Prep and Year 1 Visual Art

Throughout Week 5, students were introduced to the element of art: line. Following reflections on their Chinese New Year handprint artworks and meaningful conversations about belonging, students explored how lines are used in both artworks and everyday life. Through explicit modelling and hands-on practice, they experimented with straight, curved, wavy, zigzag and spiral lines, developing confidence and strengthening their pencil control in their art books.

Building on this learning in Week 6, students applied their understanding of line to create their own “Larry the Line” artworks. They experimented with a variety of lines to express ideas and demonstrate their understanding of the Learner Profile attributes. Students were encouraged to be risk-takers, confidently trying new ideas and drawing pictures that reflected our attributes such as being caring, knowledgeable and open-minded. It was wonderful to see their creativity and confidence shine through in their work.

Year 2&3 Art

Over the past two weeks in Visual Art, our Grade 2 and 3 students have been exploring the vibrant world of Matisse collages, inspired

by his “drawing with scissors” technique. Students created their own masterpieces using cut paper to design a variety of organic shapes (curvy, flowing, natural forms) and geometric shapes (circles, triangles, squares and more). We also focused on colour theory,

carefully selecting and combining warm colours like red, orange and yellow, and cool colours such as blue, green and purple to create contrast and balance in their compositions. The classroom has been buzzing with creativity, and the students have thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with bold shapes and colour combinations in their striking artworks.

Thanks, Ms Ancona

Year 4 ART

In Weeks 5 and 6, students explored the vibrant and imaginative work of Yayoi Kusama. Her distinctive style is influenced by Avant-garde and Pop Art movements, encouraging creative thinking and challenging traditional artistic ideas.

They discovered how Yayoi uses bold, bright colours and repeating patterns to create striking artworks that express imagination, emotion, and individuality. Inspired by her playful approach to colour and pattern, students experimented with their own vibrant designs and explored new ways to express their creativity.

They were also excited to explore using a new material — acrylic paint! They learned how to carefully use finer paint brushes to apply this new medium to their artwork, focusing on control and detail.

Throughout the lesson, students paused and regrouped to share their discoveries, challenges, and creative ideas. These check-in moments allowed them to learn from one another, celebrate progress, and build confidence as they developed their painting skills.

Grade 5 & 6 Art

In Weeks 5 and 6, Grade 5 and 6 students began a new unit exploring the life and work of Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama. Students learned about Kusama’s unique artistic style and discussed how she uses bold, contrasting colours, simple subjects, and repeated patterns to create visually striking artworks. They also explored how her work often transforms ordinary objects into complex and vibrant compositions.

Inspired by these ideas, students began drafting their own artworks using simple subject matter that can be filled with detailed patterns. Through this process they are experimenting with composition, colour choices, and pattern design. These drafts will be refined and developed into final pieces using acrylic paint in the coming weeks.

Science Prep to Grade 6

Science learning has been buzzing with excitement in Weeks 5 and 6 as students across all year levels have been actively engaged in hands-on investigations and experiments. Our Prep students have been exploring the differences between living and non-living things, learning to identify their characteristics and understand what living things need to survive, such as food, water, and shelter.

In Grade 1, students have been investigating weather patterns, observing daily changes and discussing how weather affects our everyday lives.

Grade 2 students have been discovering the properties of materials and investigating how materials can change through heating, cooling, bending, or mixing.

In Grade 3, students have been learning about forces and experimenting with how pushes and pulls can change the direction and movement of an object.

Grade 4 students have been exploring the layers of the Earth and examining how the Earth’s surface changes over time due to natural processes such as erosion and weathering.

Grade 5 students have been conducting experiments with light and shadows, investigating how light travels and how objects can block light to create shadows of different shapes and sizes.

In Grade 6, students have been diving into their electricity unit, building and testing simple circuits while exploring how electrical energy flows. It has been wonderful to see students developing their scientific thinking skills by asking questions, making predictions, and reflecting on their discoveries.

Prep to Year 2 SPANISH

During the weeks 5 and 6, our younger students are learning numbers and colours in Spanish through dynamic and engaging activities.

Using games, songs, visual cards and group work, students practise new vocabulary in a fun and interactive way, improving both pronunciation and understanding. This playful approach supports meaningful learning, builds confidence, and encourages early interest in language learning.

MEDIA - With Mr. Howarth

Prep

In Prep, we are beginning to explore how television shows can be used to teach us things, not just entertain us. In particular, the show Ask the Storybots taught us how chocolate is made.

One

Having previously explored multiple Dreamtime Stories, the Year Ones are exploring the cultural stories about Greek and Roman Gods and how they are survived today in things like the names of our planets.

Two

Year Two students are using their photography skills to represent different areas of the learner profile.

Three

Our Year Three students have begun creating a presentation titled, “Welcome to Saltwater”, where they take readers through a tour of the school.

Four

In Media, we have learned about Aboriginal and Australian history, including the Stolen Generations and stockmen working on cattle stations and connected it to our mentor text, Thalu.

Five

Our Year Five students have been creative, exploring the history of video game consoles and now designing their own futuristic consoles.

Six

Year Sixes are continuing with character design, taking detailed character briefs and backstories, then creating characters that visually represent those descriptions.

Mandarin

Miss Qiao
Miss Xiong

Thank you for your continued support of our Mandarin program. It is always encouraging to see students bringing their learning home and sharing new words with their families. Your encouragement makes a real difference to their confidence and progress.

Prep

We have started our journey of learning about China. Students are building simple greeting vocabulary and learning through drawing and short stories. They use pictures to remember key words and begin to recognise how Mandarin sounds and looks.

Year 1–2

We are focusing on greetings and basic social skills, while also learning a little about Chinese culture. Students can now say 你好 (Hello), 早上好 (Good morning), 老师好 (Hello teacher), 谢谢你 (Thank you) and 不客气 (You’re welcome). We practise through speaking games, role play and short writing tasks to build confidence.

Year 3–4

These two weeks have shown strong progress. Students are trying new sentence patterns and using greetings such as 早上好, 下午好 and 晚上好. They are learning to ask and answer questions: 你/他/她/它叫什么名字？ Students are becoming more confident speaking in pairs. They enjoy creating posters and working on their Mandarin booklets to reinforce new learning.

Year 5–6

Students are showing genuine interest in learning Chinese and sharing their preferred ways to learn. We are encouraging them to think about why learning Mandarin matters and how it connects them to the wider world. They are practising greetings such as 你好吗？ and responding with 我很好，我不好 or 我一般 to express how they feel. Learning includes writing practice, speaking games, poster creation and booklet work, which helps them consolidate vocabulary in a meaningful way.

Thank you again for your ongoing support at home. A simple “你好” practise at the dinner table or asking your child what they learned in Mandarin each week can greatly strengthen their learning. We look forward to continuing this journey together.

WELLBEING - With Mrs. Qafzezi

Over the past two weeks in Wellbeing, students across all year levels have been exploring personal strengths in more depth and focusing on being brave, teamwork, resilience, and coping strategies.

Foundation

Over the past two weeks, Foundation students have been focusing on how personal strengths helps coping with fear. They have identified strengths such as bravery and caring, practised simple coping strategies like deep breathing and asking for help, and shared ideas through drawings and classroom displays as reminders to use kindness and their strengths every day.

Year 1

Year One students have been reflecting on acts of friendship and personal strengths. They have explored how it feels to be caring and kind, identified actions that make them feel proud, and practised coping strategies for scary situations, such as taking deep breaths or asking for help.

Year 2

Students in Year Two have been identifying and illustrating strengths such as helpfulness, bravery, and patience. They have also been exploring ways to cope with fear and anxiety, practising strategies that promote calm and brave responses, which were added to a classroom display as reminders of positive coping.

Year 3

Teamwork, respect, and apologising were key learning areas with the Year Threes. Through games and discussions, students practised working well in teams, showing respect to others, and making meaningful apologies, reflecting on the effects of their actions.

Year 4

In Year Four students have been exploring strengths, teamwork and resilience. They reflected on respect, how their strengths support positive relationships, and practiced recognising when they may hurt others and making sincere apologies.

Year 5

This fortnight, Year Five students have been focusing on stress management. They have been exploring what stress is, where it can occur, and how it feels in the body. Students have been reflecting on personal stressors, listening to calming music, and practising strategies to manage stress safely in different situations.

Year 6

Year Six students have been exploring how personal strengths support wellbeing and coping. They have reflected on qualities such as kindness, courage, and responsibility, and practised positive stress-management strategies like exercise, self-calming, social support, and planning. Students have also begun creating personal coping portfolios to manage challenges and support themselves and others.

Physical Education

Prep to Grade 2

Over the past two weeks, Prep–Year 2 students have made great progress in developing their fundamental motor skills through a range of fun and engaging games in Physical Education. They are becoming more confident in running with control, changing speed and direction safely, and improving their spatial awareness.

We have also been strengthening positive social interactions, with a focus on working cooperatively and following rules.

Grade 3 to Grade 6

Over the past two weeks, our Years 3–6 students have continued to make excellent progress as they prepare for the upcoming athletics carnival in early Term 2. They have been refining their techniques in high jump, discus and shot put, with a strong focus on safe practices, correct form and skill development.

Divisional Swimming

Last week, we had 38 students compete at District Swimming. All students did an amazing job, trying their best and supporting their peers throughout the day. We are incredibly proud of their efforts and the way they represented our school.

From these fantastic results, we have nine students progressing through to Divisional level. We wish them all the very best

DANCE

VSSS

This week saw Salwater College hold it’s first VSSS combined schools Hub rehearsal held here for the year! Our 16 amazing dancers represented our school to the highest level as they danced and rehearsed alongside 6 other schools learning the choreography for this years State School Spectacular. Sporting new VSSS rehearsal shirts, our students gave 100% energy and danced their hearts out for 4.5hours, while getting excited with the songs chosen for this years show and the choreography that complimented them. This years show is already looking to be even bigger than the last, and we can’t wait to see what else is in store for it all!

Wakakirri.....(Dance)

Wakakirri rehearsals have begun for this years show, and the students are so eager and hungry to learn more! This years theme of “Guardians Of Us” is a challenging one, but one the students have already embraced with full focus and commitment for the storyline and what’s head. Watch this space for more to come!

Year 4 classes have been working on exercises that have focussed on levels, angles, and opposites sides within the steps and routines set out in class. Through these exercises and various examples, we have also been working on life perspectives and choices, creating and maintaining a positive and open mind, and adapting a can do mindset and attitude. The classes have been amazing and can’t wait for what’s ahead!

NAPLAN TESTING DATES