Specialist Team News

Performing Arts

 The Curriculum Focus in Performing Arts

Year 1:

Students have been reviewing the rhythm pattern: ti-ti ta and have used the bucket drums to play different rhythmic patterns. They have also started using the djembe, learning how to play a bass and tone on the instrument.

Year 2:

Students have created a rhythm composition based on Lego block sizes. They will share their compositions next week using their choice of percussion instrument.

sGrade 3/4 – Students have been learning about different genres of music. They have started identifying the different features of “Funk” music and have created a set of dance moves to a song called “Get Funky”.

Grade 5/6 – Students have been sharing their “Pizza Man” compositions to a well known ostinato. They have also had a go at some chair drumming.

Music Clubs

Choir 

Today was the first meeting for the choir. Interested children attended and have been given a note with information and expectations for choir members. Parents and/or guardians are to sign and return it to school.  We sang a few vocal warm ups, Ging Gang Gooli, Kookabura, then looked at the Willy Kids song. 

I suggested that each student keep a display folder at home, to collate the song sheets, so that they can practice at home. 

We are looking forward to an exciting year of singing, and performing at various school events. 

Marimba Band Timetable – Term 1

Rock Band Auditions – Term 1

*There have been approximately sixty students who have put up their hands to audition for the bands, which is very encouraging. The marimba auditions have so far been going very well. Best of luck to those who are auditioning in the next 2 weeks for the Rock Band.

Warm regards,

Faye Ferry & Lynne Georgiadis

Performing Arts Teachers   

Physical Education

Fortnightly Curriculum Focus in Physical Education

• Prep: Developing fundamental movement skills through fun activities focused on coordination and balance.
• Year 1 & 2: Exploring different ways to move and jump, building strength and confidence in fundamental movement patterns.
• Grade 3/4: Continuing our Athletics unit with a focus on hurdles and jumping events, improving technique, power, and agility.
• Grade 5/6: Advancing athletic skills by refining hurdles and jumping techniques, with an emphasis on speed, control, and efficiency.

Sports Update

This week, on Wednesday, our Willy Primary Swim Team competed in the District Swimming Carnival—and what an incredible day it was! Our swimmers demonstrated outstanding effort, determination, and sportsmanship in every event. With impressive individual and relay performances, Willy Primary finished as the overall champions! A huge congratulations to all competitors for their hard work and dedication. We now look ahead to the next stage, as those who have qualified will move on to compete at the Division Swimming Carnival. Best of luck to our swimmers in the next round!

Warm Regards,

Paddy Gallivan (Physical Education)

Visual Arts

It’s been a very busy few weeks in the art room where we have been studying the artist Yayoi Kusama. In her work, polka dots are connected to ideas about infinity, and the thought of being one amongst many. For example, people, stars and galaxies. All things can be represented by her dots.

The Grade Prep’s have been using large dot paint markers to create multi coloured dotted backgrounds. They will then show off their cutting skills when we cut-out various flowers shapes. Whilst using the paint markers, the students discovered and experimented with secondary colours when the paint markers were overlapped. 

The Grade 1/2’s continue to study Kusama’s quirky, spotty mushrooms. This week we finished off our brightly coloured mushrooms and moved onto creating a patterned background to showcase our ‘spotty’ art pieces.

The Grade 3/4’s finished off their amazing, detailed infinity nets creating the perfect background for our pumpkins. This week, we began working on our pumpkins where we included lots of dot work and mark marking.

The Grade 5/6’s will continue to work on their Kusama inspired abstract art pieces. This week we finished off our sketches and began adding colouring using paint and super fine brushes. Very delicate work!

Just a reminder to bring in your Art smocks. Please hand them into your classroom teacher for storage. I recommend an old, oversized t-shirt or shirt with your child’s name on it. 

The Grade 5/6 volunteers continue to work on their entries for the Hobsons Bay 5x7 Art Competition. We have met the last two Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes, and their art pieces are looking fabulous. There are only 24 places and I’m so happy to see so many students keen and eager to participate!!! 

Warm Regards,

Marcia Evans (Visual Art)

LOTE (French)

La Tour Eiffel De L’Inspiration

In the last two weeks, our senior 5/6 students have been given the task to inspire other year levels by writing ‘des messages d’inspiration’ on our classroom Eiffel Tower for all classes to read when they come into French. Finding purpose in everything we do is essential for growth, and being in the classroom is no different. So, to dig much deeper, students are now in the process of writing their ‘Ma reflexion personnelle: Pourquoi apprendre le Francais a WPS?’ (ma personal reflection: Why learn French at WPS?). They have been reading about all the many benefits French has to offer from the French government ‘Ministre Des Affaires Etrangeres’ as well as from the Victorian Government language learning approach to identify how what we do in the classroom has the power to elevate, better, grow their individual lives… today and importantly in their future. This self-centred student-led approach to their learning is helping put a new lense of maturity and responsibility – with a real purpose – on their own learning approach for them to empower themselves for the years to come.

After being given the mighty creative task to design their own French Willy Primary flags, the years 3/4 are now retracing their steps on the activities completed in the last couple of weeks by reading and writing about them in French. With a risk-taking approach to participating, sharing their translation ideas and practising speaking French with a partner, students are decoding the language and growing their ability to handle trickier words by relying on sentence context and the doing happening in the room. Language learning is very contextual indeed. This is all brings together skills such as problem solving, power of observation, attention and linguistic flair development.

The younger year levels are well and truly in the reading, speaking and writing part of language learning. Year 1s began with simple greeting conversations before moving onto a proper role play form discussion using props and already performing for their peers! In the meantime, Year 2s have explored the power of ‘tout essayer’ (try everything) with our catchy French feel good song as they sang and reflected upon what trying everything to outperform ourselves can look like in the French room. They have now started work on their personal self-introduction piece which they need to verbally translate in groups and write up in their books to be able to present to their class in the form of an individual performance. It takes a lot of guts to stand up in front of an entire class and to, on top of that, speak a foreign language. But at Willy, we love it because our Willy Kids are amazing risk-takers and great knowledge sharers!!

With a strong and steady focus on LE RESPECT, LA GENTILLESSE and LA GRATITUDE so far across all year levels, we have started a very promising first semester in the French classroom. 

Please note that Preps will begin the French program in Term 2 when Year 5/6s will move onto Kitchen Garden.

Madame CRICRI