Year 6SO News

Year 6 Parent Information Newsletter

Welcome to 2025! We are thrilled to be teaching your child in their final year of Primary School. Year 6 is a very special time and we are looking forward to a jam-packed year filled with much learning and fun!

Please remember that the school is open from 8:30am and it is important that students arrive on time to ensure they are organised before the beginning of the day. Our prayer and morning routine begins on the first bell at 8:50am, where students engage in meditative prayer and are informed of the day's proceedings. It is extremely beneficial for students to arrive on time for school to support their organisational skills and connectedness to their peers. Please ensure you are able to access your child’s ‘Class Dojo’ as information and updates will be sent out weekly using this platform. We are looking forward to a fantastic year with our wonderful school leaders!

BELL TIMES

• 8:30am Students can enter their classroom
• 8:50am Beginning of school bell
• 9am Lessons begin
• 11:05-11:45am Recess
• 1:20-2:00pm Lunch
• 3:30pm End of school bell

Weekly Timetable

Year 6

Monday: SEL and Homework sent home 

Tuesday: 

Wednesday: Art and PE

Thursday: Italian and STEM, Performing Arts every second week

Friday: Diaries handed in to be signed by teacher. Homework due, Assembly and Year 6 class sport 

English

We will be focusing on the English Curriculum for two hours each morning. This block is made up of the following components:

Reading

A wide range of reading materials and teaching strategies are used to improve our students’ comprehension skills. We will be using Core Knowledge units which are rich in language and content, which support students in building their worldly knowledge and promote the use of rich vocabulary. These units are also used to support students' oral and written comprehension development as well as provide opportunities to consolidate students' reading strategies.

Writing

This term we will continue to build the students' skills and knowledge in writing through explicit and focused teaching. Throughout these sessions, particular emphasis will be placed on improving and enhancing the content of the students’ writing through explicit work on sentence and paragraph structure. We will also continue to focus on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and the presentation of work.

Spelling

A new Spelling Program will be implemented for Year Three to Year Six students in the classroom. It will cover spelling patterns, rules, irregular words, homophones, morphology and etymology. Lessons will be differentiated to cater to all needs in the classroom. 

Speaking & Listening

Students will be encouraged to participate in a variety of formal and informal oral language activities throughout the year.

Mathematics

In Term 1, students will be provided with many opportunities to explore the following topics, using a range of relevant and open-ended learning experiences: 

• Statistics and Probability - Data representation
• Number & Algebra: Properties of numbers; Four Operations
• Measurement & Geometry: Perimeter & Area

Please encourage your child to continually review their multiplication and division facts to ensure they have an immediate recall. 

Religion

Our school focus in Religious Education for Term 1 is as follows:

Church and Community

Students will endeavour to explain the nature of the Holy Spirit and its particular role in the Catholic Church. They will interpret the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit and how these enable people to contribute to the mission of the church. They will also personally reflect on their own role in the mission of the church and the Kingdom of God.  

Lent and Easter

Students will endeavour to analyse, compare, and interpret scriptural texts of Lent and Holy Week. They will view and interpret different images related to Holy Week, and reflect on the relevance and importance of understanding and acknowledging these significant events in our faith. 

Topic

Unit 1: ‘Creating a Safe and secure learning environment’Our first unit during the early weeks of school will focus on establishing routines and expectations for the year.

Unit 2: ‘On This Land’

History

Students develop an understanding of the past and present experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their identity, and the continuing contribution and value of their culture. 

Geography

Students identify and compare responses to a geographical challenge, describing the expected effects on different Indigenous groups. They will also ethically collect, record and represent geographical data.

Cultural Diversity

Students will identify barriers to and means of reaching understandings within and between culturally diverse groups. They will also examine and discuss the variety of ways in which people understand and appreciate different cultural values and perspectives, and the things which promote or inhibit effective engagement with diverse cultural groups.

Homework

• At least 30 minutes reading each weekday, recorded in school diary
• An English & Mathematics unit, taken from the Targeting Homework series.

Students will receive streamlined homework on a weekly basis. The first homework will be given out on Monday of Week 2 and corrected on Friday of Week 2. The next week’s homework will then be pasted in their books after correction. Our expectation is that students will allocate time during their week to complete their homework, we do not expect students to work during their weekend. 

If students are unable to complete homework for family/ personal reasons etc, families must contact one of us via email or write a note in their diary. As the transitional year before high school, it is vital we foster self-organisation and healthy work habits at home. A part of this is understanding that there will be consequences for not completing homework.

Personal & Social Capability (Wellbeing)

Students will participate in weekly social and emotional (SEL) sessions. These sessions will enable students to share and discuss social issues in a safe and supportive environment, as well as learn and practice skills for peer negotiation and conflict resolution. 

The students are connected to Class Dojo for communication purposes and as a positive reinforcement tool in the classroom. Points can be earned individually or as a whole class. Dojo points are only gained for positive behaviours in accordance with the star values and not taken away.

Class Dojo will be used to communicate upcoming events at the end of each week so please ensure you are connected as parents to receive this communication. Please note that we no longer use the private message function on Dojo.

Camp

For this year's 5/6 camp, we will be travelling to Camp Rumbug, near Foster. This will occur in week 9 of Term 1. It is a compulsory part of our curriculum in which the students are involved in a number of outdoor activities. Camp gives students an opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and experience new things. Students will be encouraged to build upon their friendships and relationships with others through team-building activities. It is normally a highlight of the year for the students, even those who are nervous and possibly apprehensive about attending. There will be further details about the camp in the coming weeks. 

You are always welcome to make contact with us, either after school or via email, if you have any questions or comments.

Looking forward to an exciting year!

Clare Smith clare.smith@sjmalvern.catholic.edu.au

Monday - Wednesday

Siobhan O’Dwyer siobhan.odwyer@sjmalvern.catholic.edu.au 

Thursday - Friday