Round the classes 

Reception class: Katie 

In Katie's reception class we have been busy consolidating our knowledge of the s, a, t, p, i and n sound.  We have even started writing some four-letter words. We have also been working on developing our oral recounts.

In maths we have been learning how to form numbers correctly and count forwards and backwards to and from 20. 

We have also been doing some work on looking at what it means to be in each of the zones of regulation and some tools we can use to help us when we are in each zone. 

As part of our work in HASS with Kelly's class we have been learning about families.

We have also been busy working in the garden with Kelly's class. We have pulled out all of the weeds from our garden beds and on Monday we worked on brainstorming what our plants need so they can grow successfully. 

Reception class: Kelly

We have been busy consolidating out sounds we have learnt so far: s,a,t,p,n,i. The children have been learning how to blend the sounds to make words eg. Pin, tint, pit, lip. We have also started pair reading in class. It has been great to hear the children sound out the individual letters and attempt to blend the sounds to make the words. I have enjoyed watching the children help others when they are stuck with a sound too. For our writing we started our first recount plan and discussed what we needed to write a recount: when, who, what and why.

In maths we are learning how to count accurately. The children are learning how to count by touching, moving, count by crossing off and recording as they count. They are remembering how to 'trust the count' and only count the object once.

In design and technology we have worked on our garden outside and have now got most the weeds out. We have discussed what plants need to survive. It was wonderful watching all the Receptions work together to create posters about plant survival. 

For HASS and our learning talks we have been focusing on our facilities. We discussed how every family is special and different. The classes have drawn their families and are now in the process of creating a family tree (we have looked at grandparents, siblings and parents so far).

Year 1 class: Jaya

We cannot believe we are already halfway through the term! How it has flown. Here is a glimpse of what Year 1 has been up to recently. 

In our literacy lessons we have been learning about how some phonemes such as  ‘ai’ in rain and ‘ay’ in play may sound the same but the way we write them is different. We have also been learning about homophones with great enthusiasm. We are beginning to discover that there are so many around us (so many more than we expected!) We have started a homophone wall in the classroom to collect our thinking and ideas.

Within our mathematics lessons, we have been busy practising skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. We have been exploring all the different ways we can practise including jumping on chalk number lines outside and creating plasticine critters with different amounts of legs. Our learning has also been around how good mathematicians model (make), represent (write) and explain (share) their learning to solidify their understanding. 

In HASS, we have been looking at how everyday items and objects have changed over time. It has been fascinating to look at how cars, computers, telephones, and household items have changed. 

Have a fabulous long weekend everyone. 

Year 2 class: Samantha

In our recent Maths sessions, the Year 2 class have been expanding their understandings of place value. The focus was on understanding the concept that 'ten of these little units make one of those bigger units'. The children embraced this mathematical journey through interactive games and hands-on activities. By using concrete materials, they were able to demonstrate a solid grasp of place value, laying the foundation for more complex mathematical concepts in the future.

A highlight of Week 6 was the special visit from David Booth, who shared his expertise in Aboriginal culture, storytelling and artwork. The children were captivated as they discovered the rich meanings behind Aboriginal symbols used in artwork and storytelling. David guided the class in creating a unique contribution to a whole school mural, weaving together the diverse stories that make our school and community special. It was a truly enriching experience that connected the class with the cultural tapestry of Australia.

 As the weekend approaches, we want to remind you that teachers will be attending additional training this Friday. While they enhance their skills, we encourage you and your families to make the most of the extra-long weekend. Whether it's exploring the outdoors, spending quality time together, or enjoying a bit of relaxation, we hope you find joy in these moments.

Wishing you a fantastic weekend filled with warmth, laughter, and special moments.

Year 3 class: Stephen and Troy

Our focus for this fortnight has been problem-solving in maths.  We have spent some time unpacking the whole school problem-solving strategies (shown in the picture below) The unpacking process involves being presented with challenging problems that allow us to apply these strategies. 

We have found that we end up at the bottom of the Learning Pit but we know that this is a good place to be.  The second picture illustrates two examples of problems that we have worked through recently. Can you (parents) work them out?.....  😊

Check out the below clips of how we go through the problem solving process.

For writing we have been focusing on making sure we “Show…don’t tell” to make our narratives more interesting to read.  The following example illustrates what this means.

“It was cold”.  OR

“The people huddled together closely.  They wore beanies, scarves and gloves. If they didn’t have gloves, they rubbed their hands together constantly”.

The idea in the above example is to show the reader it’s a freezing cold day and not to simply tell them.  This is a challenging process and requires some careful planning, but we are getting there.

Year 4/5 class: Alex

On Monday’s excursion to the Australian Space Discovery Centre, students tuned into South Australia’s connection with the space industry and began to develop their curiosity about space, space technologies and what life in space would be like for an astronaut. Students have begun their introductory lessons of our Kids in Space Project through the Maker’s Empire 3D design program.

In their narrative writing this fortnight students have been practising their sizzling starts. They have been identifying effective elements of a sizzling start such as starting with a sound, including dialogue, making the reader curious, using humour and placing the reader in the action. Students have enjoyed trying out these different elements and sharing their engaging story-starts with the rest of the class. 

In maths students have set individual learning goals in the area of place value. In the past two weeks majority of the class have been reviewing and practising the concept of ‘renaming’ numbers. We have been using MAB blocks, drawings and digits to practise this skill. It involves recognising that you can group a 3-digit number in a range of different ways according to the place value groups of ones, tens and hundreds. For example, the number 234 can be ‘renamed’ from [2 Hundreds, 3 Tens and 4 Ones] to [0 Hundreds, 32 Tens and 4 Ones] and still retain its same total value.

In health students have been reflecting on the wellbeing ‘tools’ that have helped them last year when they are in different zones. They have set up a ‘toolbox’ of strategies to refer to when needing a way to help regulate their emotions where needed during the school day. Students have chosen whether it is more accessible to have their ‘toolbox’ list in their tray or displayed somewhere in the room to use when they need it. 

In Week 6 our class put on the first Tuck Shop of the year. Thanks to families for all the generous food donations. Also, a big thank you to the family members who volunteered their time and efforts to run it! It was great to fund our first excursion of the year with the profits.

Year 5/6 class: Sallie

In maths we have been really working hard to add depth to our learning about place value.  I love watching the "light bulb" moments as something clicks! 

In English we have been continuing on with our Roald Dahl study and moving on from the general information required to the student choice activities that support a deeper understanding of the novels and writing techniques.  We have started our group spelling activities and this will continue on for the next few times. The focus here is to work on areas that have been identified as areas that need improving for different groups of students. Reading groups will be in full swing next week and we will focus on linking reading and writing. This week I have spent one on one time with each of the Year 5 students setting their writing goals. Some of the creative ideas woven into the narratives make me laugh, cry and want to read more! year 6's will be next. 

The excursion to The Australian Space Discovery Centre was fantastic with all of its hands on activities and informative communication guides.  Fun Fact: After the informative session lead by one of the "communication guides" she said our group (the Year 4/5/6's) asked the best questions and displayed the best manners compared to most schools. What a compliment!

Indonesian: Ibu Susan

In Indonesian the students in the younger classes have been busy making “topi“ (hats) and “dinosaurus” (dinosaurs) using key words from our focus stories. 

The older students are reading descriptions of outfits using clothing and colour words as well as adding “terlalu besar/kecil” (too big/small).  We have also started learning about SE Asian geography with an online quiz game in Sallie’s class.

Science

Kelly's and Katie's classes - Kept on exploring glass, plastic, wood, rubber, fabric, metal and rock. The Week 5 task was building a wooden block house for the Three Bears (plastic counters). Week 6 - everyone used bar magnets to test for magnetic and non-magnetic objects/ materials.

Jaya's and Sam's classes - Made recycled paper. Thank you to Kirrily and two amazing parent helpers from Sam's class, who made this possible.

Stephen's class - Made observations about frozen liquids and solids and also did an experiment. What happens when you put one ice cube in cold water and another ice cube in hot water?

Alex's and Sallie's classes - Made and recorded observations about liquids and solids, at room temperature then after they were frozen. They also made predictions and offered explanations about a Lava Lamp experiment.

PE: Emma and Troy

Our students have been engaging themselves in sports day practice this week. We have been focusing on flexibility, stability and balance within relays and team games. Children have been drawing upon their teamwork skills, encouragement and motivation.

Gardening: Jo

Composting requires wet and dry ingredients as well as air. The students have been learning the wet component is called nitrogen and the dry is carbon. They stirred their compost jars as well as the larger closed compost bins before adding another nitrogen layer followed by a carbon layer. 

“Surprise Salad” was on the cooking menu and the students prepared a variety of ingredients and then made their own salad. 

Some of the words used to describe their salad were scrumptious, supercalerfragilitious, yum and crunchy. 

Cheers, 

Jo