Specialists 

Visual Arts

Brown Bag donations

Thank you for all the brown paper bag donations — we are now well stocked, so no further donations are needed. We really appreciate everyone’s support and will let you know when we are in need of more.

Art Club

Prep students have been enjoying Art Club each Wednesday at lunchtime. Last week they experimented with chalk pastel and this week created a beaded hanger that tested out their threading and knot tying skills!

In the classroom this week…

Prep students will be completing their Secret Name painting. They will add paint pen details around the letters of their name, and use magic clay to add texture to their final piece.

Grade 1 and 2 students will create a rainbow serpent using raffia, wire and yarn. They will work in partners to wrap and tie, focussing on contrasting colours.

Grade 3 and 4 students will be adding the second layer to their rain-stick, using contrasting colours and shapes. They will also be inspired by Indigenous flowers and foliage in the Manningham area, and create a drawing that they will then transfer onto printing foam and use for printing.

Grade 5 students will be creating a clay 'bobble head' creature of their choice. They will focus on the construction of the pinch pot head and the cone base, before adding decorative features.

Grade 6 students will be finishing off their felted Bunjil eagle, adding details and markings to the body and wings. They will also begin designing an Indigenous jersey for a sport of their choice.

Auslan

Grade 1 and 2

In Auslan this week, grade 1 and 2 students will finish working on their retell of The Three Billy Goats Gruff or Beware! They will work in pairs or small groups to perform part of the story in Auslan – using movement, facial expression and clear signing to show characters actions and emotions. We will then be learning some new emotion signs – asking others how they feel, and practicing describing how we feel using Auslan. 

Grade 3 and 4

This week, year 3 and 4 students are finishing off and presenting their retells of the Auslan story Beware! They are practicing using clear signing, sequencing their retell using list buoys, and using appropriate facial expression to convey meaning. 

Grade 5 and 6

In week 7, students will begin planning their own visual texts in Auslan. They will explore different text types, including stories, interviews and procedures, and discuss the features that make signed communication clear and engaging. They will then begin to plan and rehearse the visual text that they will create as their assessment task. Students will focus on using appropriate facial expressions, movement, signing space and non-manual features (NMFs) to communicate meaning effectively. 

STEM

Grades 1 & 2

Students will continue to explore how sound is created through vibrations. We will be investigating how pitch and volume can change, and the concept of echolocation and how animals like bats and dolphins use sound to navigate their environment.

Grades 3 & 4

Students will investigate the force of friction and how it affects movement. Using toy cars and a variety of surfaces, they will conduct experiments to observe how friction can slow objects down or help them stop, and explore how different materials create different amounts of friction.

Grades 5 & 6

This week students are exploring the properties of light, including reflection, absorption and refraction. Through practical investigations using a variety of materials, and the construction of simple kaleidoscopes, students will observe how light behaves when it bounces off surfaces, is absorbed by materials, or bends as it passes through different mediums.

Performing Arts

In the classroom...

Prep

Students will continue exploring rhythm patterns and developing their understanding of the difference between beat and rhythm through movement, percussion and music-making activities. They will also learn about the didgeridoo/yidaki, including how it is traditionally made and used.

Grade 1

Students will continue exploring how pitch can move higher and lower in music through singing, movement and playing instruments. They will read and perform stepping and sliding patterns to represent ascending and descending melodies, before applying this understanding in interactive games and by creating their own simple pitch patterns. Students will also continue learning songs that include Woiwurrung, our local Aboriginal language.

Grade 2

Students will continue developing their skills on glockenspiels and xylophones by creating and performing simple three-note melodic patterns. They will also continue learning a well-known song on the instrument, applying their understanding of pitch, rhythm and steady beat while building confidence in performance and instrumental technique. Students will also continue learning songs that include Woiwurrung, our local Aboriginal language.

Grade 3/4

Students will begin learning about the different instrument families in an orchestra, including strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. They will explore how instruments create sound, identify the unique timbre of different instruments, and participate in listening and interactive activities to build their understanding of how instruments can perform together.

Grade 5/6

Students will undertake a research project focused on an instrument of their choice. They will investigate how the instrument produces sound, its cultural and historical background, the instrument family it belongs to, and how it is used in different musical styles and contexts.