Classroom News
Foundation Curriculum Newsletter - Week 6, Term 3
Dear Parents/ Caregivers,Welcome to Weeks 6 and 7! It is hard to believe that we are already past the halfway point of the term and well and truly over halfway through the school year. Time really does fly when you're having fun! Our Prep students continue to amaze us with their confidence, independence and enthusiasm for learning, and we are so proud of the progress they have made.
A reminder that Book Week is coming up in Week 7! We can't wait to see everyone's wonderful costumes as we celebrate the joy of reading together. If you're looking for dress-up ideas or would like some simple, homemade costume inspiration, please don't hesitate to ask, we're more than happy to help.
We also have our exciting Hands on Science: Weather Incursion on Wednesday 2nd September. This will be a fantastic hands-on learning experience that links beautifully with our current Reading and Science units, and we know the students are going to have a wonderful time exploring all things weather.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We look forward to another busy and exciting couple of weeks of learning together!
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Monday, 17th August | Smile Squad Starts |
| Wednesday, 26th August | Book Week Dress Up |
| Wednesday, 2nd September | Hands on Science Weather Incursion |
| Friday, 4th September | Fathers Day Breakfast and Father’s Day Stall |
| Thursday, 10th September | Art Show |
| Friday, 18th September | Last Day of Term, Footy Dress Up Day |
Literacy
In Reading, we will complete our Core Knowledge Pausing Point, revisiting and consolidating the stories, vocabulary and concepts we have learned so far. We will then begin exploring The Grasshopper and the Ants text, focusing on story comprehension, sequencing events, rich vocabulary and discussing the important message within the text. Students will also be introduced to a new mentor text as they begin preparing for our next writing unit.
In Writing, students will continue working on their innovation writing, using familiar story structures to create their own versions of a text. Throughout the fortnight, they will plan, draft, edit and publish their own stories, celebrating themselves as young authors. We will also complete a post-assessment writing task before launching our next writing cycle with an exciting hook activity and introducing new vocabulary and story actions.
In Sounds-Write, students will continue learning Unit 11, focusing on reading and spelling words with increasingly complex consonant clusters. We will practise blending and segmenting through symbol searches, sound swaps, word building, reading and spelling activities, and daily dictations. Students will also learn the new Heart Words walk, talk, know and knew, helping to strengthen both their decoding and high-frequency word knowledge.
Numeracy
In Maths, our mathematicians will continue building their number knowledge and confidence with addition.
We will begin by exploring breaking apart and making 10, helping students recognise the different number combinations that make 10. Through number bonds, hands-on materials and mathematical discussions, students will develop flexible thinking and strengthen their understanding of how numbers can be composed and decomposed.
Students will then move into addition and subtraction within 10, using part-part-whole and add to stories to model real-life mathematical situations. They will practise representing these problems with concrete materials, pictures and number sentences, developing a deeper understanding of how addition works.
We will also continue our Facts on Fire sessions, focusing on Dot Number Totals to build fluency with number recognition and recall. Throughout the fortnight, students will consolidate their learning through engaging maths games that encourage problem-solving, mathematical thinking and teamwork.
HASS: Science: Weather and Seasons
In Science, students explored winter and the Wurundjeri Seasons (the seven indigenous seasons). They will investigate how Melbourne's winter weather affects plants, animals and people, and learn how living things adapt during the colder months. Students will also deepen their understanding of the Wurundjeri seasonal calendar, discovering how First Nations Peoples observe changes in plants, animals and weather to understand the seasons and care for Country. Through discussions, observations and hands-on activities, students learn that nature provides important clues about seasonal change.
Warmest regards,
Tegan Cochrane, Renee Kociski, Ashleigh Smith and Vanessa Stimar
Foundation Teachers
Year 1 Curriculum Newsletter - Week 6, Term 3
Dear Year 1 Parents and Caregivers,
Important Dates to Remember:
| Date | Reminder |
| P.E over 4 weeks | Introduction to Karate Please ensure that your child is able to remove their shoes and socks for the lesson. (No stockings please) |
| Wednesday 26th Aug | Book week Parade - Children can select their favorite character from a book to dress up as and are encouraged to make their costume with items they already have. |
| Thursday 27th Aug | Year 6 Book Sale Fundraiser |
| Friday 28th Aug | Author Visit (Ben Wood) |
Focus on Maths: We have been learning how to add together 2 two digit numbers using vertical addition. For this task it has been really important for students to set out their work using place value headings. We have also prompted them with language like “in 23 how many tens are there and how many ones?”
Students have also been working on their maths fluency through a program called Facts on Fire. We complete one lesson twice a week to support students' quick fact recall adding and subtracting numbers to 10. Students enjoy beating their score or racing the clock from the previous lesson.
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Travelling during school terms? Just a friendly reminder, if you are planning on a holiday during the school terms please send your child's teacher and the office an email with the dates of your trip. If you are away for more than 5 days, teachers are required to provide you with school work. It also helps us to make decisions about awards at assembly, mid term assessments and plan for special events so your child does not miss out.
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Writing: We are becoming successful writers with persuasive letters. We have argued about going to space and now we will focus on the dangers of space travel. Students have learnt how to use three big ideas to construct their letters. Students are really enjoying their space exploration.
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Kind Regards,
Year 1 Team
Caroline Morrison, Rosie Robinson, and Alison Sparks
Year 2 Curriculum Newsletter - Week 6, Term 3
Dear Year 2 Parents and Caregivers,
Below is a snapshot of recent activities, alongside important dates for the next two weeks.
Important Dates to Remember:
| Date | Event |
| Thursday, 20th August | Y2 Sleepover |
| Friday, 21st August | Mini Olympics |
Literacy: In Literacy, Year 2 students have completed the draft of their innovated version of The Midas Touch. They then carefully edited and improved their narratives using our narrative toolkit, checking for past tense verbs, descriptive adjectives, commas in a list, proper nouns and compound sentences. After completing the editing process, students began creating their publishing pieces, focusing on neat presentation, illustrations and producing a polished final version of their story.
Maths: In Maths, students have been strengthening their understanding of multiplication and division through the 2, 5 and 10 times tables. They explored different strategies for solving multiplication problems and practised dividing quantities equally into groups of 2, 5 and 10. Students also used fact families to recognise the relationship between multiplication and division and to write related number sentences.
History: In History, students continued exploring Ancient Greece by learning about two important battles from the Persian Wars. They investigated key events from the battles, the people involved and how the Greek city-states responded to the Persian invasion. Students also discussed the outcomes of these battles and why they were significant in the history of Ancient Greece.
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Kind regards,
Daniel Lewis, Thilini Marasinghe, Zhuang Bian, Charlene Maguire
Year 2 Teachers
Year 3 Curriculum Newsletter - Week 6, Term 3
Dear Parents/ Caregivers,
Thank you for the fantastic start to term 3.
We thought it would be beneficial to outline a few of the important dates and curriculum content for this term. Below is an overview of important dates for Term 3. There will be possible updates or new dates added to Compass as the term progresses:
Important Dates to Remember:
| Date | Reminder |
| Wednesday 19th August | 3C running assembly at 2:45 in the hall |
| Friday 21st August | Forces and Energy Incursion. |
| Wednesday 26th August | Book Week Parade |
| Thursday 27th August | Year 6 Book Sale Fundraiser |
| Friday 28th August | Book Week Author Visit |
| Thursday September 10 | Art Show |
| Friday September 11 | Year 6 Halloween Costume Sale Fundraiser TBC |
Numeracy:
This fortnight, students have been learning different strategies to solve worded addition and subtraction problems. As well as this students have learned about grid references and how to use them to locate specific locations on a map.
Reading and Writing:
In Reading, we have been reading Matilda, and the students have been loving the story so far. We have explored the main characters through character analysis, practised our new skill of summarising, and completed a range of comprehension activities to deepen students' understanding of the text. We have met a range of exciting characters. Please ask your children about their favourite part of the story so far!
In Writing, the students have started creating narrative pieces for the term. They are basing it off the story of Matilda, and a range of model texts written by their classroom teachers. Students have been using a narrative toolkit to assist with the planning stage and turning that into their draft. Once drafted they will practice their typing skills turning this into a typed piece on Google Classroom.
HASS: Science:
In Science, students have continued the unit on life cycles of a plant. They have planted a broadbean seed, and have been caring for it and monitoring its growth. Over the next few weeks we will look at a range of plants, inside and outside and monitor how they change as they grow from a seed to a plant.
We have also begun our unit of forces. Exploring push and pull forces, and how they interact with the environment.
Wellbeing:
In Wellbeing, we have been exploring the importance of positive friendships and learning strategies for mending friendships through our "Building Bridges" lessons. Students have discussed ways to resolve conflicts respectfully and strengthen relationships. Over the coming fortnight, they will take part in role-play activities to practise real-life situations where they may need to "build bridges" with friends and use positive communication skills.
Laptops will be required everyday. Please assist your child to ensure that their device is coming to school fully charged each day.
Thank you,
Cassie, Harrison and Lauren
Year 4 Curriculum Newsletter - Week 6, Term 3
Dear Year 4 Parents and Caregivers,
Below is a snapshot of recent activities, alongside important dates for the term.
Important Dates to Remember:
| Date | Reminder |
| 17th August | Science ICAS (Select Student) |
| 18th August | Year 4 Hooptime (Select Students) |
| 25th August | Maths ICAS (Select Students) |
| 26th August | Book Week Parade |
| 27th August | Grade 4 Museum Excursion |
| 28th August | Author Visit (Ben Wood) |
| 10th September | Art Show |
| 11th September | Year 6 Halloween Costume Sale Fundraiser TBC |
Maths: Fractions Students are continuing their Shapes Unit, where they are learning to combine and split common 2D shapes to create and describe composite shapes. They are also exploring the properties of squares and rectangles, including equal side lengths, parallel sides and right angles. Students will use these properties to find unknown side lengths and angle measurements, applying their understanding to solve a range of shape-based problems.
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Literacy: Spelling Students have learnt about chameleon prefixes (assimilated prefix). These prefixes change slightly depending on the letter that comes after them to make pronunciation easier. In 4B, we were lucky to have a helper for the day on Thursday, as a teaching assistant. Miss Raffaella led the class during the sound pack and dictation. She did a great job! Rafffaela cashed in 20 tokens as part of our School Wide Positive Behavior System to earn this reward.
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Science: Chemical Science Students continue to learn about the purpose of science experiments and how to write a clear and structured science report. They applied these skills by conducting an experiment to test the absorbency of three different types of materials.
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Kind Regards,
Year 4 Team
Sam Pallas, Jessica De Angelis, Katie Smith and Tim Maclachlan
Year 5 Curriculum Newsletter - Week 6, Term 3
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Below is a snapshot of important Term 3 dates. Please note that additional events and updates may be added to Compass throughout the term, so we encourage you to check regularly to stay informed.
Key Dates | |
| Week 7 | |
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| Week 8 | |
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| Week 9 | |
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| Week 10 | |
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From the past fortnight:
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or require further clarification.
Vanessa Burke and Josh Bretherton,
Year 5 Teachers
Y 6 Curriculum Newsletter - Week 6, Term 3
Dear Year 6 Parents and Caregivers,
We thought it would be beneficial to outline a few of the important dates and curriculum content for this term. Below is an overview of important dates for Term 3. There will be possible updates or new dates added to Compass as the term progresses:
| Date | Reminder |
| Monday 17th August | Smile Squad |
| Friday 21st August | Hellenic Museum |
| Monday 24th August | Year 5/6 Hoop Time |
| Wednesday 26th August | Book Week Parade Dress Up |
| Friday 28th August | Book Week Author Visit |
| Friday 4th September | Father’s Day Breakfast and Father’s Day Stall. |
| Thursday 10th September | Art Show |
| Friday 11th September | Year 6 Halloween Costume Sale Fundraiser TBC |
| Friday 18th September | Footy Dress Up |
| Friday 18th September | Year 6 Bake Sale |
| Friday 18th September | End of Term 3 dismissed at 2:30pm |
Ski Camp: What a fantastic few days we had at Ski Camp! We were lucky enough to have snow on Day 1, giving us fresh snow throughout the rest of our trip.
Students settled in with an afternoon ski lesson, followed by plenty of fun in the snow with a snowball fight and snowman building. Day 2 included a morning lesson, supervised skiing, a delicious donut break and a fun evening of trivia. On our final day, students completed one last lesson, enjoyed a short ski and then headed home.
Throughout the camp, students showed wonderful **persistence, resilience and independence** as they tackled new challenges on the slopes. Everyone had heaps of fun, the food at The Whitt was delicious, and we returned home with lots of great memories. It was a fantastic camp!
Maths: During Weeks 4 and 5, students explored fractions by developing their understanding of equivalent fractions and using this knowledge to compare, order and represent fractions on number lines. They practised adding and subtracting fractions by finding common denominators and applied fraction, decimal and percentage concepts to solve real-world problems, including calculating discounts and finding fractions of quantities. Students also investigated number patterns involving rational numbers and used estimation strategies to check the reasonableness of their solutions. Throughout the unit, students were encouraged to justify their mathematical thinking, explain their reasoning and select efficient strategies to solve problems.
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Writing: During Weeks 4 and 5, students built their understanding of explanation texts by exploring their purpose, structure and language features. They learnt how to write effective topic sentences to introduce key ideas, developed their use of complex sentences to explain information clearly, and practised note-taking skills by identifying and recording important facts from a range of sources. Students then applied these skills while researching a topic of their choice, including decomposers, yeast, black mould, COVID-19, bioluminescent microorganisms or microscopes. Their research will be used to plan and write an informative explanation text that clearly explains how or why something occurs.
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Wellbeing: In Wellbeing, students participated in the Robot and Controller game to explore power relationships. Working in pairs, one student acted as the "robot" while the other was the "controller," guiding their partner around the room using only hand movements. Students then swapped roles so everyone experienced both positions. After the activity, the class reflected on how it felt to have power and to have power over them, making connections to real-life relationships. The discussion focused on how power can be used positively or negatively, the importance of respecting the rights and needs of others, and the responsibility that comes with having influence over other people. The activity encouraged students to think critically about fairness, empathy, respect, and healthy relationships.
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Kind Regards,
Year 6 Team
James Thomas, Natasha Williams and Emma Heron