Foundation: Mrs Fleming

It has been a busy and fun couple of weeks in our Foundation classroom!

During our InitiaLit lessons, the Foundation students have continued learning new sounds and meeting new characters. This past fortnight we have been introduced to Danny Dingo, Hannah Hippo and Eric Elephant. Students have also begun using their letter and sound knowledge to write captions and simple sentences. We are learning to leave spaces between our words, which we call “finger spaces”.

We have also continued learning our ‘Tricky Words’ during InitiaLit. These are words that we need to learn because we can’t stretch them out using the sounds we know. Students have been practising these words in class and at home, and we had lots of fun this week during our independent learning time participating in activities to help us read and recognise the 'Tricky Words' we have learned. In the classroom we have a 'Tricky Word Train' which is where we display the words we have learned. We will continue to add new carriages and words to our train as we learn them. The highlight has been pressing the "button" and following along to read the 'Tricky Words'.

In Maths, we have begun our new unit on ‘Shape’. Students have been busy learning to identify and describe different shapes through hands-on activities. We have learned about curved and straight lines, circles, triangles, squares and rectangles and have enjoyed creating shapes using playdough, string and pipe cleaners. We have even become shape detectives, hunting for these shapes around our classroom environment!

Last week, the Foundation students enjoyed the excursion to the Kyabram Fauna Park. It was such a great day spent together wandering around the park, exploring and learning about the animals. The students loved seeing the different animals up close and were very excited to share their favourite parts of the day. We enjoyed our well earned rest breaks and loved the time spent playing on the playground.

Grade 1/2: Mrs McKiernan & Mrs Tyler

Over the last few lessons, the Grade 1 students have had the opportunity to revise and practise the digraphs they have been learning in class. The students really enjoyed “showing off” their knowledge by identifying digraphs in shared texts and participating in fun activities such as the “Guess the Vowel” game. We have also explored alliteration during our shared text reading and writing lessons and have begun learning about plurals as part of our reading program.

We have recently finished our Mathematics unit on Measurement, which was a fantastic opportunity for students to engage in hands-on learning and make real-life connections. We are now continuing our Addition and Subtraction unit from Term 1, and it has been wonderful to see how much the students have remembered and applied so confidently, providing a great opportunity to build on and strengthen these existing skills.

A highlight over the last fortnight for Grade 1/2MT has been our lesson on teamwork as part of our work in Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships. It was a beautiful afternoon when we ventured outside to test our teamwork skills by passing a hula hoop around a circle while everyone held hands. There was so much encouragement and many helpful suggestions shared among students that helped us achieve the task so successfully that we decided to add a few more hoops!

Grade 1/2: Miss Wooden

I am excited to share the latest happenings from our Grade 1/2 class!

Our students have been diving into the world of story writing! We've been focusing on writing stories about lost animals. We've also been enjoying stories about collecting colour in the Australian bush. These tales are not only entertaining but also inspire appreciation for our beautiful natural environment. In mathematics, we have been learning how to add and subtract two-digit numbers. This term has also seen our students exploring how places change over time. They have been looking at how environments evolve, from urban development to the importance of conservation. Discussing these changes helps the children appreciate their surroundings and fosters a sense of responsibility towards the environment. We recently completed our unit on Pentecost in religion. The students engaged in meaningful discussions about the significance of Pentecost and how it relates to the themes of community and sharing. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to reflect on their faith and the importance of being part of a community.

Last week, we had an amazing day at Kyabram Fauna Park! The students were thrilled to see various Australian animals up close and learn about their habitats and behaviors. This excursion provided a perfect hands-on learning experience and the excitement of the day will surely become treasured memories for our students.

Grade 3: Miss Taylor

The term is well underway, and our focus has truly been on our learning! It has been fantastic to see the Year 3 students continuing to grow in confidence, curiosity and independence as we move towards the home stretch of the term.

One of the biggest highlights recently was our whole-school excursion to the Fauna Park. Students loved seeing Australia’s native animals up close, especially the Tassie Devil, quolls and friendly kangaroos! The excursion connected beautifully to our learning in both Science and Humanities. In Science, students have been learning how to carefully observe and compare plants and animals, as well as exploring life cycles—so there was plenty of excitement around spotting the baby animals. In Humanities, we have been discussing communities and why it is important to preserve and protect natural environments for future generations.

Back in the classroom, students are becoming deeply engaged in their factual recount writing. We are now almost finished our third paragraph, and it has been wonderful to see students developing their skills in effective note-taking, turning notes into detailed sentences and paragraphs, and using time connectives, past tense language, facts and dates to strengthen their writing. Our recounts focus on the British colonisation of Australia and the impact it had on First Nations Australians. This week, students have been especially interested in learning about Pemulwuy and how he bravely fought for his land and people. We are hoping to publish our final good copies digitally in the coming weeks!

In Maths, we have just launched our exciting new unit on data, and the class is already loving it. Students have been exploring the Bureau of Meteorology website and Google Trends to investigate patterns, information and real-world data. Using the iPads and laptops has definitely been a highlight, and students are eagerly looking forward to conducting their own surveys and collecting class data soon.

As we head into the final part of the term, we encourage everyone to keep up this fantastic momentum and finish the term strong!

Grade 4/5: Mrs Stock

It has been another busy fortnight in Grade 4/5, with lots of great learning, exciting experiences and students continuing to give things a go.

First of all, a huge congratulations to Ben, Sophie, Charlie, Ollie and Will for their efforts at the next stage of Cross Country. They all represented our school so well, tried their best and should be very proud of themselves for making it through to the next stage!

In Mathematics, we have finished our unit on decimals and have now begun learning about probability. Students have worked hard and shown great persistence in their learning. A continued focus for many students is building confidence and automatic recall of their times tables. Extra practise at home can make a big difference.

We have continued to enjoy our visits to Tongala Aged Care. It has been so lovely to see the students interacting with the residents, showing kindness, patience and confidence while playing games and chatting together. These visits continue to be a really positive experience for everyone involved.

In Religion, we have begun our new topic on Reconciliation. Students will explore how reconciliation involves recognising brokenness, holding hope for a better future, and taking responsibility for change.

In Inquiry, we have completed our topic on Life Before 1800 in Australia and have now begun our new unit, Changing Communities. In this unit, students will learn how communities are shaped by shared values, goals and responsibilities. They will also explore how decisions made by individuals, groups and governments can influence how communities look, feel and function.

Grade 5/6: Miss Rasmussen

The Grade 5/6 students have recently finished reading Us Mob: Walawaru and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the important themes and historical events connected throughout the text. As part of our learning, we linked moments in the story to significant events in Australia’s history such as the 1967 Referendum and the ongoing push for Aboriginal rights.

The text helped students develop a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by Aboriginal people, both historically and in modern day Australia. Through the character of Ruby, students explored themes of identity, resilience and the importance of keeping culture alive. To conclude our unit, students will be creating a character profile on Ruby that reflects her growth, experiences and strengths throughout the story.

We are now looking forward to beginning our next class text, Free Diving.

In Maths, students have recently completed their unit on decimals. Throughout the unit, students enjoyed participating in hands-on learning activities and games that challenged them to apply their understanding of fractions and decimals in different ways. We have also continued tracking our multiplication fluency and students are incredibly proud of the growth and progress they are showing in their fluency tests.

The Grade 5/6 students also loved their recent excursion to the Fauna Park. Students enthusiastically worked through their activity booklets, connecting learning from last term’s work on animal adaptations, while also enjoying some more light-hearted challenges such as choosing animals to help Sean raise Louis and compiling survival tips to help Miss Ras make it safely through the bird aviary! Some highlights from the day included the friendly kangaroos, playful meerkats, seeing that cockatoos up close and watching the dingoes just chill out in the sun.

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