Year 5/6

Welcome

Welcome parents, guardians and students to a new year of learning in Years Five and Six. This newsletter will be distributed at the commencement of each term throughout the year. The newsletter aims to give families an insight into what will be occurring at the school during each term. We extend a big welcome to our new families in the 5/6 community. The 5/6 team for 2025 is as follows:

5/6M

Joachim Min Fa

5/6P

Natalie Arthontis ( Monday- Wednesday) /Daniella Polites ( Thursday-Friday)

5/6V

Gabi Vass

5/6DW

Sarah De Guzman-Wettenhall 

Literacy

Each day our students will participate in a two hour Literacy block. The morning Literacy block has designated times of one hour for Reading and one hour for Writing

Reading

In Term One, our first Literacy cycle will focus on reciprocal reading roles. 

Students will learn to make predictions about the text based on information they already know. Students will expand their vocabulary by learning new and unfamiliar words, enhancing their ability to express ideas clearly. They will learn to ask thoughtful questions and to make connections about the text. Students will identify key points in a paragraph or chapter to determine the main idea and clearly explain what the text is mostly about. Students will also develop summarising skills by identifying the most important points in a text and conveying them concisely.

Children will be explicitly taught to practise and demonstrate many skills used in their Reading Groups:  

Self-monitor - Stop and make sure you understand what you’re reading 

Reread - if you don’t understand

Ask questions to help you think deeper about the text

Vocabulary- identify key words and explain their meaning using synonyms 

Visualise- create a picture in your mind

Make predictions - think about what will come next Make connections to your life, other texts and the world to help you understand the text

Summarise - retell the important parts

Infer - use what you know and what you read to think deeper about the author’s meaning.

Writing

In Term One, our first Writing cycle will cover persuasive writing. Students will explore many persuasive techniques and learn how to use them effectively in their writing. Students will follow a clear structure, including an engaging introduction stating their opinion, body paragraphs with strong arguments and supporting evidence, and a conclusion reinforcing their stance.

Maths

The students will complete a one-hour daily mathematics lesson. There will be a focus this term on:

Weeks 2 & 3: Data Representation, 

Weeks 4 & 5: Properties of Number, 

Weeks 6 - 8: Four Operations

Weeks 9 & 10: Perimeter and Area

To help reinforce key mathematical concepts and strengthen students' long-term memory, we will continue to incorporate daily 10-minute reviews at the start of each Maths lesson. Each student will have their whiteboard and marker, allowing them to participate and share their answers quickly and actively. Teachers will also use high-participation strategies to make these reviews and lessons effective and engaging, such as Think, Pair, Share, Choral Response and Reversal, Non -Volunteers and Gestures.

Practising number facts regularly at home will benefit the students greatly.

Religious Education 

In Religious Education, students will review the St Andrew’s vision statement and use this to assist in creating a Class Charter.  There will be a focus on the official 2025 Jubilee Year, where students are encouraged to find simple ways to engage with the spirit of the Jubilee, focusing on HOPE, mercy, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal. We aim to develop students’ understanding of the different parts of the Jubilee logo and to explain how this logo links to being Pilgrims of Hope. Additionally, we aim to explore the Liturgical calendar, exploring each season, each with its own colours, helping us to reflect on different aspects of our faith. As Lent begins, we focus on the themes of repentance, renewal, prayer, fasting, and service. Each week, we’ll explore these themes through Scripture and intentional actions designed to strengthen our relationship with God.

Inquiry Learning

In our Inquiry unit, Grade 5 and 6 students will focus on creating a safe and supportive learning environment where everyone will feel valued and respected. They will engage in various teamwork activities that will allow them to collaborate, communicate, and support each other in achieving common goals. Through these activities, we will explore our character strengths and challenges, reflecting on the qualities that make us unique and how we can use these strengths to contribute to the group. Additionally, we will learn about different learning assets recognising the tools and strategies that will help us grow as learners, such as persistence, creativity, and flexibility. This journey will help us build a stronger sense of community and enhance our ability to work together effectively.

Wellbeing

The school term started with SWELL COME Week, a four-day program designed to allow students to build friendships and develop working relationships with their classmates. Its goal is to strengthen the teacher-student relationship and foster a sense of belonging in a safe and supportive environment. These four days were used to teach and reinforce classroom routines such as Lining Up, Transitions and Routines (Morning, End of Day, Entering the Room), Being Safe and Sun Smart, Being Ready to Learn, Keeping Hands, Feet, and Objects to Oneself, Using Kind Words, and Following Staff Directions. Throughout the term, Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) lessons will be explicitly taught each week, with a 45-minute session scheduled for Mondays. Students will have a workbook to document their learning and be encouraged to practice and model appropriate behaviours in various settings.

Homework

In line with our St Andrew’s Homework Policy, it is an expectation that Year Five and Year Six students complete the following as homework tasks:

• 20 minutes of Reading per night to be recorded in their diary ( Title, pages/chapters read)
• 10-15 minutes of other tasks per night as set by the ⅚ teaching team. This will generally be 1-2 weekly Literacy/R.E./Maths/Inquiry task(s) linked to our current classroom learning to be worked on at home throughout the week. (Please note these additional tasks will commence from Week 5 of Term 1 beginning Monday 24th February, and will be accessible on Google Classroom on student’s Chromebooks) If a hard copy is required, please see your teacher.

Our Homework program aims to strengthen home-school partnerships and reaffirm the role of parents and guardians as partners in education. It is an opportunity for students to reinforce and share their classroom learning and develop productive routines and time management skills.

SPECIALIST SUBJECTS

Students will have Performing Arts, Italian, Physical Education and Art every Wednesday. Please ensure that the correct Sports Uniform is worn.

LIBRARY BORROWING TIMES

Students must ensure that all books they borrow from the library are returned on their non-library week. Library classes are every fortnight this year.  They must have an appropriate Library Bag to protect their books (not plastic).

All classes will borrow books on a Tuesday (fortnightly).

INTERSCHOOL SPORTS

Every Thursday, students will be competing against other schools in the zone and must come to school wearing their Sport Uniform and have their hat and water bottles ready.

week 3 - Home game vs St Pauls

week 4 - Away game vs St Peters

week 5 - BYE 

week 6 - Home game vs Coatesville

week 7 - Away game vs Murrumbeena

week 8 - Away game vs Oakleigh Grammar

week 9 - Home game vs Oakleigh South

week 10 - Summer Sports Finals (only teams that make it)

Classroom Organisation

The start of the year is always busy in regard to classroom organisation. Below are some items of note:

• Any student who may need to bring a mobile to school is expected to hand in their phone to the classroom teacher in the morning.  All phones will be returned before the end of the school day. 
• Each student is asked to bring one of the following: a box of tissues,  Chux wipes, hand wash, and paper towels to contribute to the classroom. Thank you to all families who have already donated these items.
• Sports shoes are only worn on Wednesdays (Specialists) and Thursdays (Interschool Sports). Children are expected to bring their Library Bags to school on designated Library days. 
• Students are expected to use their Chromebooks at school and home responsibly. When carrying their Chromebooks to and from school, they are expected to use the Chromebook case supplied by the school. Please note that parents and guardians are responsible for monitoring their children whilst using their Chromebooks at home. Students are encouraged to use their Chromebooks in a shared space. It is expected that Chromebooks will be charged in readiness for the school day.

Key Dates

Whole School Mass Tuesday 11 February 9.15am

Ash Wednesday  Whole School Mass 12pm 5th March

First Whole School Assembly (presentation of Leader Badges) 14th February 9am

Labour Day 10th March

Naplan begins 12th March

School Photos -18th March ( Full Summer Uniform)-orders placed online

Cyber Safety Webinar for Year 3 to 6 - Monday 20th February Time: 7.00pm - 8.30am (90min) online

Harmony Day - 21st March

Parent Teacher Conferences - Monday 31st March (2.30-7.30pm)

End of Term - Friday 4th April 1.30 pm dismissal

Good Friday - Friday 18th April

Easter Sunday - Sunday 20th April 

How to Contact Us

We would like to see ourselves as the first point of contact regarding your child’s learning. Please feel free to contact us by the following: We politely request that there is an understanding that emails will be responded to within 48 hours and within 8.00 am-4.45 pm. 

School Phone: 9551 5094                                 

Daniella Polites:   dpolites@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Joachim Min Fa: jminfa@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Sarah De Guzman-Wettenhall:    sdeguzman@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Natalie Arthontis   narhontis@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Gabi Vass       gvass@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

SPECIALIST PROGRAMS

L.O.T.E. Italian

Ciao a tutti e felice anno nuovo.

Dear parents, welcome to 2025.

The students will begin this term by revising previously acquired language through different activities and games. They will also be reminded of the classroom expectations and will be expected to set a personal goal for the term. The students will use familiar language in the written and oral form to talk about themselves and share information about their families, school, likes, dislikes, and preferences.

Each student will also create a personal profile card in Italian where they will share details about themselves. The students will randomly choose a profile card and read it in front of the class to increase their understanding of familiar and new vocabulary and enhance their reading skills.

They will continue to extend their vocabulary knowledge and deepen their understanding of grammar through the topic of ‘Melbourne – our city’. Using familiar and newly-acquired language, the students will write and illustrate a postcard/suitcase, which they will present to the class to showcase a famous Melbourne landmark. They will also give factual information about Melbourne using illustrations to show an understanding of the new language and grammar. The students will continue playing topic quiz games and completing interactive tasks during the lessons.

 A presto. 

Signora White 

Physical Education

Welcome to Term One!

In Term One, the 5/6s will participate in various activities that correspond to the sports played in interschool sports. These include basketball, volleyball, flag tag,  rugby, cricket and softball. Students will practice and develop the skills needed for these sports and learn about the rules for each. 

A significant emphasis for our interschool sports and physical education lessons is how to demonstrate positive sportsmanship and teamwork. Students will express their understanding through listening, communication, and cooperation with their classmates and teammates. 

Interschool sports games will be played on Thursdays, either at home or away to the following schools: Coatesville, St Peters, St Pauls. Oakleigh South, Oakleigh Grammar, and Murrumbeena. 

On Thursdays, students will need to bring the following to school:

1. A small bag for their items 
2. Water 
3. Snack 
4. Proper footwear and sports attire, including a hat and any additional equipment they may use for their sport. 
5. Deodorant 

6. Sunscreen recommended 

    

   We look forward to a fun first term of learning!

   Miss Puetz 

Art

Welcome to the Art room in 2025. During Grade 5/6 Art sessions in Term One, we encourage independent thinking that will enable children to develop their ideas and express them appropriately in their art pieces. The children are given opportunities to feel free and confident to express ideas and are encouraged to respond to the artwork of others. In the art room, we incorporate art making and appreciation and help the children develop a visual arts language. They will enjoy experimenting with various art materials and complete artworks linked with other areas of the curriculum, such as Inquiry units and Religious studies, e.g. Artworks from different cultural backgrounds that help make up our community of St. Andrew’s and the Season of Lent and Easter. They will concentrate on outline drawings, shapes, tones, and textures using acrylic paints, water-colour pencils, oil pastels and various construction papers. 

We aim to have lots of fun during our new learnings, creations and experimentations during art classes throughout term one.

Enjoy!

Mrs Santoro

Performing Arts

Welcome back, families, to another year of Performing Arts! We’re excited to bring you a fun-filled year of music, dance, drama, and best of all, a production (open to grade 3-6 students only)!  This year’s production will be announced at assembly on Friday 14th of February, and we can’t wait to begin the audition process (Week 7; more information will be released closer to time).

This term, we will initially focus on learning the ukulele's strings and, eventually, chords, building students’ confidence in their ability to play notes and chords by plucking strings or using different strumming patterns and variations. Students can also apply this learning to the piano to play basic chords to accompany songs.

The other big focus for this term will be learning material from the production to ensure each student is confident and relaxed if they wish to audition.  The students will learn the songs, including good singing and breathing techniques and how to use their emotions to convey ideas through song. We’ll also learn a small movement dance to improve students’ coordination and ability to follow choreography in preparation for auditions.

Lastly, we’ll be working on an acting scene, developing students' ability to deliver lines with clarity, excellent emotion, diction, good pace and rhythm to convey the scene's meaning.

Happy singing, dancing, playing and acting!

Mrs Emma Cooper

Library News

We’re thrilled to welcome you back to school and another exciting year in the library! We hope you're ready for a year of new adventures, great books, and fun activities. Each class will have the opportunity to visit the library fortnightly to borrow and will take responsibility for returning their books on their non-library week. 

Each lesson will help students discover new books and authors that might spark their interest. Whether you’re into fantasy, mysteries, history, or adventure, we want to expand their reading horizons and introduce them to new genres they may not have explored before. Throughout the year, we will do our very best to restock shelves with many wonderful new books, especially those that students have recommended! The library will become a learning space to explore new worlds, meet fantastic characters, and celebrate our love of reading. Each student will be encouraged to connect, discuss, and share their love of books with their classmates and teacher during Storytime.

Our 2025 Year 6 Library Leaders, Nibedita and Bella, are looking forward to assisting and supporting each class in returning their books and re-shelving them. With the help of their student voices, we aim to create an environment where everyone can feel inspired to become passionate, independent readers and develop a lifelong love of books.

Best wishes - Mrs Daniella Polites