Round the classes 

Reception class: Katie 

The Reception class has been spending the last two weeks getting prepared for the Uraidla Show. We loved working on our songs with Margie and really enjoyed putting the finishing touches on our clay creations. 

As part of our work in literacy we have been learning about how the 'ai' and 'oi' sound changes when it is at the end of a word. We have also written our final information report and have started to discover what a poem is. 

In maths we have been working on learning about the parts that make up those tricky teen numbers. We have also learnt about number lines and have learnt that teen numbers are 10 and some more! 

As part of our work with the Kimochis we have been learning about the curious feeling and have been practising asking questions of other people's sharing to demonstrate this knowledge in class. 

Finally as part of HASS we have been learning about mapping and how to create bird's eye view pictures. We have also attempted to take some bird's eye view photos with our iPads.  

Year 1 class: Kelly and Troy

We have had a very busy last two weeks. With preparation for the show - practising our songs, creating and decorating our fruit bowls and making scarecrows and then singing our songs on the truck at the show.

Our class has been working on working as a team - we have been working on our listening and following instructions, completing tasks in groups or in pairs, showing respect and empathy.

In literacy we have continued focusing on our sounds - long i and o sounds. We have continued to practice how to sound out the words by using our blending strategy.

With writing the children have been revisiting narratives. They have been focusing on the characters, setting, problem and resolution. We have been using a planning template to help us.

In maths, we have been focusing on equal groups. The children have had to model, represent and explain their thinking of how they have had to solve problems.  They have shown great examples of mathematicians - prove their thinking, learn from their mistakes, sticking at it and thinking deeply.

We have been lucky to have Gemma Doyle, a second year preservice teacher, for the last four weeks of this term. She has been teaching and supporting the children with their literacy and maths learning. We wish her all the very best with her future learning. She is going to make a wonderful teacher. 

Year 2 class: Sam

Our little mathematicians have been hard at work, exploring the world of capacity and measurement. We recently visited the sandpit to put our estimation skills to the test. The children used sand and various containers to practise estimating the capacity of different objects. It was a fun and hands-on experience that helped them understand the concept of volume in a playful way.

In an exciting twist, the students also used popcorn as an informal unit of measurement to estimate the capacity of a cup. They were able to see how full or empty the cup could be, depending on their estimations and the number of popcorn kernels it could hold. These practical lessons have brought the world of measurement to life for our young learners.

'Birds Rock' Exhibition

Our most thrilling event in the past few weeks was the 'Birds Rock' exhibition, where our Year 2 class showcased their creative talents and knowledge for fellow students, family and parents. The exhibition was a vibrant and colourful spectacle, as described by one of our students, Lilly:

Lilly's Reflection: "Birds Rock had streamers, tables, paper chains, and balloons. It felt amazing and a beautiful place to be in. People scanned the QR code to hear our bird calls and read our information reports. Some questions people asked were 'Why did you choose this bird?'. My mum loved it so so so so much!"

We couldn't be prouder of the hard work and effort our students put into this exhibition. On display were an array of bird models, haiku poems, digital drawings, and information reports. It was a testament to their creativity, research, and love for nature.

Uraidla Show Extravaganza!

Our fantastic performance of 'Rocking All Over the World' alongside Stephen's class at the Uraidla Show was a highlight for us! We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the parents for your unwavering support in ensuring that we made it to the show on time.

Additionally, we were overjoyed to see our bird models and digital artwork proudly showcased in the school gym. What's even more exciting is that Sam informed us that the Vice President of the Country Shows Association was highly impressed with our 'Birds Rock' entry. It's a testament to the hard work and creativity of each and every student.

In recognition of their exceptional efforts, we'd like to offer a special round of applause to Shae, Ned, and Vincenzo, who secured the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in our class entry this year. 

Year 2/3 class: Stephen and Suzie

We enjoyed performing at the Uraidla Show last weekend: the thrill of being in front of a live audience is great.  

In maths we are revising past learning, focusing on factor trees.  We look at two-digit numbers and use our Times Tables knowledge to determine the factors for the numbers.  

In HASS we have continued our focus on Democracy.  We explored new terms such as…

• Freedom
• Dictatorship
• Citizenship
• Voting
• Laws
• Living in fear
• Justice

and we had to determine whether they were fair or unfair for people. 

In English we are continuing our focus on the writing genres.  For narratives we are aiming to include sizzling starts, examples of tightening the tension and show…don’t tell. For our information reports, our goal is organise facts into paragraphs with appropriate headings. 

Year 4/5 class: Alex

In their History learning students have been discussing early exploration and colonisation by European countries in the 1400s. They have been looking at maps of trade routes, thinking about the motivations for groups to explore and colonise other areas of the world and the impact this had on different populations.

Through their reading groups students have continued enjoying their novels, participating in discussions with their peers to share their comprehension of the plotline. Students have been making connections between the events in the story, characters’ feelings and their own lives. They have been discussing clues of foreshadowing to make predictions about what may happen next in the story.

In writing students have been editing and revising their information reports before printing. They have been reflecting upon their level of achievement toward their writing goals using evidence in their writing pieces.

In mathematics students have been working toward their multiplication goals. They have been practising efficient strategies to multiply 1, 2 3 and 4- digit numbers. 

Year 5/6 class: Sallie

Another busy fortnight for Year 5/6 class. The show has been a priority for us and it was not just getting our art pieces ready.  We were involved in lots of the setup on Thursday and Friday and then on the school closure day, many students were involved in the clean up. What a great way to be part of a community event. Thanks everyone! 

In terms of actual work and fueling our curiosity we finalised our unit of work on information report writing. We used our previous writing pieces to form new goals and when we had completed a writing piece we used the "big write" marking criteria to unpack our work and see if we achieved our writing goals. I haven't finished marking all the writing but the ones I have so far are demonstrating great improvement. Exciting to see! 

In HASS we are finishing our mini projects about South Australian local First Nation groups and it has been interesting seeing what information can be discovered (for some its a lot and for others there is not a lot of information known or published about certain groups  - sad that important history is not going to survive).

In maths using a protractor has become second nature (nearly) as we continue investigating "angles" and all this encompasses. 

Science: Troy

Students in Reception have started their learning on movement. They are investigating how objects move and different factors that may impact how something travels. 

The year one class has begun their learning on weather, building on from learning symbols and different vocabulary last year. 

The year 2’s and 3’s are still learning about space and are creating a flip book demonstrating how the sun and moon travel across the sky. 

The year 4/5’s are learning about weathering, erosion and deposition and creating their sediment jars to how different sediments sit in water. 

The 5/6 class are comparing differences between earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. 

Indonesian: Ibu Susan

In Indonesian the older students have been using various transport words to describe how they visit different places. The word “naik” can mean to catch, ride or to go by. The younger classes have been practising Indonesian word order by creating descriptions with the adjective after the noun like “gajah besar “ ( big elephant).  

Gardening - Jo

Kelly's year 1 class worked together to make some creatively recycled scarecrows for the Uraidla Show. They worked together well, tying, stuffing, holding, balancing and decorating each scarecrow. They looked terrific along the oval fence at the show!

The students are continuing this week with our topic on seeds. Recognition of seeds and doing some observations as well as planting summer seeds was past of the activities this week.