Senior School News

Time flies when you're having fun!

Can you believe there is only 3 weeks left of term 3?

English

Our Grade 5 students have embarked on an exciting journey with their new class novel, Black Cockatoo. This compelling story delves into themes of identity, family, and Aboriginal culture. Set on Jaru Country in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, the novel follows 13-year-old Mia, a young Aboriginal girl navigating the challenges of family dynamics and cultural heritage. When Mia intervenes to save her totem animal, the dirrarn black cockatoo, she discovers her inner strength and resilience. This narrative will guide our Grade 5's as they explore factual recounts and character analysis in their writing.

Our Grade 6 students are diving into Us Mob Walawurru, a historical fiction novel set in Central Australia during the 1960s. The story, narrated by Ruby, traces her journey from a young schoolgirl to becoming a mother. This term, Us Mob Walawurru will serve as the foundation for the Grade 6 students as they also delve into factual recounts and character analysis in their writing.

Maths

In Maths, the introduction of Times Table Rockstars is making a significant impact on our senior students' math fluency. We’ve seen a marked improvement in their ability to automatically recall times table facts. In Grade 6, students have been focusing on decimals and percentages, particularly in calculating discounted prices. Meanwhile, Grade 5 students have just completed their work on coordinates and grid references and are now exploring various addition and subtraction strategies.

Topic

Our senior students have been thoroughly enjoying the hands-on experiments in our Topic unit on Matter. This past week, Grade 6 students engaged in making slime, leading to rich discussions about whether it is a solid or a liquid. Grade 5 students had fun making ice cream in the classroom, exploring how substances change states when mixed with the right materials.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Dendy Athletics: Congratulations to all students who participated in the Dendy Athletics. It’s exciting to see many of our students advancing to the next stage on 15th October.
Soccer: Well done to our boys’ soccer team for finishing 3rd last week. You demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and represented our school with pride.
Sleep Out: A number of our Grade 6 students have applied to participate in the annual Sleepout to raise funds for St. Vinnies and help combat homelessness. For those who are successful, the Sleepout will take place on 19th September.