Primary School
Classroom News
Please see the classroom updates below, outlining the exciting learning experiences planned for Term Three. We hope you enjoy reading about what your child will explore and learn throughout the term.
Djinda
In Djinda, we continue to learn about the world around us, with a strong focus on being part of our community. Over the last semester, children learned the importance of sharing, the fun that comes with doing so, and the joy of playing with new and old friends.
We are diving into the world of shapes, creating child-led craft and listening to our friends' ideas. This coming week, we will reflect on the 'big break' from Djinda and discuss the concept of holidays. During circle time, children will share their holiday experiences before creating meaningful craft to represent their memories.
As each week wraps up in Djinda, we sing a variety of fun songs, move our bodies to the beat and relish the fact that we have plenty of energy to use!
Kindergarten
This term, our inquiry will explore the big idea: 'The ocean is full of living things, environments and mysteries that we can learn from and care for.'
We launched our learning with a visit to our much-loved Wild Space, where students began observing the plants and animals that live there, noticing patterns in nature, and discussing how we can care for our environment. This hands-on experience sparked plenty of curiosity and wonder, providing the perfect starting point for our ocean inquiry.
We look forward to seeing where the children's questions and discoveries take us throughout the term!
Pre-Primary
What a wonderful start to Term Three! It has been fantastic to welcome all of our students back to school, eager and ready for another exciting term of learning.
This week, our Pre-Primary students have been celebrating and learning about NAIDOC Week through a focus on Indigenous culture and storytelling. Both classes have enjoyed exploring a variety of Dreamtime stories and participating in hands-on activities that have helped deepen their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and traditions.
Looking ahead, our inquiry learning is off to an exciting start. Pre-Primary A will be exploring the question of 'how to care for living things', investigating ways we can nurture and protect the world around us. Meanwhile, Pre-Primary B will be embarking on a journey to discover 'cultures and places around the world', learning about the rich diversity of people, traditions and environments across the globe.
We look forward to sharing our learning with you soon!
Year Two
This term, our Inquiry unit is investigating Earth as a planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun, with a focus question of 'What is My Place in the World?'
We will begin by learning about our local community, including our home addresses and the names of our town, state and country. From there, we will explore the continents of the world before investigating Earth's place within our solar system. We will also discover some of the fascinating objects found in space, including planets, shooting stars, asteroids and satellites.
We cannot wait to learn more about our world!
Year Three
It was wonderful to see all the smiling faces of our Year Three students returning to school this week.
This term, we are excited to explore the inquiry statement: 'We are the product of our history and community'. Students will investigate this concept through their learning in History and Physical Science.
We began the term by exploring students' prior knowledge and understanding of communities, considering how they have changed over time and the ways in which the past influences the present. In Physical Science, students were introduced to the concept of energy and began investigating how energy can be transferred and transformed.
Our writing focus for the term is persuasive writing. Students will be developing their skills in constructing convincing arguments and supporting their opinions with strong reasons and evidence.
Prepare yourselves to be persuaded by our fabulous Year Three writers!
Year Four
This term, our inquiry statement is 'Custodians of the Future: Life on the Land'.
In Science, students will explore how the Earth was formed and investigate the impact of geological processes on our planet. In Humanities, we will examine the diverse groups we belong to and explore the purpose of government in our communities.
In Writing, students will focus on persuasive texts, developing their use of emotive language and strong calls to action. In English, we will be reading Rowan of Rin, connecting ideas from Science and Humanities to deepen students' understanding across learning areas.
We look forward to an exciting and busy term ahead!
Year Five
As we nudge into the second half of the year, we begin to look backwards with our inquiry focus this term. We shall be dusting off the history books, scouring the archives for artifacts and postulating how the very first bushrangers made a success of it in our own backyard.
We will explore historical bias, significant figures and the many shades of sepia that colour our understanding of the past.
In Science, we ask the question: 'What's the matter?' Not with you, but simply to discover the three states of matter and the transitions between them.
Year Six
We are gearing up for an action-packed term, which will see our students enjoy time with an artist, a hockey trip to Perth, the Dockers Shield, Dockers Cup and the Kingfisher Concert.
In the classroom, we will explore Biological Sciences and Business and Economics, where we will investigate the question, 'How do businesses make decisions to meet the needs and wants of consumers while making a profit?'
Languages
In Term Two, students learned vocabulary related to pets, school stationery and clothing. This term, they will delve deeper into these topics through cultural inquiries, exploring the connections between language, culture and everyday life around the world.
Early Childhood Centre (ECC) students will investigate animal stories from Australia and around the world. Through these stories, students will discover new vocabulary in different languages and explore how stories are connected to culture, values and the lessons we learn from animals.
Middle Primary students will participate in an inquiry titled 'My School, Your School, Our World'. They will explore schools in France and other countries, comparing them with schools in Australia. Through this inquiry, students will learn vocabulary related to school items and routines while discovering how language reflects cultural practices and traditions.
Upper Primary students will begin an inquiry centred on the question: 'What do our clothes say about who we are?' They will compare the clothing choices of teenagers in Australia and France and discuss how fashion and school uniforms can reflect identity, culture and personal expression.
And because we do not want to forget all about our French, and because we love French grammar, all students will continue to begin each lesson with a short grammar warm-up. These activities will revisit key concepts such as definite and indefinite articles, while older students will also explore possessive adjectives, the formation of negative sentences, and the conjugation of important irregular verbs such as être and avoir.
We look forward to another exciting term of language learning and cultural discovery!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Ms Leah Field | Head of Primary and
Mrs Hayley Ranger | Head of Early Childhood