Music

This term, the focus for Music and Performing Arts will be on drama and dance in preparation for our whole school concert in Week 7, Term 3, on September 4th.

Preps will practise acting, experimenting with mime (actions without voice) and creating short diagloues to perform in class. They will be working on using clear voices, facing the audience and using the stage effectively.

Grades 1-2 will be acting out their scenarios and working on short dialogue, both in memorising and creating. They will be working on creating fictional and real characters, exploring mannerisms, using different voices and using time and space on the stage.

Grades 3-6, have started working directly on the concert, creating mood boards using Canva, to help them with costume and set design + finding quotes from the movies to add to the script.

All grades will be receiving 5x hour-long dance lessons this term by Rebel Stepz, which will form their dance piece for the school concert.

STEM Term 2

Our STEM lessons in Term 2, we will be looking at Earth Science and this year will look at extreme and severe weather, natural disasters and the planet’s rotation.

As always, If you ever have any questions or would like to contact me - the easiest way is to drop me an email at stephen.lytton@education.vic.gov.au There may be situations where I may email you about a student’s work, behaviour or if the student seems to be consistently absent.

In Foundation (Prep) we will be learning about the features of the 4 traditional seasons and the differences between day and night. We plan to investigate different types of weather that we see in Australia, and discuss the 'traditional' seasonal weather (e.g. snow in winter). We will investigate how Wurundjeri s view 7 seasons across a year instead of 4. In the second part of the term, we will begin our journey into Outer Space, taking in the sights of the planet Earth, the Sun and our moon. Our final lesson will involve a celebration of the Winter Solstice.

In Grade 1 and 2 for Term 2, the students will learn about the features of the4 traditional seasons and what events and activities we may do during those seasons. We then plan to match them to the months associated with them in Australia. We will run some investigations into natural and manmade materials and how we can reduce, reuse and recycle items to be more sustainable. In the second part of the term, we will create home made watering devices for use in our gardens at school and at home. In Technology we will use the Ipad App - Scratch junior to code characters, backgrounds, sounds and movement as well as begin our coding journey using code.org. Our challenge lesson this term will be to create a marble run using only recycled materials.

In Grade 3 and 4, the students will investigate extreme weather and natural disasters (both in Australia and worldwide) and how this can have an effect on our Planet. They will complete an experiment to show the Greenhouse effect and learn about the dangers of UV radiation. At the end of the term for their engineering challenge; students will have to plan, design and build catapults which will then be used in Art to create unique pieces of artwork. For technology, Students continue working on their coding knowledge using Scratch and apply block coding to using the Sphero Robots.

In Grade 5 and 6 for Term 2, we will revise extreme and severe weather and then apply this knowledge to different types of natural and manmade disasters (both in Australia and worldwide). We will look at the geographic and human impact that disasters have on our planet. Students will have another lesson on their own personal project (most likely week 9) and their challenge lesson this term will be an protect the egg drop experiment (Contingent on egg supply and demand). Students will continue to apply their coding skills to specific challenges using Scratch.

STEM Donations

I would like to talk about donations (again). When we start crafting and building we will go through an awful lot of materials - many of which can be recycled by donating to the school.

Across the year the STEM program could easily use the following donations:-

Cardboard boxes that can be cut by scissors (cereal boxes, muesli bars, shapes)
Shoeboxes or boxes of a similar size (for dioramas)
Paper Towel cardboard tubes (unfortunately we are not allowed to use toilet roll tubes)
Coloured paper or old wrapping paper
Straws, pipe cleaners,pom poms or any crafting supplies that are spare and unwanted
Bottle cap lids
Old material
Unused lego (especially standard building blocks)
Or anything you think the imagination of a child could use.

I am also still collecting any old electronics that may contain a circuit board (such as old dvd players) for the students in grade 5-6 to dismantle in Term 3.

These items can be: -

dropped off outside the STEM room (portables 1+2), opposite the Theircare building
placed in the red tub just inside the doors to the school library
Left at the school office for Stephen
sent to STEM with your child.

Any donations big or small are always appreciated. If you don’t need it anymore and you think we can re-use and recycle it - please consider donating.

Thank you Stephen Lytton, STEM Specialist.

PE & Sport

Prep:

In Physical Education, Foundation students learn how to move and play safely by following rules and using equipment correctly and also further develop personal and social skills when working with others in a range of activities. Foundation students practice fundamental movement skills and movement sequences using different motor skills in varied settings. During the semester, they will focus on catching, throwing, running and dodging. Foundation students will be working on their listening skills and following instructions, both visual and voice commands during lessons. They will identify healthy eating in Health.

Grade 1/2:

In Grade 1/2, students will be learning the correct way to apply movement skills in indoor and outdoor situations. Students continue to develop their fundamental motor skills and begin to apply them to small-sided games where they develop their communication and teamwork skills. During the semester, they will focus on catching, throwing, ball dribbling, striking, running and dodging. The students learn how to move and play safely by following rules and using equipment correctly. They will be working on their listening skills and following instructions during these lessons. Grade 1/2 students will be focusing on being safe medicines in Health.

Grade 3&4:

In Grade 3 and 4, students further develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to their health, wellbeing, safety and participation in physical activity. They are introduced to the major sports of soccer, basketball, softball, netball and AFL through modified games and begin to participate in skill related activities. Grade 3 and 4 students will focus on kicking, handballing, marking, dribbling by foot, passing and goal shooting in soccer. They will participate in minor and invasion games, which promote physical movement, teamwork, cooperation and leadership through fun activities. Grade 3 and 4 students will identify dangerous household substances in Health. They will participate in a soccer clinic conducted by Football Australia.

Grade 5&6:

In Grade 5 and 6, students further develop knowledge, understanding and skills to create opportunities and take action to enhance their own and others’ health, wellbeing, safety and physical activity participation. Students participate in the major sports of netball, basketball, softball, soccer, AFL and learn some tactics to apply to the games. Grade 5 and 6 students will participate in minor and invasion games that promote physical movement, teamwork, cooperation and leadership. These require more detailed tactics and promote the students ability to communicate within their group to have a successful outcome in the activity. Grade 5 and 6 students will learn to promote safety by being anti-drug and alcohol in Health. Some students participate in intershool sports of AFL football, soccer and netball.

Some 3/4 & 5/6 students will have the opportunity to participate in District cross country in week 5 at Coburg Athletics Track.

Visual Arts Term 2

In Foundation for Term 2, our Art Foci are painting, construction and claywork. We begin the new term with looking at patterns in our natural environment and patterns that are made by combining different lines and shapes. We will experiment making patterns with geometric blocks and pieces of cardboards dipped in acrylic paint. We will look at symmetry in nature and create our own symmetrical paintings of beetles. We will explore how to create texture when creating a landscape picture using modelling clay and collage.

Art Foci: Painting, construction and claywork

Art Elements covered: Repetition and Pattern and Texture

Picture Books used: My First Book of Patterns by Bobby George and June George; Wings, Waves and Webs by Robin Mitchell Cranfield

In grade 1 and 2 for Term 2, we will consolidate our understanding of warm and cool colours and complementary colours. We will learn to mix media such as oil pastels, water colour and collage when portraying landscapes using these colours. We will look at the art styles of Etel Adnan and Georgia O’Keefe in landscape painting and compare and contrast their use of colours and methods. We will explore different cultural masks and their purposes and construct our own African themed paper and cardboard masks.

Art Foci: Painting, collage and construction

Art Elements covered: Colours, Space and Form

Artists covered: Etel Adnan and Georgia O’Keefe

In Grade 3 and 4 for Term 2, we will examine the role of dragons in myths, fairy tales and fantasy and how well-known artists depicted dragons in their artwork. We will learn basic claywork skills such as pinching, coiling, sculpting and smoothing when creating dragon eyes with Magiclay and modelling foam. We will also look at the art styles of Alma W. Thomas and Paul Klee in landscape and castles painting. We will explore painting using a range of techniques and mixed media.

Art Foci: Painting and claywork

Art Elements: Form, Space and Shape

Artists covered: Alma W. Thomas, Paul Klee and Henri Matisse

In Grade 5 and 6 for Term 2, our Art foci are painting and construction. We will explore the rise of pop art in the 1950s and 1960s and examine the wide range of pop art artworks by artists such as Andy Warhol, Jim Dine and Yayoi Kusuma. We will learn how to create pop art artworks such as printmaking and simple modular sculptures. During our painting lessons, we will focus on painting techniques such as colour theory, brushwork and composition.

Art Foci: Painting and construction

Art Elements: Colour, Shape and Form

Artists covered: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Wayne Thiebaud

Lastly, I purchased 30 3-piece table easels with the $1000 grant from the School Council. Each table easel includes an acrylic palette and spatula. It also has plenty of storage space under the lid. All 30 easels arrived on Monday in Week 2 and students in grade 3/4s were the first area to use them for their painting lessons this week. Check out their photos below! The feedback I received so far has been positive as these easels are easy to pack up, simple to carry and stackable. The students also found the acrylic palettes easy to use, particularly for mixing colours for their colour gradation lesson. The 3/4 students are excited by the idea of painting and mixing colours using a painting spatula and hope they get to try painting with them soon.

Thank you for your continued support.

Denise Diamantopoulos, Visual Arts Specialist

Premiers' Reading Challenge 2025

Mrs Amanda Johnson & Ms Laura Davies