Grade 5

Reading: 

We’ve just wrapped up The Last Bear, and it's been wonderful to see how deeply students connected with April’s story, the icy landscapes, and the important themes of belonging and friendship. Now, we’ve begun reading Convict Boy, a gripping narrative set in early Australian history that offers rich discussion opportunities about identity, survival, and courage. The children are already engaged with the historical setting and are making strong predictions about what might happen next. We’re looking forward to exploring how the author builds tension and develops character through the rest of the text.

Writing: 

This term, our budding writers have started working on information reports focused on climate change. They are researching key topics like global warming, rising sea levels, and renewable energy, learning how to gather credible facts and present them clearly. Students are practising structuring their writing with headings, subheadings, and introduction and conclusion paragraphs. We’re encouraging them to use diagrams, statistics, and real-world examples so their reports are both informative and engaging.

Maths: 

In maths, we’re diving into percentages and how they connect to fractions and decimals. Students are converting between these forms, for example changing ¾ into 75% or 0.75, and vice versa, to build their number sense. They’re also tackling real-world problems, like working out discounts or figuring out what portion of a whole something represents. This unit is helping students see how percentages are everywhere in everyday life, and giving them confidence in flexible thinking with numbers.

Excursion: 

We also had a fantastic surf life saving excursion where the students learned about water safety, rescue techniques, and how to be responsible at the beach. This hands-on experience has reinforced important safety messages and left everyone feeling more confident around the water.