Classroom Teams News

Foundation News

Responsible Pet Ownership Incursion 

On Wednesday the 20th of May, Our Foundation students experienced the Responsible Pet Ownership Incursion at Pakenham Hills Primary School. During the incursion, we met Michelle, from the RSPCA. Students learned how to take care of their pets by learning about the food they eat, homes they need, toys they like to play with and exercise they can do. 

This term, students have been learning to read decodable sentences, which use the phonics sounds that we have learnt. We have also been listening to our teachers read high-quality texts that help us build our background knowledge and learn about what makes a good story. 

Ways you can support your child learn to read at home: 

• Practising reading your child’s take home reader with them and help encode words and practise reading sentences fluently.
• Help your child use Reading Eggs (especially the Fast Phonics section)

Grade 1:

This term, students have been exploring entertaining faitytales with a twist. The students have been learning to understand character feelings, traits and perspectives, make predictions about what a charater will do next and learn the moral of the story. Students have enjoyed comparing traditional fairytales and looking for differences in the new texts.

Grade 2:

Grade 3: 

Grade 3 has had a busy and exciting couple of weeks! We loved welcoming our families to our Mother’s Day Morning, where students enjoyed spending special time together creating crafts and playing games. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces and celebrate the important people in our lives.

Our Whole School Athletics Day was another highlight, with students showing fantastic sportsmanship, enthusiasm and teamwork throughout the day. From running races to field events, everyone gave their best effort and cheered each other on proudly.

In Literacy, students have been immersed in our class novel, Brindabella. We have been exploring the characters, setting and themes while developing our comprehension and discussion skills. Students have especially enjoyed making predictions, identifying descriptive language and connecting the story to their own experiences.

Grade 4:

The Grade 4 students have been working incredibly hard across all learning areas. We are very proud of the effort, enthusiasm, and positive attitudes students have been showing in class each day. This was also shown in the athletics day, where students tried their best and showed good sportsmanship through out the day!

In Mathematics, students have been exploring 2D shapes and investigating the different properties of these shapes. They have been identifying vertices, edges, and angles, while also learning about symmetry. Students enjoyed discovering lines of symmetry in a variety of shapes and creating their own symmetrical designs. It has been wonderful to see students using mathematical language confidently and applying their understanding during hands-on activities.

In Integrated Studies, students have begun learning about mountains around the world. They have explored how mountains are formed, different mountain environments, and the important role mountains play in our world. Students have shown great curiosity and enthusiasm during discussions and research activities.

For our text study, we are continuing the class novel The Tale of Despereaux. Students have been developing their comprehension skills by exploring characters, themes, and important events throughout the story. They have been engaging thoughtfully in class discussions and responding well to deeper thinking tasks.

We are extremely proud of the hard work and persistence students are demonstrating every day!

Grade 5/6: 

Term two has kicked off with an extreme bout of athleticism, giving our keen grade five and six sportspeople an opportunity to show off the range of their sporting abilities. Interschool sports have continued into the term, with our football, tee ball, netball and soccer teams making the most of the remaining warmth and sunshine that Autumn has to offer. We were visited by Nar Nar Goon on May 15th and travelled to Pakenham Primary School on May 22nd to compete. All teams are now primed and well-practised for the Winter Lightning Prem in a few weeks’ time!

On May 14th, the grades’ basketballers checked their watches and saw it was time for Hoop Time. They departed for Dandenong Stadium where the competition was fierce and their efforts were admirable. Mr Tigas was said to be very impressed with the teamwork and sportsmanship on show.

Earlier that week, with the sun shining overhead and a spring in our steps (but not our shoes, because springy shoes are prohibited in the long jump) students boarded buses and made their way to the IYU Reserve for Athletics Day on May 12th. Each age group rotated through event stations consisting of hurdles, long jump, shotput, discus and the 100m sprint. Even the javelin made an appearance, with a much friendlier-looking vortex ball standing in for the ancient projectile. At the end of the day, all age groups summoned their remaining energy and dashed through the 200m sprint. 

Off the track and back in the classroom, our grade five and six students are still engaged in their study of the novel The Blue Cat. This piece of historical fiction is set amid the Second World War back on the home front, taking place in Sydney circa 1942. It is a very, very different time and students have been curious about how their own experiences compare to the childhood of Columba, the book's young protagonist.