Year Five
Dear Year 5 Families,
Welcome back to Term 4! Can you believe we are already in our final term of Year 5?! It has been a fantastic year for our students so far, and we have lots of exciting learning opportunities ahead as we head towards the end of the year.
We began the term with a "return to school" tunnel ball activity, which was loads of fun for all the students.
Week 1 was also Allergy Awareness Week at Saltwater College. Our esteemed nurse Alison has long been passionate about raising awareness of the impact allergies can have within our school community. Through engaging sessions, she helped students develop a deeper understanding of allergies and how they can affect others.
Reading
In Reading, we focused on writing thoughtful book recommendations and reviews, learning how to explain our opinions, support them with evidence, and encourage others to read books we have enjoyed. Students will have opportunities to share their thinking, ask questions and make connections between texts and their own experiences.
We will continue our Book Clubs this term, and reading The Boy at the Back of the Class. Students will explore characters, perspectives, themes and the experiences of others while developing their comprehension skills.
Writing
In Writing, students begun understanding the structure of newspaper articles and factual reporting. Students explored the features of a news report, including headlines, bylines, leads and supporting paragraphs. They learned how to organise information, answer the five Ws (who, what, when, where and why), distinguished between facts and opinions, and recognise bias in reporting.
We also explored how journalists use direct and indirect speech, quotes and carefully selected information to communicate a story effectively. Students will have opportunities to plan and write their own news reports, considering how different perspectives can influence the way an event is presented.
Mathematics
In Mathematics, we revisited fractions, decimals and percentages, focusing on how these three representations are connected. Students practised converting between them, identifying equivalent values and explaining their mathematical thinking.
We also explored how percentages are used in everyday situations, such as discounts, price increases and household expenses. Alongside this, students undertook a measurement preassessment to help us identify their existing knowledge and guide our next steps in learning.
As always, students will be encouraged to explain their strategies, solve problems in different ways and challenge themselves through differentiated learning tasks.
Inquiry:
Our 5th Unit of Inquiry around the Central Idea of Migration may be a response to challenges, experiences and opportunities is nearing its end, and as we move towards the action stage of our Inquiry, students have begun designing ways to make our school community more welcoming and inclusive. Ideas may include welcome packs, multilingual signs, storybooks for newcomers and ways to celebrate the languages spoken within our school community.
Reminders
Students are reminded that hats are required to be worn during Term 4. Please ensure your child brings their hat to school every day. No hat means no play.
Please ensure your child continues to bring their fully charged device to school every day.
Beach Program is scheduled for Weeks 7, 8 & 9. $37 payment can be made via Xuno.