Kii 3/4S families and welcome back to Term 3!

We’ve had such a wonderful fortnight together. It has been lovely to see everyone return from the holidays refreshed and excited to be back with their friends. Our classroom has been filled with happy chatter, enthusiasm, and a real sense of community as we begin a new semester together.

This semester, our class is delighted to have Gardening with Emily once again, a much-anticipated highlight that the students have been eagerly looking forward to. There has also been plenty of excitement as our Grade 3 students begin their Orchestra lessons. The Grade 3 students from our class will join Lucy’s class for these sessions.

Notes have been sent home regarding the upcoming Malpa - Young Doctor Program that will be delivered by Shara Graham and Melanie Harrison. Please ensure the permission section has been completed and returned to school as soon as possible, as the program commences in week 3. If you have not received this note already, please let me know.

The Malpa - Young Doctors sessions run over 15 weeks and are designed for Grade 3/4 students. The children will be involved in weekly activities, which are fun and focussed around 6 main topics: nutrition, health literacy, environment health, hygiene, leadership and emotional wellbeing. Throughout the program they will also work with community elders, respected community members and guest speakers.

“I liked how we got to go in the ambulance and we got to eat fruit every session. I learned about keeping my body healthy by not smoking or vaping because it can hurt your lungs. The activities were really fun!” Connor

“Malpa was very fun and it was interesting to learn about all the different ways you can stay healthy. It was just a fun experience. I liked writing about myself and singing” Ivy M

“It was really fun and we learned lots about staying healthy and being hygienic. The activities were really fun. A paramedic came in and we got to go in the ambulance and we learned what to do in an emergency and how to stay safe” Sophie

“I liked going into the ambulance and I learned that it’s not good to smoke. I liked learning about all the things in the ambulance” Stella

“I think the Grade 3’s will love Malpa because it’s a great educational experience!” Ivy I

In Main Lesson, we have begun our journey into the Kalevala, the treasured collection of Finnish legends that tells of the world's beginnings, the forces of nature, and the adventures of its great heroes. Through these rich mythological stories, students are developing their listening, imagination, and artistic thinking as they explore themes of creation, courage, wisdom, and the relationship between humanity and the natural world. They have enjoyed bringing these tales to life through storytelling, discussion, and beautiful Main Lesson book work inspired by the imagery and symbolism of the legends.

In Literacy, we have been exploring persuasive writing and the many language features authors use to influence their readers. Students have been learning to strengthen their arguments by using emotive language, rhetorical questions, repetition, modal verbs, and inclusive language. They have enjoyed discussing different viewpoints and practising how to support their opinions with clear reasons and convincing evidence, while considering the needs of their audience.

In Mathematics, we have been focusing on telling the time. Students have practised reading and representing times to the minute, five minutes, quarter past, quarter to, half past, and o'clock on analogue clocks. They have also been learning to identify the different parts of an analogue clock and to use skip-counting strategies to work out elapsed time and solve everyday time problems.

Our current timetable for Term 3 is as follows:

Tuesday

Music 12.40-1.40

Craft 2.30-3.30

Wednesday

LOTE 9-10

Orchestra 4’s 11.40-12.40

Orchestra 3’s 12.40-1.40

Thursday

PE 11.40-12.40

STEM 12.40-1.40

Friday

Malpa 10-11 (starting week 2)

Library 11.40-12.40

Gardening 12.40-1.40

4/5/6 Mainstream