Year 3/4 - Newsletter

Dear parents,

Wow! Term 4 here we are… We hope you had a relaxing break and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine as much as we did.

We have had a settled start to the term with lots of children coming back sharing some exciting holiday stories.

Term 4 is a no hat, no play term. Please check with your child to ensure they have a school type bucket or broad brimmed hat to wear when outdoors. The no hat, no play rule will be enforced as of Monday. If your child does not have a hat they will not be able to participate in Yr 4 Platoon Activities or PE. We also recommend applying sunscreen each morning and have sunscreen available in our classrooms if needed.

Pen Licence or a Learner Pen Permit

As part of our structured literacy program, students have been practising their handwriting skills throughout the year. Their effort and persistence have led to many improvements in writing fluency and presentation. Throughout the course of term 4, all students will receive either a Pen Licence or a Learner Pen Permit to recognise their achievements.

Our Year 4 students will receive a full Pen Licence, allowing them to use pen for all written tasks (except in their maths grid books, where lead pencil is still required). Our Year 3 students will receive a Learner Pen Permit, which allows them to use pen when publishing the good copies of their work. This helps them take pride in their handwriting and prepare for a full licence next year.

Teachers will continue to check written work regularly, and students are encouraged to keep showing care, improvement, and neat presentation in their handwriting. We are so proud of the progress our students have made and look forward to celebrating their success at our level assemblies each Friday!

What's happened in 3/4 this fortnight?

English – We have dived into our Literacy program using the text The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Throughout the term, students will explore new and exciting vocabulary, refine their grammar skills, and apply a range of strategies to expand sentences and write persuasive texts. Our morphology lessons have focused on prefixes such as di- (‘two,’ ‘double,’ or ‘split in two’), bi- (‘two’ or ‘twice’), and tri- (‘three’ or ‘thrice’), as well as the root -rupt-, meaning ‘to break’ or ‘burst.’ In Grammar, students have been learning to identify subjective and objective language and to use connectives effectively to link arguments, evidence, and reasons (e.g. however, on the other hand, therefore, for example).

Maths – Over the past fortnight, students have explored a range of mathematical concepts across two exciting topics. Students have investigated the features of two- and three-dimensional shapes, learning how to make, compare and classify objects based on their key properties. They examined how specific features make shapes suited to their purposes and explored ways to represent and approximate composite shapes and objects in the environment using combinations of familiar forms. To conclude the unit, students designed and created their own 3D models, both digitally and with physical materials, applying their understanding of geometric properties in a creative and hands-on way. This week, we began our new Fractional Thinking unit, which will continue throughout Term 4. Students are learning to recognise and represent unit fractions such as ½, ⅓, and ¼, and explore how these fractions can combine to make a whole. They will also be beginning to find equivalent fractions, make connections between fractions and decimals, and represent fractions on number lines. This foundational work is helping students build a strong understanding of how fractions represent parts of a whole in everyday contexts.

Inquiry - Our Inquiry unit for term 4 is titled: What are the unique characteristics and ecological diversities of Africa and South America? We will be answering the following key Inquiry questions:

Where is Australia in relation to its neighbouring countries and what are their diverse characteristics?
How are Australian states and territories represented, and what are Australia’s major natural and human characteristics?
Where is Africa and South America and what are the characteristics of these continents?
What is everyday life like in Africa and South America compared to Australia?
What is the relationship between climate, vegetation, people and animals in Africa and South America?
What are the climates of the world and the similarities and differences between the climates of different places.
What are the similarities and differences in individuals’ and groups’ feelings and perceptions about places, and how they influence views about the protection of these places
What are the similarities and differences between places in terms of their type of settlement, demographic characteristics and the lives of the people who live there?

We began this week by investigating where Australia is in relation to its neighbouring countries and what some of their diverse characteristics are. We located Australia and its neighbouring countries on a world map and created a classroom display of posters about our neighbouring countries.

We have also investigated where Africa and South America are on the world map and then delved deeper into the characteristics of the continent of Africa.

Finally, we have also introduced and sent home our ‘at home project’ that each student is required to complete. Students should now have completed Week 1-2 ‘Starting Out’ and be ready to begin work on Week 3 ‘Country Statistics’, due by Friday 24th October.

Friendology/Wellbeing - Last week we reviewed our Friendology learnings and this week we have introduced Unit 7 of The Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships Curriculum, which is ‘Gender Norms and Stereotypes’. During this topic we will be looking at the following:

My individuality – the many facets of me
Exploring gender stereotypes through stories
We can challenge gender pressures
Rights and Responsibilities

Also, during this term, we will be revisiting our lessons around coping with change, stress management, friendship skills and the importance of kindness.

Headphones Reminder

We have noticed a number of students do not have working headphones at school. Please check with your child to see if they need a new pair so they are ready for learning activities that require them.

Coming up in term 4:

Monday 3rd November - Teacher Professional Practice Day (Student Free)
Tuesday 4th November - Melbourne Cup Day
Monday 8th to Wednesday 10th December - Year 4 Camp, please see compass of details.
Monday 15th to Tuesday 16th December - Year 3 Camp, please see compass of details.
Friday 19th December - Last Day of school for 2025, 1:30pm finish

Student Awards

Look out for your class’ individual email Friday afternoon for the Student of the Week & Student Recognition Award shoutouts.

Have a great weekend.

The Level Three/Four Team