Learning Update

From Mr Collins 3-6

Things have taken a bit of a pause over the last 2 weeks due to the Bendigo Cup holiday and our Melbourne Camp. We have also had some absences, so we have adjusted our days slightly to accommodate this. During the upcoming weeks, the kids will be completing some assessments to assist us in preparing for report writing.

English

Reading is continuing as per usual, with a focus being put on consistency and book choice. We want the kids to be reading books they are interested in, thus helping to develop a love for reading, rather than seeing it as a chore. One way to make reading a bit more enjoyable was to take it to a new environment. They sure did enjoy reading on the trampoline. In writing the kids were tasked with writing a few different exposition pieces with the aim of trying to convince someone of their point of view.

Maths

In Maths we have been playing chance-related games and collecting the data. One of the questions posed to the kids was: Which number on a die is the hardest to roll? We then conducted an experiment, collated our data and were able to see how the collation removed outliers and averaged our the data set.

TRP (The Resilience Project)

This week we looked at Emotion Pep Talks. The aim of this lesson was to understand how positive self-talk and pep talks can promote emotional regulation, enhance our self-esteem and enhance resilience. The kids created their own Pep Talks based on their own strengths.

The kids have been playing some Jack Attack (Lawn Bowls) in their PE sessions lately in preparation for our upcoming Campaspe Cluster Summer Sports Day. They have also been making use of the Stadium at recess and lunchtime to practice their basketball skills.

Integrated Studies

The Taj Mahal was our latest interest in our bid to learn more about Asia. We are now splitting up and completing individual assignments on a chosen country in Asia. These will become posters to add to our wall and will be formally presented to their peers.

From Ms Lehre P-2

English

We had lots of fun exploring Wombat Stew last week! The kids were wonderfully engaged in this story, and we brought it to life in two very different ways. First, we headed outside to make our own muddy wombat stew using dirt and natural materials. Then, on Friday, we made an edible version using ice cream and delicious toppings! This is a fantastic text for exploring colourful semantics, sequencing and retelling a story.

In phonics, we have been learning about the tch trigraph (as in catch). We are remembering to call on our friend 'Tappy' when we hear the /ch/ sound straight after a short vowel.

This week we have been writing a recount of our wonderful trip to camp! Please enjoy some writing samples:

Maths

P-2's have wrapped up our Multiplicative Thinking lesson sequence, and the students have thoroughly enjoyed making connections between maths and real-life situations. We explored what equal sharing looks like through fun, practical challenges, including fairly sharing raffle winnings and working out how to cater for birthday parties. It has been wonderful to see the kids applying their mathematical thinking to everyday problems!

The Song Room

Christmas is starting to sound a little closer! We have begun learning We Wish You a Merry Christmas and also had a go at playing Choosin' Texas on the glockenspiels. I was treated to some fantastic singing!

From Mrs Light

STEM & Kitchen Garden Program (KGP)

In the junior classroom the students have been learning about the design STEM cycle. This week we read The Gingerbread Man and entered a challenge! The students have to design and create a boat for the Gingerbread Man to safely get across the river. We started to think about what materials would work well and made a design of what we want to create. Next week we will use this design to create boats and test if they sink or float.

The senior classroom has been given a very important task for the rest of the term. They are going to research and design a new vegetable garden for Raywood Primary School!This week we began researching different styles of garden beds, the materials we can use to build these, features we would want and if they are suitable for our school. Over the coming weeks the students will measure the space, design a garden and look into budgeting to see how much their design would cost.

Last week the junior students made Naan bread to go along with a delicious butter chicken that the senior class prepared. This week we made homemade pizzas and garden salad. The pizzas we made were garlic and cheese, peperoni, hawaiian and one with a bit of everything! The students found that it was so easy to make a pizza dough and they taste delicious!