Middle School News 

Yrs 3/4

Hello to all,

We are so excited to be working in partnership with you all through 2024 in the Year 3-4 cohort. It’s going to be a wonderful term full of learning, fun and creativity. If you wish to contact us please see the bottom of this page with our details.

• 3/4 Teaching Team 2024

Reading & Writing

In Reading  students have begun unpacking the story “James and the Giant Peach” written by Roald Dahl. Over the course of Term 1, students will continue to unpack the novel and explore the literary elements using comprehension activities and our CAFE strategies.  In Writing we have begun the term exploring the text structure of a recount. We are working to create a clear and concise introduction to begin our writing pieces. 

Mathematics

This term in Mathematics, we are beginning to focus on Counting and Place Value. Students will be looking at expanding numbers, breaking them up into their place values, and learning to identify, explain and use the properties of odd and even numbers. At home you may engage in conversations regarding breaking up numbers into expanded notations, working out the different values of each number in a whole number, or try to write the smallest and largest numbers you may know. We will be following this unit with addition and subtraction. 

Inquiry Learning

In our Inquiry Learning this term, we are unpacking the unit of work on , Building Healthy and Active Communities. The unit explores what it means to be healthy, active citizens of the community, what community means and what different communities we belong to. You may like to start talking about healthy habits you and your families do at home or in the community. 

Religion

In Religion we are going to begin discussing Lent and Holy Week, specifically looking at each of the special days leading up to Easter Sunday. We will look deeply at the traditions and customs we engage in, as a Catholic community, and in those traditions of other countries and cultures. 

STEM

We will learn about how we can be safe online while creating things that we can share with others to solve problems and build connections. Students will consider digital threats like scammers and hackers, cyber bullies and anti-social online figures. They will develop strategies to protect themselves from these threats and to ensure they are kept safe online. From there, students will explore how they can be digital creators and will learn how to code and control BBC mirco:bits using block code and python coding language. Students will write lines of code to control the micro:bit and present their learning through a display at the end of term.

Mandarin

During Term One, the students will be encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Mandarin programme, teacher’s expectations and grand rules by participating in a range of class routines, structured conversations and activities. Students will celebrate Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon and explore interesting or different festival celebrations in Chinese culture. They will be aware that Chinese is a major community language in Australia as well as many other languages other than English being used around us. 

Year Three and Four: The students will use spoken and written Chinese in simple personal interactions including greeting and farewell each other, and self-introduction. Students will practice Chinese greeting songs and rhymes, and initiate Chinese simple dialogues. They will use six Chinese action words including dance, prance, hop, turn around, wiggle tails and sleep to create a dragon dance. 

Students will celebrate Chinese New Year by exploring what is Lunar New Year, when is the Lunar New Year this year and how Chinese New Year is celebrated. They will learn about Chinese New Year and Chinese Lantern Festival celebrations. They will be encouraged to explore the cultural diversity through fun ways including watching and discussion of the 2024 Chinese Spring Festival Gala, storytelling, making Chinese Dragon Puppets and lanterns.

Homework

This term we have begun introducing homework tasks. Students will be given a literacy and mathematics task to complete. We advise students to complete approximately 20 minutes of homework each night. 

Student’s will go through their homework and the requirements on Thursday in class. They will take their homework books home with the required instructions on Friday, to be completed over the weekend and the course of the week. 

Homework is then due back Thursdays. Students will all have access to the instructions via Google Classroom, as well as the printed copy which will be pasted into their homework books. 

Reminders

• Please bring in an Art Smock with your child’s name labelled. 
• Student’s need to bring their charged device everyday.
• Canteen is on Monday & Friday. Students are responsible for their own money. 
• Assembly is now held fortnightly on a Friday morning at 9am in the Atrium. 

Key Dates Term 1

• 7th-8th March - School Closure Days
• 27th (2:30pm-6), 29th (2:30pm-5) February, Parent Teacher Interviews                           *Early finish for students*
• 6th of March - Whitehorse Division Swimming 
• 11th March - No School - Labour Day Public Holiday
• 12th-15th March - Bike Ed Program
• 13th - 25th March - Naplan Testing 
• 15th March - St Patrick’s Day Mass 
• 21st March -Harmony Day  
• 26th March- Gala Day
• 27th March - End of Term Mass
• 28th March- 1pm Dismissal, Term Ends 

PE Uniform Required

Classroom Contacts

Cecily, Rachel, Lucy, Olivia & Diandra

ckerr@olgcdeepdene.catholic.edu.au

rachel_mcmahon@olgcdeepdene.catholic.edu.au

lmcnamara@olgcdeepdene.catholic.edu.au

otallarico@olgcdeepdene.catholic.edu.au

dmerola@olgcdeepdene.catholic.edu.au