Around the Traps - 4/5/6 

Mark Butters / Trish Shaw

Welcome to Week 5 everyone!

 

News

We thank you all for your cooperation in having the students ready to participate in the swimming program, it was very successful and we saw a great improvement in the students.

On the last day of swimming, the pool coordinator came to see us and thank us for the wonderful way the students participated and for their organisation and being ready to get in their groups. It’s always lovely to receive nice feedback on the students at our lovely school.

 

The 4/5/6 students have settled well into learning and are quickly slotting into a routine. 

However, it was a little disjointed due to swimming and we have really got into our learning well this week. We have been assessing the classes and organising their groupings accordingly, we have been able to do this more regularly this week due to swimming being completed.

 

As mentioned in a previous communication, the Grade 4 and Grade 5/6 students will occupy different classrooms and come together during times of Literacy and Numeracy. 

 

REMINDER

Students in 4/56 have Sport on Tuesday and Friday. These are the only days they are required to wear their runners. Please ensure students are wearing the correct St Joseph’s uniform.

Reading diaries are due at school for 4 Shaw on Monday and 5 / 6 Butters on Friday.

 

Literacy

We have had a more consistent progression to the Literacy program this week and assessing to assist has been prominent. This allows us to group the students at their varying levels of learning.

Reading rotations have been more consistent as well.

 

There has been a strong element of daily spelling and dictation. The students really enjoy the challenge!

 

Daily writing has produced some interesting stories and retells. It seems the swimming pennant on Sunday was a wonderful topic to write about on Monday!

Well done to all students who participated in the competition.

 

Numeracy

The unit, 'Place Value' has been introduced and will continue to be a strong influence daily during Maths.

This week we will investigate the fluency of ‘rounding up and down’ to tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands.

We continue a daily focus on times table and addition fluency.

 

Inquiry

The 5/6 class has started the unit on Democracy.  Given the planned Canberra camp in Term 2, we thought it might be a good idea to cover this content again face to face. This week we have discussed "community" and briefly looked at what a democracy is.

The Year 4 students are investigating the unit, ' First Contact'. We have discussed what we already know about this subject. 

Last week, we went outside and measured out the dimensions of the boat, ‘The Charlotte’, 32 metres by 8 metres and put ourselves in the places of the convicts on this ship and discussed the conditions they would’ve experienced. She carried 124 convicts, many of whom died en route to Australia.

 

Religion

This week, the Year 4 students have embarked on the unit, ‘The Circle of Life’. They have learnt that this unit deals with the beginning of life and the changes that occur throughout our lives and that life also ends at some stage.

We read a beautiful book called, ‘Grandpa’s Prayers of the Earth’. Maybe you could chat to your child about the book and ask them some questions about the content. They have responded to the book through artwork.

 

Have a great week everyone!

Mrs Shaw & Mr Butters

mbutters@sjbeechworth.catholic.edu.au

tshaw@sjbeechworth.catholic.edu.au