School News
Prep
What a fantastic week we had in Prep! Loads of learning and production practice.
In Reading, students have been working in groups to build their confidence and independence as readers. They focused on monitoring their reading using strategies such as looking at the beginning, middle and end sounds of words, checking the pictures, and trying again when something didn’t sound right.
In Writing, we introduced the concept of a story graph to help students plan their narratives. It was exciting to see them begin to understand how stories have a beginning, middle and end, as well as how authors use planning tools to organise their ideas.
In Maths, we began exploring directional language. The students had a great time putting their learning into action during a visit to the playground, identifying where they played using terms like below the bridge, on top of the slide and beside the bars.
During Investigations, we observed the growth of our bean stalks. The children were fascinated to see how each plant changed over time and noticed how the growth varied from one stalk to another. A wonderful introduction to scientific observation!
This week we also celebrated a huge milestone— our very first Prep Production! The performance was a wonderful showcase of all the effort, enthusiasm and talent our little preppies have put in. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and courage on stage.
Reminders:
- Please return student portfolios to school in preparation for Term 3.
- The last day of Term 2 is Friday the 4th, with an early finish at 2:00pm.
Have a happy and safe weekend!
Kindest regards,
The Prep Team
Laina Brebner, Kayla Hartrick and Emma Wright
Grade 1
What a spectacular night we had at Back to the Big Top! Our Level 1 students absolutely shone on stage, showcasing all the hard work they’ve put into learning exciting new circus skills and routines. We are so proud of their confidence, creativity, and teamwork. We hope you enjoyed the performance just as much as the students loved being in the spotlight!
Here are a few behind-the-scenes photos of our superstar performers getting ready to dazzle the audience!
One of the biggest highlights in our classrooms this fortnight has been our poetry unit. Students have thoroughly enjoyed exploring a range of poems and expressing themselves through their own creative writing. They've written cinquains, colour poems, and haikus, and the results have been fantastic! Our young poets are incredibly proud of their published pieces, which are now displayed in our classrooms. Here are just a few examples to share with you—we hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
In Maths, we’ve been diving deeper into our subtraction work. Students have been excited to explore different strategies using a variety of hands-on materials—everything from Pokémon figurines to unifix towers and decks of cards. By making learning active and playful, students have been able to understand subtraction concepts more deeply, especially when finding the difference between two numbers. It’s been wonderful to see their confidence and enthusiasm grow!
In Wellbeing, we explored some of the tricky situations that can arise during playtime or playdates. Students learned how to say “no” in a kind and respectful way using the phrase “No, because…”, and practised how to respond when they feel bossed around. We also focused on fair and inclusive strategies for deciding who goes first in a game—helping everyone feel heard and included. Together, we discussed the negative emotions that can come from losing or feeling left out, and students reflected on personal strengths and coping strategies they can use to manage these feelings. It’s been a valuable time for learning how to navigate friendships and build emotional resilience.
Congratulations to our week 9 and 10 Shining Stars - Theodore, Muka, Beau, Jackson, Hunter and Heath!
Wishing all our families a wonderful weekend!
Kind regards,
The Grade 1 Team
Tim Huntington, Mel Layton, Sally Newton and Ashleigh Wilson
Grade 2
What a busy and exciting run down to the term we’ve had in Grade 2!
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been diving into poetry in our writing lessons. We explored different types of poems, played with rhyme and rhythm, and learned how to express our ideas through words. We wrapped up our poetry unit with a whole Grade 2 Poetry Slam! Everyone had a chance to share their favourite poem with the year level – it was such a special celebration of our creativity and confidence.
In Inquiry, we’ve been working hard designing and building our very own catapults. After lots of testing, adjusting and teamwork, we finally launched our creations and measured how far they could launch an object. There were lots of cheers and high-fives as we saw our learning in action!
Our biggest performance of the year also took place – Back to the Big Top! After weeks of circus-themed rehearsals, costume fittings and routine practice, we proudly stepped onto the stage. It was amazing to see everyone shine with juggling, twirling, balancing and more. What a spectacular show! We are so very proud of all our students for giving their best effort.
In Maths, we’ve been learning all about subtraction strategies. We’ve practised using backwards doubles, jump back strategy and split strategy to easily subtract one number away from another. Our brains have been working hard, and we’re becoming more confident each day.
With all this fantastic learning (and performing!) behind us, we’re now counting down to a well-earned break. We’re looking forward to the school holidays after next Friday!
Warm regards,
The Grade 2 Team
Allie Harrison, Sarah Jones and Brendan Van Haaster
Grade 3 & 4
What a busy couple of weeks we have had coming to the close of Term 2. The students worked very hard on their production performances and are thrilled that they finally got to show off their efforts to you all.
In Reading, the students have been working on summarising a text and making text connections. We read a book called ‘Matthew Flinders: Adventures on Leaky Ships’ and used templates to extract important details to add into a short summary. When making connections, we looked at a range of Fiction and Non-Fiction texts and thought about how we can relate to the text, how it reminds us about something else we have read/watched and how it links to something similar that has happened in the real world.
In Writing, the students have been working hard on writing Information Reports. This has involved extensive research on an animal of their choice, planning, drafting, editing and publishing their work. They have finished their piece on an animal and will now have the opportunity to showcase their learning and create an Information Report on a topic of their choosing.
In Maths, we have concluded our subtraction unit, learning efficient mental and written strategies to solve subtraction problems. We have begun learning about decimals using money. This will lead us in to going on a ‘shopping spree’!
A few gentle reminders:
- Continue reading (and filling out the reading log), spelling and Squizya homework.
- Return Learning Portfolios by the end of Term 2.
The 3/4 Team
Damien Smith, Daena Hailey, Brent Smith, Claire Cripps and Nick Pagliaro
Grade 5 & 6
As we enter the final stretch of the term, we reflect on the last two weeks, which have been a productive and exciting time for our students! Here's a snapshot of what we have been up to.
In Reading, the students have been diving into historical, social and cultural texts to deepen their understanding of Australia's past. They have also been reading a range of texts written by indigenous authors.
In Writing, students have been applying their knowledge by creating informative pieces that showcase their chosen historical figure. Whether exploring the life of Eddie Mabo, Dame Nellie Melba or Joe Johnson, students are learning to structure their writing to inform and engage an audience, while using evidence from historical sources to support their ideas.
In Maths, our focus is fractions: We have been using the Top Ten Maths program to identify, add, compare and problem-solve using fractions. Their growing confidence and accuracy in this area has been fantastic to see.
Last Friday the Grade 5/6 students participated in the Winter School Sports. They played AFL, Netball, Soccer and T-Ball against other local primary schools. All students represented our school beautifully and demonstrated great sportsmanship, teamwork and skill across all sports. A big thank you to the parents (and ex-students) who coached, trained, umpired and cheered on our teams. We couldn't do it without you!
Finally, after a tremendous amount of hard work, our students presented our school production - Back to the Big Top! They have been busy learning lines, circus skills and choreography. They looked amazing in their costumes and performed wonderfully. It has been a joy to see their confidence grow and their creativity shine. Well done everyone, you were awesome!
We cannot wait for the final week of the semester and we wish you all a safe and relaxing holiday!
The 5/6 Team
Llinos Poole, Rachel Boyle, Alarna Creed, Hayley Peirce and Erin Rennick