CPS Community Engagment

Year 6 News 

Reading

This fortnight in Reading, students have been revising the key comprehension strategies they’ve developed throughout the term by creating a one-pager for a fiction text of their choice. The one-pager brings together eight important reading skills, allowing students to reflect on and showcase their understanding in a creative and structured way.

 

 

‘I like to notice the themes of a book’ - Levi 6B

‘I like how we can be as creative as we want, decorating our one pagers’ - Ivy 6A

‘It was fun summarising’ - Rimas 6A

 

Writing

 

In Year 6, students last week prepared and presented a debate to the class. Topics and teams were decided and students in their teams had opportunities to discuss their best tactics and persuasive devices to convince the rest of the class to see their point of view. Many teams did research and collated data and statistics to use as part of their speeches. Some of the topics students debated were;

  • Should students under 13 have social media?
  • Should we have participation awards?
  • Should kids be able to decide their own bedtime?
  • Should animals be kept in zoos?

Teams presented their arguments the class and prepared for possible rebuttals. After each debate the rest of the class voted on which team won the debate. It was fantastic to see students put so much thought and effort into their speeches, and enjoy the debates. What are your thoughts on our debate topics? Would you be arguing for or against?

 

 

‘It was fun to learn how to debate and voting on who won the debates’ - Ivy 6A

‘It was fun moving the tables and setting up for the debates’ - Hannah 6A

‘It was fun watching the opposition trying to rebuttal our arguments’ - Mason 6A‘ My debate was about why children shouldn't be able to choose their own bedtime. I liked researching the benefits of a good night's sleep’ - Jagman 6E 

‘Debating is my jam’ - Jah-Highness 6B

‘It is hard to win a debate against the girls in my class’ - Ibrahim 6B

 

Maths 

This past fortnight, the students have been learning about coordinates and directional language. The students worked on developing spatial awareness and presenting location points on a cartesian plane. We began by introducing the x-axis and y-axis, and how to plot ordered pairs in all four quadrants. The students engaged in hands-on activities such as graphing battleships, treasure maps, and using grids to plot and identify points

They also explored directional language, including terms like north, south, east, west, left, right, clockwise, anti-clockwise. In pairs, students practiced giving and following directions for different locations across the school by giving and following directions through written and verbal communication.‘I liked going outside and doing the compass directions, Did you know that North is facing the art room’ - Sachit 6E 

‘I liked playing battleship and guessing what coordinates I needed to sink my friend’s ship’ - Riley 6B

‘It was fun translating shapes to new locations’ - Bonnie 6D

‘Directing my partner around the school was fun’ - Alexis 6A

‘I liked walking around the school to describe what direction everything is.’ - Havana 6B

‘Battleship is fun.’ - Akman 6B

 

Inquiry

Victorian Space Science Education Centre Excursion Last week, Year 6 students visited the Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) for an exciting and immersive space experience. During the excursion, students took part in a simulated mission to Mars, where they used the Mars Lab to conduct hands-on experiments and explore the challenges of living and working on another planet. Half of the group operated from Mission Control, managing communications and coordinating tasks with their teammates in the Mars Lab. In addition to the mission, students learned about the relative sizes of planets in our solar system, gaining a deeper understanding of just how massive the Sun is compared to the other planets. The day was filled with teamwork, discovery, and a sense of wonder about the universe. Have a look at some photos from our amazing day. 

 

‘It was very fun doing the mission in the mars pod’ - Mason 6A

‘It was fun learning about the planets and the sun. It's amazing how big the sun actually is and how many of the planets actually fit into it’ - Ivy 6A 

‘It was really fun and thrilling’ - Jai 6C

‘I liked putting on a mars suit’ - Elliot 6A‘I liked doing mission control and communicating with the mars lab’ Jasleen 6E ‘I liked helping the astronauts on Mars’ - Samhara 6E ‘I liked putting on the space suit’ - Cooper 6C

‘I liked learning about the planets’ - Guransh 6B

‘I felt like an astronaut in the space suit’ - Perceus 6B

Social and Emotional Learning

This fortnight in Social Emotional Learning, students began bringing together all their learning from the term on the topic of Help Seeking by creating a storyboard. Throughout the term, students explored what it means to ask for help, identified trusted adults and support networks, and developed strategies for recognising when they or others might need support. The storyboard activity allowed students to reflect on real-life scenarios where help seeking is important, and to demonstrate their understanding by illustrating a character facing a challenge, identifying their feelings, choosing to seek help, and showing a positive resolution. This task gave students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a creative and meaningful way, reinforcing that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.

 

‘I love that I have supportive friends’ - Hannah 6A

‘I feel confident that I have people in my life that I can talk to’ - Layla 6A‘ It is okay to feel emotions’ - Nia 6E

 

Special Event

Elephant Education

 

This week the Year 6 students began workshops looking at relatable and acceptable skills and discussions around being healthy, safe and respectful, as they begin transitioning into high school and entering a time of growth and change. This week students participated in workshops around our changing bodies and body safety. Discussion had a focus on supporting students with:

  • Physical, emotional and social changes
  • Managing change and transitions 
  • Understanding personal boundaries 
  • Respectful decision making

 

Next week, students will participate in another two workshops focusing on embracing change and respectful relationships. 

 

‘It was funny trying to hold in my laughter, as I felt awkward’ - Mason

‘I learnt some new and awkward things’ - Bonnie 6D

‘I learnt different things about the body and that there are many different names for our body parts’ Alyra 6D

‘It was great to have a safe space to talk about things we wouldn't normally talk about’ - Ivy 6A

‘ I learnt alot about maturing and puberty’ - Lachlan 6E

‘I look forward to learning more about puberty in high school’ - Prabhjeet 6B‘I learnt about how my body changes at this stage of my life’ - Jorja 6E

 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

Year 6 Kinglake Forest Adventure Camp - Consent/payment is due by Tuesday 15 July

 

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The Year  6 students have the opportunity to attend a Day Camp Experience at Kinglake Forest Adventure Camp on Tuesday 29 July. 

Students work in teams to complete activities such as; 

  • high ropes
  • survivor challenges
  • communication tasks
  • climbing experiences
  • tug of war
  • feeding native animals
  • free fall
  • Giant See Saw
  • Barrier games

This experience will help students to further develop skills such as building leadership capabilities, communication and working with others.

Students will be provided with a morning snack and lunch for the day.

We will be arriving back at school at 5.45pm.

 Consent/payment is due by Tuesday 15 July via Compass

VERY IMPORTANT attending students - Can all parents please complete the medical and dietary information survey: