What's Happening in the Middle School
Year 3
What’s Happening in Year 3 in Weeks 7 & 8
Over the past two weeks, students have been exploring the idea of collective responsibility in Wellbeing, learning what it means to be part of a community, and how our actions can positively impact others. In Literacy, we have continued to build our reading and writing skills by exploring signal vowels and special spelling patterns, as well as developing complex sentences and persuasive paragraphs using the text The One and Only Ivan. In Mathematics, students have been learning about probability, using terms such as certain, likely, and impossible to describe chance events. Our Knowledge Unit has focused on Chemical Science, where students investigated the properties of materials and took part in an exciting Mad About Science incursion to explore solids, liquids, and gases through hands-on experiments. Congratulations also to our Year 3 students who represented the school so proudly at the Junior School Sports Day, a wonderful effort by all!
Wellbeing
In Wellbeing, we are continuing to learn about ‘collective responsibility’. We will be making individual pledges to be caring community members and share these pledges with the wider school community to influence others. We will also be starting to revisit the concept of friendship - unpacking what healthy friendships look like, sound like and feel like and be open to making new friends as we start to think about new classes in 2026.
Literacy
In Literacy, students will be learning spelling rules for adding suffixes, including the Drop-e rule and the -y to i rule. They will also explore how additional affixes can change the meaning and function of words.
This fortnight, we will be finishing reading our novel The One and Only Ivan and practising using subordinating conjunctions to create more complex and detailed sentences to develop our comprehension of the text. We will also be introducing poetry and practise expanding sentences to include more information such as who, where, when and why in response to mentor texts, as well as revise conjunctions so, but and because through poetry.
Maths
In Maths, students will be revisiting multiplication and division. Students will be taught to use the lattice method of multiplication and to carry out division equations with and without remainders. They will also learn to apply these skills to worded problems.
Knowledge Unit
The Year 3 students enjoyed a hands-on experience with the Mad About Science Incursion in Week 6, to further enhance their learning about Chemistry. The focus was on properties of matter: solids, liquids and gases. Students used dry ice, bi carb soda, vinegar and heat to explore chemical changes.
Year 4
What’s Happening in Year 4 in Weeks 7 & 8
Another two weeks has flown by in Year 4! The students recently attended the annual First Aid Training course. They all participated in tasks that revisited how to make an emergency phone call as well as how to protect themselves when attending an emergency. The Melbourne Zoo excursion was also a huge success, despite the occasional rain shower.
Over the coming two weeks, the Year 4 students will be participating in a number of special activities during the school day. Bike Ed. has commenced this week, with a focus on bike and road safety. It should be a great week.
Throughout Week 7, all students will be preparing for their online conversations with our sister school in Japan in Week 8. These conversations will be had in both English and Japanese. Friday of Week 7 will see the long awaited Colour Run. This fundraiser will certainly be a lot of fun and students are looking forward to an opportunity to ‘slime’ their teachers.
Wellbeing
Students will be participating in a program specifically focused on reminding students who they can ask for help. Students will be identifying trusted people in their lives and how to identify problems that require adult assistance.
Literacy
The Year 4 students will continue their study of the novel, ‘Nim’s Island’ and further their writing skills at a sentence level, building structure and vocabulary. They will finish reading the novel over the next week. Our new spelling program, Word Origins will continue to be implemented throughout the fourth term.
Maths
Over the coming two weeks, maths sessions will be focusing on shape and angles. The four processes will also be revisited and revised during these sessions. Daily reviews are also continuing.
Knowledge Unit
Our Knowledge Unit in Term 4 is Geography. Some of the questions we will be investigating include;
- How are the continents of Australia, Africa and South America similar and different?
- What are the geographical features and cultural practices that make these places unique?
- How do people and animals in different climate zones adapt to their environments?
Homework
The Year 4 students are expected to read every night and record their progress in their personal diaries. It is the responsibility of the student to bring their diary to school every day and take it home each night to log their reading. Classroom teachers will be checking and signing these diaries regularly to monitor student reading habits. The student diary will also be used to highlight important dates and reminders.
Important Year 4 Dates:
Friday 21st November – Colour Run
December:
2nd Volunteer Afternoon Tea
9th Statewide Meet the Teacher Day
10th School Carols Afternoon
17th Last Day of School for BPS Students
18th Curriculum Day
19th Curriculum Day and last day of school year for staff
