Classroom News

Foundation: Mrs Fleming

It has been a busy couple of weeks in Foundation as our newest students continue to experience many exciting “firsts” at school. The children came to school for their first Wednesday, they attended their first student lead Liturgy and took part in an Act of Solidarity. This week the Foundation students also had the opportunity to do ‘Art’ with Mrs Hill for the first time and on top of all of this they have been busy learning new skills in the classroom every day!

As part of our InitiaLit Storybook lessons, we have been exploring the beautiful picture book The Very Hungry Bear by Nick Bland. To bring the story to life, we created a tear bear, by carefully tearing pieces of coloured paper to create our very own bear. This activity helped develop our fine motor skills while deepening our connection to the themes of the book. 

In InitialWrite we have been learning all about words. We learned the difference between words and pictures and had lots of fun being word detectives. Students did a great job hunting around the school to find words hiding in so many places. 

In Mathematics, we have been working hard to develop a strong understanding of the numbers to 10. We have been working hard on our counting and developing our number formation. Through hands-on activities and engaging tasks, we are building our confidence with number concepts, setting a solid foundation for future mathematical learning. 

Grade 1/2: Mrs McKiernan & Mrs Tyler

It’s hard to believe how quickly the term is flying by. This fortnight week we have continued to build on our learning across all areas and kept busy with some exciting activities in the classroom.  

In Literacy, we have been learning about procedural writing, and what better way to explore this text type than by heading outside to learn a new game on the oval! The game, ‘Dash and Grab’, gave students a hands-on experience in understanding how clear instructions are essential. After playing, we returned to the classroom to write our own procedures, carefully outlining the materials needed and the step-by-step instructions required to play the game. I think this game may have even been played during one of Abby’s before-school morning fitness sessions! 

In Maths, we have just finished our first Place Value unit, which we will revisit later in the year. The students enjoyed ordering random numbers from smallest to largest and from largest to smallest. We explored the importance of where each digit sits within a number and discussed the very important role that ‘0’ plays in forming numerals. When we finished early, we were able to squeeze in a few games of Greedy Pig, which was a real highlight! 

Grade 1/2: Miss Wooden

We have had a delightful few weeks in our Grade 1/2 class, brimming with learning experiences and creativity! Here’s an update on what we’ve been focusing on:

The students have been practising crafting simple sentences that clearly express their thoughts and ideas. It has been wonderful to see their imaginations soar as they create fun sentences and share them with the class. In addition, we’ve started exploring place value, helping students understand the value of each digit in a number. They are beginning to grasp how to break down numbers into tens and ones, solidifying their foundational math skills.

As we prepare for the meaningful season of Lent, we’ve begun discussing its significance and how it leads up to Easter. The students are reflecting on themes of kindness, gratitude, and giving. We’re excited to incorporate various activities that will help us understand the spirit of Lent and prepare for the joy of Easter, including crafts and community service projects that encourage sharing and caring for others.

We’ve embarked on a new science adventure, exploring living things and their habitats! The students are eager to learn about different organisms and the environments they thrive in. We’ll be investigating various living things, from plants to animals, and discussing how they adapt to their surroundings.

Grade 3: Miss Taylor

The past couple of weeks have been full of excitement in Year 3, starting with our Swimming Carnival! It was a fantastic day filled with cheering, encouragement and plenty of house spirit. This was the first year our Year 3 students competed in the big 25m pool, and they rose to the challenge brilliantly. Every student gave at least one race a go—many even jumped in for all of them! It was wonderful to see so much support from the sidelines as classmates cheered each other on throughout the day. 

In Maths, we have moved on to learning all about time. Students have been exploring different ways we measure time, looking at analogue clocks, digital clocks, stopwatches, timers and even calendars. We have also been practising our estimating skills, making predictions before testing them out. Some of our challenges have included estimating how long it takes to do 10 star jumps, write our whole class list, write the alphabet backwards, line up as a class, and even sing the national anthem! After making our estimates, we used stopwatches to record the real time and then compared and analysed our results. We are currently working with seconds, minutes, hours and days as we strengthen our understanding of how time works.

In English, students have been diving deeper into persuasive writing. We have been learning about deforestation and using this topic to build arguments both for and against the issue. Many students are passionate about protecting forests and saving animals from extinction, while others have challenged themselves by exploring different perspectives, such as the need for land for farming and development, palm oil production, and using natural resources while replanting trees. Students are learning how to structure a persuasive essay, focusing on strong introductions, clear paragraphs and convincing arguments.

We are also continuing our class novel, Kensuke's Kingdom, and the class is completely hooked! Michael and Kensuke have recently begun to form a friendship, and students are enjoying learning more about Kensuke and how Michael is slowly finding ways to communicate with him. We have been discussing how their relationship changes throughout the story and how this affects Michael’s chances of survival on the island. The class is definitely on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens next!

A big highlight in our classroom recently has been the introduction of our new classroom jobs. From Desk Inspector and Hydration Monitor to Gardener, Cubby Patrol, Stationery Manager and even our class Electrician, everyone plays an important role in helping keep our classroom running smoothly. Jobs rotate every fortnight, and students have loved taking on new responsibilities and helping keep our classroom in tip-top shape.

Grade 4/5: Mrs Stock

We have had another wonderful week of learning in our classroom. It has been great to see the students continuing to settle into routines and showing confidence in their learning. The class has been working hard across all areas, and it has been pleasing to see students supporting one another and taking pride in their work.

English

The Grade 5 students have recently completed their persuasive writing unit and finished reading our class novel A Ghost in My Suitcase. They have now begun exploring a new text, Deadly Science: The Solar System, a non-fiction book that introduces students to the planets, stars and other features of our solar system while also recognising the deep astronomical knowledge of First Nations Australians.

In English, the Year 4 students have been learning how to write persuasive texts. They have been exploring how to share their opinions clearly and support their ideas with strong reasons. Students have also been learning how powerful word choices can make their writing more convincing. They are also continuing to enjoy our class novel Kensuke’s Kingdom. As Michael and Kensuke’s relationship begins to change, students have been discussing how this affects Michael’s survival on the island. It has been great to hear students sharing their predictions about what might happen next and confidently volunteering to read parts of the novel aloud.

Mathematics

In Mathematics, students have been developing their understanding of multiplication and factors. We have been discussing strategies to help solve problems and strengthen recall of multiplication facts. Becoming confident with times tables will help students greatly as we continue working with more complex number problems.

Inquiry

In Inquiry, students have been learning about animal and plant adaptations and survival. They have explored how different animals use physical features and behaviours to help them survive in their environments. Students have enjoyed discussing examples of predators and prey and thinking about how animals protect themselves.

Religion

In Religion, we have been learning about the season of Lent. Students have reflected on ways they can grow closer to God by showing kindness, helping others, and making thoughtful choices. We will continue to explore how we can live out these values in our daily lives.

Grade 5/6: Miss Rasmussen

In English, we recently finished our class novel Ghost in My Suitcase. The class was very invested in the story and eager to see how it would end. It was great to see Celeste overcome the evil spirits connected to her grandmother’s past and strengthen her connection to her mother’s homeland. Students also completed their persuasive writing pieces on the topic “Knowing Your Family’s History is Important.” After NAPLAN, we will begin exploring our new class text, Deadly Science: The Solar System, which we are very much looking forward to.

In Maths, we have been refreshing our understanding of complex multiplication and division problems. It has been fantastic to see students transfer their previous learning to this unit and experience success right from the start. Their confidence in applying these strategies has continued to grow throughout the lessons.

We also led our class liturgy focusing on the season of Lent. Students did a wonderful job reading, completing special roles and joining in the singing. It was a lovely opportunity for our class to gather in prayer and reflection.

Throughout Lent, we have also been learning more about Caritas Project Compassion and how our actions can help others. Students have been making connections between this learning and the initiatives taking place around the school, such as the casual clothes day, icy pole sales and our recent Solidarity Walk. It has been great to see students developing an understanding of how small actions can make a difference in the lives of others.

Clean Up Australia Day

On Friday February 27th we took part in ‘Clean Up Australia Day’. Our students rolled up their sleeves and worked together to clean up our school yar, the areas around our school and even the main street of Tongala! It was great to see the enthusiasm, teamwork and community spirit shown by everyone involved. 

How nice is it to see our school and town looking so clean and cared for! Thank you to all our students for doing your bit to make a difference – every piece of rubbish collected helps keep our environment beautiful.