Primary Specialists
Prep Art
What a fantastic last two weeks in Art. In Week 7, our Prep students recognised and began to understand the meaning and significance behind Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. They have continued to build their understanding around texture and created a Aboriginal flag or handprint showing how we can strengthen our relationships when we all work together. In Week 8, students matched certain emotions and feelings with colours and linked their emotions with different textures. Well done Preps!
Year 1- 6 Art
Students have been learning about Sorry week and reconciliation week in art. Years 1-2 have learnt about the rainbow snake and have developed their colouring and cutting skills as they created 3D snakes.
Years 3 to 6 created various activities such as sorry day posters, sorry day hands, boomerangs and kangaroos with aboriginal symbols.
Media Art with Mr Howarth
In Media, we have begun new rotations, with the classes who had previously had Mandarin now beginning their Media unit. Students have continued exploring their introductory units, focusing on specific skill sets and topics, including:
Year One: Recording voice and sound on our devices
Year Two: Introduction to basic shot types, such as long, medium and close-up shots.
Year Three: Refresher course on our shot types, such as high and low angle.
Year Four: Media Analysis of the Indigenous kid's show Thalu with a focus on character traits and conflict in narratives.
Year Five: Introduction to sound and video editing
Year Six: Using Moana as a mentor text to explore how culture influences artistic choices.
Spanish classes.
Welcome to our June edition of the school newsletter! Our students have been engaged in a variety of enriching and educational activities across different grades. Grade Prep students have explored colours, learnt about animals and face parts, labelled "las partes de la cara" in Spanish, coloured a fish following a colour pattern, and discovered medios de transporte along with practicing numbers. Grades 1 and 2 students learnt about geometric shapes such as squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, rhombuses, and pentagons, enhanced their reading comprehension with activities about school supplies, and enjoyed singing the Spanish song "La Taza." Grades 3 and 4 students explored different places in the city, learnt about appropriate clothing for various settings like the mountains, city, and beach, and delved into the characteristics of different seasons. Grades 5 and 6 students focused on the days of the week and months of the year, practiced using terms like before (antes), after (después), between (entre), and weekend (fin de semana), and participated in a listening and dictation activity in Spanish to improve their listening and writing skills. We are proud of the progress and enthusiasm shown by all our students across different grades. Here are some photos showcasing their hard work and creativity during these activities. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child's education. We look forward to more exciting learning experiences in the coming months!
DANCE.
In dance we have been doing a class building exercise and some floor work, where I created a few counts of choreography for the class to learn followed by the class then volunteering, contributing and adding to the steps set out. This task was designed to help students open up their creative minds, and be risk takers in applying themselves and their ideas in front of fellow classmates and others. Once one or two students stepped out of their comfort zones and put forward a few counts and steps, others soon quickly started to follow with great ideas and concepts! This showed and allowed students to drop their guards and be more trusting in themselves and their capabilities, while confidently expressing their ideas without any hesitation of thoughts or feedback of others. The classes were consistently engaged throughout the lessons creating some amazing work! This was an exercise designed for teachers to take back to the classroom to use at will to also help build and exercise their memory and focus.
WAKAKIRRI...Dance
Wakakirri students have been working hard throughout the last couple of weeks learning and practising more choreography for the performance. With 60-70% of the choreography already learnt, we have started to split up students into different groups for different sections of the performance as we get down to the finer details of the story. This has been a long process to get this far, but the students have been working so well together and will make for a great final performance on Friday 2nd August. Parents will be notified soon regarding ticket availability for the upcoming performance.
VSSS...Dance
Our VSSS dancers had their 3rd combined schools hub rehearsal this week, where they learnt the final sections and routines that were needed for the big show in September. They also went over all routines and choreography set out to make sure all schools were on track before our 4th big upcoming hub rehearsal in Term 3. The team has been pushing their limits and excelling in all areas and have raised their skill set yet again. We are proud of how everyone has been working and can’t wait for them to showcase on the 14th September!
Music
In Music, we have begun new rotations, with the classes who had previously had Media now beginning their Music unit. Students have continued exploring their introductory units, focusing on specific skill sets and topics, including:
Prep: Performance Etiquette
Students explored maintaining a steady beat by clapping and stomping simple rhythms. They practiced putting their instruments in 'Resting and Ready position' to allow them to perform together cooperatively. They also experimented with creating sounds using untuned percussion instruments. Additionally, students participated in listening activities to identify familiar sounds and instruments.
Grade 1 : Beat & Rhythm
Students played clapping sticks and maracas to songs like "BINGO" and "Tingalayo." They also explored the families of orchestral instruments, including strings, percussion, brass, and woodwind.
Grade 2 Musical Notation
Students clapped and played simple rhythms using claves and maracas. Reading musical notation as they attempt to physically describe the length of the note performing musical patterns. They practiced singing "Doe a Deer" and learned the solfege symbols for Do, Re, Mi, and more. Furthermore, students explored the difference between beat and rhythm.
Grade 3 Recorders
Students created simple rhythms to share with their peers and the whole class. They also began learning to play the recorder, learning the correct techniques for holding the instrument and breathing to create pleasing sounds.
Grade 4 Noteflight
Students interpreted musical notation using the web based app known as Noteflight. They also practiced rewriting simple songs like Baa Baa Black Sheep writing the musical notation to fill in the missing Bars
Grades 5 & 6
The Students are beginning to learn to play the Ukulele, and form their first chords and try to tune the instrument by ear! We will also spend time and investigating the Form (Structure) of popular and classical music.
Mandarin with Miss Xiong
Year 1-2
We have entered a new rotation of Mandarin classes, where students are beginning to develop an understanding of Chinese Pinyin and gain a deeper impression of Chinese culture. By watching videos about the Dragon Boat Festival and learning about its traditional customs, students are cultivating their cultural literacy.
Year 3-4
We have started a new rotation of Mandarin classes, where students are beginning to grasp Chinese Pinyin and Chinese characteristics and gain a richer understanding of Chinese culture. Through watching videos about the Dragon Boat Festival, doing the artworks of Zongzi and learning about its traditional customs, students are enhancing their cultural knowledge.
Year 5-6
We have begun a new rotation of Mandarin classes, where students are starting to learn Chinese writing system and deepen their appreciation of Chinese culture. By viewing videos about the Zongzi, doing the artworks of Dragon Boat and exploring its traditional customs, students are building their cultural awareness.
Physical Education
In P.E students have been finishing off their unit in AFL. Following this we are excited to begin our Soccer unit that will involve students engaging in activities aimed at improving their kicking, dribbling and ball control. We will also be implementing team work and strategy that is involved with the game of soccer.
Recently there were a number of students who represented Saltwater College at the district cross country event. Congratulations to all students involved. Below are some photos from the day.
