Whole School Activities
Class Welcome Letters
Please view the welcome letter below for a helpful outline of our Term 1 curriculum focus areas, as well as any helpful organisational items we'd like you to know for your child. We hope this information supports you to guide meaningful discussions with your child about their learning and daily activities at school.
First Day of School Photo Reel
Small Schools Swimming Carnival
Splash, cheer, and celebrate – Rocky River’s Swimming Carnival was an absolute blast! With waves of excitement and smiles everywhere, every single student gave it their all, diving into the fun with enthusiasm and great sportsmanship. The atmosphere was buzzing as families cheered on, and guess what? Rocky River took home the champion shield for scoring the most points—what a fantastic achievement! Whether racing the freestyle or cheering from the sidelines, everyone showed amazing spirit and a real “give-it-a-go” attitude. This day reminded us all how much fun it is to come together, challenge ourselves, and celebrate as one big, happy team! We thank Kentucky Public School staff for organising this successful event, the Kentucky Public School P&C for keeping our bellies full, Marty and the Uralla Pool staff for hosting us at our wonderful local pool, and the Uralla Central School students who supported the event with timekeeping duties.
Lower Division
Welcome to Term One! We are so excited to welcome back our returning students and extend a warm greeting to our new friends. It’s going to be a great start to a wonderful year of learning!
English
This term, we have begun exploring Context — how our own experiences shape our view of the world. Using the mentor texts The Wild Guide to Starting School and Whoever You Are, students compare their school journeys with others. Our English units run for two weeks each and will focus on:
- Narrative
- Perspective (Representation)
- Perspective (Argument)
- Imagery, Symbol & Connotation
More details about each unit will be shared as the term progresses.
Mathematics
Students are exploring the many everyday uses of mathematics — from counting and patterns to directions. Our first unit, Collections of 10 are really useful, gets hands-on with concrete materials and shape identification. Upcoming units include:
- Patterns have something that repeats over and over again
- What needs to be measured determines the unit of measurement
- Smaller numbers can be found hiding in bigger numbers
- New shapes can be made from existing shapes
Science
Our focus is Living Things and How They Survive. Students will examine what makes something living and what they need to stay alive.
Geography
We are exploring Australia’s water environments — coastal estuaries, rivers, lakes, dams, and beaches — to gain an understanding of our diverse natural water sources.
Specialist and Weekly Activities
- Music: Thursdays
- Anaiwan Language: Starting this Thursday - then each Friday
- Library: Fridays
- Scripture: Fridays (for participating students)
- Whole School Sport: Fridays
Homework
Homework will be available from this week. It is optional and supports classroom learning but is not required.
If you have any questions about this term’s learning program, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re looking forward to an amazing term ahead!
Upper Division
Behaviour expectations
Students have explored what the three school rules look like in our classrooms and in various places across the school. Defining what it means to be safe, be respectful and be a learner provides students with the opportunity to truly define and visualise the pro-social behaviours we are encouraging whilst at school. Stage 3 photographed each other modelling the correct behaviours to create class posters, which will guide students in K-6 when accessing the bottom classroom for multi-purpose activities and events.
New Building Parapet Designs
Students were introduced to the New Building Parapet design competition, with an opportunity to unpack and understand the significance of the potential to contribute a design to our permanent new building. We discussed the aesthetics, options for items of significance to the school or history of Rocky River, and the importance of this building feature to still allow light to come through during the Winter, and shade during the Summer. We look forward to seeing some finalised designs formally entered into the draw for consideration.
Stage 2
English | Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda
Stage 2 students have been busily reading the chapter book Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda as part of their English learning this term. This engaging novel has captured students’ interest and provided rich opportunities to explore how stories are created and developed.
Our learning focus is the English textual concept of Narrative, with particular attention to Characterisation. Students are examining how authors construct believable and engaging characters, and how these characters drive the story forward.
Through close reading and discussion, students are exploring Emily Rodda’s use of language features—especially dialogue—to reveal characters’ thoughts, feelings, and personalities. They are learning how what a character says, and how they say it, helps the reader understand who they are and how they change throughout the story.
Mathematics | Place Value
In Mathematics this term, Stage 2 students have been developing their understanding of place value and how our number system works. This unit introduces the big idea that our number system extends infinitely, allowing us to represent both very large and very small numbers.
Students have been using MAB (Multibase Arithmetic Blocks) as hands-on learning tools to read, write, and represent numbers. These concrete materials help students visualise how numbers are built from thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones, strengthening their understanding of place value.
Stage 3
Students have begun reading The Wild Robot by Peter Brown as we explore the textual concepts of narrative and characterisation in our first English unit of the year. We have completed some initial learning activities including fluency reading, creative writing tasks, handwriting practice, spelling word studies and a deep dive into automatic and correct punctuation across all writing pieces. Students are deepening their understanding of phonological, orthographic and morphemic word forms and how this knowledge helps us in our spelling skills and how we learn to write words.
In Mathematics, we have completed some baseline numeracy testing, and have begun exploring the big idea of the number system extends infinitely to very large and very small numbers. We delved into decimal place value and have begun stamping out common misconceptions about the value of a decimal number vs how many tenths, hundredths and thousandths it has. We've also been testing our quick recall of multiplication facts in our timed multiplication grids. Not to mention, the first thing we did was compile a Stage 3 playlist and special handshake which is unique for our class. I'm sure they students would love to show you the handshake or maybe even enlighten you on what the contraction o'clock is short for!
Visual Arts | Name Tiles | Illuminated Letters
In Visual Arts this term, Stage 2 students have been exploring how art can be used to express identity and personal interests through the creation of personalised name tiles and illuminated letters. Students began by designing a name tile that reflected things they enjoy or are interested in, such as hobbies, favourite activities, or meaningful symbols. They explored how artists use colour, shape, pattern, and imagery to communicate ideas and tell a visual story.
As part of this unit, students also investigated illuminated letters, learning how decorative lettering has been used historically to highlight important text. They experimented with bold outlines, intricate patterns, and vibrant colours to design an illuminated letter based on the first letter of their name. This allowed students to focus on detail, design, and visual impact.
Through these activities, students developed skills in planning, drawing, painting, and refining their work, while making thoughtful creative choices. The completed artworks celebrate individuality, creativity, and students’ growing understanding of how visual elements can be combined to create meaningful and engaging artworks.
