Infants and Primary
INFANTS
Lots of fantastic learning has been happening in our Infants area across all subject areas. We made the most of the late Autumn weather last week to take learning outside where possible and many classes have had maths, reading, spelling and science lessons in the great outdoors. These learning opportunities also provide the chance to reflect on respecting our learning environment, wherever that might be, and that our school and learning expectations remain the same across all learning areas.
Our Infants hallway has had a revamp this year and the final stages of new display boards have almost been completed. Classes have enjoyed brightening up the new space with their artworks and they are proud of their achievements. Please pop in and have a look if you have a chance.
Kindy
The learning in Kindergarten is going ahead in leaps and bounds. Many students are really seeing all the foundational sound skills we’ve been working on begin to ‘click’ into place as they are becoming more confident in reading and writing short words. This is such an exciting time for young learners when the reading and writing process begins to make more sense and have more meaning and helps to set them up for future reading and writing success.
In Mathematics, we have been busy sorting, categorising and displaying information. We have realised that we can sort and classify in many different ways, and have explored this by sorting different items in our classroom and playground, such as Lego, leaves, shape blocks and animals.
A highlight last week was visiting our Innovation Centre and farm across the road. Mrs Corcoran was able to show us all the different plants growing in the garden and the chickens growing in the shed. Students were excited to pat the chicken and see their new adult feathers growing. We then had a lesson in the Innovation Centre and are looking forward to visiting there more often to work on some STEM projects.
Year 1
This fortnight, year 1 have been exploring context in English lessons, comparing their own context to that represented in texts. Students also learned about the seasons throughout the year, considering the changes that occur over time. Over the next fortnight, students will be considering the topic of persuasive texts again, including elements of fact and opinion when arguing an idea.
In Mathematics, students have been using data to find answers to questions. Students have become efficient in creating tally marks to record findings and then analyse results. Through this unit, students were tasked to display their data using symbols. They created a ‘bio glyph’ of themselves, with each symbol representing information about them, and forming a self- portrait. Then students were challenged to ‘read’ the data in the portraits of their peers to determine who they portrayed. This task was quite enjoyable for students as they followed the clues to find who owned which worksheet. Over the next two weeks, Year 1 will be looking at units of measurement.
The Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) focus this fortnight has been about being in the ‘right place at the right time’. Students have been explicitly shown the different areas round the school and held discussions about when it is the right time to be in each area. We have also spent some time this fortnight learning about coping with small problems within the classroom space. Being resilient and problem solvers allows our learning environment to be calm and productive.
Emily Friend
Year 1 Classroom Teacher
Year 3/4
3/4 students have been busy with many exciting activities this term, making great strides in their learning and development. In English, we have started exploring a new book titled "Piano Fingers" by Caroline Magerl. This beautifully illustrated story has provided a wonderful opportunity for the students to delve into imagery and symbolism. They are learning to carefully look at the pictures and symbols in the story and what they mean, which is enhancing their understanding and appreciation of different text types.
In addition to their work with "Piano Fingers," students are engaged in daily literacy routines that include Sound Waves, Daily Edit, and Sentence a Day, as part of Component A of the English syllabus. These activities are designed to reinforce students reading and writing skills on a daily basis. The students are showing significant improvement each week, which is really pleasing to see.
In Mathematics, our students recently completed a unit on multiplication and division, where they performed exceptionally well. Building on this success, they have now moved on to learning about direction and position. This new topic includes practical mapping skills, which have been particularly engaging for the students. This week, they have been working with a map of Dubbo's Taronga Western Plains Zoo, practicing how to give directions using compass points, grid references, and landmarks. This hands-on approach to learning has made the subject matter more relatable and enjoyable for the students, and they have loved the challenge! This has also created great cross-curricular opportunities, as students are also focusing on mapping and Australian places in Geography this term with Miss Wood.
In Science lessons with Mrs Shore, students have been fascinated by their lessons on the Earth, Moon, and Sun. They have been exploring the relationships between them and understanding how they affect our daily lives. Recently, they have been making sundials, a fun and practical project that helps them understand how the movement of the Sun can be used to tell time. This activity has sparked a lot of interest and curiosity among the students, making science both educational and enjoyable.3/4 have also thoroughly enjoyed Creative Arts lessons this fortnight. After spending some time exploring visual arts, students are now shifting their focus to drama. They are enthusiastically embracing the world of acting and performance, learning how to express themselves and tell stories through drama. Students have been playing many drama games, and it has been great to see students trying their best and extending themselves each lesson. This has been a fun and creative outlet for many students, allowing them to explore new ways of communication and expression.
Sport sessions continue to be a highlight of the week. Students love being active and are learning important lessons about perseverance, leadership, and fair play. These sessions provide a great balance to their academic work, helping them to stay physically active and develop healthy habits. Capture the Flag and Kick-It Cricket have been particular favourites for students lately, and they have loved learning the rules of these games, and making suggestions to improve them more.
Overall, it’s been a fun and productive time in 3/4. Students are showing enthusiasm and improvement across all their subjects. They are engaging deeply with their learning materials, developing new skills, and enjoying the various opportunities available to them. I am so proud of their hard work and excited to see their continued growth throughout the rest of the term.
As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns via email: Charlotte.Groves2@det.nsw.edu.au
Primary
Well, we continue to be busy, busy, busy in the primary classrooms this term. The District Athletics Carnival squad has been announced and notes have gone home to parents with the students that made it to the carnival. A permission note will be sent out when more information is sent to us from the carnival organisers. What we do know is that the carnival will be held in Cowra on Friday 16th August – but that’s about it for now.
We continue to focus on ‘right place, right time’ – which means that all students understand where the correct area is for each session of the day – they must remember this during all breaks and focus on being in the correct area for the best learning environment here at school.
Unfortunately, some of our upper primary students are struggling to ‘play by the rules’ during games such as touch football, and we’ve had to have that game stop in the 5/6 playground – unless there is an adult available to referee. This is unfortunate, because all students know the rules and choose to ‘bend’ or ‘break’ these rules which makes it very hard for everyone to enjoy their games.
Plenty of things to look forward to this term, and student reports are currently being written by teachers. These are important. Please read them thoroughly and discuss them with our class teachers at Parent/Teacher interviews in term 3.
If you require any additional information or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email: jason.stuart3@det.nsw.edu.au
Jason Stuart
Assistant Principal Primary (Relieving)
5/6 Classroom
The year 5/6 class have been busy the last fortnight. In English, are at the end of our ‘The Kingdom Revealed – Rob Ryan’ unit, and we’ve done some Hot Task writing on diary entries and book reviews. We are still missing some basic aspects of punctuation and structure – this is essential for good writing. All of the 5/6 child need to prioritise editing and improving their writing to ensure they’ve got all the basics right. In Mathematics, we are at the end of our unit on ‘co-ordinates and data’, which has seen us analyse and interpret data in forms of graphs, tables and charts. We have played some games of Battleship, and even created our own data displays. In Science, we are exploring natural disasters, with a specific focus this week on droughts and floods. We’ve created some art works as well to support this unit. In PDHPE our whole Primary school are focusing on a variety of skill and co-ordination based games, with a strong emphasis on teamwork and following the rules (something we need to reinforce each day).
As always, please get in touch if you require any further information: Jason.stuart3@det.nsw.edu.au
Jason Stuart
5/6 Class Teacher
Assistant Principal Primary (Relieving