Specialist Newsletter
Term 4 Specialist classes
MUSIC – Mrs Lisa Scott
Prep students will continue to develop their musical skills through the topics of ‘The Jungle’, ‘Pirates’ and ‘The Sea’. They will use a range of percussion instruments to accompany songs and use scarves, ribbons and other props to explore the musical elements of dynamics, pitch and form.
Year 1 students will explore creating body percussion and learn techniques for playing a range of percussion instruments. They will be challenged to identify and name sounds in the natural environment and to participate in a listening walk around the school. Students will also experience music and dance from different countries.
Year 2 students will be creating and performing soundscapes using percussion instruments and body percussion. They will experience music and dance from different countries and use the Boomwhackers to play along with a variety of music.
Year 3 students will be challenged to develop their singing skills by learning and performing a variety of rounds and canons. They will learn about instruments in the orchestra and also compose and perform their own music using the pentatonic scale.
Year 4 -students will be learning techniques to play a variety of World drumming music. This will include playing the djemebes and various African musical instruments.
Year 5 students will experience playing the guitar, learning to play chords and riffs to accompany a variety of songs in whole class music making. They will also be writing and performing a piece of rap music.
Year 6 students will continue to develop their skills in playing a musical instrument of their choice and collaborate to make decisions about how to use the elements of music in their performances.
PERFORMING ARTS - Mrs Carmen Collins
Preps are learning the words and actions to nursery rhymes and looking at how books can be bought to life with drama.
Year 1 students are exploring improvisation and how mime and movement can tell a story.
Year 2 students are exploring fairytales and how to extend our comfort zone in improvised situations.
Year 3 are completing a unit of reader’s theatre where they prepare, practise and perform a play to the class and then finish the term looking at how literacy enhances drama.
Year 4 are completing a unit of reader’s theatre where they prepare, practise and perform a play to the class and then finish the term exploring puppetry and masks on stage.
Year 5 students are learning the features of a script and experimenting with writing their own drama, then move onto exploring how mime and movement can enhance a story on stage.
Year 6 students will begin writing a script of their own creation to practise and perform to their class then move on to exploring digital drama and how ICT can enhance performances.
ART - Mrs Andrea Garwood/Mrs Lainie Owen
Prep students will create mono-coloured self-portraits using a variety of materials. After listening to the story, Edward the Emu, they will draw their own emu pictures. Following a design process, students will create 3D art of their favourite things using Magiclay. They will also use a variety of materials to create 3D animals and landscape pictures.
Year 1 & 2 will create some whole-body portraits using mix media. Student will plan, design and make 3D art of their favourite things using Magiclay. They will complete city scenes with oil pastels and food dye demonstrating the resist technique. After listening to the story, Edward the Emu, they will create emu pictures.
Year 3 & 4 students will look at Pablo Picasso split faces and produce colourful portrait drawings. They will also complete a self-portrait using a step-by-step process. They will plan, design and create 3D art using clay. Using secondary colour palettes, they will produce sunset silhouette pictures. Demonstrating the resist technique with oil pastel and food dye, students will complete outer space pictures.
Year 5 & 6 students will look at Pablo Picasso split faces and produce fluorescent portrait drawings using pastels. They will also complete a self-portrait using a step-by-step process. Using a single colour palette, they will produce silhouettes of an underwater scene with sea creatures. They will complete outer space pictures with oil pastels and food dye demonstrating the resist technique.
STEM – Mrs Carolyn Okamura
Prep – students will be learning about Physical sciences and the forces of nature, and will use various objects in class to explore how things move.
Year 1, 3 and 5 – students will be learning about Earth and Space science. Year 1 and Year 3 students will begin to learn about the Earth’s rotation and orbit and how this causes changes in our environment. Year 5 students will investigate the solar system, revising the names and main features of our planets.
Year 2, 4 and 6 – students will be learning about Biological sciences. Year 2 and 4 students will learn about the needs of living things and will investigate different animal and plant lifecycles. Year 6 students will explore some of the major biomes of our world and the plants and animals that have adapted to these environments, and they will also begin to learn about some microorganisms.
Physical Education – Mr Ahmad Chazbek & Mr Jeff McGann
Term 4 is another busy term with several sporting and athletic events for our students to experience. Earlier in the year, Hillsmeade were the overall winner at the District athletics competition. Due to this success, many Hillsmeade students were able to participate in the Divisional Athletics event. Several of our students won their events at this level and will now compete in the Regional competition.
The school’s interschool basketball, touch rugby, AFL, volleyball and kickball teams have been participating in several interschool games last term against other primary schools in our district. These teams will now be competing in the Lightning Premiership event during the first week of this term. This is a fun day where the students will compete in their sporting teams against other schools for the entire day. Earlier in the year, students in Years 3 to 6 participated in the Hoop Time event at Casey Basketball Stadium. Two of our teams were successful in winning their division and now will compete at the next level later this term.
The aim of the physical education lessons this term is for students to continue to explore a wide range of sports. Students in Years 3 to 6 will play cricket, golf, lawn bowls and soccer. The students will explore the techniques and skills required to be successful in each of these sports. The students in Years Prep to 2 will continue to develop their fundamental motor skills which will include elements of the sports taught to the senior students. Our junior students will also be competing in our junior cross-country event later this term.
DIGITECH - Mrs Janelle Struth
Prep, 1 and 2: Students have been learning how to use google maps to find different locations such as Hillsmeade Primary and different landmarks around the world. We will be learning about internet safety and the importance of not giving out personal information online. Further into the term, we will be learning how to code and the importance of problem solving using technology, to do this we will be using an app called “Spritebox” to help us.
Year 3: We will be learning about stop motion animation where students are able to use images that they have taken to create a small animation. We will use different materials such as clay, pipe cleaners and googly eyes to design and create characters and use them to make our animation. The app “Stop Motion” will be used to make the animations. Further into the term, we will be using the sketchbook app to draw using different functions such as layers, brush sizes and colour.
MEDIA ARTS – Mr Hardev Singh
YEAR 3 students have learned to use Microsoft Teams to communicate with the teacher, upload files, and complete a well-being check-in. Next, we will learn about stop-motion animation. Students will use their images to create short animations. We will use clay, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes to design and develop characters for our animations. We will use the Stop Motion Animation app to create our animations.
YEAR 4 students will embark on a journey of discovery, exploring the creative and technical realms of coding, graphic design, vlogging, and cyber-smart behaviour. Their journey will begin with the basics of coding, where they will learn to create interactive stories and animations using platforms like Scratch. Next, they will delve into graphic design, where they will master the art of composition, colour theory, and typography using Canva to create visually appealing artwork. Students will also explore the exciting world of vlogging and digital storytelling as they progress. They will learn to script, film, and edit their vlogs to express their unique ideas and experiences.
Additionally, they will receive essential cyber-smart education, including online safety, responsible digital citizenship, and protecting personal information. Finally, students will collaborate on a multimedia project integrating their newfound skills and knowledge. This project will allow them to showcase their creativity, critical thinking, and ethical behaviour as media artists. Throughout their journey, students will be encouraged to be creative and think critically while developing ethical solid principles for navigating the digital world.
YEAR 5 Media Arts students will embark on a creative adventure, exploring the diverse worlds of coding, graphic design, vlogging, and cyber safety. Their journey will begin with the fundamentals of coding, where they will learn to create interactive stories and animations using platforms like Scratch. Next, they will delve into graphic design, where they will master the art of composition, colour theory, and typography using Canva to create visually stunning artwork. As they venture deeper into the world of media arts, students will also discover the exciting art of vlogging and digital storytelling. They will learn to craft and edit their vlogs to share their unique ideas and experiences.
Additionally, they will receive essential instruction on cyber safety, covering topics like online privacy and protection against cyberbullying. Finally, students will culminate their learning journey with a collaborative multimedia project that integrates their newfound skills and knowledge. This project will allow them to showcase their creativity, teamwork, and ability to apply what they have learned to real-world projects.
YEAR 6 Media Arts students will embark on a creative expedition, navigating the exciting landscapes of coding, graphic design, photography, vlogging, and cyber safety. Their journey will begin with the fundamentals of coding, where they will learn to create interactive stories and animations using platforms like Scratch. Next, they will delve into the world of visual design, mastering the art of composition to create visually stunning artwork. As they explore the realm of photography, students will discover the secrets of composition and storytelling through images. They will also develop their vlogging and digital storytelling skills, learning to express their ideas effectively through the power of video. Additionally, they will receive essential cyber safety education, covering topics like online privacy and combating cyberbullying.
Finally, students will embark on a collaborative multimedia project integrating their newfound skills and knowledge. This project will allow them to showcase their creativity, teamwork, and ability to apply what they have learned to real-world tasks. Throughout their expedition, students will be encouraged to be bold explorers, pushing the boundaries of their creativity and using technology to impact the world positively.
MANDARIN – Miss Wei Wang
We are very proud to hear, more often, our students across all year levels use Mandarin outside the Mandarin class - from varying their greeting words based on the time of a day to singing some children’s rhymes at home. Feedback from parents, and also grandparents, keeps coming back and reminding me how much our language program is being valued and supported in our school community. This term we will continue to build up our speaking skills, expand our vocabulary, learn about Chinese characters and explore some cultural aspects. Different year levels will engage in two or three specific units of work -
Prep students will learn to say basic colours and will be officially introduced to the Chinese writing system. They will learn to use a writing grid to practise handwriting Mandarin numbers in both characters and Pinyin (the Romanised pronunciation).
Year 1 students will learn to name a group of body parts through the Mandarin version Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. They will be revisiting numbers 0-10 and learn to count to twenty. They will learn four basic Chinese characters 日 (sun), 月 (moon), 山 (mountain) and 水 (water) through a nursery rhyme, Mountains and Water, and learn to identify these basic simple characters as components in compound characters.
Year 2 students will extend their vocabulary of colours and learn to say basic family words through the Mandarin version Baby Shark. They will learn to express preferences to describe their likes and dislikes in full sentences, and to substitute the subject ‘wo’ (I) with other nouns (for example, family, pets and animals).
Year 3 students will learn to name some common food items. On top of describing their preferences with ‘I like’ and ‘I don’t like’, students will learn to make requests using the sentence starter ‘may I have’. Students will be practising speaking through some scripted mini dialogues. Year 3 students will also explore some traditional Chinese architecture and garden elements through a ‘Blue and White China’ unit of work.
Year 4 students will wrap up their Gold Rush unit of work with a field study trip to the Chinese Museum in city. They will then focus on school items such as pencils, books, erasers and rulers. Students will reinforce these new words through an ‘I have, who has’ speaking game and other online games. Students will learn to name some places at school and practise asking and giving simple directions through a scripted mini dialogue.
Year 5 students will focus on the topic of sports and hobbies. They will engage in an ‘I like, who likes’ speaking game to consolidate the vocabulary introduced through a song and construct their own sentences to say sports they and their family like. Students will learn to use days of the week and adverbs of frequency (such as often, sometimes and never) to give information about how often they do their hobbies.
Year 6 students will continue to build their self-introduction content. They will revisit several contents covered in previous years and practise giving a mini speech about themselves with a template. Their self-introduction will include their given and family names, their gender, age, birthday, nationality or cultural background, family and sports they like or hobbies. In celebration of their achievement in the language program, Year 6 students will make, cook and eat dumplings at the end of the semester.