Classroom News

Foundation: Mrs Mclay

Swimming Week was an absolute blast! We had the best time learning so many new skills in the pool, including life-saving activities. Check out our favourite part of Swimming Week: 

Eadie – Having fun in the small pool on the last day. 

Pippa – Jumping off the diving board at the deep end. 

Morgan – Just getting to go in the pool was cool! 

Taj – I liked throwing the milk bottle in the water to save people.  

Freyah – I loved learning about safety in the water.  

Finn – Playing with the sinkies. 

Everest – Swimming like rockets, where your feet push off the edge of the pool. 

Jarrah – Floating. 

Buddy – Floating like a starfish in the water. 

Grace – Pool safety. 

Oscar – I enjoyed learning about safety in the pool.  

Lucy - Having fun in the small pool on the last day. 

Foundation- Grade 1: Miss Emmett

In Foundation, students are now nearing the completion of learning the full Foundation code in InitiaLit. They have been working hard to blend and segment sounds to read and spell words with increasing confidence, and it has been wonderful to see their independence continue to grow.  

Our Year 1 students have been extending their literacy skills through the InitialLit-1 program, exploring more complex vowel digraphs and learning how to apply grammar knowledge, including identifying nouns, verbs, and adjectives in their reading and writing. 

In Mathematics, we have been focusing on measurement and shape. Students have been learning to tell time on an analogue clock to the hour and learning different measurements of time such as minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades and centuries. They have also been describing and comparing the features of 2D shapes and exploring how shapes appear in everyday objects and places.  

As part of our Inquiry learning, students have been investigating how the properties of materials can change. Through hands-on activities and guided discussion, students have explored how heating, cooling, bending, stretching and mixing can change the form or use of everyday items. This unit has encouraged curiosity, observation and prediction, helping students to see how science connects to real life.  

Grade 2: Miss Wooden

In our recent science lesson, Grade 2 students did a yummy stretching experiment! The goal was to learn about the different actions materials can make and how they can physically stretch. The students enjoyed stretching snakes and then eating them! 

We have just finished reading 'George's Marvellous Medicine'! The story sparked our imagination as we followed George on his adventurous journey, where he concocted his special medicine. After finishing the book, the students participated in a fun activity where they created their own advertisements for George's magical potion. 

We recently wrapped up our data unit in Grade 2, and it was a fantastic learning experience! The students had a great time collecting data through surveys and observations. After gathering our information, we guided them in creating column and bar graphs to visualise their findings. 

Grade 3: Mrs Stock

Last Friday, the Grade 3 and 4 students visited the Tongala Nutrition Factory and what a hit it was! I overheard a few of the boys saying it was one of the best things they’ve ever done (apart from school camp, of course!). The students were fully engaged throughout the visit, asking thoughtful and interesting questions. To top it off, the school received a lovely phone call shortly after we returned, praising our students for their excellent behaviour and enthusiasm. We couldn’t be prouder!

Here are some of our highlights from the day:

Tom: I loved drinking the milk- the banana flavour was my favourite! 

Ollie: I liked wearing the blue Smurf gear and the workers saying 6/7! 

Joshua: I liked eating the cheese.

George: I liked tasting the different cheese.

Tully: I just wanted to get picked up by the robot! 

AJ: I liked trying mixed flavours of the milk. 

Will: I liked that we could ask if they were making any new flavours and I liked eating the cheese and drinking the milk. 

Addison: I liked the robot because it looked like it would be a fun ride. Marla and I wanted to go on it! 

Marla: I liked seeing the robot. 

Oonagh: I loved it when we got to taste all the different flavours of milk. I gave them a 10/10! 

Charlie: I liked how nice all the workers were. 

Grade 4: Miss Dove & Mrs McKiernan

It’s been another busy and exciting fortnight in Grade 4! We all enjoyed our Inquiry excursion to Tongala Nutrition as part of our Inquiry unit on States of Matter. Students learned how milk is processed and turned into a variety of products, giving them a real-world look at solids, liquids, and gases in action. We also had a few students – Maddison, Madeline, and Marley – who were lucky enough to take part in the Blast Cricket Carnival in Rochester, showing great teamwork, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm. It was wonderful to see them representing our school so proudly! 

We are just about to commence our new text ‘His Name Was Walter’ by Emily Rodda — a mysterious and beautifully written story about a group of children who discover an old book that reveals a hidden past. As they read, they uncover secrets about a boy named Walter and the people connected to him. Throughout this text study, we will build our speaking and listening skills by discussing key themes, sharing interpretations, and expressing opinions about the characters and events. Whilst reading, begin to recognise how authors use language and structure to make their writing interesting. We will revisit the writing genre of Narrative, where we will plan, draft, and edit a story that will include detailed characters, settings, and plot events to engage the reader. 

In Math, we are exploring Probability. We have ordered events and the outcomes of chance experiments in terms of likelihood and identify whether events are independent or dependent. We are continuing to conduct repeated chance experiments using different coloured balls from a bag, coin tosses, rolling a die and coloured spinners, and then describing the variation in results which has been lots of fun! 

Our new unit ‘Christmas - The Jesse Tree’ in Religious Education allows us to explore how Christmas is a fulfilment of God’s promise and a time to celebrate 

Jesus’ birth. We begin by exploring Advent as a time of looking forward to the fulfilment of that promise. This week, we have started creating our own Jesse Tree. Over the coming weeks, we will gradually add baubles to it that represent significant people and stories from the Bible, while learning about their meanings and associated symbols. 

Time is certainly moving quickly this term, with lots of great events still to come! The students are excited for the weeks ahead as we continue to enjoy our learning and the special activities planned to finish the year. 

Grade 5-6: Miss Rasmussen

Writing

As part of our unit inspired by The Grandest Bookshop in the World, our Grade 5/6s have been crafting magical narratives. The results have been imaginative, funny, suspenseful—and full of the narrative features we’ve practised all year (strong openings, sensory description, dialogue, and tension). Here are a few standout snippets from their pieces:

• Charlotte – Ivy’s Lost Sister“The doorbell tinkled, leaving the sound humming throughout the arcade… In the bustling streets of Melbourne’s city centre stood Cole’s Book Arcade, a magical place where everyone belongs.”
• Isla – Ivy’s Imaginary Friend“SPLASH! Chocolate covered the girls as the river followed them. The river blocked them in, and Lolly Land felt as small as a tiny cottage.”
• Angie – Imagine Ghosts“I got to be Ivy’s guardian ghost. I got to stay with her, to protect her—but somehow it felt like Ivy was protecting me.”
• Jim – The Desperate Mr Cole“Mr Cole knelt. ‘I want you to take my life, but in exchange restore the Arcade and leave my family forever.’ The room went silent… then the Obscurosmith smiled.”
• Lil – The Magnificent Lolly Land“The sweet smell of toffee, raspberry and citrus filled the room… Candle wax glowed, making the bookshop seem magnificent.”
• Riley – The Obscurosmith™“‘Then I shall put a curse on this book arcade… In the second year they shall face seven obstacles and win them all—or I keep it.’ And he vanished in a blink.”
• Xavier – The Magic Bookshop“Something amazing happened—Eddie teleported to catch the falling vase. ‘Do we all have powers?’ Ivy whispered, eyes wide.”
• Parker – Sage and the Invisible Friend“SPLASH! Izzy dived into the hot toffee river and the chocolate willow tree pulled her under—too thick to swim.”
• Zeb – The Paper Bird“A bird made of paper swooped and spat paper balls; each one made Pearl bigger and bigger. If she didn’t dodge, she’d pop!”
• Cabe – Lolly Land“The grass was fairy floss, the trees giant lollipops, and the animals gummy bears. Pearl’s house was made of lollies—sweet and sturdy.”
• Dusty – The Mysterious Lamp“Blue fog curled from the dented lamp. A low, deep, wise voice boomed, ‘WHO GOES THERE?’ The orange cat froze.”

Maths

Our current Maths unit on graphing has helped us learn which types of graphs best suit different kinds of data, the key features that make graphs effective, and how to create a variety of graphs to display information clearly.

A highlight of the unit has been using digital technology to create graphs. Students were amazed at how quick and easy it was to turn data from different sources into clear, colourful visual representations! It was fantastic to see their excitement as they discovered how technology can make learning about data both fun and meaningful.

Interschool Cricket

Some of our Grade 5/6 boys and girls headed to Rochester to compete in the T20 Blast Cricket Tournament. It was a fantastic day filled with sunshine, teamwork, and plenty of fun!

Both teams showed great sportsmanship and enthusiasm throughout the day — cheering each other on, celebrating good shots, and learning from every game. There were some impressive catches, powerful batting, and quick thinking out on the field.

It was great to see everyone enjoying being active, working together, and representing St Patrick’s with pride. A huge thank you to the organisers and supporters who helped make the day such a success!