Grade 5 & 6

👨‍💼School Captains Recap👩‍💼

Welcome to the 5/6 cohort, we are the School Captains Knox, Lucy and Hannah. We just wanted to tell you that this term has been one of a kind! There have been so many topics that we have enjoyed. Term 3 has been another busy term and full of excitement. We started off with Urban Camp which was jam packed with lots of fun activities. Athletics was also good fun, it was challenging but everyone tried their best which was great to see. Book week was a sight to behold, it was fantastic to see everyone, especially the grade 6s dressing up and enjoying the day, the teachers did alright too! We were treated to a brilliant performance by the Blurbs and in week 9, we had a special visit from the Melbourne Stars who perform in the Big Bash League. We thank everyone for a wonderful term and we look forward to finishing the year off strongly in Term 4.

Happy Holidays! - EPS School Captains.

Blueback

This term, we have been exploring marine environments through the novel "Blueback", by Tim Winton. Students analysed Winton's use of figurative language, imagery, and point of view to decode narrative tone and structure. They applied these insights by writing persuasive texts, like Letters to the Editor, focusing on real-world issues of sustainability, marine conservation, and commercial development.

This term we read Blueback. There are three main characters: Abel, Dora and a blue groper named Blueback. I certainly enjoyed this book. Harvey

I have enjoyed learning about different marine life because it's cool. Madix

I have enjoyed learning about the environment and how we affect it. It has raised my awareness and knowledge of the outside world. Connie

There are a lot of amazing creatures in the ocean. Riley F

✍️Writing- ✍️

In writing, students focused on a variety of different writing genres that ranged from recount writing, persuasive writing and letters to the editor. Students focused on a range of strategies to engage their reader. Students learnt the structure of a variety of texts and learnt the language features that writers use to support their writing.

This term in Writing, I have enjoyed writing a letter to the Bendigo Council about their proposal on heavy vehicles over 8 tonnes between 8:00 and 9:30 am and 3:30 to 4:00. I have enjoyed using more formal language in my writing- Victoria P

I enjoyed writing about Blueback, and I enjoyed doing the Accountable Independent reading tasks and the letter to the editor- Lane L-M

I enjoyed writing about supporting the proposal. I felt like I helped to make a difference in terms of making the street safer.

Katie P

As a unit, we have explored the issue of road safety and the proposed Howard Street heavy vehicle access trial. Many of our students wrote passionate persuasive letters and raised well-thought out arguments in support of the proposal. Teachers were impressed by the standard of their writing and the way they became activists in support of this issue.

🌎Inquiry🌎

The students linked their understanding of Our Mentor text 'Blueback' and inquired about the environmental threats to places such as The Great Barrier Reef. Students also investigated the interconnections between humans and ocean ecosystems, including issues such as pollution, overfishing, climate change, habitat destruction and marine conservation. They investigated how human actions can affect ocean biodiversity and explored ways individual and communities can contribute to sustainable ocean management.

'I have enjoyed making a poster on Canva on how to prevent pollution and reducing plastic so that the future generations can see the beautiful world we live in.' Victoria

'It's been really fun to learn about the animals in the sea and what we can do help the environment.' Quinn M

➕➖Maths✖️➗

This term we have learnt lots of interesting and fascinating topics in Maths. Some of the topics we have covered have been analysing, recording and interpreting data and notably multiplication and division. Students have learnt a variety of multiplication methods, including the area and associative methods as well as the multiplication algorithm. Students have worked on their fluency in daily Maths lessons and this has been supported by the students' work on Times Table Rockstars. We delved into fractions, decimals and percentages. Students built their knowledge of the connection between them engaging in a variety of lessons, applying prior understandings to new and interesting learning.

'We have been working hard on using estimation and rounding to help us get close to an answer. I have learnt a lot from Mr Gilmore and my friends helping me out.' Apajok

This term in maths, I have been really enjoying learning about fractions, percentages and decimals. I've learnt that fractions, decimals and percentages can be written as the same thing but in different forms. Victoria P

🌹 🌹

Book Week

We had a fantastic time at Book Week this year. It was wonderful to see most of our senior students dressed up and enthusiastic about the day, there was so much effort from students in the 5/6 cohort and the energy they brought was amazing also. We also enjoyed our performance by The Blurbs, their performance was based on the 2026 book of the year finalists. Some of the books included The Emperor's Egg and Dear Broccoli. The students were highly engaged, as always, by The Blurbs and we look forward to their performances in the future.

🏃‍♀️‍➡️Athletics🏃‍♀️

I enjoyed it because I came third in the 800m race. It was great to meet people from other schools. Ava F

It was fun because there were lots of other schools there to compete against. We got to compete in all the events. The 800m was my best event. Riley F

Father's Day Open Classrooms

On Friday 4th September, we opened our classrooms for the afternoon. We loved welcoming so many Dads and special people in for our Create and Play session. Some people visited the green nest, played on the basketball court, kicked the footy and learned an interesting game about Tacos, Cats, Goats, Cheese and Pizza! Here are some photos of our special afternoon together. We hope that all of our Dads had a terrific day on Sunday and enjoyed their gifts from the Father's Day Stall.

🏙️Urban Camp 2026⛸️

Our Year 5/6 students had an action-packed few days exploring Melbourne on Urban Camp! From testing their skills on the ice at O’Brien Icehouse and taking in the incredible views from Eureka Skydeck, to coming face-to-face with animals at Melbourne Zoo and SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, there was never a dull moment.

Students also stepped behind the scenes at the MCG, explored the Australian Sports Museum and Melbourne Museum, and experienced the sights, sounds and delicious treats of Queen Victoria Market.

Urban Camp was a fantastic opportunity for students to experience the city, try new things, build independence and spend time with their friends outside the classroom. It was a busy few days filled with lots of walking, laughter and memories that we’re sure will be talked about for a long time!

Our bus broke down before we even got on the bus. The door where Zephyr gets on didn't work, so we had to get someone to fix it but they were an hour away. We eventually got another bus and made our way to our first stop, O'Brien Icehouse (ice skating). When we got to ice skating I had to sit and watch everyone because my wrist was only 3 weeks into properly healing from being broken. Even though I couldn't ice skate, I loved camp. - Elvina

Once we got to Melbourne we drove straight to the ice-skating rink. When I saw the ice I got excited but when I got on the ice I was so scared that I didn't let go of the wall once! But my all time favourite part was the Aquarium because we got to touch real starfish. - Ivy

At camp I enjoyed the cabins with my friends and the Vic Market. And we had other things like the Skydeck, Universal Pizza, gelato, ice-skating, the zoo and the Museum. It was a lot of fun. - Bentley H

My favourite thing at camp was definitely the Skydeck! It had a beautiful view and was an amazing experience. - Ava H

I loved the Urban Camp because I loved how we could choose what we wanted to eat, and there was a lot of options. We had such a fun adventure through Melbourne. - Nevi

🚸Buddies🚸

Throughout Term 3, our Grade 6s have continued to be great buddies, often engaging with our prep students. Our Grade 6s have continued to be a great support, having lunch with our preps on a Friday afternoon, assisting our preps throughout our whole-school assemblies, as well as engaging in fun activities!

We wish you all a lovely Spring break and look forward to seeing everyone back relaxed and refreshed after the holidays.

From the Prep Team-

Mr Gilmore, Mrs Thomson, Miss Moore, Miss Murley,

Mrs O'Connor and Mrs Pata, Ms Jenkins, Mrs Hancock and Mrs Coppola.