Spotlight on Learning
Stage 1
Welcome to 2B, 2025. We have had a busy start with lots of learning across all subjects, settling into a new class and routines, and making friends with new classmates.
In mathematics, we have been diving into the exciting world of addition and subtraction! We have been focusing on count-by-one strategies, which help strengthen their number sense and make solving maths problems more manageable. Additionally, we have been exploring the CUBES maths strategy to tackle tricky word problems. CUBES stands for Circle the numbers, Underline the question, Box the key maths words, Evaluate the information and Solve and check your work. This strategy has been great in allowing each student to take their time and break down problems step by step.
In English, we have been exploring the fascinating world of circular narratives, with our focus text being “Peggy”. 2B has enjoyed delving into the unique structure and techniques in this story, which brings the plot full circle in a creative way. Inspired by “Peggy”, students are now beginning to plan and write their own narratives.
Miss Betty – 2B Classroom Teacher
Stage 2
As we reach the halfway point of the term, there's a palpable sense of excitement and achievement in our classrooms. Stage 2 students have been diving deep into the captivating text, The Thing About Oliver. This engaging story has not only entertained our young readers but also sparked meaningful discussions around important themes such as friendship and the profound importance of understanding ourselves and others.
Our classrooms have become vibrant spaces where students' creativity and critical thinking skills are flourishing. They have been exploring character development and narrative structure, honing their analytical abilities while enjoying a rich literary experience. It's been a joy to witness their creativity come to life through various activities, from crafting detailed character sketches to engaging in dynamic group discussions.
Currently, our dedicated Year 3 students are diligently preparing for the upcoming NAPLAN assessments. This is an important milestone for them, and we are incredibly proud of their hard work and determination. Teachers are providing targeted support, ensuring that every student feels confident and well prepared. Our focus has been on fostering a positive mindset, helping students view NAPLAN as an opportunity to showcase the skills and knowledge they have acquired. We encourage parents to support their children during this time by engaging in conversations about their learning and celebrating their efforts and progress.
As we continue through the term, we remain excited and optimistic about the growth we are witnessing in our students. Their literary skills are improving, and their academic confidence is building steadily.
Mr Yu - 4Y Classroom Teacher
Stage 3
Introducing 5R! Here’s a little look into what we have been up to this term:
English: Storm Boy
Students have begun a novel study on Storm Boy by Colin Thiele, focusing on its setting in the Coorong National Park in South Australia. They’ve researched the unique landscape and wildlife of the region, using this knowledge to further unpack the descriptive orientations and character descriptions within the text. Students have been identifying and incorporating figurative language features, such as similes, metaphors, and personification, to enhance their writing. Through Storm Boy, 5R are expanding their vocabulary, learning new words related to nature and the book’s themes. They’ve also been working on grammar and spelling, ensuring their writing is made up of a variety of sentence structures. Students have also focused on rich character descriptions, examining the main characters Storm Boy, Hide-Away and Fingerbone Bill.
Mathematics: Place Value & Mass
Over the last few weeks, 5R have delved straight into learning to read and represent large numbers, focusing on understanding the place value of digits in numbers made up to 12 digits! Students have been breaking down these numbers into groups of hundreds, thousands, millions, and billions, helping them recognise the value of each digit based on its position. Students are also working with expanded notation to express these numbers more clearly and gain a deeper understanding of their place value. Students have been applying their developed place value knowledge to order (ascending/descending) and round large numbers to the nearest 10, 100, 1000. 5R discussed why these skills were important to daily life; examples included: calculating with large quantities, exploring net worth of celebrities, population sizes and house prices. We also began exploring tonnes as measurement of mass and learning to convert between kgs and tonnes in a range of contexts.
Visual Arts: Pop Art
5R students have been introduced to the art movement "Pop Art" by exploring its connection to popular culture, mass production, and consumerism. They are beginning to explore how artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein used everyday objects and mass media imagery to create art that reflected modern life. Through discussions, students have considered how culture influences art and whether art can influence the culture around us. By examining iconic symbols from advertising, comics, and celebrities, 5R are beginning to explore how Pop Art challenged traditional ideas about fine art and enjoyed brainstorming current pop culture trends. 5R are looking forward to starting their own Andy Warhol inspired artworks this week!
Miss Raj - 5R Classroom Teacher