Specialist Update

OLP

In OLP, our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students have continued to build their skills in the Italian language through a variety of fun and engaging activities.

Students have been practising new greetings; such as “May I please go to the toilet”, “Good morning and good afternoon” and some other everyday Italian expressions, building their confidence in using simple words and phrases in the classroom. The Prep students have particularly enjoyed the McDonald's roleplay rotation- experiencing what it is like to work and eat at McDonald's, exploring their creativity with building blocks and playing Italian colour Bingo with colour, which helps them remember and learn the colours in Italian.

The Year 1 students have been enjoying incorporating Italian greetings into their role-play of touring Italy where they look at different Italian landmarks and explore the interesting facts about them, whilst also using simple phrases as they interact with one another.

Our Year 2 students have been exploring drama and Italian through reader’s theatre, making their own hand puppets and small plays and learning simple Italian phrases.

Sport 

It has been a busy and exciting time in Sport! Our Year 5/6 students recently started Interschool Sports, representing the school proudly in AFL, soccer, and netball. Students have been demonstrating excellent teamwork, sportsmanship, and determination throughout the competition and should be commended for their efforts and positive attitude.

In Sport classes, students have been developing their AFL skills through a range of activities and game-based learning. They have been practising kicking, handballing, marking, and teamwork while building their understanding of the game.

We also look forward to upcoming sporting events this term. Selected Year 4/5/6 students will participate in the Cross Country event on the 20th of May, where students will challenge themselves and demonstrate resilience and persistence. In addition, selected Year 5/6 students will be attending the Hockey Gala Day on the 10th of June. We wish all students the best of luck in these exciting events!

Italian

The Year 3 students have excitedly continued their Italian language journey this term. They have been building on their skills in asking and answering questions and have begun having short conversations with one another in Italian. Students are continuing to expand their vocabulary by learning colours and sharing phrases such as “Il mio colore preferito è il…” (“My favourite colour is…”). We have also continued exploring the different rules and forms of saying “the” in Italian, helping students deepen their understanding of the language structure.

The students have also thoroughly enjoyed learning and singing a variety of Italian songs, including Nella Vecchia Fattoria (Old MacDonald Had a Farm), which has been a fun and engaging way to build vocabulary and pronunciation skills.

We were also lucky enough to have Martina share about her visit to Sicily, where her family comes from, including some beautiful photos that complemented our cultural learning about the many different places and regions of Italy.

Year 4 Innovation Technology

Students have been busy creating their own news reports using iMovie as part of their Media Arts component of Innovation Technology learning. Working in teams, they planned their stories, wrote scripts, used tripods, filmed introductions and interviews and edited their videos using a range of digital tools. Throughout the unit, students strengthened their speaking and communication skills by practising clear expression, confident speaking, voice projection and presenting information in an engaging way for an audience. They also developed important teamwork and problem-solving skills as they collaborated to bring their ideas to life. It has been wonderful to see students grow in confidence, creativity and communication while producing their final news reports.

Fuse Cup

We had a fantastic day out at the Fuse Cup Rocket League Tournament alongside Marymede Doreen. 

Our students Shaanuja, Jake, Leo and Patrick represented our school with enthusiasm, teamwork and great sportsmanship throughout the day.

A special congratulations to Jake on receiving the MVP Award for the day!

We would also like to congratulate our past students George, Gavie and Nathan for participating in the competition and achieving some excellent results. It is wonderful to see our former students continuing to shine and represent our communities so proudly in secondary school. 

Performing Arts

In Performing Arts, our Year 5 students are currently exploring the dramatic element of tension and how it helps make performances engaging for an audience. 

We have been learning what tension is in drama, why it is important, and how it can build suspense, conflict, and excitement within a scene. 

Students are working collaboratively in small groups to create short performances that show conflict between a protagonist (main character) and an antagonist (the problem creator). Through group planning, they are allocating character roles and developing clear story ideas before bringing them to life on stage. They are also using mime, gesture, facial expression, and sound effects to create dramatic moments and communicate mood. 

It has been wonderful to see students building confidence as creative collaborators and thoughtful performers.

In Performing Arts, our Year 6 students have been exploring the significance of ANZAC Day through drama and movement. 

Using imagery, poetry, movement and gesture, they have unpacked the emotions and stories connected to the ANZACs and reflected on how these experiences relate to their own lives today.

Students discussed the key qualities - courage, mateship and endurance. They used body language, facial expression and movement to represent the perspectives of those who served. 

Through collaborative planning, students worked in groups to create powerful juxtapositions. Two contrasting freeze frame images were placed side by side to highlight differences. 

They created a tableau showing soldiers with their arms around each other for support and friendship, alongside modern-day friends sitting together while chatting on their iPhones. These performances encouraged students to think deeply about how connection and friendship can be seen across different time periods.                                                                                       

It has been wonderful to see students engage thoughtfully with Australia’s history while building their creativity, teamwork and performance skills.

Visual Arts

Year 2 students explored citrus fruits from Italy, learning about the lemons, limes and oranges that are abundant in many Mediterranean regions of Italy. Students used observational drawing skills to create citrus artworks using simple shapes, lines and details. Using oil pastels, they experimented with colour, texture and blending techniques to create vibrant fruit, while applying complementary colours in the background to create strong contrast and visual interest. Through this activity, students explored the art elements of line, shape, colour, texture and space. These artworks will look amazing as a collaborative piece for the upcoming school Art Show in Term 3.

Year 3 students are currently exploring 3D sculpture techniques through the creation of paper maché gelato ice creams to complement our Italian theme in Visual Arts. Students began by designing and drawing a plan of their gelato sculpture in their Visual Art diaries, considering colour, shape and decorative details. They then used newspaper and masking tape to construct the form of their sculptures before applying layers of paper mâché to strengthen and shape their creations. They are currently working on painting their fabulous creations! Through this process, students explored the art elements of form, shape, colour and texture while developing creativity, planning and construction skills. They will be a highlight at the Art Show in Term 3, I'm sure!