What's Happening in our Specialist Programs
Below is a 'What's Happening' about each of our specialist programs during Term 1.
This will be included at the beginning of each new term from our Specialist teaching team.
Visual Art
Welcome to a new year in Visual Arts! We have kicked off 2026 with a range of engaging activities, celebrating Valentine’s Day and sharing creativity and kindness across our school community. This term, students at Beaumaris will focus on developing drawing, painting and collage techniques, with a strong emphasis on landscape design.
Across all year levels, students will build their understanding of the elements and principles of art, including line, colour, value, contrast, shape, space, proportion and balance.
Special Events
In Term 1 and 2, students will take part in Community Portraits & Student Voice, a creative project celebrating our Beaumaris community. Beaumaris Secondary students will use artworks from Beaumaris Primary students in a creative and inspiring collaboration, students will also photograph selected primary students, who will respond to the prompt “What do you love about the Beaumaris community?” in an age-appropriate way.
Portraits and student reflections will be shared through an exhibition using QR codes at the June Fringe Festival. Stay tuned for more details.
Details about the Art Easter competition will be announced soon by our 2026 Visual Art Captains, stay tuned! With our amazing artists and our 2025 winning and finalist results, we will be giving students the opportunity to enter the 2026 Ellen Jose Student Reconciliation Awards once the competition has been launched.
Booklist materials
For any students yet to bring in all their art materials from the booklist please do so as soon as possible, for a comprehensive list please contact Jen in the office.
Donations
Over the years, the BPS community have donated reusable items to the art room. If anyone has any melting bead (Hama bead) bases, they no longer want we would love to use these please.
Prep
Prep students will explore a variety of lines and mark making materials, including oil pastels, paints, pencils, pens and markers. They will be given the opportunity to develop their pencil grip and use a variety of tools. Students will participate in a Valentine’s Day heart project using cutting, painting and collage techniques. Prep students will also begin exploring landscapes, focusing on the horizon line where the sky meets the earth, and experimenting with community drawings and small world landscapes. This work will connect with the Beaumaris Secondary College Community Project in Term 2.
Year 1
Year 1 students will experiment with oil pastels, pencils, watercolours and markers to develop their skills. For Valentine’s Day, they will create heart artworks using white paint on black paper to explore contrast. In their landscape studies, students will investigate the horizon line and the placement and size of objects in relation to it. They will also experiment with community drawings, linking to the Beaumaris Secondary College Community Project in Term 2 and create 3D collage buildings for a cityscape artwork.
Year 2
Year 2 students will work with oil pastels, chalk pastels, pencils, paints and markers across a range of projects. Valentine’s Day artworks will be inspired by stained glass designs using paint and markers. During landscape studies, students will explore the horizon line and discuss concepts here, near and far, linking an object’s size to distance away. They will experiment with chalk pastel smudging techniques and create warm and cool colour landscapes.
Year 3
Year 3 students will use a variety of mark making tools, including oil pastels, chalk pastels, paints, pencils and markers. Valentine’s Day projects will focus on cutting techniques and tissue paper. In landscape studies, students will explore here, near and far and take this further by using dark, medium and light values to create depth in the background. They will experiment with Van Gogh’s Starry Night and use chalk pastel smudging techniques in desert landscapes.
Year 4
Year 4 students will experiment with a wide range of mark making tools and explore several themed projects, including a Valentine’s Day artwork inspired by Starry Night, using contrasting colours. In landscape design, students will develop their understanding of here, near and far, value and layering. They will practise simple perspective techniques and experiment with stained glass designs and paper-based perspective landscapes.
Year 5
Year 5 students will explore a variety of lines using oil pastels, chalk pastels, paints, pencils, pens and markers. They will use paper and collage techniques to create Valentine’s Day ‘love bug’ artworks. Landscape studies will focus on value, layering and simple perspective, including one-point perspective. Students will experiment with depth of field and overlapping paper techniques to create a strong sense of space.
Year 6
Year 6 students will primarily focus on drawing and painting, refining their fine motor skills to create more detailed artworks showing depth, texture, shading and three-dimensional features. They will create a collaged heart artwork celebrating Valentine’s Day and will begin on their Year 6 Performing Arts Production set book pages using recycled paper. Throughout the term, they will complete landscape artworks using paint, paper and decorative materials. Students will explore value, perspective, layering and one-point perspective, while further developing their understanding of contrast and realism. They will also experiment with fauvist and impressionist techniques in their landscape work.
The Visual Arts Team
Olivia Winfield, Mikaela Sok and Caroline Bowler
Japanese
Over the first couple of weeks, students will be settling into the routines and expectations of the Japanese room. Some students will volunteer for classroom jobs such as Japanese class captains for the term (starting and ending the lesson), password keeper (making sure they find out the word or phrase everyone must say before entering class). Security guard (stands on the bridge and welcomes student in when they say the correct password or directs them back to the password keeper to hear it again), time keeper (to set timers when doing story time all in Japanese), phone person (answers the phone in Japanese if it rings and takes messages) Respect is very important in Japan so students are encouraged to thank their teachers at the end of every day and greet people at the beginning of the day in Japanese.
Prep
Preps this term are learning all about Japan, where it is, what language they speak, how we would get there, etc. They are learning basic greetings, Japanese songs and how to write and read their name in Japanese. This term they will also learn about Setsubun festival (February)and Hinamatsuri (girls’ day) festival which is celebrate on March the 3rd. All girls will have their photos taken in a traditional kimono.
Year 1
This term, the Year 1 students will continue to practise their greetings, numbers, colours and reading and writing their names in katakana. Students will compare schools in Japan to Australia and set up classroom jobs including Japanese captains who will open and close each lesson. They will all research the animal year they were born in and enjoy Setsubun festival (February) and Hinamatsuri (girls’ day) festival which is celebrate on March the 3rd. All girls will have their photos taken in a traditional kimono.
Year 2
This term, the Year 2 students will compare schools in Japan to Australia and set up classroom jobs including Japanese captains who will open and close each lesson. Students will practice asking each other how they are (ogenki desu ka) and tell the day, date and weather each week. They will all research the animal year they were born in and enjoy Setsubun festival (February) and Hinamatsuri (girls’ day) festival which is celebrate on March the 3rd. All girls will have their photos taken in a traditional kimono.
Year 3
Year 3 students are discovering Japanese through stories, games, and lots of listening using a Comprehensible Input approach. Activities like Mystery Student help build curiosity and confidence as students work together respectfully and begin communicating in Japanese as a class community. All students in year 3 are encouraged to ask in Japanese if they want to go to the toilet, get a drink or borrow something. This term we will look at the many festivals, including Setsubun (oni), Hinamatsuri (girls’ day) and the 12 zodiacs- including this year, the year of the Horse. All girls will have their photos taken in a traditional kimono.
Year 4
This term, the Year 4 students will continue to communicate in the classroom, incorporating many student jobs. All students are encouraged to discuss the weather, date, how they’re feeling each week in Japanese. They are also encouraged to ask in Japanese if they want to go to the toilet, get a drink or borrow something. Students will grow their Japanese skills through meaningful communication and collaboration. Using Comprehensible Input, they’ll participate in class favourites like Mystery Student and Special Person interviews, learning to listen carefully, ask questions, and support one another as language learners. This term we will look at the many festivals, including Setsubun (oni), Hinamatsuri (girls’ day) and the 12 zodiacs- including this year, the year of the Horse. All girls will have their photos taken in a traditional kimono.
Year 5
This term, the Year 5 students will continue to practice their hiragana/ katakana reading by doing weekly ikana tests on the ipads. Students will enjoy communicating in Japanese in the classroom and working on building the time only spoken in Japanese each week. Students have the opportunity to fill classroom jobs, such as Captains, password keeper, security guard, timekeeper and phone person. Students will celebrate Setsubun festival (February) and Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) in March. All girls will have their photos taken in traditional kimono.
Year 6
This term, the Year 6 students will start their ‘belts’ for the year. There are 7 belts to complete (white, yellow, orange, green, blue, read, black). Only a few students have reached their black belts! Students are encouraged to speak as much Japanese as possible and continue with their reading of the hiragana mini books. Each lesson they will complete an ikana test for character recognition. White belt activities are : read and write their katakana name, say 4 greetings, read any 3 hiragana mini books from series 1, read and write simple hiragana words, role play asking someone when their birthday is as well as stating their own, showing sensei what some Japanese gestures would look like and completing a jikoshoukai (self introduction). They will also celebrate Setsubun and Hinamatsuri festivals and girls will have their photo taken in traditional Japanese kimono.
Japanese at home
The students will all learn to read using hiragana mini books from the Japan foundation. They can be accessed here
https://classroomresources.sydney.jpf.go.jp/resources/hiragana-mini-books/
Performing Arts
In Term 1, Performing Arts lessons will focus on Drama. Students will develop skills such as teamwork, perseverance, and creative thinking as they make, perform, and view drama. They will also explore how drama and performance were important forms of communication for First Nations Australians.
Prep
Prep students are learning about the ‘No Drama Llamas!’ They are exploring how we use our bodies, eyes, ears, voices, and imagination to create drama. Students will focus on building confidence and working together to create frozen images known as tableaux.
Year 1
Through games and activities, Year 1 students will refresh their understanding of the ‘No Drama Llamas!’ They will continue exploring how to use their bodies, voices, and imagination to create drama, while developing confidence and teamwork through tableaux. Students will also explore how emotions are expressed and use the Zones of Regulation to identify changes in their bodies.
Year 2
Year 2 students are beginning to connect their knowledge of the ‘No Drama Llamas!’ with the Elements of Drama. They will create drama pieces linked to their classroom Knowledge Unit on the Solar System, developing and performing an advertisement for a chosen planet.
Year 3
Year 3 students are expanding their understanding of the Elements of Drama through games and activities. They will apply these elements to create their own twisted fairy tales, using character, movement, and relationships to develop humorous and engaging performances.
Year 4
Year 4 students are continuing to explore the Elements of Drama. Their understanding of Mood and Focus will help to shape their work, as they will script and perform their own BTN-style news episodes. This activity will link to topics from their classroom Knowledge Units.
Year 5
Year 5 students are using the Elements of Drama to create short dramatic pieces based on a shared event. Focusing on mood, atmosphere, space, time, and movement, students will perform pieces depicting the ‘Best Day Ever’, each from a unique perspective.
Year 6
Term 1 is an exciting opportunity for Year 6 students as they begin preparing for the 2025 Year 6 Musical. Students will focus on character and voice while rehearsing and performing duologues. Auditions for the musical will take place towards the end of Term 1.
Glee Club
Glee Club is returning in 2026! It is open to students in Years 4–6, with the first session held on Tuesday, 10 February. Meetings will run on Tuesdays during lunch. Glee Club is a wonderful opportunity for students who love singing and performing. Please see Ms Pholi for more information or to join. Our first performance will be at the Easter Hat Parade, let’s get rolling!
Morning Melodies
Following its success in 2025, Morning Melodies will continue in 2026. On Monday mornings, students in Prep to Year 3 are welcome to join us in the Performing Arts room from 8:45am to sing, dance, and start the week with music. Students should leave their bags in the line-up area and walk across. Morning Melodies will commence Monday of Week 3 (9th February).
Musical Update
The Year 6 Musical is fast approaching, only 218 days to go! Last year, students pitched ideas for the musical they would like to perform. Once performance rights are secured, we will announce the chosen musical to the school community.
Looking forward to a busy and exciting Term 1!
Be good and be good at it!
Ms Pholi
Physical Education
What’s Happening in Physical Education in Term 1
Welcome back to P.E. for 2026! This year Mr. Pretty will continue teaching years 3-6 P.E. as well as our Prep students. Returning to the team this year, Mrs. Prendergast will be teaching year 1, 2 and a year 4 class.
We are so excited to start a year full of fun, games and physical activity with the students. We have been working hard to create a program that focuses on high participation, fun and inclusion. We want our students to be inspired to get involved and be active in as many ways as they can at school and at home.
Starting in Term 1 we will have our year 1, 2 and 4 students completing their swimming lessons at the new Sandringham leisure centre pool which will be a great opportunity for them to learn some valuable water safety skills.
We also have a lot of exciting competitive sporting opportunities this Term for our year 4-6 students with district swimming and Term 1 interschool sport kicking off the year.
We will be looking out for parent volunteers so if you are keen to help watch for the posts on Compass. Looking forward to a great year together!
Prep
- Practising fundamental movement skills
- Taking part in a range of minor games
- Learning about cooperation and turn taking in games
Participating in games to promote fair play and inclusion
Years 1 and 2
- Developing and refining fundamental movement skills
- Discussing how rule systems make games fair and inclusive
- Developing their throwing and catching skills
Practising locomotive skills in minor games and activities
Years 3 and 4
- Combining motor skills in invasion games, ie. Running and controlling a hockey ball
- Developing teamwork and positioning in invasion games
- Transferring skills and tactics between sports like passing and running to space
Applying and modifying rules and scoring systems in minor games
Year 5 and 6
- Combining motor skills in invasion games, ie. Running and controlling a hockey ball
- Promoting team play through suggesting and applying different tactics
- Participating positively in team games in a range of roles
- Modifying and testing rules of games to promote fair play and inclusivity
