Foundation

100 Days of School

In August Foundation celebrated their 100th day of school! It was a wonderful milestone and everyone should feel very proud of how much they have learned since the first day of school. Students enjoyed fun activities about the number 100 and, at assembly, received a special medal from their Year 5 buddies. Teachers are very proud of the progress students have made and look forward to even more learning and growth next semester.

English and Language Experiences

Students have continued to grow in their literacy learning, with a strong focus on developing oral language through rich language experiences. The children have loved connecting their sounds to hands-on activities, including creating exploding volcanoes for the letter V, making wiggly worms for the letter W, and enjoying wobbly jelly for the letter J. These fun experiences gave students the opportunity to use their creativity in writing, where they drew and wrote procedures to explain the steps they followed.

Students also explored persuasive texts, learning to share their opinions and justify their thinking. Jerrick explained, “I like yoga more than soccer because I like to be calm,” while Winston shared, “I like cooking more than yoga because cooking is more fun and I like to cook hamburgers.”

Alongside this, students have worked incredibly hard in phonics sessions, segmenting and blending words, and spelling using the sounds they know. This has supported them to read more challenging books and write more detailed sentences.

Mathematics

Students have continued to develop and strengthen their number sense, building confidence with recognising, naming, representing, and ordering numbers from zero to at least 20. They have also been learning about addition and subtraction, using a range of strategies to solve problems. Storytelling and drawing were key tools to help them explain their thinking, as students shared the steps they took to find their answers. It was wonderful to see them not only working with numbers but also beginning to articulate the processes behind their mathematical thinking.

In Integrated Maths, students explored a variety of measurement concepts including length, capacity, mass, and duration. They participated in a range of engaging, hands-on activities, such as comparing and ordering objects by size, experimenting with containers to see which held more or less, weighing everyday classroom items, and exploring how long different activities take. These activities allowed students to connect their mathematical learning to the real world, deepening their understanding of how maths is used in daily life.

It has been exciting to watch their confidence grow as they experimented, problem-solved, and explained their discoveries to one another.

Inquiry

Dinosaurs

This term the students who chose dinosaurs for their inquiry project have been working extremely hard learning all lots of fun facts. The unit started by looking at all the different types of dinosaurs including those that fly, swim or are on land. Stuents looked at where dinosaurs lived and what they needed to survive. They learned which dinosaurs were herbivores, carnivores or omnivores and created their own dinosaur dinner for their chosen dinosaur. Students discussed the question, ‘How do we know dinosaurs existed?’ and learnt about fossils and dinosaur bones. They used water, salt and flour to make our own dinosaur fossils and dressed up as palaeontologists and went hunting for evidence of dinosaurs in our sandpit. Throughout the term students have made a dinosaur landscape and have been working hard to make paper mache dinosaur eggs.

Students absolutely LOVED the museum where we got to learn even more about dinosaurs and see real dinosaur bones.

Andy: I LOVE DINOSAURS!

Jayden: I saw the T-Rex. It was BIG!

Su Ru: I liked looking at the dinosaur bones at the Museum.

Under the Sea

Some students have been diving deep into the oceans of the world and discovering the fascinating life that lives within them! They were full of excitement as they learnt about a wide range of sea creatures including fish, mammals, and reptiles, and enjoyed engaging in hands-on activities that helped them to build their oral language, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Together, we researched and shared facts about some of our favourite animals, such as jellyfish, turtles, and octopuses, and the students worked collaboratively to create a vibrant under the sea mural, which proudly displays all of their learning. A highlight of the term was the excursion to the Melbourne Aquarium, where students were amazed to see the creatures they had been learning about up close. From the playful penguins to the mysterious stingrays and the colourful coral reef fish, there were plenty of “wow” moments! Students returned to school buzzing with new knowledge and used their experiences to inspire their drawings, writing, and discussions back in the learning space. It has been wonderful to see their curiosity and enthusiasm for learning shine as they explored the underwater world this term.

Kayla: I loved seeing the penguins swimming and the people feeding them squid.

Damien: I liked looking at the glowing jellyfish swimming.

Mason: My favourite part was watching the giant crocodile sleeping.

Mini Beasts

Some students have been learning all about minbeasts. They enjoyed exploring the tiny creatures that live outside in our gardens. They looked closely at bugs, such as ladybugs, spiders, snails, dragon flies and worms, and discovered what their features are and how they move. Sstudents loved creating their own versions of these creatures and making a minibeast display in the learning space. It has been great to see their curiosity as they have learned about these little creatures.

Students visited the Melbourne Museum to explore the minibeasts exhibition. They became little entomologists, scientists who study insects. Using magnifying glasses, students looked closely at many different minibeasts. It was a fun and hands-on way to find out more about the tiny creatures they have been learning about.

Assyifa: I saw a whole hive of bees.

Morodoct: I liked using the magnifying glasses to look at butterflies.

Pearson: The spiders were spooky!

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