What's Happening in the Middle School
Year 3
What’s Happening in Year 3 in September
September is set to be another busy and exciting month in Year 3!
In Writing, students will be developing their information report writing skills as they research and write about an Australian ecosystem. They will learn how to organise information into clear paragraphs, use topic sentences and supporting details, and include subject-specific vocabulary.
In Mathematics, students will continue developing their understanding of addition and subtraction, using a range of strategies to solve problems, including mental strategies, written methods and regrouping. We look forward to another fantastic month of learning and growth!
Wellbeing
- This month, we will continue to implement the Grow Your Mind podcast to learn about resilience, respect, responsibility, and relationships. It focuses on making the parts of your brain responsible for decision making and self-regulation relatable by connecting them to different animals. Over the next month, students will explore the role of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, reticular activating system, and amygdala and learn how to be of benefit to others.
- This term, Grade 3 students will be participating in the Respectful Relationships program. The program supports students to develop important social and emotional skills, including understanding emotions, building positive relationships, showing respect, managing challenges and resolving conflicts. Through age-appropriate discussions and activities, students will learn strategies to help them make positive choices, communicate effectively and develop respectful relationships with others.
Literacy
- Reading knowledge building texts to support the ideas and themes of the text Storm Boy.
- We will delve into the features of an information report.
- Each student will create an information report on a chosen Australian ecosystem. They will be researching the climate, animals, vegetation and human impact of their ecosystem.
- We will be learning Anglo-Saxon and Latin root words and their affixes to build understanding of word meaning and etymology through the Word Origins Program.
Maths
Addition and Subtraction
Solving addition problems
Representing addition problems with bar models
Solving subtraction problems
Representing subtraction problems with bar models
Representing and solving addition and subtraction problems
Representing money values in different ways
Calculating change by counting on
Rich task - Menus and money
Knowledge Unit
This term, students will investigate the relationship between weather, climate, and the environment. They will explore how weather is measured and interpreted, examine the difference between weather and climate, and investigate how climate influences habitats, ecosystems, and landscapes. Students will also learn about the unique environment of the Coorong, discovering why it is an important wetland for native wildlife and how it has changed over time. As part of their inquiry, they will explore the impact humans have on the environment and the importance of conservation, developing a greater understanding of how we can all help protect Australia's natural habitats for future generations.
Sport
This year the cohort will participate in one hour of sport a week (in addition to PE sessions) and pending the weather throughout the term.
Reminders
Wednesday September 2nd – Father’s and Special Friends Day stall
Friday September 4th - Open Afternoon - Fathers and Special Friends
Thursday 10th September - R U Ok? Day
Friday 18th September - Footy Day
Friday 28th September - end of term 3 – 2:30 finish
Year 4
What’s Happening in Year 4 in September
Book Week was once again, a huge success at Beaumaris Primary School! The Year 4 students were fortunate enough to participate in an online author session. It was with Jess McGeachin, who is the author and illustrator of the books we studied in Term 2.
During the session he discussed and shared how he collected ideas to write about as well as how he planned where he would illustrate his stories.
The Book Week Assembly was as bright and colourful as always. Our students all participated and also cheered the other grades when they paraded. Thank you to all the parents for assisting their children to select and dress up as their favourite book character.
The Scholastic Book Fair was also another huge success with several thousands of dollars being raised which will go towards purchasing new books for the classrooms and library.
We would like to congratulate all the students for participating in the School Athletics Day with enthusiasm. The rain managed to hold off long enough for us to complete all the events! A special ‘shout out’ to all the students about to compete in the upcoming District Sports Competition. We are sure you will all have a great time representing our school.
Wellbeing
Students will be continuing to participate in the Government mandated program, Respectful Relationships.
Literacy
Our new spelling program, Word Origins will continue to be implemented throughout the second semester. Writing sessions will be focusing on persuasive texts to support our class novel, ‘The Wild Robot’. The children will be discussing the pros and cons of robots in our world.
Maths
The Year 4 students will be reviewing and building on their knowledge of fractions and decimals. The end of Term 3 will conclude with location and mapping. All areas of Maths that were studied throughout the first semester will also continue to be frequently revisited through the ‘Daily Review’ and reinforced with the ‘Number Fluency Program’.
Knowledge Unit
Our Science knowledge unit of ‘Water’ will conclude at the end of Term 3. Students will demonstrate their new understanding of the water cycle, and the importance of harvesting and storing our precious water, by completing a project by the end of the term.
Homework
The Year 4 students are expected to read every night and record their progress in their personal diaries. It is the responsibility of the student to bring their diary to school every day and take it home each night to log their reading. Classroom teachers will be checking and signing these diaries regularly to monitor student reading habits. The student diary will also be used to highlight important dates and reminders.
Important Year 4 Dates:
Wednesday September 2nd – Father’s Day Stall
Thursday 10th – R U ok Day?
Friday September 4th - Open Afternoon - Fathers and Special Friends
Friday September 18th – Footy Day
Friday September 18th – Last Day of Term 3 – 2:30pm Early Finish
