Learning Update

From Mr Collins 3-6

In English we have moved on from information reports and are now learning about writing newspaper reports. The kids have enjoyed coming up with their own news events and pretending to be a reporter at the scene. We also had a conversation about our handwriting as some students are beginning to rush, especially when writing in other subject areas. As a result we have put handwriting as a priority and will be rubbing out anything that is rushed or unreadable. 

One of our focuses in Maths over the last few weeks has been money. I brought in a big jar of coins and we have practiced bunding, different ways of making the same totals and working out change. This is then applied to deeper concepts, such as adding and subtracting money, ordering costs, working with whole numbers and decimals, and percentage discounts. 

In Integrated Studies we had a go at making a chemical change occur. By mixing vinegar with milk and adding heat we were able to create 'Milk Plastic'. The kids went through the full scientific investaigation process of hypothesising and then reporting back on the findings. 

I also got a chance to sneak into Mr Sait's music class the other day and see the progress he is making with the kids. They were having the best time using the boom-whackers to play along to known songs. Rock On Mr Sait!

From Ms Lehre P-2

Literacy

P-2 kids completed their writing assessment using the stimulus “gate” and the students created some wonderfully imaginative stories about animals escaping the farm because the farmer couldn’t fix the gate! I am looking forward to bench marking these assessments against students in the same year levels with our small schools Community of Practice in the coming weeks.

In reading, we’ve continued practising our sounds, recently focusing on ir, ur, er and now air. We’ve also learnt that a trigraph is three letters making one sound — like tch in witch. The students continue to impress me every day, and those who are reading regularly at home are absolutely flying! It’s wonderful to see their confidence and love of learning growing.

Maths

In Maths, we’ve been exploring arrays, multiplication and repeated addition, while also working hard on number formation and fixing any tricky reversals (5 goes across, down and pregnant belly!). The Cool Maths teams are keeping us motivated — with the Huntrix currently in the lead!

Playgroup Fun

It was wonderful to welcome Playgroup on Monday for a story time featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar, followed by butterfly painting and a fun play in the rain. We always love having visitors in the little room.