Welcome to Term 3!

Welcome to our latest edition of classroom communication! We’re excited to share all the wonderful learning, achievements, and adventures your children have been part of over the past few weeks. We are so proud of the effort, kindness, and teamwork our students continue to show each day, and we can’t wait to see what the next part of the term brings.

Just a reminder about our homework expectations for Year 4, we only have two of these and they are;

Reading nightly (and getting reader diary signed)
Spelling Nightly (practice spelling in student's spelling books)

If your child has misplaced their reader diary or spelling book, please let me know and I will organise a replacement.

Read on to find more about all of the wonderful things that we have been learning about this term and will continue to learn about for the remainder of the term!

My email address is jtunks@sjeuroa.catholic.edu.au if you need to contact me.

Jake Tunks- Grade 4 Classroom Teacher

Literacy

Reading- We have been continuing on with novel studies this term as a part of OCHRE- the students absolutely love reading novels together as a class. Our novel that we have currently been reading is- Storm Boy by Colin Thiele.

Here is the blurb; 'Storm Boy is a story about a young boy who lives on the Coorong in South Australia. He rescues three pelican chicks after their mother is killed by hunters and names them Mr Proud, Mr Ponder, and Mr Percival. Storm Boy dedicates himself to raising the pelicans, but eventually must return them to the wild to live among their own kind. The story explores themes of friendship, nature, and the bond between humans and animals'

Students have engaged in novel studies that focus on vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and spelling, all closely connected to our class texts. Each student will have their own copy of the texts to read along with during class. Once we finish Storm Boy, our next novel will be 'The Wild Robot' by Peter Brown.

Additionally, students can borrow books from the school library to take home as readers. Students will take home one book at their reading level, and one book that is interest based (reading for enjoyment). This term and throughout the year, we will emphasize various aspects of reading, including decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary expansion.

If your child is absent when we have been reading the novel, they have the chance to take the novel home to catch up on the chapter/section of the novel that they missed out on. I just ask that the novel is returned please so that they can continue reading it in class time.

Writing - Students have currently been working on creating information reports in writing. We have been learning all about the structure and features of information reports. Our topic for our information reports this term has been 'The Coorong'. This is the area where the Murray River meets the sea and also the setting for our class novel Storm Boy. Students have been learning and researching a lot of information about The Coorong. They have been organising and presenting this information into the correct structure of an information report. They have learnt about what The Coorong actually is and its location, cultural significance of the Coorong and the flora and fauna of the Coorong

In addition, students are also learning how to improve their sentences by expanding them and making sure they have the right structure. Detailed sentences need who, what, where, when, why, and how.

The focus for writing in the second half of this term will be persuasive writing, where students will learn the correct structure of persuasive writing, persuasive techniques, the languages of opinion compared to fact and will create their own persuasive writing piece.

Independent Reading - Reading a book that is familiar to you helps improve fluency, comprehension and decoding skills. Students have been borrowing books from the library for independent reading, one at their level, and one for enjoyment.

Handwriting - There is a strong focus on handwriting in Grade 4. Students all work towards receiving their pen licence. They begin on their ‘L plates’. They need to earn 10 stars on their L plates to receive their P plates (pen licence). A lot of students have already obtained their 'P Plates' which has been fantastic to see them demonstrating very neat handwriting. The neatness of writing has improved a lot compared to the start of the year, it has been remarkable to see the growth!

Typing- In addition to handwriting, students have also been practising typing on a weekly basis. We have been using a program called Typing Club which teaches children correct posture, hand/finger placement with the ultimate aim of producing fluent and accurate typists (a much needed 21st century skill!)

WHAT CAN I DO TO SUPPORT MY CHILD IN LITERACY?

Students need to be reading at least 4 times a week with a range of just right texts. Reading is a skill that needs to be practised in order to master.

When you are reading with your child, please record what you have read and the date in your child’s diaries. We check diaries each day to see how home reading is going. This is a vital part of the children’s schooling.

If your child takes home a classroom text can you please ensure you look after these and return them to school weekly.

Students are also sent home spelling lists each Monday to practice nightly.

Read at least 4 times a week with your child.
Fill in the diary, date, name of book, notes (teachers and LSO’s check this daily).
Encourage them to sound out, not guess.

Numeracy

In maths we have recently been learning about addition and subtraction, multiplication and division and angles.

In addition and subtraction students learned how to calculate missing numbers in an equation using fact families (and algebra!).

In multiplication and division we learnt many different strategies on how to multiply 2 digit and 3 digit numbers. I was truly impressed with how quickly our students picked up these skills and were able to apply multiplication with large numbers!

In angles we have looked at different types of angles such as acute, obtuse, right, straight, reflex and revolution. We have used tools like set squares to compare angles to right angles and we have been learning how to classify angles into their types. We have also looked at the degrees of turn when measuring angles. The students knowledge of angle types has been simply amazing.

This week we have begun to learn about fractions, in particular identifying equivalent fractions and ordering fractions with related denominators on a number line. Next, we will focus on converting fractions to decimals and vice versa.

The next two mathematics topics for the rest of Term 3 are Location and Decimals.

Students work in whole class, small groups and independently during our maths sessions.

Ways you can support your child at home with maths;

Practising times tables and related division facts by using flash cards or posters. (let me know if you need any of these and I can lend some flash cards out).
Using arrays to assist with multiplication and division.
Encouraging your child to use maths in everyday life at home. E.g helping add up the cost of things, measuring in the kitchen using fractions etc.

Homework Expectations

Students are expected to read at least 4 times a week, fill in their reader diary with the date, name of book, notes (teachers and LSO’s check this daily).

Spelling- students get new spelling words each Monday to practice nightly. These spelling words are glued into their spelling books. Practising nightly will assist students having success in our spelling tests each Friday. The spelling words are derived from our work in OCHRE literacy, so students have multiple exposures to these words.

Inquiry

The unit we are currently completing in Inquiry is called Different Environments.

We have been looking at different landscapes and environments of Australia such as the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Kakadu National Park, The Great Victoria Desert and many more. We have also recently been looking at many different countries around the world and the 7 natural wonders of the world. Students had a bit of fun test to see how many different countries of the world they could name, this would be great to follow up as homework- practicing geography! We watched the below video to help with our test- you may wish to watch it at home with your child!

Next, we will explore Australia's neighbouring countries such as New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia and then students will research one African Country, one European Country and one South American country. This is a fantastic way for students to learn some new things about other cultures around the world.

Religious Education

Currently we are learning about Jesus' Parables. Parables are stories from the bible that have powerful meanings and lessons that we can learn and implement in our everyday lives. Our students created their own parables that all had powerful messages that included; being a good friend, treating others kindly, playing by the rules, not giving up and many more. Our students then read the stories and discussed the messages with our Foundation and Grade 1 classes, a big thank you to these classes and Mrs. Redfern, Mrs. Ramsden and Ms. King for allowing us to share.

Next our students will learn more about some prominent Parables from the bible such as The Parable of the Sower and The Parable of the Prodigal Son.

The Resilience Project

Most recently in the Resilience Project we have been looking at Gratitude.

Students have been working in small groups to create a board game that focuses on Gratitude and what Gratitude can look like. It is a unique way of getting students to think about how they can be thankful for what they already have and not thinking about things that they don't have. They have almost finished the games, they have recently given them a test play and made some refinements.

Specialists

Specialist days have changed for this term.

STEM is on a Monday.

P.E and Japanese are on a Wednesday.

Art is on a Friday.

Please ensure your child wears the correct sports uniform on a Wednesday.

Library

Grade 4 students will go to the Library to borrow every second Friday afternoon (when assembly is not on).

Could all students please bring their satchels and books on our Library day so that they can borrow/return. If any students have outstanding books from the library, can they please return these. Happy reading!!

School Hats and Drink Bottles

Just a friendly reminder that this term, students are to wear their school hats and to bring their own drink bottles.

Key Dates for Term 3

Monday 11th August- Book Week Incursion- Treasure Hunt

Wednesday 13th August- Pupil Free Day

Thursday 14th August- Grade 4 visit to Euroa Library

Friday 15th August- Book Week Parade

Friday 15th August- Whole School Mass- Feast of the Assumption

Wednesday 20th August- St. John's School Athletics

Friday 22nd August- Grade 3/4 Class Mass

Friday 19th September- Last Day of Term 3

Monday 6th October- Term 4 Begins

Book Week Incursion- Treasure Hunt

On Monday 11th August, our Grade 4 students along with the whole school enjoyed an action-packed musical adventure with Treasure Hunt, written by Craig Christie and presented with the Children’s Book Council of Australia for Book Week 2025.

The story followed Jess and George, two very different characters brought together by a shared mission to recover a missing treasure. Along the way, they faced challenges, overcame distrust, and found help in the most surprising places.

Book Week Term 3! Library Visit and Book Week Parade

On Thursday the 14th of August, as part of our Book Week celebrations, our Year 4 class enjoyed a wonderful morning at the Euroa Library. Librarian Cathy welcomed us warmly and shared two delightful stories — How to Move a Zoo and The Wobbly Bike. Both tales had the students listening intently and laughing along at the characters’ adventures.

Cathy also explained how the local library works, from borrowing books to finding different resources. Many students were excited to sign up or use their library cards, with some borrowing books to take home and enjoy. It was a fun and inspiring visit that left our class buzzing with new stories to read.

This year’s Book Week parade was a colourful celebration of imagination, creativity, and the joy of stories, all inspired by the 2025 CBCA theme: "Book an Adventure." Students from every year level arrived dressed as their favourite book characters – from classic storybook heroes to modern literary legends. The Mercy Centre and schoolyard came alive with pirates, princesses, wizards, animals, superheroes, sports stars, farmers and a few mysterious villains!

The parade was a wonderful way for our school community to come together and share in the magic of books. Teachers and staff also joined in the fun, donning costumes based on 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and joining the procession. The laughter, applause, and bursts of colour made it a day to remember, and a fantastic reminder that reading truly is magic.

After the parade, families were invited back to our classroom where we listened to the story 'South with the Seabirds' by Jess McGeachin. After the book we created some origami penguins as there were many penguins in our story. I was very impressed by some of our students' origami skills, I definitely learned a thing or two!

Backflips Against Bullying

Recently, our grade 3-6 students wowed by the Backflips Against Bullying team—mixing jaw-dropping acrobatics with a powerful anti-bullying message. Students learned how to be “upstanders,” stand up for others, and respond to bullying with empathy and kindness.

The flips, tricks, and even teacher participation made it a memorable event, ending with one clear message: Bullying doesn’t make you tough.