Year 5/6 

Overview of Learning

Year 5 

A warm welcome back to students, parents, and families to Term Three.  We have already had a great start to the term with the students doing a brilliant job in their Three Way Conferences. It was fantastic to see students take ownership of their learning and proudly share their accomplishments with their families.

We have another exciting term ahead, including Book Week and our exciting Maths and STEM festival.   

Our Teaching Team:

5A - Sam Butchart (Classroom Teacher)

5B - Fran Gould (Grade 5 Team Leader and Classroom Teacher) & Katy Wheeler (Teacher of the Deaf)

5C - Abbey Fletcher (Classroom teacher)

English

In Reading, students will engage in a novel study of the text, 'Thomas Appleby: Convict Boy' by Jackie French. It tells the story of a young boy sent to Australia as a convict on the First Fleet. Through the novel study, students will explore how different viewpoints are presented, encouraging them to consider how stories can be told in different ways. They’ll look at how characters change, the themes in the book, and how the author uses language like similes, metaphors, and personification to create images and feelings in the story. Students will also be building their vocabulary by identifying precise, technical and topic-specific words used to enhance meaning in both fiction and nonfiction. 

Students will continue to participate in Book Clubs, where they will take part in thoughtful, small-group discussions about a shared text. These conversations will encourage deeper thinking, with a focus on analysing the author’s purpose, examining writing techniques, and exploring how characters are developed and portrayed.

In Writing, students will continue to practice the writing process of planning, drafting, revising and editing. There will be a focus on explanation texts, where students will explore how to clearly present ideas and information. They will also examine how texts can be created in written, digital, and multimedia formats to suit different purposes and audiences. Students will also explore the difference between main and subordinate clauses, and understand the difference between simple, compound and complex sentences. 

Students will continue participating in the Spelling Mastery program. This structured approach to spelling instruction reinforces their understanding of spelling patterns and rules, contributing to their overall literacy proficiency

In Speaking and Listening, students will continue to revise effective spoken interaction and listening skills.  Through class and Book Club discussions, students will focus on how to effectively share their ideas, build on others’ thinking, and respectfully challenge different viewpoints. Students will also have opportunities to present their own opinions about texts using the correct language to explain their thinking.

Maths 

In Number and Algebra, students will explore multiplication, division, and financial planning. They will develop and apply efficient strategies, including formal algorithms, to solve a range of both number equations and worded problems. Later in the term, students will use this knowledge to create and justify their own financial plans.

In Applied Mathematics, students will study location and coordinate points and transformations of shapes. Students will learn how to read coordinate points in the first quadrant of the cartesian plane. Using shapes, they will explore transforming 2D shapes by flipping, rotating, and enlarging them.

Inquiry

In Inquiry, students are exploring electricity and energy. Through 'hands-on' investigations, they will learn how energy from a variety of sources, such as wind, water, and the sun, can be used to generate electricity. Students will build and experiment with electric circuits to understand how energy is transferred and transformed into light, heat, and motion.

Year 5 Specialist Timetable

We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with families to support each child. If you have any further questions, please feel free to organise an appointment to meet with us.

THANK YOU!

Grade 5 Team,

Fran Gould, Katy Wheeler, Abbey Fletcher and Sam Butchart 

Year 6 

Welcome back to school for Term Three!

In Term Two we experienced so many fantastic learning opportunities, one of our biggest highlights was the Grade 6 Camp! Throughout Term Three we will be participating in many exciting events such as interschool sports, Book Week, and our STEM Festival. 

We also welcome Chloe Bindloss to 6C as the classroom teacher and Maddi Huglin and Kate Bretag to 6B as Teachers of the Deaf.

Our Teaching Team This Term:

6A - Jackson Dunstan (Classroom Teacher Tuesday - Friday) & Sarah Mclellan (Mondays)

6B - Tasleem Sahib (Grade 6 Team Leader and Classroom Teacher) & Maddie Huglin (Monday, Tuesday and Friday) & Kate Bretag ( Wednesday and Thursday - Teachers of the Deaf)

6C - Chloe Bindloss (Classroom Teacher)

As always, we look forward to working together with families to ensure we can support all students to meet their full potential. Please feel free to reach out to us should you have any information to share, questions to ask, or simply to say hello.

Teaching and Learning Overview 

English

In Literacy, students will engage in a novel study of the text, 'Skellig' by David Almond. This award-winning story follows Michael, a young boy who discovers a mysterious creature in his garage, leading to profound explorations of friendship, family, and the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

Through this novel study, students will enhance their reading comprehension by analysing character development, themes and the author’s use of language. They will engage in discussions, creative writing and reflective activities that encourage critical thinking and personal connections to the text.

A key focus of the unit is vocabulary development. Students will encounter and learn new words in context, expanding their language and understanding of nuanced expressions. These vocabulary activities are designed to enrich their reading experience and support their writing skills.

In addition to the novel study, students will continue participating in the Spelling Mastery program. This structured approach to spelling instruction reinforces their understanding of spelling patterns and rules, contributing to their overall literacy proficiency.

Students will continue to take part in weekly book club meetings.

In Speaking and Listening, students will make connections between their own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts. They will continue to develop strategies to build on, extend and challenge the ideas of others within small-group book club discussions and beyond. 

Maths 

In Number and Algebra, students will explore the use of brackets and order of operations within equations. They will improve their understanding of the place value of decimal numbers and learn to efficiently add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals by multiples of 10. Students will use estimation and rounding to check answers to problems involving decimals.

In Applied Mathematics topics (Measurement, Space, and Probability) students will focus on establishing the formula for the area of a rectangle to solve practical problems, whilst applying their knowledge of decimals to the metric system. They will develop their skills in describing probabilities using fractions, decimals and percentages and use estimation to assign probabilities to events in a given context, using common fractions percentages and decimals. They will also use transformations to create tessellations and geometric patterns, using geometry software where appropriate.  

Inquiry

In Inquiry, students are exploring electricity and energy. Through 'hands-on' investigations, they will learn how energy from a variety of sources, such as wind, water, and the sun, can be used to generate electricity. Students will build and experiment with electric circuits to understand how energy is transferred and transformed into light, heat, and motion.

End of Year Celebrations

Graduation

Our Grade 6 Graduation will be held on Tuesday 16th December 2025 at Uni Hill Conference Centre. This will be a ticketed event for families to attend. A dinner and disco for the Grade 6 students will be held after the ceremony.

Grade 6 Big Day Out

Big Day Out is a special celebration day for our Grade 6 students. Teachers will survey students to find out what they would like to do for their Big Day Out Celebration. This event will take place near the end of Term 4. (Date to be confirmed at a later date).  

Memory Books

It is a tradition for the Grade 6 students to create their own memory book towards the end of the year. Students will be asked to bring in photos and artefacts from their primary schooling to add to their memory books. You may like to start collating some of these photos/items soon.

We will update you with all information regarding Graduation and end of year celebrations on Compass closer to the time.

Again, welcome back to school, and please remember that at RGLPS we see education as a three-way partnership between the family, teacher and child. If you have any questions or concerns we invite you to make an appointment to meet with us.

THANK YOU!

Grade 6 Team,

Tasleem Sahib, Chloe Bindloss, Sarah McLellan, Jackson Dunstan, Maddi Huglin and Kate Bretag