Grade 5/6

Literacy

Over these past two weeks, our Grade 5/6 students have been exploring the fascinating history of The First Fleet. They’ve been investigating why the fleet was sent to Australia, what life was like on board, and how the arrival impacted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students have made some great 1700's diary entries pretending to be British children who have fallen on hard times, and subsequently been sent on the First Fleets headed for another land (Australia). Their pages came alive, detailing their hardships, thoughts and feeling with vivid imagination on what it must have been like living back in those times. 

Now using their research skills, students are now working on detailed information reports, learning how to organise facts, use formal language, and structure their writing to inform and engage their readers. 

Students have also been fully immersed  in our new Literacy program, which is scheduled in sessions 3 and 4 of our days. Learning to read involves more than just recognising words on a page. Your wonderful children are taking part in phonemic lessons, where they learn to hear and work with the individual sounds in words. They then match these sounds to letters or groups of letters in our grapheme lessons. This helps them read and spell words more accurately. Just as importantly, they are learning comprehension, which helps students to understand what they’re reading, make connections, and think about the meaning behind the words and phrases used. Together, we are aiming to build strong, confident readers.

Numeracy

More fractions, fractions, fractions! We have continued our fractions learning! Learning how fractions represent equal parts of a whole, and are exploring how to model, compare, and order common fractions using visual aids and number lines. Through hands-on activities and real-life contexts, students are building confidence with key concepts such as halves, quarters, and eighths, and learning how fractions relate to division and decimals. These foundational skills are essential for more advanced mathematical thinking in the years ahead.

Thank You!

We would like to say a big thank you to a big group of grade 5/6 students who assisted us in celebrating our Mothers and Others by helping to sell items at our stall. Without everyone pitching in to help, these events would not be able to run. THANK YOU ALL!

SEL 

As part of our social and emotional learning program, students have been developing skills to better understand and manage their emotions, build positive relationships, and show empathy. They’ve explored the “catastrophe scale” to help put problems into perspective and respond calmly, and practised gratitude by recognising and appreciating the good things in their lives. We’ve also focused on spreading kind thoughts and words to support a positive classroom environment, and discussed what makes a good friend and how to maintain healthy friendships. These lessons help students grow into caring, resilient individuals.

BUDDIES!

Last week, our Grade 6 students enjoyed another heart warming buddy session with their Foundation friends. These sessions are a special part of our school culture, helping younger students feel supported and connected, while giving older students the chance to be positive role models. Together, they worked on creating thoughtful “Mothers and Others Day” cards, showing creativity, care, and gratitude. These moments not only strengthen friendships across year levels but also help build empathy, confidence, and a strong sense of community.