amazing attitudes towards their learning.

Literacy: We are completing our persuasive writing unit by looking at the different ways and strategies we can be convincing in our arguments then heading into the structure of a persuasive piece. Soon we will be looking at the comprehension strategies of ‘Understanding Sequence’ and ‘Making Connections’. Students will continue to either borrow a book from school or read a book from home for their daily reading. 

Numeracy: Our measurement topic of ‘Addition’ has been our focus. Using the mathematical language of Sum, total and altogether, students are able to add multiple numbers together and show their understand through vertical algorithms. Soon we will be starting Subtraction.

Reminders: Please ensure your child is bringing their diary with them each day, and recording their reading each night. Students should be dressing according to the weather, keeping in mind that classrooms must have windows or doors open for air circulation. 

Grade 4 Team

Grade 5

We hope everyone had a lovely long weekend and are feeling refreshed and ready for the final few weeks of Term 1. The Grade 5 team are so proud of how well our students have settled into school for Term 1 and can’t believe there are only a few more weeks to go! 

Maths

Last week we finished our topic of addition and subtraction and this week we have begun our next topic with an applied focus on angles and geometric reason. Students will acquire new knowledge and apply this to real life contexts.

Writing

After learning about the features of a narrative, the students have been writing their own narratives using the plot structure. Students have planned and developed an orientation, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution for their story which has allowed them to create descriptive and suspenseful narratives. Last week students revised the features of a persuasive piece and wrote some very convincing pieces.

Reading

In reading this week we are beginning to focus on the author’s purpose within a text. We will delve into the three main reasons why a text has been written. These three purposes are to persuade, inform or entertain.

Inquiry

We are continuing on with our ‘Why is it so?’ unit for Inquiry. The students are very excited about the up and coming science incursion. Please ensure you have filled out the permission form on Compass. In the coming weeks students will begin to plan their own experiments, using the scientific method so please keep an eye out for any information being sent home regarding this.

Grade 6

English

Students have continued their unit on persuasive writing this week. The children have been asked to plan and write a persuasive text enticing tourists to visit a specific country or holiday destination. 

In Reading we are looking at author’s purpose after our work on figurative language last week. In grammar we have learnt about direct and indirect speech.

Mathematics

In Mathematics, we will be completing our work on decimals and percentages on Friday. Next week we will start work on fractions with a focus on calculating equivalent values, using the four operations and finding the fractional amount of various quantities.

Inquiry 

The Grade 6 classes have been working on their ‘May the Best Party Win’ theme covering our nation’s system of government, democracy and the constitution. Students have been placed into groups this week for our upcoming Grade 6 elections. Groups will be required to select a leader, local minister and education minister to prepare a speech which they will then each present to their classmates.

Interschool Sport

Last week we completed our preliminary rounds of interschool sport against Mentone. District Finals for teams that have qualified will be in Week 9.

Term Dates and Events

Please check Compass for further information regarding Term 1 dates and events relating to Grade 6 students.