YEAR FIVE
Grade Bulletin - Term Two, 2023
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School provides a range of holistic learning experiences to enable students to:
- Participate in the life and mission of the school.
- Deepen their knowledge and engagement with the Catholic faith and tradition.
- Build capacity to continuously reason, reflectively, logically and critically.
- Embrace interdependence of human existence as global citizens, who are responsible to and for themselves and others.
- Engage in learning in a multitude of ways, through personalised and self-paced learning.
“Ideas are like small plants sprouting in the compost of experience; it takes time and patience to find out if they turn into trees’. Shaun Tan
Religious Education
Prayer, Liturgy and Sacraments - The Liturgical Year (Easter)
The Liturgical Year units enable students to explore the traditions, beliefs, Scripture and events celebrated by the Catholic community throughout the Liturgical Year. We will be focusing on the season of Easter. Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus and is a time of hope and new life.
God, Religion and Life - Good Stewards of Creation
This unit explores creation as a gift from God, which we are called to care for and protect. In this unit, students will develop a deeper understanding of God as Creator, and will appreciate more fully that creation is good. We are called to be one with each other and the earth community. The unit focuses on developing an understanding of our responsibility to care for God’s creation. It also explores our decisions to respect and care for the environment which will affect our world, both now and in the future. Students will identify issues of misuse and mismanagement in the environment and explore how we, as stewards of creation, can respond appropriately and compassionately. The unit will introduce the concept of ‘ecological conversion’ which calls us to change the ways in which we relate to each other and to the whole of God’s creation. The students will identify their call to challenge those ways and structures that oppress and exploit creation.
English
A Cherokee elder was teaching his young grandson about life.
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt and ego.
The other is good- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too."
The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf will win?"
The elder simply replied,
"The one you feed.”
(Quote from - Two Wolves, Tristan Bancks)
This term, our focus is to continue to bring riches and depth to our English classrooms and teaching practice. The students will experience literature focused units of work based on 'Two Wolves' & 'Detention' by Tristan Bancks. These texts present perspectives and points of view relating to the themes of relationships, authority, power, human rights and freedom.
The students will compose imaginative, persuasive and informative texts using ‘Seven Steps of Writing’ technique. Students will be taught explicit skills in relation to grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and specific concepts about print.
In explicit spelling lessons, students will follow the Year 5 Soundwaves spelling program focusing on weekly phonemes and graphemes.
Mathematics
Students engage in a one hour Mathematics lesson each day. Each lesson comprises of a daily review, mental arithmetic and explicit teaching from the following content areas for Term 2; Whole Number, Fractions & Decimals, Chance, Multiplication & Division and Mass
Year 5 students will engage in differentiated tasks in their Mathematics groups. These groups will remain fluid as we cater for the needs of individuals and their understanding of a variety of Mathematical concepts.
Please continue to practise the instant recall of four, six, seven, eight and nine times table facts with your children at home as this is an essential skill they will require.
Science and Technology
This term in Science and Technology, students will continue to develop their understanding of the Living World. The unit focuses on the growth and survival of living things and how their adaptations over time suit their environment. Students will investigate how and why food and fibre are produced in sustainable, managed environments that enable people to grow and be healthy. This strand further develops students’ knowledge and understanding of the environmental and biological sciences.
Mandarin
This term students in Kindergarten to Year 6 will continue to participate in the Chinese language program called the Meg Language Program. The Meg Curriculum is written by the co-author of the Australian Curriculum. All students and teachers will participate in the digital learning platform via Zoom weekly sessions with educators in China.
Geography
Through inquiry based learning students will continue focus on ‘Factors that Shape Places’. Students will be encouraged to develop their cultural and geographical skills. They will explore how people change the natural environment in Australia and other places around the world. They also investigate how the environment influences the human characteristics of places. This will involve inquiry that examines current local, national and global geographical issues. This unit will also integrate a historical investigation of colonial Australia in the 1800’s and embed the importance of sustainability in our current climate.
Amadeus Music Program
Students will continue with the Amadeus Music Education Program and participate in activities in listening, performing and organising sound within their regular Classroom Music lessons.
- It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they:
- Arrive on time for each lesson
- Bring their instrument and required accessories to every lesson If your child forgets their instrument, they will not miss their music lesson. Please do not drop forgotten instruments to school during the day.
- Bring their Essential Elements* music book
- Bring a lead pencil and eraser
Creative Arts
This term on a Monday, all Year 5 students will engage in a Physical Education (Miss Reid), Music (Mr Parlato) and an Art lesson (Mrs Brown/Miss Warton).
Music
Students will participate in activities in listening, performing, and organising sound, within their regular Classroom Music lessons. Within these lessons, students will:
- Sing in unison and in parts
- Play tuned and untuned percussion instruments
- Play available instruments such as Ukulele, Guitar and Keyboard (Grade appropriate)
Visual Arts
Our Visual Arts program for Term 2 will be integrated with our literature study as well as Easter and ANZAC Day. Year 5 students will be exploring the ways in which audiences can respond to artworks. They will determine how the subject matter can mean different things in artworks and explain deeper meaning. Additionally, the students will attempt to represent the likeness of things in the world through their choice of subject matter.
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
The Stage 3 PDHPE Program is aimed at providing opportunities for students to develop their skills and build confidence in Athletics activities using Fundamental Movement Skills. This will assist students in preparation for the Athletics Carnival. In Stage 3, students should be consolidating and/or proficient in specific athletics Fundamental Movement Skills. Students will practice and apply these skills through athletics activities.
The new program titled Open Parachute will be implemented K-6. Open Parachute aims to provide practical support on mental health to students. The program aims to reduce stigma and generate authentic dialogue in classrooms about the real issues students face. The psychological skills-building exercises aim to increase empathy, self-compassion, self-awareness, mental health literacy, and self-efficacy in students.
Homework
In Year 5, students are expected to complete 40 minutes of homework each night. It is expected that your child reads for 20 minutes nightly as part of their 40 minutes of homework and record their reading in their diaries. Your child will need to bring their diary to school every day.
Homework will be sent home Week 2. It will be due fortnightly on a Thursday (even weeks- Wk 4, 6, 8 & 10). Please sign and check your child's homework and make sure it has been completed to the best of their ability and presented neatly.
A homework grid will be sent home in their homework book clearly outlining the tasks. Each fortnight there will be spelling, reading, religion/wellbeing and maths tasks to complete. There are also some optional tasks for the term.
As a part of maths homework, a Maths Plus mentals and homework book will be provided to all students. A weekly task will be set and we ask that this be returned Thursday fortnightly (even weeks). Maths Plus follows a graded and spiralling approach, allowing for revision of concepts throughout the year. It will provide students with opportunities to sequentially develop, practise and master their skills and knowledge.
We look forward to continuing to work with you and your child this year. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher via a note or by appointment via the office.
Mrs Marnie Stuart and Mrs Desiree Djundja (5Blue)
Miss Chloe Tozer (5Gold)
Miss Chonteau Poot (5White)
Important Dates for Year 5
Sport Days:
5B: Monday and Friday
5G: Monday and Friday
5W: Monday and Wednesday
Library Days:
5B: Wednesday (Even Weeks)
5G: Wednesday (Odd Weeks)
5W: Wednesday (Even Weeks)
School Photos
Wednesday May 3rd 2023 - Students are to wear full winter uniform
School Term - 26th April - 30 June 2023