Learning and Teaching
Term One Overviews
Please take some time to read over the Term One Overviews. The Overviews contain information regarding the learning that will occur in each year level and Specialist classes this term. We have published the Overviews on our School Website so that you can refer to them throughout the term. The Term Overviews will be published on the website and in the newsletter at the beginning of each term.
Maths Apps to use at home
Here are some great apps for your children to use at home to help them to habituate basic maths facts and consolidate concepts taught at school. Watch this space for more suggestions in each newsletter!
MATH SLIDE: TENS AND ONES Math Adventures Math Slide is a multiplayer game helping children understand tens and ones in numbers up to 100. It helps children progress from counting to using number facts and place value to add and subtract.
MATH SLIDE: BASIC FACTS Math Adventures
Math Slide is a multiplayer game helping children to learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and division number facts.
SPLASH MATH: Splash Math reinforces key maths skills with an interactive and adaptive Maths programme. The children progress through various levels at their own pace.
Number Intervention: Parent Training
Over the last two years, a group of dedicated and willing parents have attended training sessions with me in Number Intervention, and proceeded to work with children in Years Prep to 2 who needed a little boost in Maths. Each of the children supported by these wonderful parents showed marked progress in their confidence, skills and knowledge of Number.
Parent Training in Number intervention is a being offered this term, following immediately after our Classroom Helper training session on Wednesday, March 6 and Thursday, March 14. The training enables you to work with individual children (not necessarily your own child), following a sequential programme. I look forward to seeing you there. For more information, please email me at jferris@gsmelbournesth.catholic.edu.au.
Year 5 News
The Year Fives have been studying how to collect, represent and interpret data for their mathematics unit. They have each created a biograph that describes their physical appearances and personalities. Using the biograph, students wrote facts based on what was drawn. Come and have a look at Year Five’s fabulous biographs on our outside wall. Year Five also worked on creating bar graphs, line graphs and discovering the mean, median, mode and range based on the class’ birthdays.
Maths Olympiad!
In the coming weeks, several Year 5 and 6 students, and possibly some Year 4 students, will be invited to participate in the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO). The Maths Olympiads are a series of problem solving competitions for high achieving students in Years 5 and 6. The Olympiads are unique in that they focus on the students' ability to solve mathematical problems in a creative manner, as opposed to simply reaching a solution using a prescribed method. The programme will be run by our Year 5 teacher, Lauren Bland and Learning Support Officer, Sandra Carlei, supported by Jane Ferris, Maths Leader. The invited students will prepare for the competition during their Maths block on Mondays and at lunch time on Tuesdays. We are excited to be able to provide further extension for our high achieving Maths students! Parents of selected children will receive a letter soon to advise of dates and expectations. Children entering the team must be prepared to commit to the practice sessions (20 minutes from one lunch break each week) and persevere throughout the year, as the Olympiad is a team-based competition. Team numbers are limited. Please contact me for further information at jferris@gsmelbournesth.catholic.edu.au.
Maths Collective
At the end of 2017, Galilee formed a partnership with two other schools in the area and sought and received funding to implement the Learning Framework used in Number Intervention in classroom practice. Our Prep, Year One and Year Two teachers were last year involved in several days of Professional Learning about the programme, and implemented their learning in their classrooms. Our Year 3 and 4 teachers will be involved this year, attending four days of professional learning over the year. All children across the school have been assessed in a Number Interview by their classroom teachers and other staff, identifying areas of need which we can target throughout the year. We look forward to more fabulous outcomes in Maths in 2019!