Grade 3 Community News

Dear Grade 3 Families,

We are now well into the term, and it has been wonderful to see the growth, enthusiasm, and confidence developing in our Grade 3 classrooms. Students have been working hard across all learning areas and should feel proud of the effort they are putting into their learning each day. This newsletter will provide an update on what we have been learning in class, important reminders and upcoming events for the remainder of the term. Thank you for your continued support at home - it plays such an important role in helping students feel confident and successful at school. We look forward to an exciting and productive second half of the term together!

English

Text-Level Reading

Over the past fortnight, we have continued enjoying reading the novel, Uncle Xbox, together. Through class discussions and activities, students have explored the characters, setting, and important themes throughout the story. They have been developing their comprehension skills by inferring the characters' feelings throughout the story, summarising key events, and sharing their thoughts and opinions about the text. Students have especially enjoyed the opportunity to develop their reading fluency through reading short, related passages to a partner and then to the whole class.

Sentence-Level Writing

Students have been developing their understanding of how to create more detailed and engaging sentences. We have been learning how to use temporal conjunctions to show the order of events, as well as exploring the structure of complex and compound sentences. Students have also practiced writing strong summary sentences by adding descriptive adjectives before nouns to make their writing clearer and more interesting for the reader. It has been wonderful to see students applying these skills with growing confidence in their everyday writing.

Text-Level Writing

Students are continuing to develop their historical and factual recounts. We have been focusing on writing detailed body paragraphs by first using an SPO (Single Paragraph Outline) structure to plan ideas in note form. This structure ensures that we can write a cohesive paragraph with a topic sentence, supporting details, and then a concluding sentence. Students then rewrite their notes into complete sentences, using time connectives and past-tense language to clearly sequence events and improve the flow of their writing. We are thrilled to see students becoming more organised and thoughtful writers as they expand their ideas into well-structured paragraphs.

Mathematics

Students have been developing their understanding of number and measurement concepts through a range of engaging learning activities. We have explored strategies for multiplying by 10s and 100s, estimating addition and subtraction calculations, and measuring length accurately using centimetres and millimetres. We also continue to build fluency in recalling multiplication facts, and we encourage students to regularly practice these at home to strengthen their confidence and automatic recall. Students are applying these skills with increasing independence during classroom tasks and problem-solving activities.

Humanities

Students have continued exploring the diverse states and territories of Australia, including Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Queensland. More recently, we have been investigating Western Australia and learning about its unique geography and landmarks. Students were fascinated to discover that Perth is one of the most isolated major cities in the world, while Western Australia is also home to many iconic natural attractions, including Ningaloo Reef and The Pinnacles Desert. Over the next few weeks, we will continue exploring the remaining parts of Australia, and we are looking forward to creating amazing presentations to share our learning with you in week 10 at the parent open afternoon. (There may also be a quiz at the end!)

School Reminders

• Students are encouraged to read at home each night and ensure their iPads are charged daily.
• If students are cycling to school, they must wear a helmet.
• The school day starts at 8.45, with our music sounding at 8.42. Please ensure your child is at school on time so they don’t miss important learning time.
• A friendly reminder to please check and top up your child’s pencil case as needed, if they bring their own. Items such as pencils, sharpeners, and glue sticks are greatly appreciated to help support their learning in class. Thank you for your support!
• Our novel study in Term 3 will be Stormboy by Colin Thiele. Having a physical copy of the book helps students stay more focused, actively engage with their reading, and easily refer back to important information. This can be purchased on Amazon or in local bookstores such as QBD (the closest one is in Pacific Werribee Shopping Centre).

Upcoming Events

Week 7: Friday 5th June: Pupil Free Day - students will not attend school.

Week 8: Monday 8th June: King’s Birthday Public Holiday

Week 10: Wednesday 24th June: Parent open afternoon 2.10-3.10. Come join us in the classroom as the students present their learning in Humanities this term!

Week 10: Friday 26th June: French day and last day of term 2, with a 2.30 pm finish.

Warmest regards,

The Year 3 Team