Class News - Year 6SO

Term 1 Class Newsletter - Year 6SO

A very welcome to Year 6 2024 - we are both very excited and honoured to be teaching the students in their final year at St Joseph’s!

6SO Mission Statement

In 2024 we will create a community of passionate, helpful and confident learners. We will do this by being respectful towards each other and our teachers, contributing and including our classmates in discussions and activities, and taking pride and finding joy in our work.

We will support and encourage each other’s accomplishments, be honest and generous in how we treat each other, and be humble and grateful for opportunities that come our way.

The following newsletter contains some key reminders and important dates for the coming term:

Please remember that the school is open from 8:30am and it is important that students arrive on time to ensure they are organised before the beginning of the day. Our prayer and morning routine begins on the first bell at 8:50am, where students engage in meditative prayer and are informed of the day's proceedings.

It is extremely beneficial for students to arrive on time for school to support their organisational skills and connectedness to their peers.

Please ensure you are able to access your child’s ‘Class Dojo’ as information and updates will be sent out weekly using this platform. 

BELL TIMES

• 8:30am Students can enter their classroom
• 8:50am Beginning of school bell
• 9am Lessons begin
• 11:05-11:45am Recess
• 1:20-2:00pm Lunch
• 3:30pm End of school bell

Weekly Timetable

Year 6

Monday: Homework goes home. STEM lessons every other week

Tuesday: Drama and Art 

Wednesday: Malvern Library visits (odd weeks)

Thursday: PE

Friday: Assembly, Italian and SEL. Year 6 Class Sport, Diaries handed in to be signed by the teacher. Homework due. 

English

We will be focusing on the English Curriculum for two hours each morning. This block is made up of the following components:

Reading

A wide range of reading materials and teaching strategies are used to improve our students’ comprehension skills. Programs such as Literature Circles, structured comprehension lessons, and analysis of a variety of texts, offer many opportunities to build upon students' reading strategies and develop their ability to gain a deeper understanding of texts.

Writing

This term we will continue to build the students' skills and knowledge in writing through explicit and focused teaching. Particular emphasis will be placed on developing sentence and paragraph structure. We will also continue to focus on spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as the presentation of work.

Spelling

Students complete the ‘Spelling Mastery’ program four mornings a week in ability groups from Year 3-6. This program uses specific spelling rules and students are guided through lessons that cater to their specific needs.

Parents will be notified when the Spelling Mastery program will commence for the year. In the meantime, we will continue to revise and build on the skills and strategies from our Spelling Mastery program each day. 

Speaking & Listening

Students will be encouraged to participate in a variety of formal and informal oral language activities throughout the year.

Mathematics

In Term 1, students will be provided with many opportunities to explore the following topics, using a range of relevant and open-ended learning experiences: 

• Statistics and Probability - Data collection
• Number & Algebra: Place Value/Addition and Subtraction
• Measurement & Geometry: Length and Perimeter
• Number & Algebra: Fractions
• Measurement & Geometry: Location

Please encourage your child to continually review their multiplication and division facts to ensure they have an immediate recall. 

Religion

Our school focus in Religious Education for Term 1 is as follows:

Church and Community

Students will endeavour to explain the nature of the Holy Spirit and its particular role in the Catholic Church. They will personally reflect on their own role in the mission of the church and the Kingdom of God. 

Lent and Easter

Students will endeavour to analyse, compare, and interpret scriptural texts of Lent and Holy Week. They will view and interpret different images related to Holy Week, and reflect on the relevance and importance of understanding and acknowledging these significant events in our faith. 

Topic

Unit: Australia! Exploring the Past

Our topic this term is based on the Victorian Curriculum areas of Civics and Citizenship, History, and the Ethical, and Personal and Social Capabilities. Students will explore and learn about the colonisation of Australia and the move to Federation. Students will also analyse Australia’s democratic system of Government and develop an understanding of how rules and laws are developed and the function and responsibilities of the 3 levels of government. 

Homework

Students will receive streamlined homework on a weekly basis. This will be given out on Mondays and corrected on Fridays. Homework includes:

• At least 20 minutes of reading each day, recorded in school diary
• English: Literature Circles, one role per week plus short grammar practise
• Maths: Selection of questions from across the curriculum. Extension challenge: Open-ended tasks from the Maths Olympiad book.
• Practising the words covered in the Spelling Mastery lessons

Personal & Social Capability (Wellbeing)

Students will participate in weekly social and emotional (SEL) sessions. These sessions will enable students to share and discuss social issues in a safe and supportive environment, as well as learn and practice skills for peer negotiation and conflict resolution. 

The students are connected to Class Dojo for communication purposes and as a positive reinforcement tool in the classroom. Points can be earned individually or as a whole class. Dojo points are only gained for positive behaviours in accordance with the star values and not taken away.

Class Dojo will be used to communicate upcoming events at the end of each week so please ensure you are connected as parents to receive this communication. Please note that we no longer use the private message function on Dojo.

Camp

This year's 5/6 camp will occur in the first week of Term 2. It is a compulsory part of our curriculum in which the students are involved in a number of outdoor activities. Camp gives students an opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and experience new things. Students will be encouraged to build upon their friendships and relationships with others through team-building activities. It is normally a highlight of the year for the students, even those who are nervous and possibly apprehensive about attending. There will be further details about the camp later in the term. 

You are always welcome to make contact with us, either after school or via email, if you have any questions or comments.

Looking forward to an exciting year!

Clare Smith clare.smith@sjmalvern.catholic.edu.au

(Monday - Wednesday)

Siobhan O’Dwyer siobhan.odwyer@sjmalvern.catholic.edu.au 

(Thursday - Friday)