Specialist News
Visual Arts
Foundation students have been exploring artist and writer/illustrator, Eric Carle, and building on their knowledge of the art technique collaging. Students have been drawing on Eric Carle for inspiration, creating their own fruit collage masterpieces, using their knowledge of basic shapes to aid with construction.
Year 1/2's have been delving into the world of contemporary artist Clare Youngs, who is known for her fine art collage technique using both created and found materials. They are using more advanced shapes including geometric and organic shapes to build animal artwork inspired by Clare Youngs.
Year 3/4's have travelled back to the early 1900’s to get a good look at Spanish artist Pablo Picasso and his many many different art periods. They have been focusing in on Picasso’s abstract period and have been busy creating their own abstract ‘faces’ artwork.
Year 5/6 are currently studying one of my favourite current local artist, Jonathan Gemmel, who is known for his bright colour combinations and abstract representations of nature. Year 5/6’s have been busy painting their multiple layered paintings using a variety of both geometric and organic shapes.
Performing Arts
The benefits of music education are immense and highly beneficial to students. Music positively impacts a child’s academic performance, assists in developing social skills, and provides an outlet for creativity that is crucial to a child’s development. Music education improves and develops language skills in children. Music stimulates the brain, and with its varied sounds and lyrics, students are exposed to a large amount of vocabulary in a short amount of time. Music also provides exposure to other languages, which creates a foundation for the student’s ability to understand and communicate in a different language.
Music is a vehicle for excellent memory skills. Have you ever listened to a song for the first time in a long time and still remember the lyrics? Even individuals who are not musicians experience this phenomenon.
This is particularly so for the students and staff at Bittern PS. After each music session, the songs tend to 'stick in our heads'. I am sure that many of your children come home singing these catchy tunes. So if you want to know our favourites songs please refer to our repertoire below. you may already know some of these, however if not please check them out online. I guarantee that you will be humming these songs in your sleep!
- Home among the Gum Trees
- Che Che Kule
- Mr. Clickety Cane
- Juicy Juicy Green Grass
- Inanay
- Can't stop the feeling - complete with dance moves! (Justin Timberlake)
- Macarena (an all time favourite)
Mrs Herbert
PE/SPORT
Over the past few weeks in PE we have been lucky enough to have DS Sports coming in and sharing their expertise on golfing. Students have been learning both the long range and putting techniques. They were even given the opportunity to create their own mini golf courses! This is another big week in PE, with some senior students selected to represent Bittern Primary School at our district Winter Lightning Premiership in soccer this Thursday.
Auslan
During Auslan sessions the Foundation students have become very efficient at signing the story: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? By Bill Martin Jr. They have learnt the signs for animal, bear, bird, duck, horse, frog, sheep, dog, cat and fish. This book helped them to incorporate their knowledge of the signs for a variety of colours and animals. Their enthusiasm during Auslan session is very promising.
The year three to six students have been showcasing their understanding of Auslan through the demonstration of their translation skills and their ability to form the signs using the correct Handshape, Orientation, Location, Movement and Expression (H.O.L.M.E). The results of this testing will be translated into the reports which will be available soon.
Miss Bacon