From the Classroom
News from 5/6
We hope everyone had a wonderful break and it is lovely to see everyone back and ready to learn once again! Term 2, will be a busy term, with swimming in week 3 and 5/6 Sport practice and interschool games occurring on Fridays throughout the term.
Over the next fortnight, student swill be completing a project in maths. They will design their dream bedroom, while using area, perimeter and calculating expenses. They will then make a 3D model of their bedroom. In English, students started our class novel, 47 Degrees, which is based on the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009.
Early last week, the Year 6 students received an application to be filled out for their Year 7 Placement in 2025 at a government secondary school and non-government school. This form must be returned by Friday 10th May. You may return the application as early as you like. The Placement Information Pack 2024-2025 was emailed to families with information on timelines, zoning information and assistance in filling out the application forms.
As you know, the Year 5 students are visiting the Community Kids Heathmont Early Education Centre every fortnight throughout the year. This term, the students will be walking down on the following dates.
The Butterflies group will walk down to Community Kids;
- Monday 22nd April from 2:40 - 3:20 (Week 2).
- Monday 3rd June from 2:40 - 3:20 (Week 8).
The Pandas group will walk down to Community Kids;
- Monday 20th May from 2:40 - 3:20 (Week 6)
.- Monday 17th June from 2:40 - 3:20 (Week 10).
What's happening in 3/4
We hope that everyone has had a wonderful holiday, it has been so lovely to see everyone back in class, it sounds like many of you have been on some great adventures over the break!
This week, everyone was introduced to our new Inquiry Unit for the term, Australian History. We have been immersing in Indigenous History and the Age of Exploration throughout our English, Inquiry and Performing Arts subjects. Students have engaged in many writing and reading tasks, including reading 'The Bittangabee Tribe'. Students have also been developing their research skills this week as they have been investigating many questions to further their knowledge of Indigenous history.
In Mathematics, we began our Multiplication Unit. We learnt skip counting, how to draw arrays and learnt to solve multiplication sums using the vertical equation method. The 3/4's also engaged in a RICH Task, where they explored and furthered their knowledge of multiplication by playing 'Multiplication Battleship', reciting their timestables as they engaged in the game to increase their fluency and used a variety of problem solving strategies to win.
Next week, is swimming week! The 3/4 unit will be going to swimming each day to do swimming lessons. During this time, students will be working with swim instructors who will teach them about swim safety and how to swim. Please ensure that your child wears their bathers underneath their uniform to school. In 3/4, students are expected to know what is in their own swimming bag each day, and therefore it is a good idea to have your child pack their swimming bag with you before school each day. In their bag, they will need a towel, goggles, a plastic bag (for wet clothes), underwear and any other personal swim wear (ear plugs or swim cap if required). Please ensure that everything is named as belongings often get lost.
Adventures of 1/2
We hope all families had a lovely and restful break. It has been great to see the smiling faces of the Year 1 and 2 students, back at school again.
This week we have been studying information books and recognising the difference between non fiction and fiction texts. We will investigate information books further to identify the many features they have.
In Maths, students have been reviewing their number skills, including place value with MAB. We have also started exploring location and identifying words we use for directions. We have played games that involved following directions as well as giving directions to a certain object.
We have started our Inquiry unit, 'My Place in the World'. Students have discussed where they live, places they visit and their connections to their communities. We will begin to look at how places are named and discover more about the country we live in.
Next week will be very exciting for the 1/2 students. It is our swimming week! Some reminders for the week: Students are to wear their bathers under their school uniform. They will also need a small back pack with their towel, goggles, underwear, any personal swim wear required (eg. ear plugs, cap) and a spare plastic bag for their wet towel and bathers. Please make sure that everything is named. If you would like to assist on one of the days, and have a current Working With Children's Check, please let your child's teacher know.
Fantastic Foundation
What a fantastic, settled start to Term 2 the Foundation students have had. In phonics, we have been revising the sounds that we have already learnt and how to segment and blend these in words. In the coming week our focus will be on the /ck/ sound and practising our reading decodable words.
In English, students have started exploring information texts and the concept that these non-fiction texts teach us something. Over the coming weeks we will explore the features of these texts together and learn how they help us to understand the information.
This week in Maths, students have been learning about teen numbers. They are learning to connect numerals, words and representations of numbers. Students have had a introduction to place value with MAB blocks and the understanding that teen numbers are made of ten and some more. In the coming week we will be practising and revising our skills in subitising, the skill of look at a group of objects or images, such as dots, and know how many there are without counting them one by one.
Foundation have starting our unit ‘Our Community’ and learning about how everyone’s family may be different and what celebrations we have in our family unit and community. We are learning about Anzac Day commemorations through the book Anzac Ted. In the coming weeks we will explore places we are connected to in our community.
An exciting week ahead with our Swimming Week. This will be exciting and no doubt some students will be nervous. They will get their first go at riding in a bus on an excursion and there is a change to what our day looks like due to the swimming sessions. Specialist classes will still run next week.
Some reminders for the week: Students are to wear their bathers under their school uniform. They will also need a small back pack with their towel, goggles, underwear, any personal swim wear required (eg. ear plugs, cap) and a spare plastic bag for their wet towel and bathers. Please make sure that everything is named. If you would like to assist on one of the days, and have a current Working With Children's Check, please let your child's teacher know. Students will still need to bring their normal brain food, snack and lunch.
Physical Education
House Cross Country
House Cross Country is on Thursday May 9th during period 3 and 4. The event will run from 11.45am - 1.15 pm. This event is always a fun, sporting, cheerful, healthy event for the students. The students can gain points for their house. It is a great opportunity for students to achieve their Personal Best.
The 5 /6 /7 / years run approximately 1 km, 8 /9 /10 years run 2 km and 11/12/13 age groups 3 km. See attached map.
Selected age group 9/10/11/12/13 students will be able to compete at District Cross Country held on Tuesday May 14th.
Parent helpers and volunteers will be needed. Please email me bonny.chisholm@education.vic.gov.au
Please note my working days at Marlborough PS for Physical Education are
Thursdays and Fridays
Bonny Chisholm /Physical Education.
