Year 5/6 News

Welcome back to Term 3!

Literacy

Last week in Literacy, we began our exciting new class novel, The Last Bear. Before opening the book, students carefully explored the front cover, making predictions and sharing their wonderings about the story. They analysed visual features such as the mood, setting and clues provided by the illustration before designing their own interpretation of the book's cover. We then read Chapters 1 and 2 together, with students demonstrating their understanding by completing comprehension questions that encouraged them to infer, predict and justify their thinking using evidence from the text.

Maths

We began our new unit on Location and Transformation. Students were introduced to plotting and reading coordinates in the first quadrant before extending their understanding to the four-quadrant Cartesian plane and exploring negative numbers. Through engaging, hands-on activities and games such as Battleship, students practised locating, describing and accurately plotting points on a grid. They also consolidated their understanding of negative numbers by participating in the Elevator Challenge, where they applied addition and subtraction with positive and negative integers in a fun, real-world context.

Religion

In Religion, we began our unit on the Sacrament of Confirmation in preparation for the Year 6 Confirmation celebration on 1 August. Students explored the significance of Confirmation as a sacrament of initiation, learning how it strengthens our relationship with God. We also reflected on the story of Pentecost and discussed how the Holy Spirit continues to guide and strengthen us in our daily lives as followers of Jesus.

Reminder: Last week, in preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation, the children received paperwork required for the celebration. This paperwork is required by the parish and must be completed before the sacrament.

Please take the time to complete the form and return it to the school by Monday 27th July.

Thank you for your support in preparing your child for this important step in their faith journey.

Parliament Incursion

Last week, we participated in an engaging Parliament Incursion, where students learnt about the three levels of government in Australia and how laws are made through Parliament. Students took on a range of parliamentary roles, including Members of Parliament, the Speaker and other key officials, while reenacting the seating arrangement of the two houses of Parliament. They debated and voted on a mock bill, with MC considering whether e-gaming should be included in PE, and NT debating whether gambling advertisements should be banned. This hands-on experience gave students a deeper understanding of the democratic process and the importance of informed discussion, debate and voting.

Home Learning

Last week, our Home Learning began for Term 3. This term, students will complete their Home Learning over a two-week cycle, with all tasks due on even weeks. Our first Home Learning task is due this Friday, 24 July. Thank you for supporting your child by encouraging them to complete their tasks and read regularly at home.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Isaac, Victor and Wendy, who recently took part in the Melbourne 5.5km Fun Run in support of Monash Health’s Haematology Research Program.

Taking on their first fun run together, the family proudly completed the entire 5.5km course, with the boys even sprinting to the finish line in the final kilometre! Their efforts helped raise funds for vital research into blood cancers and blood diseases, supporting work that continues to improve treatment options and outcomes for patients.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the St Fidelis community, the family also achieved Charity Superstar status—an outstanding achievement and a wonderful reflection of our school community's caring and supportive spirit.

This week:

• Friday 24th - Grandparents’ Day Mass & Morning Tea

Next week:

• Monday 27th - Year 6 Confirmation Retreat 9-12.20 pm (and lunch)
• Wednesday 29th - Confirmation  Faith Night at St Fidelis 7 pm
• Thursday 30th - MC & NT Mass (9.15 am)
• Friday 31st - Year 6 Confirmation Rehearsal at St Joseph Brunswick 
• Saturday 1st - Year 6 Confirmation

Thanks,

5/6 Team - Maddie & Nick