Classroom News

Foundation-Grade 1 Miss Bennett

Well there goes Term 3 in the F/1 Beehive, what a wonderful, jam-packed 10 weeks of learning and fun! Over the last two weeks the F/1 busy bees have been working super hard to finish off their learning for Term 3. 

Some highlights over the last couple of weeks have been: 

- R U Ok? Day. Students loved dressing up in yellow and learning about asking if their friends are okay and what to do when they need help. We also spoke about which adults can help us when we're feeling sad. 

- Finishing our text-based unit in writing on the text 'Gary'. The F/1 students loved completing their final assessment task which was a diary entry about adventuring around the school to find Miss Bennett's teddy 'Sami'. They also enjoyed drawing a map of Gary's journey from the city back to his home. To finish off and celebrate their learning the students completed a book review on the text- these are now hanging on our 'Bee-utiful Work' wall. 

- We have begun our learning on the maths topic 'LENGTH', some of our favourite activities this week have been making a 'Length Garden' and using the unifix block to measure classroom objects. 

Have a restful and enjoyable break and Miss Bennett is looking forward to seeing everyone back for our final term together in Term 4. See you soon BUSY BEES!! 

 Grade 1-2 Miss Hart

Wow what a term! We cannot believe it is already over. 

Literacy 

Phonics learning is essential for early reading success, and split digraphs play a key role. A split digraph occurs when a vowel and the letter "e" work together to change the vowel's sound, but are separated by a consonant (e.g., "a-e" in "cake"). This spelling pattern helps students understand how letters influence each other in words. Teaching split digraphs has encouragd students to recognise these patterns and improve their decoding skills. By mastering split digraphs, children enhance their ability to read and spell more complex words, building confidence in their literacy journey.

Numeracy

Learning to tell time on an analog clock helps children develop essential math and life skills. In class, we have focused on understanding "o'clock," "half past," "quarter past," and "quarter to" using the clock face. Students learn the movement of the hands, how the minute hand moves clockwise while the hour hand advances more slowly. We also introduced the terms "clockwise" and "anti-clockwise" to reinforce directional understanding. Recognising these time intervals helps children manage their daily routines and improves their spatial awareness. Encouraging regular practice at home will further strengthen their confidence in telling time.

Inquiry

In Grade 1/2 History, students have been exploring personal histories and the rich history of Tongala. They’ve learned how life in our town has changed over time by comparing objects from the past and present. To showcase their learning, we invite you to our special Celebration Day this Friday morning! Come check out the students' work, including a timeline of Tongala’s history and thoughtful comparisons between past and present items. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see how our young historians have connected with their community and the past. We look forward to seeing you there!

Grade 3 Mrs Stock

Here are some of our favourite parts of Term 3! As you can see, we have had lots of exciting things happening across the school this Term.

Hudson- My top highlights of this term were school camp and Athletics Day. I enjoyed camp because I got to see my friends.

Stevie- My top highlights of the term have been swimming, camp and St Augustine's Production. I liked swimming because I could get better. I liked camp because I got a bullseye in Archery. I liked the St. Augustine's production because it was entertaining.

Carter- My top highlights for the term would have to be school camp and the Athletics Day. I loved the Giant Swing! 

Jaxon- My top highlights of the Term have been camp and Athletics Day. Athletic's Day, because I got second in the 100m race out of everyone.

Sophie- I liked swimming because I learnt tricks and I got to jump off the diving board. I liked camp because I got to go really high on the Giant Swing.

Charli- My top highlight of the term would have to be the Mini Olympics because I won a first and second in the games. 

Ben- My highlights for the term are Book Week and Athletics. I liked Book Week because Ryder and I got to crack our whips.

Liam- My top highlight of this term was our camp because I got to go on the Giant Swing.

Edith- My highlights for this term have been my birthday and school Camp. These have been my favourite because I turned 9 and I was in a cabin with my friends. 

Daphne- My top highlights this term have been Miss Hayes coming back and school camp. I loved camp because I got to go on the Giant Swing.

Sydney: My top highlights of this term were swimming and the St Augustines Production. I liked swimming because I learnt a lot of skills. I liked the production because I saw Mia perform. 

Phoebe- My top highlight for this term has been camp because it was my first camp and I got to sleep in the same room as my friends.

Ryder- My top highlights of this term have been the footy colour day and school camp. I liked the Giant Swing at camp because it was heaps of fun.

Zara- My top highlights of this term have been camp and the Andy Griffiths Zoom. I liked camp because there were lots of activities to do.

Grade 4 Mrs Loughran

This term has been one of substantial growth for the students in Grade 4. 

It has been wonderful to see that the students are well on the way to the senior level of the school.  

The highlight for the Grade 4 class has definitely been the Year 9 Partnerships program with St Augustine's.  The program began in Week 2 where we had an introductory session - all students were very nervous to meet the Year 9's and vice versa.

It has been wonderful to see each student find  the confidence to begin a conversation and hold that conversation with another student, let alone a secondary student!

Year 9 St Augustine's Partnerships Program 

Each week, the students rotated through activities the Year 9's created.  One of the favourites was the cookie decorating!!

It was wonderful to see the connections made through this program and the confidence shown by students each week.  

Inquiry learning

The students worked hard to complete two posters about Australian history. The first poster explored what life was like for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples before the arrival of the Europeans, including information on who lived here first and how we know this from stories, artifacts, and oral traditions. The second poster focused on the stories of the First Fleet, detailing the causes and reasons for their journey to Australia. Students began by researching and drafting their posters, carefully gathering facts and images. After drafting, they edited their work to ensure accuracy, and then completed a final copy. The effort they put into researching, drafting, and revising resulted in informative and visually engaging posters that highlight important aspects of Australia's history.

Thank You to the Grade 4 parents for all of your support this term.  

Grade 5-6 Miss Rasmussen

SANDHURST ARTS ON SHOW

What a fantastic achievement! I'm thrilled to share that our Grade 5/6 students absolutely shone at the Sandhurst Arts on Show! Their performance was nothing short of amazing, and I couldn’t be prouder. Colman and Amelie did a brilliant job introducing our performance, flawlessly delivering their lines with great enthusiasm. Zac and Riann, our talented soloists, sang with such confidence and grace, leaving the audience in awe. Every student gave it their all, singing their hearts out and enjoying the moment. I may be a little biased, but I truly believe they were some of the best performers of the day! Each student stepped out of their comfort zone and became a superstar. Well done to all—you should be incredibly proud!

The Grade 5/6 Class Highlights for Term 3

Jacob - Kindergarten visit because it's nice hanging out with the little kids.

James - Going to the kinder and seeing the kids.

Dusty – Being a friend.

Amelie - Swimming because I learnt how to swim.

Zeb - Kinder visit hanging out with the kids and playing with them.

Colman - Kinder visits because we got to play with the kids.

Riann - Sandhurst Arts on Show — because I over came my fear of singing in front of a 

crowd and it was really fun doing the workshops with the girls!

Zac - Kinder visits because it was fun to hang out with all the other little kids and do fun activities with them for a whole hour

Toby - Sandhurst Arts on Show because I got to meet new people and I LOVE singing.

Jack - Kinder visits it was nice to see the kids play and have fun.

Xavier - Kinder Visits because I like spending time with the children

Cyril - Kinder visits because it’s good seeing little kids and some might come to our school.

Andrea - My favourite highlight is swimming, because I learned how to swim and I never experienced learning swimming before, so that’s why it’s my favourite highlight.

Hannah - Book week because I got to dress up with my friends and swimming because we got to learn how to swim and I got to learnmore swimming strokes.

Tamara - Sports because I love sports and it is good to interact with other people.

Caleb – Visiting the Kinder because I like playing with the kids.