Level 6: Connect
6A Owen Davies / Kristy Cullen | 6B Sarah Peters | 6C Michael Day | Jane Briffa & Trudy Gau
Homework
This week we commence our fortnightly Homework Grid.
Please refer to the Homework section in our Beginning of Year presentation for full details about the SEPS homework process.
The grid has been designed to promote student agency. Selections and completion of tasks should be made in consultation with your child. Students will be allocated a Homework exercise book on Friday.
Parents are asked to:
- Print the Homework Grid
- Glue or stick it into the Homework book
- Support students to highlight the activities they are nominating to complete
All written and drawn responses should be completed in the Homework book.
As tasks are completed, parents are asked to sign each box to acknowledge completion.
A reminder that this is home work. The teacher’s role is to support and monitor what is happening at home rather than directly supervise the completion of tasks.
If families decide that their child will not complete certain aspects of the Homework Grid in a particular cycle, please include a signed note in the Homework book. With this communication in place, teachers can respectfully support each family’s approach.
Please ensure you have read the Homework policy linked above.
School Sport
Student in the senior unit (years 5 & 6) commenced inter-school sport last Friday. We played Hampton Primary school. After a few weeks of practice with their teams, it was great to finally get the competition started. Some teams experienced first up wins while other not so much. Every team however had fun pittng their skills against another school and in that sense it was a win for everyone. This week we have a bye, but over the next two weeks we have two double headers where we are out for full mornings against other schools playing again two schools each week.
With the bye on Friday 19 February, we have had the opportunity to run the Swimming trials where many students across levels 4-6 have competed today. A huge congratulations to all of our students who participated in this event. Putting yourself forward takes confidence, commitment and bravery, and you should be incredibly proud of your effort. It was fantastic to see you giving your very best in the pool.
Literacy
In Literacy we have been continuing our work based on our Mentor Text, "Boy Overboard" by Morris Gleitzman. In these first few weeks we have read about authorial intent and creating tension and used this as a model to creat some of our own writing pieces. This week we looked at how Gleitzman uses metaphors in his writing and closely looked at some models of this in Boy Overboard. Gleitzman chooses a strong emotion that he want his character to display. He then create a metaphor that conveys this emotion. After this he decides what motivation he want the character to have/take from this metaphor and then how this motivation will translate into some future action. We've had a few goes at mimicking this technique. Next week we will test our new skills in this process with a short sharp assessment task.
Emotion - Metaphor - Motivation - Future Action
Maths
In Level 6 Maths, we have been exploring Algebraic Thinking. Students have been identifying, continuing and creating growing patterns, as well as learning how to describe these patterns using rules. We have focused on recognising the relationships between numbers, working with tables and developing generalisations to explain how patterns grow. It has been wonderful to see students building confidence in explaining their mathematical thinking.
Over the next fortnight, we will be applying these skills to real-life situations, including financial budgeting, as well as investigating the fascinating Fibonacci sequence and exploring how this pattern appears in mathematics and the natural world.
Inquiry
In Inquiry, we have been investigating the formation of the Federation and exploring how Australia became a nation in 1901. Students have been learning about the key events that led to Federation and researching the influential movers and shakers who played a significant role during this important period in Australia’s history. It has been fantastic to see students analysing historical sources, asking thoughtful questions and developing a deeper understanding of how our nation was shaped.
Have you completed the schools Media Permissions and sharing Parent Details forms. Each is liked to the related form. We need these to use student images in this Newsletter and to share your details with other parents in the level.
Important Dates
Week 5
Friday 27th Feb - Interschool Sport Double header versus Beaumaris PS and Sandringham PS
Friday 27 Feb - Kinect2Dance
Week 6
Tuesday 3 March - Kinect2Dance
Tuesday 3 March - Bayside District Swimming (Carnegie)
Friday 6 March - Interschool Sport Double header versus Brighton PS and Beaumaris North PS
Wishing you all an enjoyable fortnight,
The Grade 6 Team