Year 5/6 News

Newsletter Week 5

Year 5

Literacy:

How was that built? Has been our book of reference and we are looking at the features of an explanation text. We explored texts about Skyscrapers and bridges, and how they are constructed. Then wrote our own explanation text.

Numeracy:

Our focus has been on angles. Students have been finding them in the environment and classifying them as bigger or smaller than a right angle. Others have been classifying angles by their names, acute, right, obtuse, reflex or full rotation and using protractors to measure angles in degrees.

Inquiry:

This Term, our focus is on the design process. We had an incursion where we created a Lego car and tested it at different stations that placed a force on the car. We took this knowledge and designed and built a bridge. We had to test the bridge and then modify their designs to meet the criteria.

Religion:

Dignity has been the focus this fortnight. We made connections to quotes from the Pope and how we can show dignity to others. We explored Memory's story and identified examples of poverty, oppression, injustice and hunger. We then connected them to Memory and her family and how they overcome these difficulties.

Wellbeing:

During Well-being, students completed the Inform and Empower survey about what it takes to be an upstander in preparation for our Inform and Empower session next week.

Special Events:

Last Monday, the Year 5s were lucky enough to take part in a STEAM incursion. First, we made Lego cars, and we did some challenges and had to rearrange our cars so that they wouldn’t break. We used gravity, magnetism, slingshot (tension) and electricity to test the cars and if it didn't work, we improved our car so they could handle the challenges. - Thinuja, Sam, Toby, Cori.

Year 6

Grade 6 Sovereign Hill Excursion

The Grade Six students travelled to Sovereign Hill for a three-day camp to learn all about the Ballarat Gold Rush, experiencing a firsthand taste of what life was like on the goldfields.

Many students tried their hand at gold panning in the streams, and quite a few were lucky enough to find real gold! We also explored two underground mine tours, where we discovered just how dangerous, dark, damp and dirty working conditions were for the miners.

To light up those moist, musty tunnels, miners relied on candles. We got to try candle making and decorating ourselves, learning how candles were made and used back then.

While mining was the main occupation during the Gold Rush, plenty of people worked other jobs too — shopkeepers, butchers and gold buyers among them. These townsfolk lived and worked along Main Street, which has since been beautifully recreated at Sovereign Hill.

Students explored shops set up just as they would have looked in the 1800s, staffed by workers in authentic period costume who greeted us warmly. There was a bakery, an antiques store, a photography studio, a soap and candle shop, and — a firm favourite — the lolly shop! One highlight was watching a demonstration on how to make hard-boiled pineapple drops.

On Monday evening, during dinner, we had a wonderful surprise: a visit from our much-missed teacher, Beth! Everyone was thrilled to see her, and it made the camp even more special.

Sovereign Hill was an unforgettable experience, thoroughly enjoyed by all. Students now have a much deeper appreciation for the conditions, challenges and changes that shaped Australia during the Gold Rush era.

Scroll through to see some of our photos.

By Mihira Kidambi and Hannah Luke, Grade 6 Blue

Special Events

Hockey

On July 22nd, our winter gala hockey team went to divisonals with determination and high hopes. They played one big game and came out with an exciting win: 5-0. Throughout the day, they had tons of fun with laughs, goals, and smiles. Ann’s team have been practising hard for their next regional tournament on Monday and can't wait to play once again!

By Mihira Kidambi and Hannah Luke

Congratulations to our students who completed the sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday.

Last Saturday some of the year sixes received the Sacrament of Confirmation. This was held at Mackillop College and was a reverent and holy event. This allowed the confirmation students to open their hearts to be refilled with the Holy Spirit, and allowed the gifts of the Spirit to make its way into their soul. They were blessed with the chrism on their forehead by Bishop Martin Ash and Father Albert, they were blessed in the name of their chosen saint, and they were truly accepted into the Catholic Church. We had our sponsors have their right arm laid on our right shoulder.

By Natalie Stevens, Leah Fuimaono and Zoie Yeruva

Sustainability

Habitat Heroes

This week, on Tuesday, the Habitat Heroes planted some Australian native plants in the garden next to the Lourdes Learning Centre ( LC4 ). This was the end of the three-session workshop that a few of the future and present sustainability leaders got to attend. The first session included an information session about our native local animals and plants. The second session was a look around the school, and during the walk we noted some of the animals that we saw in the yard.

-Natalie Stevens and Gia Verdera