School News
Prep
Time certainly seems to be flying in our Prep learning community. It is hard to believe that we are now only two weeks away from our mid-year school holidays.
We have had a very busy fortnight, continuing with our author studies in reading. We enjoyed the stories of Aaron Blabey and looked at the unique way in which he writes using alliteration and rhyming. We were inspired by the Pig the Pug books and used this to springboard our own alliterations. Thelma the Unicorn was another picture book highlight for us. Did you know that this book has now been made into a movie? It is now streaming on Netflix.
In Maths, we enjoyed learning about the days of the week and how we connect the days to familiar events. We practised making timetables and ordering the events in a day. These are skills that we will continue to work on each day as part of our morning routine.
We would like to give a big shout out to the Prep Shining Stars of the past two weeks. In week 7 our Shining Stars were: Jude (PAH), Chloe (PKH) and Eli (PBM). In week 8, our Shining Stars were: Stevie (PAH), Heath (PKH) and Peyton (PBM). Well done to these students.
As we begin to look towards the end of term, we have a few reminders that we would like to share. The Preps students are invited to attend the school disco on Thursday 27th June. You can purchase a ticket through My School Connect. It will be a highlight of the term and sure to be a lot of fun.
We would also like to remind families that payments for the school swimming program are approaching very quickly. Swimming week is an important event on the calendar for our Prep students. Not only do they learn important water safety skills, but they have many opportunities to practise their personal and social capabilities. We strongly encourage all families to consent and pay on Compass.
The Prep Team
Allie Harrison, Kayla Hartrick, Elyce Munnecke and Laina Brebner
Grade 1 & 2
Last week was truly wonderful; well done to our Grade 1 and 2 students who performed in the STOMP dance at assembly. They sure did an amazing job!
After learning procedures, the students celebrated by following step by step instructions to make Chocolate Balls to share with the entire class. Next, we have moved our learning to poetry. We have been learning the structure of a cinque and a descriptive poem.
For Maths, we have been exploring multiple strategies to solve addition problems. We most enjoyed ‘Figure It Out Friday’ where we would use our learnt skills to solve a problem in many ways with different resources.
It has been fantastic seeing the majority of Grade 1 and 2 students being a responsible learner by completing their homework and handing in their folder each day. It really does make a difference in their Reading and Writing sessions!
In Grade 1 Friendology session, students have been exploring the Friend ‘O’ Meter to support with Friendship Fires. In Grade 2, students were learning about Zones of Regulation and adding strategies to their Wellbeing Toolkit.
A few reminders, the Victorian Reading Challenge is taking off to a new level, keep up the great work. Our Grade 1 and Grade 2 Fun Night/Sleepover is approaching, please keep an eye out for further details.
Have a safe and fun week.
The Level 1/2 Team
Llinos Poole, Sally Newton, Tim Huntington, Emma Wright and Veronica Paps
Grade 3 & 4
Hi Level 3&4 families,
Wow, week 9 already! What an amazing term we have had so far.
Last week the Grade 3/4 students attended camp ADANAC, and for many it was their first time away from home. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the camp activities. The students were fantastic at giving each activity their best effort and demonstrating a growth mindset.
In Reading, we have been reading the text ‘Dear Mrs LaRue’ and learning about perspective and how different layouts and perspectives can impact the meaning of a text. Students studied how the author’s word choice can impact the perspective, meaning, mood and storyline.
In Writing, the students have been working on publishing and illustrating their Andy Lee inspired texts. The highlight was when the students assembled together to share their stories with each other and provide feedback.
In Maths, we started our new topic on Graphing and Data. Students learned about the features of a graph and had several opportunities to create their own. Students collected data using tables and tally lines, interpreted the results and displayed their findings using a graph of their choice.
In our Inquiry unit, the students have been researching an endangered animal of their choosing. They have created posters and PowerPoint presentations outlining the threats their animals face, and steps we can take to help protect them. We are looking forward to presenting these to each other next week.
As we draw closer to the end of Term 2, some important dates to remember are:
- Tuesday 18th June: Quantum Excursion (3/4A, 3/4J, and half of 3/4P)
- Wednesday 19th June: Quantum Excursion (3/4B, 3/4S, and half of 3/4P)
- Friday 28th June: End of Term 2
The Level 3/4 Team
Hayley Peirce, Sarah Jones, Damien Smith, Renée Barnden & Brent Smith
Grade 5 & 6
Well, after a HUGE camp week, we have settled back into the routine of classroom learning and have achieved some great things.
This fortnight, students have been introduced to a number of new learning areas as well as consolidating learning around existing topics.
Here is what has been happening in each of the core subjects:
Reading: Using the mentor text ‘Camp Canberra’ we have been examining what authors do to create engaging factual recounts. We have looked at things such as past tense, action verbs, emotive language, descriptive language, time connectives as well as first and third person perspective.
Writing: Students took what we examined during reading lessons and applied this to their writing. Shying away from the boring ‘On the weekend…’ recount, senior students worked at planning, writing, editing and publishing some of the most creative factual recounts that we have read. We had a go at starting our recounts with strategies such as:
- start with a sound
- start at the point of action
- paint a word picture (using the 5 senses)
Maths: Enlarging using coordinates is always a hit among students. This fortnight, students have learnt about coordinates before moving onto learning about the number plane. Students were able to select their own image before creating their graph (enlarged to their ratio of choice) and recreating the image on their enlarged graph. Take a look at some of the wonderful work that was created below.
If you’re curious about what these maths curriculum outcomes might look like, take a look at the following quick guide for parents from Dr Paul Swan.
Inquiry: The final lessons before we begin our ‘Travel Expo Project’ were completed this fortnight.
Students particularly enjoyed looking at the cost of living in various places around the world. They used this website to complete the following graph and were amazed at some of the results. Students then completed the following sheet which prompted them to compare different items in three countries around the world. Not only did students extend their geography knowledge, they also began to understand the difference in cost of living around the world and recognised that although Australia is an expensive place to live, it's not the most expensive!
Science: As usual, students have LOVED the hands on experiments that we have been completing. This week we used a fibre optic cable and a range of light sources to learn how fibre optics work and how they send encoded light messages. Students (and their teachers) were amazed at just how much light was able to be transmitted through the 10m long cable and students had a go at communicating via morse code from one room to another.
While on camp, the camp leaders from PIAR taught us a new game ‘Waiter, Waiter!’. This was a huge hit at camp and so we brought the fun back with us and played a game all together in the gym.
Ask your children to explain the rules to you but for now, take a look at these fun action shots:
The Level 5/6 Team
Megan Pepprell, Alarna Creed, Sam Younes, Mykaela Oakley, Brendan Van Haaster, and Ashleigh Wilson.