Year 5/6 News
Welcome to Week 6! It is hard to believe that we are already just over halfway through Term 2. The term is moving very quickly, and although there is still so much to do, it has been wonderful to see the students continuing to grow in confidence, independence, and enthusiasm across all learning areas. Students have been busy with classroom learning, Inquiry projects, Literacy tasks, and preparing for upcoming events and activities. We thank families for their continued support and encouragement throughout the term and look forward to another busy and productive few weeks ahead.
Year 5
Literacy:
In Literacy, the Year 5’s have been exploring the text Fire by Jackie French while developing their comprehension and creative thinking skills. The story explores how wildfires affect our environments and communities. Through close observation of images, students have been learning to describe what is happening and make thoughtful predictions about the story. They have also been strengthening their understanding of texts by making text-to-text and text-to-world connections, helping them link ideas from the book to other stories and real-life experiences. The Year 5’s have explored figurative language by creating their own similes and metaphors inspired by the text, building both their imagination and descriptive writing skills.
The Year 5 students have also been exploring the texts Luna Roo and Finding Our Heart, making predictions using illustrations and discussions, identifying themes within the stories, and making personal connections to the texts. Through these texts and class discussions, students have developed an understanding of the importance of National Sorry Day and its significance in Australia’s history.
“I like the way the Aboriginal people burn off the grass to create bushfires to help the land. They teach the younger generations on how to be friends with fire” - Yeshika
“I learned that even a small type of fire can form into a dangerous bushfire. To stop bushfires, we can burn off dried grass so it will prevent big bushfires” - Aaron
Numeracy:
In Week 5, Year 5’s have continued with decimals in their streaming groups to support their learning. They have been learning to read, write, compare, and order decimals using number lines and decimats. Students have also practised renaming hundredths and thousandths, identifying missing numbers, and using mathematical symbols to compare decimal values with confidence.
In Week 6, students have been exploring chance and probability through a range of hands-on experiments and activities. They have been learning to identify equally likely outcomes, describe possible outcomes, and conduct chance experiments while accurately recording and interpreting their results.
“I have learned a lot about decimals and how to put numbers in order” - Kupa
“I have learned that decimals can be equivalent to fractions and you can make them bigger” - Anthony
Inquiry:
Year 5 students have wrapped up their Passport projects with enthusiasm and have learned so much about the climates, countries and traditions of each continent. They are now exploring how international trade, immigration and defence are interconnected with Australia.
“I like learning facts about all the different countries and continents. I want to visit China one day because they have pandas” - Cameron
“My favourite topic is geography because I like to learn about countries and their traditional dress and food. I would like to try rice and black beans from Brazil!” - Yann
“I enjoyed learning about different countries and continents because I am not from there so it was fun learning something new. I really want to go to Paris in France because of this project.” - Zoe S.
Religion:
In religion, Year 5 students are continuing to identify religions throughout the word, listing their core beliefs. Students have been tasked to select 1 faith they would like to further explore, expanding their understanding of the places of worship, symbols, rituals and prayers. It has been great to see our students take ownership of their learning and explore a faith of their choosing.
“In religion I learned about different religions and cultures from around the world. I did my project on Shintoism and enjoy how unique it is. It is different from other religions. It is important to learn about other religions because if we go to the country we can be respectful of other cultures.” - Kiranya
“In religion I really enjoyed making my presentation on Buddhism. I liked learning about the origin and the practices of the religion. I learned that the person who created Buddhism was a Prince who saw people who were sick and sad and he meditated under a tree until he found peace.” - Rosie
Year 6
Literacy
In Literacy, the Grade 6 students are continuing to read Once, and the novel is becoming very exciting as the story develops. Students have been highly engaged in class discussions and are responding thoughtfully to the text through comprehension activities. It has been pleasing to see students making deeper connections with the characters, themes, and historical context while developing their analytical and written response skills.
Students also explored a range of texts including Luna Roo, Stolen Girl, and Sorry Day. In Luna Roo, students made predictions using illustrations, discussed questions about the story, and built understanding from the title, blurb, and vocabulary activities. They then participated in a live read aloud and reflected on key themes such as teamwork, courage, and determination, supporting their ideas with evidence from the text. Students also considered the author’s purpose, the message of the story, and made personal connections.
In Stolen Girl, students focused on the theme of identity and how experiences shape a person’s sense of self. In Sorry Day, they explored how language creates meaning and emotion, identified different sentence types, and made connections between the text, themselves, and the world, including analysing parts of Kevin Rudd’s apology speech.
Numeracy
In Mathematics, the Grade 6 students are finishing their unit on decimals and will soon begin learning about probability. Students will explore chance and likelihood through a range of hands-on activities, discussions, and problem-solving tasks. Throughout this unit, students will learn to order chance outcomes from least to most likely, identify relationships between chance outcomes, and recognise both independent and dependent events.
Students will also participate in rich probability tasks and games where they will use possible outcomes and probability language to justify their thinking and solve problems. We look forward to seeing students apply their mathematical reasoning and develop confidence in explaining probability concepts.
Inquiry
This week in Geography, students explored how climate and environmental characteristics influence the way people live. Students investigated Australia’s four main climate zones and discussed how people adapt through clothing, housing, farming, and water use. They also explored factors that influence climate, including El Niño and La Niña. Students continued working on and completing their world maps and Australia maps to support their understanding of environmental characteristics. Our learning intention was: I can identify environmental characteristics and explain how they influence the way people live.
Religion
In Religion during Week 5, students explored how the Holy Spirit continues to be active in people’s lives today. They learned about the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, including love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and discussed how these can be shown in everyday life. Students also explored the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they empower people for mission and service within the community. Through discussions and reflection activities, students considered how the Holy Spirit shapes personal values, beliefs, spiritual growth, and Catholic identity.
In Week 6 Religion, Grade 6 students are starting their Saint Project research task. The lesson begins with a recap of the project expectations and a review of the key components students are required to complete. Any areas of difficulty identified in the previous lesson will be revisited and clarified as a class to ensure all students have a clear understanding of the task. Special attention will be given to the orange and red sections of the research, which require students to move beyond factual information and include their own opinions, reflections, and personal understandings about their chosen saint. This discussion will support students to strengthen their thinking and improve the depth of their responses.
Wellbeing 5/6
This week in Wellbeing, students explored how to use ICT safely and responsibly while developing their understanding of cyberbullying. Students discussed what cyberbullying is, how it can affect others, and strategies for supporting themselves and others when facing online challenges. Through class discussions and activities, students reflected on personal strengths such as kindness, empathy, and responsibility, and how these can be used to promote positive online behaviour and personal growth. Our learning intentions were: I can use ICT appropriately, I can understand what cyberbullying is, and I can help others who have experienced cyberbullying.
Winter Gala Practice:
Winter Gala Practice: We are well underway into Winter Gala practice for Basketball, Hockey, T-Ball, Lacrosse and Soccer. Students have been practicing their assigned sports preparing to tackle the Winter Gala Day in Week 7.
We still need a few more parent helpers if you would like to come along on the day and help us organise a team we would love to hear from you.
Important Dates
Monday June 1st - Year 5 Online Camp Information Session at 7pm
Monday June 8th - Kings Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday June 9th - School Closure Day
Wednesday June 10th - Winter Gala Sports Day
Thursday June 11th - 5/6 Specialist Day
Friday June 12th - Respect Workshops ran by Carlton Football Club
Wednesday June 17th - Friday June 19th - Year 5 Camp
Friday June 19th - Whole School Mass
Monday June 22nd - Learning Conversations 1:30pm - 5:30pm
Tuesday June 23rd - Learning Conversations 3:30 - 7pm
Wednesday June 24th - Pyjama Day - Gold Coin Donation
Friday June 26th - Assembly 12pm
Friday June 26th - Students finish at 1pm
Blessings from the Year 5/6 Team:
Scott, Tina S, Ann, Jordan, Leeza, Janeen, Elizabeth, Danielle ,Tian and Jodie