Classroom News
Specialist Learning Overviews Term 4
Music
As we enter the exciting final term of the school year, our music classes are gearing up for a festive and melodious journey. Here's a glimpse of what each grade will be up to in music class:
Preps & 1's: With the holiday season approaching, our Preps and Grade 1's will be getting into the festive spirit by exploring movement to music. Our Grade 1's will be learning engaging body percussion routines, while our Preps will be mastering Christmas dances. Additionally, they will recap the wonderful musical concepts they've learned throughout the year.
Year 2: In Year 2, students will be embracing the Christmas spirit by learning a basic Christmas tune on the chime bars. They will also have loads of fun playing along with the boom whackers, creating joyful and harmonious sounds.
Year 3 & 4: Our Year 3 and 4 students have truly become recorder superstars this semester. They've been busy composing, writing, and performing their very own recorder pieces. This term, they will be recording their final performances and uploading them to SeeSaw for everyone to enjoy and appreciate their musical talents.
Year 5: Our Year 5 students will be consolidating all the rhythmic skills they've acquired this semester and applying them to bucket drums. Get ready to be amazed by their rhythmic prowess as they drum up a storm!
Year 6: Our graduating Year 6 students will continue to make awesome music with their class band. We encourage you to stay tuned for performance opportunities early in the term, where you can witness their musical journey culminate in unforgettable performances.
Choir: Our school choir has some exciting plans for Term 4 as well. In November, we're thrilled to announce an excursion for our choir members—a backstage tour of the prestigious Hamer Hall at the Arts Centre. It's a wonderful opportunity for them to experience the behind-the-scenes magic of live performances. But that's not all! Stay tuned for our students' enchanting Christmas performances, which promise to spread festive cheer throughout the school community. And guess what? We're exploring the idea of creating an OLPS Christmas CD, so you can take the joy of our students' musical talents home with you this holiday season. We are thrilled to see our students' musical growth and creativity as they explore the world of music. Let's celebrate the joy of music-making together this term. Thank you for your ongoing support, and we look forward to sharing the musical magic with you throughout Term 4.
Art
In Term 4, we celebrate the much anticipated Our Lady’s Art Show with the opening night to be held on Tuesday October 10th at 5pm. With everyone invited to view and celebrate the student’s artwork. During this year’s advent season students will also create various Christmas inspired crafts and artworks.
In Term 4, the Prep students will develop skills in drawing cartoon like characters,
and experiment with using oil pastels to create a simple artwork. They will further develop their skills in clay making by creating more detailed Christmas inspired ornaments.
The Year 1 students will use simple lines and shapes to create recognisable images or representations. They will explore pencil shading techniques using a grey lead. Students will practise shading a sphere by pressure blending, hatching, scribbling and stippling.
The Year 2 students will learn how to identify and draw simple shapes that resemble different animals, such as circles for heads, ovals for bodies, and triangles for ears or beaks. They will develop skills in drawing cartoon like animals and objects.
The Year 3 students will learn to observe and then represent objects, people, or scenes with drawing while paying attention to details. They will create their own Onomatopoeia inspired pop art whilst developing skills in paper cutting and 3D collage.
The Year 4 students will observe and represent objects, people, or scenes with drawing while paying attention to details. They will practise drawing different cartoon features, such as eyes, mouths and noses.
The Year 5 students will observe and accurately represent animals or objects through drawing with attention to details and proportions. They will also explore the style and philosophy of street art and develop skills in paper collage and composition by creating ‘Invader’ inspired Paper-Pixels.
The Year 6 students will design their own emblem which will be featured on a team skateboard to show individuality, unity and teamwork. Students will observe and accurately represent animals or objects through drawing with attention to details, proportions and perspective.
Physical Education
Welcome to Term 4 of Physical Education. We hope you're as excited as we are to dive into two fantastic sport units that will challenge, engage, and develop our students from Prep to Year 6.
Unit 1: Tennis
Our first unit this term is all about tennis! Students will have the opportunity to learn and improve their skills on the court. Sessions have been designed to cater to all ages and skill levels, so whether your child is picking up a racket for the first time or already has some tennis experience, they're sure to have a blast.
For our younger students (Prep to Year 2), we'll be focusing on the basics of tennis, including hand-eye coordination, racket control, and fundamental footwork. As they progress through the unit, they'll participate in fun and interactive skill-based games and activities that will help them develop a love for the sport.
Our older students (Year 3 to Year 6) will take their tennis skills to the next level. They'll refine their techniques, work on strategies, and engage in exciting challenges to enhance their game. Expect to see some impressive rallies and serves on the court as they showcase their newfound abilities!
Unit 2: Golf
In our second unit, we'll be teeing off into the world of golf. Whether your child is dreaming of becoming the next Tiger Woods or simply wants to try their hand at this classic sport, there's something for everyone in our golf unit.
Our younger students will start with the basics of golf, focusing on grip, stance, and swing fundamentals. They'll have a blast participating in mini-golf activities and putting challenges that make learning the game a lot of fun.
For our older students, we'll dive deeper into golf techniques, including long drives and precise putting. They'll have the chance to experience the thrill of the golf course with age-appropriate equipment and challenges designed to improve their skills.
Throughout both units, students will participate in skill-based games and activities that not only build their physical abilities but also promote teamwork, sportsmanship, and a love for staying active. We believe that Physical Education is not just about the sports themselves but also about building lifelong values and healthy habits.
Sincerely,
Anthony Whitty
Physical Education Teacher
Library
In library our learning focus will be dedicated to fostering a passion for reading and exploration of both fiction and nonfiction books.
Through the exposure to fiction stories we will be encouraging students to delve into imaginative worlds, develop empathy and enhance their critical thinking. Equally important is our commitment to nonfiction, which provides opportunities for students to explore the ‘real world’ through informative texts. This will also aim to improve their research abilities, analytical thinking and knowledge of the world around them.
We invite you to engage in discussions with your child about their reading choices and be involved in their reading journey. Together, let’s inspire a lifelong love for reading!!
Each year level will have a particular focus on the following:
Prep: identifying the author’s role in constructing a story
Year One: locating picture story and nonfiction books in the Junior library and explaining the differences
Year Two: categorising given books into fiction and nonfiction
Year Three: sorting and describing similarities and differences between fiction and nonfiction books
Year Four: exploring how to use the information from the library search program to identify where books are located
Year Five & Six: learning to locate books using the library search program
All students have the opportunity to access our library search program from home to view books available in our school library. Find the link on the OLPS website homepage.
A reminder that all students need to return borrowed books and bring a library bag to be able to borrow a book during their weekly library session. Students can use any bag that is suitable to protect their books. For example, a reusable supermarket shopping bag. Should you wish, OLPS library bags can be purchased from either the library or the school office for $15 (cash only). Overdue book notices were sent out before the break and unfortunately, there are still a number of books from Term 3 that need to be returned as soon as possible. Appreciate your support with this!
LOTE - Japanese (4-6)
Japanese Language:
This term, we will be introducing the Hiragana alphabet (one of the essential scripts used in written Japanese) to our year 4, 5 and 6 students. Students will create simple pictures as memory aids or stories to help them remember the shape and sound of each Hiragana character. The use of catchy songs will help students remember the Hiragana characters and their sounds. Students will be introduced to some basic Japanese words using Hiragana characters. Students will start reading and writing simple words using Hiragana.
Japanese Culture:
Our students will be learning about Japanese Traditional new year ( new year customs, decorations, food and clothing etc.) through images and videos. They will be able to say the common Japanese New year’s greeting. Students will create their own Japanese New Year greeting cards (nengajo) with Japanese themed designs and write the New Year wish in Hiragana alphabet. Students will learn how to make Origami Christmas decorations and sing Christmas songs in Japanese.
Craigieburn Library Class Visits
Students in Prep and Year 1 will be visiting the Hume Craigieburn Library in Term 4. For your child to be able to borrow a book whilst on the excursion they must be a member of the Hume library. If your child isn't a member already, we encourage you to visit the library and become a member. To sign up, you need to visit the Hume library in person and provide identification with your current address. If your child has a membership card but has not borrowed within the last 12 months, their library card will have expired. Please see the school newsletter for dates your child will be visiting the library.
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