Primary Specialists

Prep and Year 1 Visual Art

Continuing on from our Halloween fun, in Week 5, students drew inspiration from the work of renowned artists Romero Britto, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein as they continued adding the finishing touches to their vibrant Pop Art portraits of living things.

Once completed, our Prep and Year 1 students had fun exploring recycled materials while getting creative and making a sock caterpillar!

Following this, our Year 1 students began exploring their final inquiry, ‘Many different occupations contribute to successful communities.’ Through discussions about the important roles people play within our communities, students explored a range of 3D paper techniques and began experimenting with ways to create buildings and places that help make communities safe, connected and successful. Meanwhile, our Prep students began exploring different 3D paper techniques too.

Visual Arts – Grade 2 and 3

It has been an exciting couple of weeks in Visual Arts! Students explored their imagination and creativity through designing and creating masks, including Halloween-inspired characters and their own unique mask designs. They experimented with shapes, colours, patterns and facial features to bring personality, expression and character to their creations. 

Students who do not celebrate Halloween were encouraged to create individual masks that reflected their own ideas and creativity.

We then began an exciting clay sculpture 

project, taking students through the process of planning, designing, modelling and creating their own clay artworks. Students are exploring a variety of possibilities, including figurines, useful trinkets and decorative ornaments. Over the coming lessons, they will refine their sculptures, paint and add finishing details to create a beautifully polished final piece.

It has been wonderful to see students' imagination, enthusiasm and creativity shine through as they explore different materials, develop new skills and bring their artistic ideas to life!

Year 4 Visual Art

During Week 5, students explored the Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). They investigated how artists use symbols, colours and patterns to communicate ideas, emotions and cultural meanings connected to this important celebration. Students explored traditional symbols, including sugar skulls, marigolds and decorative patterns, and learned how these elements are used to remember and honour loved ones who have passed away. They applied their learning by creating their own Día de los Muertos-inspired sugar skull artworks using bright colours, shapes and intricate

 patterns.

In Week 6, students learned about the significance of Remembrance Day and why we pause on 11 November to remember and honour the men and women who have served and sacrificed their lives during wars and conflicts. Students explored how the poppy has become a symbol of remembrance, peace and respect. Students followed a step-by-step tutorial on how to draw poppies before creating their own beautiful poppy field artworks. Through this activity, they explored how artists use colour, shape and composition to communicate meaningful messages and emotions. Students also continued to develop their understanding of perspective within landscapes, considering how to create a sense of depth and distance in their artworks. They demonstrated creativity, thoughtful decision-making and reflection as they brought their individual poppy fields to life. 

Throughout these lessons, students demonstrated Open-mindedness by exploring and respecting different cultural traditions and commemorations. They developed their Thinking Skills by investigating symbols and their meanings, Communication Skills by sharing their ideas and interpretations, and Creative Thinking Skills by experimenting with materials, colours and techniques to communicate meaningful messages through art.

Mandarin 中文/汉语 🇨🇳

Miss Qiao & Miss Xiong

We would like to say a big thank you to all our families for your ongoing support of our Mandarin program. It has been lovely to see our students enjoying their Mandarin lessons, learning new words and discovering more about Chinese culture. We are so proud of the progress they have made this term and look forward to sharing some of their learning highlights with you!

Prep: Exploring Family in MandarinThis term, our Prep students have been exploring the topic of family through Mandarin songs, storytelling, movement and hands-on activities. They have been learning to recognise and say family words such as “爸爸” (dad), “妈妈” (mum), “哥哥” (older brother), “姐姐” (older sister), “弟弟” (younger brother) and “妹妹” (younger sister).Students have also been practising simple sentences such as “我爱我的家” (I love my family), while developing their confidence in listening, speaking and recognising Chinese characters. Through singing, matching games, handwriting practice and drawing activities, we aim to make Mandarin learning enjoyable and meaningful for our youngest learners. Our Mandarin team is committed to helping students build a strong foundation in the language while developing an appreciation of Chinese culture. It has been lovely to see our Prep students becoming more confident and curious as they discover a new language, one word at a time.

This term, our Year 1 and 2 students have been exploring Chinese culture through three exciting topics: 首都北京 Beijing, China's capital city, traditional Chinese arts and giant pandas, and Chinese food. Students discovered Beijing's famous landmarks and traditional foods, including Peking duck. They also explored the colourful world of Peking Opera, learning how different face mask colours represent different character traits. Our journey continued with China's national treasure, the giant panda, where students learned about its habitat, diet and the importance of protecting wildlife.

In Weeks 5–6, students have been learning about Chinese hot pot (中国火锅), a popular meal in China that is often enjoyed with family and friends. They explored how hot pot is prepared and shared, while learning new Mandarin words such as 肉 (meat), 蔬菜 (vegetables) and 辣 (spicy). Students also practised saying 我喜欢火锅 (I like hot pot) and used their new vocabulary to create their own colourful hot pot posters.

Through these activities, our Mandarin team encourages students to learn Chinese in a fun and meaningful way. We want students to not only build their language skills but also gain a better understanding of Chinese culture and everyday life. It has been wonderful to see their interest and confidence grow throughout the term.

Our Year 3 and 4 students have been discovering the vibrant city of Shanghai, learning about its famous landmarks, local food and modern technology. Through videos, pictures and classroom discussions, students discovered Shanghai's beautiful skyline, famous landmarks, busy streets and delicious local food. They also learned how modern technology is part of everyday life in China. Students were particularly interested in China's high-speed rail, which can travel at speeds of up to 350 km/h, as well as the use of mobile payments, smart robots and modern transport systems. Along the way, they practised Mandarin words such as 上海 (Shanghai), 城市 (city), 现代 (modern) and 科技 (technology), and developed their Chinese character recognition and handwriting skills. Through these lessons, our Mandarin team aims to show students how language connects with the world around us. By exploring both the culture and technology of modern China, students are developing their Mandarin skills while gaining a better understanding of how people live, travel and use technology in another country.

Our Year 5 and 6 students have been on an exciting journey across China, exploring its famous cities, rich history, traditional food and modern way of life. We began in 北京 Beijing, China's capital 中国首都, where students discovered the 故宫 Forbidden City, 天安门 Tiananmen Square, 京剧Peking Opera and the famous 北京烤鸭 Peking duck. In 上海 Shanghai, students explored the beautiful 外滩 Bund, enjoyed learning about Xiaolongbao (小笼包) and discovered how advanced technology is changing everyday life. Our journey also took us to 陕西省 Shaanxi, where students learned about the 兵马俑 Terracotta Warriors and the famous 𰻝𰻝面Biangbiang noodles, and to 四川省 Sichuan, home of China's much-loved 大熊猫 giant pandas. More recently, students have been exploring 杭州 Hangzhou, learning about the beautiful 西湖 West Lake and China's traditional tea culture, particularly 龙井茶 Longjing green tea. They also discovered the 赛龙舟 Dragon Boat Festival, learning about the story of 屈原 Qu Yuan, traditional rice dumplings (粽子) and the excitement of dragon boat racing. Throughout these lessons, students have been practising Mandarin vocabulary, recognising Chinese characters and developing their understanding through videos, discussions and creative activities. Our Mandarin team hopes these experiences will encourage students to appreciate China's cultural diversity and develop a lasting interest in learning Mandarin.

Thank you again for your ongoing support. We look forward to continuing this learning journey with our students and helping them discover more about Mandarin and Chinese culture. We hope everyone enjoys the rest of Term 4!

Spanish

During Weeks 5 and 6, students learning Spanish this semester are discovering La Tomatina, a famous festival held in Buñol, Valencia, Spain. Known as the world's biggest food fight, this exciting celebration sees thousands of people take part in a huge tomato-throwing festival!

Our younger learners, from Prep to Year 2, are exploring the festival through fun colouring worksheets, while students from Years 3 to 6 are completing activities and answering questions tailored to their learning levels.

Through these activities, students are developing their Spanish language skills while discovering interesting traditions and cultural celebrations from Spain.

In the photo, a Year 1 student is enjoying colouring a worksheet about La Tomatina!

Physical Education 

There has been plenty to celebrate in PE and school sport, with students taking on new challenges, developing their skills and representing our school.

Congratulations to our tennis team, who finished second at the Regional Championships! This is a fantastic achievement and a wonderful reward for their hard work. Reaching this level of competition is something to be proud of. Well done for their efforts and for representing our school.

Congratulations also to all students who participated in the swimming trials last week. It takes confidence to put yourself forward and challenge yourself in the pool. Every student should be proud of having a go and giving their best.

In PE, students in Years 3–6 will be participating in a range of minor games with a cricket focus. These games will provide opportunities to practise striking, catching and fielding in a fun and engaging way. Students will also explore where to hit the ball, how to find space and how to work together to prevent runs. Alongside these skills, we will continue to focus on communication, teamwork and fair play.

Our Prep–Year 2 students will be busy practising activities for the upcoming Mini Olympics. Lessons will help students become familiar with the activities, build confidence and develop their fundamental movement skills. There will be a strong focus on taking turns, following instructions, encouraging others and having a go.

We look forward to seeing our students continue to learn, challenge themselves and celebrate one another’s achievements!    


DANCE.
It’s already half way through the term and it’s been full steam ahead in the dance studio! This week on Tuesday night our dance extension students performed their Wakakirri national award winning routine for the secondary campus’s Ted Talk presentation. 
Our students did an amazing job and put on a powerful performance to help close the event to a packed audience in our new auditorium. They did an amazing job and left people feeling every emotion as they took the on a journey with our performance titled “Always There”. Their next Wakakirri performance will be for the upcoming Saltwater Christmas Carols event on the 14th and 15th December, we hope to see you all there to celebrate with us!
Our Year Six graduation performance is well under way with the two big groups of students rehearsing their hearts out ready to perform at their end of year graduation. Everyone is working hard and so eager to put on a great show for all as they dance their way out of their primary years and into a new exciting chapter in secondary!

Our Victorian State School Spectacular dancers have also been super busy rehearsing for an upcoming assembly presentation of their time and journey with this years VSSS. Adding to that is a new routine also for their Christmas Carols showcase in December! Our Year 7, 8, and 9 students have combined also to perform a little bonus routine and a carol together for this years Saltwater Carols.It’s all go go go hear at the studio and this year has been a big one with these amazing students! We can’t wait to see you at Christmas Carols in a few weeks time! :)