Year 3-4 

Wawa, Wumindjika

 Welcome to Week 8

As this is our final Classroom Communication, we want to take this opportunity to thank you, our families, for the year that has been. It's a privilege to teach these wonderful students and witness their growth and development over the year. May these final weeks be engaging, fun and a celebration of the learning that has taken place in 2024.

Sacrament of Confirmation and First Holy Communion

On Saturday evening, 16th November, Bishop Shane and Fr Tony said Mass with nine of our students to confirm them and offer their First Holly Communion. 

We congratulate James, Bailey, Will, Izzy, Cyra, Ella, Nicholas, Scarlett and Eden on receiving these Sacraments in the presence of family, friends and the parishioners of St. John's. We pray for them as they continue to follow in Jesus' way on their faith journey.

Thank you to Lylah, Charlie, Willow and Harper who led us in prayer and to the Sponsors of the candidates who supported them in their Sacraments.

A very special thank you to Mrs Frewen who prepared the students for their special night.

3/4 CAMP - Nillahcootie

Here's the wrap up from the kids themselves:

"There was cool games to play while we were in the canoes!" Peyton

"My favourite part of camp was roasting marshmellows outside in the campfire." Ella T

"My favourite part of camp was sleeping in the dorms." Lexie

"We had chicken and vegetables for dinner, I liked the cauliflower and the jelly for dessert." Judd

The three activities we did were flying fox, canoeing, the rope course, my favourite was the rope course because you got to go at your own pace and you didn't have to wait!" Billy

"The zip line was my favourite because you didn't have to use your arms or anything. Once you got to the top, you went really fast!" Izzy

"It was fun. The activities like canoeing, we got to use the paddle. I was with Eddie." Celine

"I loved the sleeping, it was relaxing" Darci

"The canoeing was my favourite because it's pretty easy and fun!" Richie

"I loved being with my mates, especially canoeing!" Billy R

"I really liked doing the ropes course, I found it easy!" Eddie

"It was really funny when Henry tried to tip the canoe!" Wyatt

"The flying fox was fun, it wasn't very scary!" Eden

"I was in a canoe with Peyton and Maya, and when we finished we got to jump in the water!" Lily C

My favourite was the flying fox because I went all the way to the top!" April

GEM Chats:

Post-Camp GEM chat: Ask your child to tell you something that made them feel really happy on camp. Something that made them feel uncomfortable (out of their comfort zone), and something that they are grateful for. Be sure to give them time to talk about their feelings and feel heard.

Make time in your afternoon or evening to check in with your child. It is a great opportunity to connect with them and validate their feelings.

Literacy

Lizzy came for a visit.

Jett brought his pet blue tongue Lizzy to meet the class. We then got into small groups and researched blue tongues to find out some very interesting information about them. This tied in beautifully to our focus on information texts. We put our skills into practise to learn all about them.

Did you know?

Our reading block continues to have a strong focus on linking reading and writing. We have been reading information texts about a variety of animals. Students have become very used to the silent reading time and now understand and adhere to the 20 minutes of authentic individual reading. 

Writing is focused on the structure of information texts and the use of correct punctuation and paragraphing. We are writing our reflections of camp as newspaper articles.

Library books

Thank you to the students who have returned their overdue books. Dee is still on the lookout for a few more, so please remember to check your shelves and under your beds to find the missing copies! We will send home some reminders in the coming weeks to make sure that all books are accounted for before the end of year.

Spelling 

We continue with our weekly spelling practice and take home words. We encourage all students to practise their list words each night. 

Numeracy

We are working through our measurement topic of angles and 3D shapes. Students will cover measurement in mass and capacity before we revise concepts from earlier in the year. 

Numeracy at home - 

Michael Minas is a teacher and wonderful mathematician. We love 'Love Maths' at school and they are very accessible games for your enjoyment, as a family at home.

Inquiry - Science

As we round out our Inquiry learning, we look at the topic of chemical science and the three states of matter. Students learn that there are three states of matter. They identify different materials as a solid, liquid or gas through an engaging interactive and hands-on experiences. They explore how adding or removing heat can affect a material’s state of matter through investigations and experiments. This unit involves students working scientifically and using scientific thinking. 

Religious Education

Jesse Tree

As we finish our Source of Life units in Religious Education, we look at the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is a Christian tradition used to help children and families prepare for Advent, the season leading up to Christmas. It's a visual and symbolic way of telling the story of God's salvation plan through Scripture, beginning with the creation of the world and continuing through the lives of key figures in the Bible, leading up to the birth of Jesus. The Jesse Tree is named after Jesse, the father of King David, because the family tree of David is seen as a symbol of the lineage that leads to Jesus.

What a fab year it has been!

Ally, Rachel, Lisa, Keira and Nic