From the Classroom

News from The Seniors

We have continued reading August and Jones during English lessons, and have been looking closely at how an author’s life experiences can influence their writing. When responding to text questions, students have been working on giving clear evidence from the novel to support their thinking, helping them to build stronger and more thoughtful responses.

In Maths, we have been focusing on the importance of estimation, particularly how it helps students check the reasonableness of their answers and make quick, efficient decisions in problem-solving. We will soon be moving into learning about capacity and volume, where students will explore how to measure and compare the space objects take up. They will also practice converting between units, such as milliliters and liters, and cubic centimeters and cubic meters, to deepen their understanding.

In Science, our focus has been on light and its fascinating properties. Students have been asking and investigating questions such as What is light? and What happens when light hits an object? They have explored key terms including transparent, translucent, and opaque, and have investigated how shadows are formed. More recently, students have been learning about the law of reflection, experimenting with how light ‘bounces’ off different surfaces and applying their understanding through activities.

Middle School News

In English, Middle A students continue to read the Callers. Students are learning similes, metaphors, hyperbole and personification through the text and have started writing their own. Students continue to write summaries, add to character timelines and profiles and create heir own storylines and endings to the book.

Middle B students are creating their own Newspaper headline and article defending selected characters from fairy tales.

In Maths, Middle A are investigating elapsed time and Place Value and Money. Students will research how long various events take and explore tenths and hundredths. Please feel free to have your students estimate, add and pay for items and help them to calculate the change you will receive.

Middle B have started our unit on multiplication so it is a good time to start practicing 2x, 5x and 10x tables.

In Science and Inquiry we continue to study different animals lifecycles, traits and adaptations that help them survive. Students are busy creating their animal Powerpoints and will soon begin the long awaited diorama (made from donated shoe boxes)!

Juniors Tell All

Over the past fortnight, Junior B has been exploring the concept of differing perspectives through the engaging mentor text Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley. Students have been learning how to use a variety of verb groups and compound sentences to describe and reflect on the similarities and differences between characters. This has encouraged them to think more deeply about how people can see and experience things in unique ways. To build on this, the class has been collaboratively creating a class book that celebrates how we each have things in common while also embracing the things that make us different. This has been a wonderful opportunity for students to share their own perspectives and appreciate those of their peers.

In Mathematics, Junior B has been focusing on building their subtraction skills by learning and applying taught strategies to count backwards. Students have been practicing this skill through a range of interactive activities and games designed to strengthen their understanding of how counting backwards helps us solve subtraction problems. It has been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they develop greater fluency and accuracy in their number work.

Junior A have been diving into subtraction in a fun and hands-on way this term. We have been exploring the concept of “taking away” through a variety of playful activities. Using playdough for Subtraction Squish, students have been creating starting numbers, taking some away, and squishing what’s left to see the result. Our frogs have been “jumping off logs,” teddies have been “playing hide and seek,” and buttons have been “falling off shirts” to help bring subtraction to life. Students are encouraged to use their fingers to solve subtraction problems and are showing fantastic progress, with many beginning to extend themselves and tackle more challenging numbers.

In English, Junior A have been working on making connections between stories and their own lives. We have been sequencing events in narratives and exploring the different ways stories can be told, including through words, pictures, and actions. Students have been enjoying Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House and comparing it to the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs. Through discussions and activities, they have been identifying similarities and differences between the two texts, as well as exploring how each story is communicated. They have been able to write their own sentences by independently phonetical spelling. We have been very impressed!

BUDDIES!

This week, we took our creativity outdoors and designed our very own chalk obstacle courses. The students worked together to bring their imaginative ideas to life, drawing everything from vines to climb, lava to avoid, bubbles to pop, jellyfish to jump on, and even planets to fly to! Once the courses were complete, everyone had the chance to try each other’s creations, testing their balance, jumping skills, and problem-solving as they made their way through the colourful paths. It was a fantastic way to combine physical activity with creativity, and the students loved sharing their ideas and challenging their friends.

Performing Arts

Visual Arts: Free and low cost creative workshops

Imagine: Creative experiences for children aims to increase opportunities for children aged 8-12 years to creatively develop their skills beyond school and reduce barriers that may prevent children from participating in creative events.

Arts and cultural engagement has been shown to result in better health outcomes such as enhanced self-esteem, building social and intellectual skills, and preparing children for the future - both socially and in terms of career opportunities.

Imagine: Creative experiences for children is funded by VicHealth and acknowledges the vital role creativity plays in the transitional years of learning.

Learn more about these creative workshops and book a place here: www.maroondah.vic.gov.au/imagine