Level 5 & 6
Welcome to Week 4!
Please see below the important email sent to Grade 5 and 6 families about our exciting upcoming CBL challenge for Power.
Good morning 5/6 families,
We have an exciting opportunity for our Year 5/6 students this term, and we'd love your support!
As part of our inquiry into the Big Idea of Power, students will be exploring the role of small businesses, social enterprises and circular economies. Throughout the term, they will investigate what makes a business successful, how businesses use resources responsibly, and how they can make a positive impact on their community.
To bring this learning to life, students have been placed into teams of three and four and challenged to create and run their own small business. Their goal is to design a business that generates a profit while also making a positive difference. This project will give students a genuine experience of entrepreneurship, from developing an idea and creating a business plan, through to producing, marketing and selling their product at a Year 5/6 Market Day.
Next week, each team will prepare a business proposal and pitch their idea to "The Sharks" (their teachers). Successful pitches will receive funding to launch their business.
To make this experience as authentic as possible, we are asking each student to contribute $10 in cash. This money will be held by the classroom teacher and combined with the contributions from the rest of their team, creating a starting investment of $30/40 per business (depending on team size). Once their proposal has been approved, teams will receive their investment to purchase materials and prepare for Market Day.
Students will be responsible for budgeting, managing their spending, organising timelines, sourcing materials and making decisions as a team, just as real business owners do. While every team will aim to make a profit, there is always a risk involved in starting a business. If a business does not make a profit, students will not be asked to contribute any additional money beyond their original $10 investment. We see this as an important opportunity for students to experience the rewards and risks that come with entrepreneurship in a safe and supportive environment.
At the conclusion of the project, each team will donate all funds generated or held by their business to a charity of their choice. This will include the original investment along with any profits made by the business. This will allow students to experience how businesses can use their success to create positive social impact.
We are incredibly excited to see the creativity, teamwork and problem-solving that will come from this challenge. Thank you for supporting your child as they take part in this authentic learning experience.
We ask that the $10 investment be brought to the classroom by Monday 10th August.
Kind regards,
The Year 5/6 Team
Literacy
Reading
This week in Reading, students are continuing to explore our mentor text Wonder as we follow August Pullman's journey through the beginning of formal school. In preparation for our Literature Circles commencing in the coming weeks, students are exploring the roles of Clever Connector and Summariser, developing their ability to make meaningful connections to the text and concisely retell key events.
Writing
This week, we are concluding our Mallee Sky writing unit. Following the outstanding emulated writing pieces students have created based off Jodi Toering's writing style, students will complete a self-evaluation to reflect on their strengths, growth and next steps as writers.
Phormes
This week, we will begin a new PhOrMeS focus on Greek number bases. This week, we will investigate the bases mono, di and tri, exploring how they contribute to the meaning of words and support students in building their vocabulary and spelling knowledge.
What you can do at home:
- Encourage your child to summarise what they have read in Wonder and explain why the key events are important.
- Ask your child to make a connection between the story and their own life, another text or something happening in the world.
- Invite your child to share their Mallee Sky writing piece and discuss what they are most proud of and one goal they have for their next piece of writing.
- Challenge your child to find words that contain the Greek bases mono, di or tri (e.g. monorail, dioxide, triangle, tripod) and discuss how the base helps determine the word's meaning.
Maths
This week, our Grade 5 students will conclude their Angles unit, before jumping back into their Decimals unit to consolidate learning introduced in Term 2. This will involve rounding decimals to different decimal places, renaming decimals, and exploring how to write decimals in both standard and non-standard form.
Our Grade 6 students also begin their own decimals unit, focusing on multiplying and dividing decimals by powers of 10. This learning will develop students' understanding of place value and prepare them for their upcoming measurement unit in the coming weeks.
What you can do at home:
- Ask your child to explain how the value of a digit changes when multiplying or dividing by 10, 100 or 1,000.
- Encourage them to identify and read decimal numbers they see in everyday life, such as prices, measurements or sporting results.
CBL
Big Idea: How can we use our power to create positive change globally?
Guiding Questions:
- What is economic power?
- What makes a business successful?
- How can we use resources responsibly?
How can people use their ideas, skills and resources to improve the world around them?
Challenge: Create a small business, social enterprise or circular economy initiative that generates a profit for good.
Wellbeing
This week, students will participate in Lesson 10 of the Cyber Safety Project, exploring FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Students will discuss the emotions associated with feeling excluded in online situations and develop strategies to respond positively, build resilience and maintain healthy online relationships.
What you can do at home:
- Talk with your child about FOMO and discuss how social media can sometimes create unrealistic expectations or feelings of exclusion.
- Encourage open conversations about their online experiences and remind them to speak to a trusted adult if something online makes them feel uncomfortable or left out.
Important Dates
August
3rd Parent Evening – Cyber Safety Project
6th House Athletics Grades 3-6
7th VSSS Mass Dance Rehearsal Excursion
12th VSSS Mass Choir, Melbourne Town Hall
24-29 Book Week
26th Book Week Author Visit
26th Book Week Dress Up Parade
27 – 29th VSSS Tech Rehearsal Day
September
31-4th Annual Book Fair
10th Hoop Time basketball