Classroom Gallery

YEAR 5/6 NEWS FOR TERM 1, WEEK 7.

NAPLAN

This week our Year 5 students will be completing their NAPLAN assessments. The tests will take place on Wednesday, Thursday and the following Monday. The areas being assessed include Writing (which students will complete by typing this year), Language Conventions, Reading, and Mathematics.

NAPLAN provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate the skills they have been developing in class. While these assessments are important, we remind students that they are simply one way of showing what they know and can do. We encourage everyone to approach the tests with a calm and positive attitude, try their best, and remember that effort and perseverance are what matter most. We wish everyone in Year 3 and Year 5 the very best of luck.

RELIGION

In Religion this term our unit focuses on Discipleship. Students are exploring what it means to live as a Christian disciple and how they are called to follow the example of Jesus in their everyday lives.

A key focus of our learning is the Beatitudes, which guide us in living a Christian and moral life. Through discussion and reflection, students are considering how values such as kindness, humility, mercy and compassion can be lived out at school, at home and in the wider community.

Students are also learning that all people are made in the image and likeness of God, which calls us to respect the dignity of every human person. As part of this, we are examining the types of judgments and behaviours that can harm or undermine the dignity of others. By exploring Scripture, Church Tradition, and the actions of Jesus, students are developing a deeper understanding of how they can act justly, show compassion, and contribute positively to their community.

ENGLISH

Year 5/6 has been continuing our class novel study of The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Students have been engaging deeply with the story while expanding their vocabulary to strengthen their written expression.

We have been exploring powerful descriptive words from the novel such as emerge, cautious, wilt, coordinate, forge, dwindle, eerie, loom, plummet, beckon, intricate, chaos and engulf. Students are discussing the meanings of these words, identifying how they are used in context, and practising incorporating them into their own writing. Building a strong vocabulary helps students create more vivid descriptions, clearer explanations and more engaging stories.

ALPHABET LETTER CHALLENGE:

Think of the letters in the alphabet. Answer the questions with one letter.

a letter that is a question …………….

a letter that is a drink …………….

A letter that is an insect …………….

A letter that is an exclamation …………….

a letter that is a line …………….

a letter that is a vegetable …………….

a letter that is the ocean …………….

MATHEMATICS

Over the next three weeks, students will be learning about Additive Relations. Our learning intention is to select and apply appropriate strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems.

Students are developing strategies that help them check the accuracy and reasonableness of their calculations. These include:

Rounding numbers to obtain estimates before solving problems
Using place value knowledge to check for possible errors
Estimating answers to determine whether solutions are reasonable

Students are also strengthening their understanding of key mathematical vocabulary. For example:

Rounding is the process of approximating a number to a given level of accuracy.
Estimating involves making a close and sensible guess about an answer.
A sum is the result of adding numbers together.
The difference between two numbers is the result of subtracting one from the other. Students are learning that the difference can be found by subtracting or by counting up between numbers.

These strategies help students become more confident and flexible problem-solvers.

SCIENCE with Mr Hyatt

Students always look forward to their Science lessons with Mr Hyatt, especially because experiments are a regular part of the learning! This week the class knows the activity will involve sand, although the exact experiment is still a mystery.

Our Science unit focuses on explaining how materials behave, mix and change. Students have been investigating the properties of different materials and learning about the three types of materials. Through hands-on experiments and observations, students are discovering how materials interact and why certain changes occur.

PDHPE - Health

In PDHPE, students have been discussing the changing nature of relationships as they grow older. Lessons have explored ways to build positive friendships and strategies to manage difficult situations such as bullying, harassment, and friendship challenges.

Students are learning practical strategies for communicating respectfully, resolving conflicts and supporting one another in healthy and positive ways.

CREATIVE ARTS

We continue to enjoy our Music lessons with Mrs Mackson every Thursday, as well as ‘Band’ each Friday. Teachers have been very impressed with the progress students are making, and it has been wonderful to hear how our group is beginning to sound like a true band as everyone learns to play together in time and harmony.

In Visual Arts, students have been exploring the Australian Bush as their subject matter. Our learning intention is to investigate subject matter to represent the likeness of things in the world, with a particular focus on Australian gum trees and bush landscapes. Students have been experimenting with assembling materials in different ways and considering how artworks can be created for different audiences.

We have been busy completing our artwork for the Walcha Show, where our display focuses on the beauty of the Australian gum tree. As a class, we wrote a poem to inspire our artwork. When you visit the pavilion at the show this weekend, we invite you to imagine lying on the ground beneath the trees, looking up through the branches and leaves.

Gum Leaves through the Trees By Year 5/6 and Mrs Flanagan

On my back in the summer grass,

I let the wide blue sky unfold.

Above me, majestic gum trees

trace a multitude of lines in gold.

Their branches stretch like open hands,

The leaves whisper soft and slow.

Light slips through in dancing flecks,

painting patterns as they glow.

The world feels still and far away,

just sky and bark and breeze —

and I am small beneath it all,