Level 3 & 4 

Grade 3 and 4 Important Dates

School Book Fair – 13th–17th October in the BER

National Trust Incursion – ‘The Past in Your Class’ – 21st–23rd October

130th Celebration – 24th October

Expressions Week – 3rd–7th November

Cup Day Alternative Program – 4th November

Billanook College Music Performance – 20th November

Swimming Week – 24th–28th November

Christmas Carols – 3rd December

Set-Up Day, including Meet Your 2026 Teacher – 9th December

Whole School Silent Disco – 10th December

Grade 3 Camp – 11th–12th December

Final Assembly – 17th December

Alternative Program – 18th–19th December

CBL

This term, we will be embarking on a journey of Discovery in CBL. Students will explore the topic through a geography lens, with a strong focus on comparing Australia to countries in South America and Africa. Through this inquiry, students will develop their understanding of similarities, differences, and what makes each place unique and important.

Our Essential Question is: What can we discover when we learn about and compare another country to Australia?

Our Guiding Questions are:

• How are Australia and other countries similar and different?
• How is life different for people in Africa and South America?

• How can we look after the environment for the future?

   

We will begin this week by collecting wonderings and looking at global geography, including map features, hemispheres, equators, continents, oceans, poles, and the position of Australia. As a family, you could access Google Earth and look at some countries your child may be interested in.

Wellbeing

This week, students will be looking at Cyber Safety — ‘Fear of Missing Out’. In this lesson, students explore ways to foster a more inclusive environment in our digital and real lives. They will role-play situations where they might experience inclusion or exclusion and the emotions related to these scenarios. Ask your child which role play they enjoyed the most and why.

Reading

This week, we will continue reading Kensuke’s Kingdom with Chapter 9, “All Dead in Kagasaki.” In this chapter, Michael wakes up to see hundreds of turtles coming onto the beach to lay their eggs — an incredible sight! However, he soon notices hungry dogs trying to eat the turtle eggs. Michael tries to scare them away, but there are too many.

Kensuke arrives to help, and together they work hard to protect the turtles. 

This experience brings Michael and Kensuke closer together as they begin to truly understand one another. Kensuke shares the heartbreaking story of losing his family in Japan during the war, helping Michael understand why Kensuke has chosen to stay on the island. The night of the turtles highlights the deepening friendship between Michael and Kensuke and their shared respect for nature and life.

As we read this chapter, we will discuss aspects of World War II and consider the impact that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had upon Japanese people and the world. You could discuss a time your child has helped or protected someone or something, and how it made them feel, or talk about loss, empathy, and understanding others’ experiences.

Writing

We will begin a new unit on persuasive writing, with students writing arguments for and against deforestation. They will begin noting facts to support their arguments and finding evidence to support their opinions. This topic relates to Kensuke's Kingdom as palm oil forests have significant impacts on orangutan populations. You may want to discuss at home some arguments for or against protecting forests.

Maths

Students will be revising strategies for multiplication, such as the bar model, distributive property method, and the vertical algorithm. Towards the end of the week, we will begin looking at area, using our multiplication skills in our calculations. Students can continue to use Mathletics to support their developing skills.

Reminders

Medication: If your child requires medication during the school day, a Medication Administration Form must be completed. This form is available from the school office. For safety reasons, students should not carry medication in their school bags. All medication must be delivered directly to the office by an adult.

Hats: Just a friendly reminder that the ‘No Hat, No Play’ rule is currently in place for all students. If your child does not have a hat, they are required to play under cover.

We are looking forward to a fabulous Term 4 — thank you for all of your wonderful support!

The Grade 3 and 4 Team