LITERACY /

LEARNING & TEACHING 

Term 2 Celebration of Learning 

The Grade 3/4s have been using the mentor text "Dear Earth" by Isabel Otter to enhance their writing. Below are some great examples of their 'Patterned Writing'. During these sessions, the students explored and analysed the author's writing style and craft. They then had a go at mimicking the author's craft to create their own independent work. They finished off with some excellent illustrations that capture their vibrant vocabulary choices. 

The Grade 1/2s have been writing diary entries from the perspective of a student at school in the 1800s. This was a follow up task that came after their incursion with Mrs Sargood after they engaged in a bit of role play and went back in time to a classroom from the olden days. The students had to use their imagination and this mini experience to write about what a regular day at school might have been like. Have a read below. 

Some students in Grades 5 and 6 have been working with Mrs Helen Butler and Mrs Teresa Flatman to improve their writing skills. Below are some examples of them working on identifying different sentence structures that writers’ use to convey their message, and delving deeper into vocabulary choices to enhance our writing. 

School Closure Day - Developing a Culture of Learning

For part of our closure day yesterday, our staff engaged in some feedback protocols to give their thoughts around our Annual Action Plan, and a proposed framework to carry out coaching and mentoring through professional observations. We speak with the children daily about our school dispositions and how these impact their learning, and yesterday this was evident with our staff. By being collaborative and reflective, we narrowed down the focus areas for teaching and learning for Semester 2; and we used our inquisitive and creative minds, as well as some persistence to problem solve areas that we identified as needing improvement. Working on yourself as a learner takes a lot of courage, and this is something that our staff does regularly; especially on school closure days where we focus on continuously growing ourselves and our collective teacher efficacy.

Library

The library will continue to be open on Thursdays at recess for the remainder of the year. This will allow students an opportunity to borrow or return books outside of their regular reading time. I want to thank the group of interested students that have been helping in the library. If your child wants to be a part of this, they are welcome to join me in the library. 

Book Week 2024

This year we will be celebrating book week across week 5 and week 6 of Term 3. The theme this year is "Reading is Magic". To celebrate this special time of year, we will be having an author visit, a parade, a book sale, and some fun competitions. More details will follow in next term's newsletters, however if you wanted to get a head start on costume design ideas, then there is no time like the present! 

Have a magical holiday!!!