Round the classes 

Reception class: Katie 

The Reception class has been busy learning their final few sounds for the year. We have also been busy learning how to write some basic poems. 

In maths we have started learning about 2D shapes and have come up with our own definition of what a 2D shape is. We have also been sorting shapes in accordance with their common attributes. 

In HASS we have been learning about mapping and last week we had a look at the map of the Adelaide Zoo and attempted to read it. This week we will make our own maps. 

As part of our work with the Kimochis, we have been exploring what the curious feeling is and have been practising asking curiosity questions of others after they have completed their sharing. 

We loved welcoming some of the 2024 Receptions on Wednesday. 

Year 1 class: Kelly and Troy

Where has the term gone? Again, we have been super busy with our learning.

We have been focusing on our sounds 'ew' (as in screw, dew, glue), 'u' (as in statue and emu) and 'ed' (as in cracked, played and watched). These sounds have been particularly challenging, so we have been working on hearing the word and working on how to pronounce the word correctly. We have been playing lots of games and creating sentences using these words.

For writing, we have been revisiting narratives. We have been focusing on working on correct sentence structure - focusing on placing capital letters and full stops. We have been working on remembering the beginning (introducing characters, settings and beginning the problem/conflict), middle (going deeper into the problem/conflict) and ending (solving the conflict with a resolution and deciding how the story ends).

For maths we have begun learning statistics - asking questions, collecting data, recording data on simple graphs, and analysing the data. The children have been learning to ask appropriate questions and have been using tallies to record their data. We have been revisiting maths games - with addition and subtraction.

For HASS, the children have created futuristic toys. They had to think about what materials the toy would be made from, what would the toy do and why children would play with it.

Year 2 class: Sam

In our recent mathematics lessons, the Year 2 class has been focusing on learning about repeated addition, arrays, and multiplication facts. The concept of arrays has become a fundamental tool in our mathematical toolbox, making counting collections a breeze. Arrays allow us to visualise equal groups lined up in rows, making it easy to compare the size of each group and ensuring that all groups are equal.

To bring this learning to life, we embarked on an exciting array hunt around the school. Armed with curiosity and iPads, each group recorded their findings. It was not just a hunt; it was a fun-filled exploration that brought our mathematics lessons to life. Sharing our discoveries with other groups in the class using technology added an extra layer of excitement and collaboration.

In literacy lessons, our focus has been on preparing for the big leap to Year 3 by honing our handwriting skills. We've been diligently working on achieving our whole class learning goals: writing on the correct line, forming letters correctly, and utilising Level 1 and Level 2 from the Punctuation Pyramid, at a minimum.

As we journey through our class novel, 'The Twits,' we find ourselves halfway through the whimsical story. The strong character descriptions and the hilarious tricks the Twits play on one another have captivated our imaginations. Reading aloud together has not only enhanced our literacy skills but has also deepened our love for storytelling thanks to Roald Dahl!

Enjoy your weekend everyone. 

Year 2/3 class: Stephen and Suzie

We had an amazing excursion to Ashton Valley Fresh last week.  We got to see and learn about the process of growing apples and making sure they are ready for consumers in supermarkets.  We discovered the importance of the apples’ colour, size and sugar content, among other things.  We also looked at how apple and other fruit juices are made.  As a bonus, we were allowed to sample some of the fruit juices. We were amazed at how new technology is a part of apple growing, from x-raying apples to spraying crops with AI robots and drones. Below are some pictures from the excursion.

In other areas of our learning, we had a big focus on describing the setting for the narratives we write.  This involved thinking about all the possible features that can be referenced, including the sun’s rays, the trees, the leaves, the grass, the breeze and the look of the sky.  Ultimately, our goal is to bump up the quality of the narratives we write.

Year 4/5 class: Alex

This fortnight students have been rehearsing for our class assembly. They have been supportive peers, giving constructive feedback and brainstorming script ideas. Well done to those confidently volunteering to be involved in presenting. 

In HASS, students have been working with a partner to research an early European explorer. They have been investigating where, when and what motivated these famous individuals and what outcomes their explorations had. Students have been developing their inquiry skills, finding answers to ordered sub-questions to answer a key question about the significance of the explorers’ journeys. 

In writing students have been researching someone of interest to them to write a biography about. They have been structuring their research to include sections in their text such as ‘early life,’ ‘influences,’ ‘achievements’ and ‘where they are now.’ They have been looking at examples of text structure through reading and discussing existing biographies. 

In mathematics, students have been working on their multiplication strategies and applying them to solve problems in context. They have been reflecting upon their progress toward achieving their current maths goals. Students have been continuing to build fluency through their daily mental maths and online maths challenges. 

Year 5/6 class: Sallie

What do running on the spot, origami, and coin tosses have to do with maths?  Ask the students in our class and they will explain how we have used these activities to explore different areas of maths. 

In English, we are working on completing our unit of work on reading comprehension and working on descriptive writing. It was fabulous being outside when the gray clouds rolled in and writing about what we saw. It was nice to write in the willow circle for a change of scenery. 

Using Makers Empire to design a maze and then have it peer-assessed is our goal in Design and Technology. 

For Civics and Citizenship, we are looking at our parliamentary system and this will culminate in a whole Year 5 and Year 6 excursion to Parliament House in week 8. 

We had a special visitor this week Medusa. Medusa is Kayla's pet which is a Children's Python. We learned that Medusa is 15 years old and eats every 1.5 weeks. Medusa ate 2 mice last week! 

Nearly there everyone!! 

Science: Troy

The Reception students have started learning about movements. We have incorporated play-based learning to demonstrate different movements with our bodies in a range of fun games. 

The year one students are learning about weather and symbols to record what they observe outside. 

The year two and threes are currently learning about the Solar System and learning different information about the eight planets and their features. 

Our year four / five class students are looking at water erosion. They created their own mountain from soil and used different water flow to see the effects top soil. 

Finally, the five / six class students have started learning about cyclones. 

PE: Victoria

In Physical Education, the Year 4-6 students have been focusing their learning around cricket. Students have been practising their throwing, catching, batting and bowling skills as they work towards playing some modified games. 

The Junior Primary students continue to focus their learning around developing their fundamental movement skills. Students have particularly enjoyed practising their throwing, catching and striking skills at the cricket, badminton and basketball stations.

Indonesian: Ibu Susan

In Indonesian lessons the younger classes have all tried rambutan, a sweet tropical fruit that grows in Indonesia. Some children went back for seconds, others weren’t so keen!! We have also welcomed 2 new teddies, Rama and Sita.

Sallie’s class has been busy reading stories from the Ramayana, an ancient Hindu text. They have started making wayang kulit (shadow puppets) of some of the main characters from these stories. They look fabulous!

Knockout Tennis

On Monday, 20/11/2023 Ethan Cox, Patrick Arthur, Alby Griffiths and Henry Matthias went to Littlehampton tennis courts to play Knockout tennis. In order we versed Stirling East, Highgate and Belair. We played doubles and singles against the other boy teams. Henry and Patrick played doubles together and Ethan and Alby were the other pair. We didn’t win overall but we had a great time. We did win some games however but not enough to win overall. Thank you to Sarah (Henry's mum) for driving and Sallie for organising. We had a great day!

by Alby Griffiths

SAPSASA District Tennis 

Ethan and Henry at district SAPSASA tennis. Ethan is representing the Hills district and Henry is representing the Mt Barker district. Well done on both boys in being selected to represent the different districts.