Primary School

Loose Parts: A New Chapter in Play

Next term, we are excited to introduce Loose Parts Play across our Early Childhood classrooms, creating new opportunities for students to explore, imagine, create and problem-solve through play.

Loose parts are open-ended materials that can be moved, combined, redesigned and used in many different ways. Rather than having one intended purpose, these materials encourage children to use their imagination and creativity to develop their own ideas. From building and construction to dramatic play, storytelling, engineering and collaborative projects, the possibilities are endless!

Introducing Loose Parts Play will also give our students valuable opportunities to develop independence, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, persistence, and fine and gross motor skills. Most importantly, it allows children to take ownership of their learning, make decisions and see their ideas come to life.

Our staff will play an important role in this process. Educators will observe, listen and thoughtfully support children's ideas, while providing opportunities to extend their thinking, encourage collaboration and introduce new possibilities. Rather than directing the play, our educators will act as facilitators, allowing students to lead, experiment and discover.

A huge thank you to our wonderful parents and families who have already helped us collect materials for our Loose Parts Play collection. Your generosity and support are helping us build a wonderful resource that our students will enjoy for years to come.

Keep an eye on the newsletter as we will be doing a call-out for materials as part of our collection process.

Classroom News

We hope you enjoy reading what our classes have been up to this week.

Kindergarten

We finished the term by being ‘rubbish heroes’. After focusing on the book, Somebody Swallowed Stanley in our Talk for Writing program, we decided we should go on a rubbish hunt. The classes eagerly set off around the school to see how much rubbish we could collect that might save the lives of animals and play an important part in looking after our environment. We collected two big buckets full and were very proud of our efforts. It has been a wonderful term in Kindergarten. We have learnt and grown so much. We cannot wait to get back to school in Term Four and continue to have lots of fun in the ECC.

Pre-Primary

As we wrap up another wonderful term, we are incredibly proud of all the learning, growth and achievements our Pre-Primary students have demonstrated. The children have worked hard throughout the term and should be congratulated on their enthusiasm and effort. Pre-Primary students have learnt a range of things, including a range of digraphs! With the stunning weather at the end of last week, our weekly visit to the Wild Space was truly magnificent. The children enjoyed exploring, discovering and connecting with nature while making the most of the beautiful sunshine. A highlight of the week for Pre-Primary B has been practising our assembly item, and we are so excited to share it with everyone tomorrow. The students have been putting in a fantastic effort and cannot wait to showcase their hard work and talents.

We wish all our families a safe, restful and happy holiday break and look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting Term Four. Enjoy the holidays!

Year One

This week the students have been busy writing. First, the class was given back their Holiday Diaries (ready for their Term Three entries) and they marvelled at the differences between their Term One and Term Two holiday recounts! Next, they wrote their excursion recounts. Then, they found out about the giant Pacific octopus, learnt how to make notes using dot points and used these dot points to write their own information reports. Finally, the children showed off their amazing spelling skills during the end of term PLD placement tests. The science work on forces continued, looking more closely at the cause and effect of push and pull forces and, this week, the children will complete their final investigations to demonstrate their knowledge of this unit!

Year Two

This week we have become time-telling superstars! We have finished the term strongly with a hands-on approach to learning, focusing on reading and writing the time to quarter past and quarter to the hour. We have also been learning our Talk for Writing story map in preparation for being recorded as we present our story for a speaking and listening task. We have enjoyed experimenting with changes in tone and volume to enhance our expression, and we are sounding fantastic! We will finish the week by continuing our inquiry cycle and investigating our areas of interest in space. We have discovered some amazing facts and cannot wait to share them with you. Did you know that this week you may be able to spot Venus shining brightly in the sky? How amazing is that! We have loved making connections between our learning and the world around us as we continue to explore the wonders of space.

Year Three

We had the pleasure of consolidating all of our learning about energy transfer and transformation during an exciting incursion with Mr Ian Robson. This hands-on experience allowed students to explore a range of energy concepts in action. Students investigated mini generators that required energy from a person turning a handle. This movement transferred energy to produce electrical energy, which then powered a small light bulb, demonstrating how energy can be transformed from one form to another. We also discussed how energy can be stored as potential energy in a balloon. Students observed this stored energy being released and transformed into kinetic energy as it powered a mini slider across a surface. Finally, we explored the incredible speed of light and electromagnetic waves. Students participated in an experiment using marshmallows in a microwave. By observing the melted spots, we were able to identify the locations of the microwave's wave peaks and calculate the wavelength of the microwaves, providing evidence of how electromagnetic energy travels. Thank you again, Mr Robson, for taking the time to share this with us.

Year Four

It has been a creative and engaging week! In Mathematics, students became pattern detectives, investigating the different arrangements that can be created using four, five, six and more blocks. They worked systematically to find unique polyominoes, developing their spatial reasoning, logical thinking and problem-solving skills as they challenged themselves to discover every possible arrangement. In English, students have been honing their knowledge of poetry and poetic devices, with a particular focus on alliteration. They experimented with repeated sounds and carefully selected words to create catchy, imaginative and engaging lines. Students have enjoyed playing with language and discovering how poetic devices can bring their writing to life.

Year Five

What a stinker last Thursday was. The mercury nudged 30°C on the tarmac in Year Five. Fortunately, we had come prepared with our final 'states of matter' experiment. Building on the previous week's lesson on how ice decreased the freezing temperature of water, we embarked on our ice cream making. The students assembled their choice of flavours and were then tasked with manually agitating the freezing cream mixture inside the larger bag of ice and salt. The results were well earned and tasty. This brings us to the end of our 'states of matter' unit and may I say it has been a solid effort by every student ... such a dad joke.

Year Six

This week we wrapped up our salinity investigation and it was clear for all to see the impact salt has on our farming community. One student even commented that he did not know the trenches his grandad dug on their farm were as a result of too much salt in the soil.

Year Six O farewelled Juliet who left us this week for a new adventure on the east coast. We stopped for a moment on Tuesday to enjoy some time together as a class. We wish Juliet and her family all the best for their move and look forward to hearing how she settles in. Many thanks to Isla Kiddle for being the chief organiser to make Juliet's last day a memorable one.