Round the classes 

Reception class: Katie 

Over the past month the Reception class has been very busy learning more digraph sounds. We have been learning how to write longer words and have been working on writing sentences independently. We have also been learning how to correctly structure an information report. 

In maths we have been learning about equal sharing and have recently started a new unit on statistics where we have been creating our own graphs. 

As part of science with Katie we have been learning about habitats and this week went habitat hunting out in the school yard. We have also started learning about what towns and cities are in HASS. We have discovered the types of places and businesses that make up these places and brainstormed their purpose. For example a CFS station would be in a town to protect the town and a shop would be to enable people to buy food. 

Finally as part of our work with the Kimochis we have been learning about the keys to communication and how to use these in everyday situations. 

Year 1 class: Kelly

In literacy we have been learning about the long "a" sound - ea as in break, ey as in grey and a as in alien. With our writing, we have been focusing on our information reports. The children have chosen their own animal and they have had to research, using Epic's readers and the internet, characteristics (what the animal looks like), diet (what the animal eats), introduction (what is the animal), interesting facts and location (where the animal lives). The children have done a great job so far and we are now displaying this information on a poster.

For maths the children have been learning about measurement - length, mass, volume and duration (time). They have been learning how to sort, compare and discuss shorter, longer, wider and taller. The weather has been kind to us, so we have been doing a lot of activities outside.

For health, we revised the yellow zone of regulation. The children discussed what they looked like and what strategies they could use to help them in the yellow zone.

Year 2 class: Sam

During Week 7 our Year 2 class showcased their talents and teamwork during a successful assembly presentation. The children wowed their peers and teachers with their confidence as they shared learning in phonics and shared their creative dream jars. It was a fantastic effort and we're so proud of all their hard work.

In our Design and Technology lessons, our young artists have been busy designing and crafting their beautiful Australian birds. They've learned about materials, shapes, and patterns while creating their own feathered friends. The attention to detail and creativity shown in their bird-making projects has been impressive, and we can't wait for you to see their completed creations soon!

In our mathematics lessons, Year 2 has been delving into the fascinating world of time. We've been exploring how to read both analogue and digital clocks, discussing AM and PM, and even calculating elapsed time. The children have made their very own clocks to practise telling time, and they are getting quite skilled at it!

English lessons have been filled with magic and imagination as we embarked on a creative writing journey inspired by "The BFG" by Roald Dahl. Our young authors have been crafting dream jars, designing their own dreams, and writing character and setting descriptions. It's been a joy to see their creativity flourish, and they've truly embraced the spirit of storytelling. 

As we look ahead to the rest of the school term, we can't help but feel excited about all the learning and adventures still to come, especially with our school camp only a few weeks away! Your children are showing great enthusiasm, curiosity, and resilience in their learning journey, and we couldn't be prouder.

Enjoy your weekend everyone! 

Year 2/3 class: Stephen and Suzie

We enjoyed a hands-on problem-solving task using electronic components.  Our task was to link up three LEDs in series and attach a 9 volt battery to operate them.  As an extra challenge, we were given a small switch which we added into the circuit. See our pictures below.  

In maths we have started learning about graphs – reading them, answering questions of them, exploring the different types (line, bar and picture graphs) as well as designing some of our own.  We also used our knowledge of Place Value to learn how to subtract numbers with up to three digits with “borrowing” or “trading”.  

We have also spent some time with Sam’s year 2s preparing for our school Music Showcase performance. 

In English we have started sharing stories and summarising what we learn about the main characters – their character traits.           

Year 4/5 class: Alex

In writing students have been using their research to construct an information report on a living thing of their choice. They have been examining the structure and features of modelled texts and discussing the importance and function of photographs, diagrams, captions and glossaries. They have been discussing the difference between persuasive and informative writing and have been practising using a ‘passive voice’ in their writing, ensuring they only include facts and not opinions. Students have also been working on their introductions, thinking about what classifications and general information they could include. 

In mathematics students have been implementing a problem-solving process to unpack and engage with challenging mathematical problems. They work through these six steps in the process: search, sort, see/sketch, select, solve and check whether their answer makes sense. Students have been using this process to engage with a range of problems involving fractions, building on their knowledge of fraction representation, equivalent fractions and addition of fractions with like and unlike denominators. 

In HASS students have been looking at the history of early human migration from Africa to Australia. They have been investigating how the geographic features of the land have influenced the culture and practices of the Yolngu peoples of the Northern Territory contrasted with that of the Pitjantjatjara peoples of the Uluru, Kata Tjuta area in the southern part of the Northern Territory. 

Year 5/6 class: Sallie

We have finished our Happy Hippo measurement investigation and all students have downloaded their outcomes onto their Seesaw journal for parents to see at home. It really made measurement and scale come to life. We have been really honing our problem-solving skills and doing specific problems that focus on our maths toolbox. We have been using the tools of SEARCH, SEE/SKETCH, SORT, SELECT, SOLVE, SENSE.  Check in with your children to see if they can tell you what each of these "tools" mean.  

Reading comprehension has again been our focus. We have been unpacking "finding word meaning in context" and "drawing conclusions and making inferences". We have nearly finished our guided reading group novels and can't wait to see how they end! Lightning Carnival was fun. Thanks to our drivers and parents who stayed all day, Liz and Phil Crabb and Emma Lochhead. 

The Music Showcase was a fabulous success. We are getting nervous and excited for our Festival Theatre Choir performance. 

The Year 6s have enjoyed designing and decorating their Flinders Camp t-shirts ready for week 10 and the Year 5s are looking forward to all the great activities that will be happening on the Year 2-5 camp. Never a dull moment. 

Lightning Carnival News

Netball Team 1

On Monday students from Sallie’s class and Alex’s class participated in the Lightning Carnival at St Francis at Mt Barker. The students in Team 1 were Lara, Indi, Mia, Lucy, Amber, Ivy, Nilah, Chastity and Elodie. The coach for the team was Gisele. We had to play six games against five different schools, the schools were St Francis, St Michaels, Littlehampton, Woodside, Lobethal and Uraidla (us). We won three games out of six and we had fun along the way.

By Amber

Netball Team 2

On Monday the year 5/6s participated in the Lightning Carnival. My team only won 1 out of 6 netball games but we still had fun. The netball games were originally 15 minutes long but we had a team of 10 people including Stephanie, Anji, Elsa, Ila, Ada, Chloe, Kayla, Edith, Harriet, myself and our wonderful coach Phil Crabb which means we had to have halves of 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Some of our players hadn’t played netball before, but in the end all of us tried our best and learnt all the rules.

By Lena

Basketball

On Monday, all the boys in the year 5/6 class played boys' basketball in the Lightning Carnival, at St Francis College in Mt Barker. We played 6 games and each game was 15 minutes. We won 5 of our 6 games. We were only beaten by Woodside 1. Everybody scored at least 1 goal. It was very fun. Thank you drivers, for making this possible.

By Patrick

Lara and Alyssa at Woodhouse with Sunrise

On the 14th of September I went to Woodhouse at 5am. This was because the news channel Sunrise, was going to be there, along with Sam Mac who does the weather and other fun things. When we got there we had some activities planned throughout the session and the first one started at 5:15am and it was called Glow Golf. The aim of the game was to throw a frisbee that shone neon green into a metal basket. I didn’t get to have a go as I was the one who charged the discs to make them glow. The next activity we did was where they filmed everyone jumping up and saying "Start with Sunrise", to use for an ad. Then we moved on to the rope climb. The rope climb is an activity where you have to cross a river on four ropes. A lot of people didn’t want to do it as they didn’t want to get wet. Luckily Alyssa bravely put her hand up to do it and she almost made it across but unfortunately fell but had great fun. The last activity we did was the tube slide. My friend Erica and I were the first ones to go down on live tv! Eventually, Sam Mac even had a go and it was great fun doing it besides having to pull a tube up a hill. When it was coming to an end Alyssa and I got to take a photo with Sam Mac and then it was time to go home.

By Lara 

PE: Victoria

In Physical Education this term, the Year 4-6 students have focused their learning around Basketball and Netball as they prepared for the Lightning Carnival earlier this week. Students have developed their dribbling, throwing, catching, shooting and defending skills as well as their game sense (rules, scoring and tactics) through a variety of skill-based activities and modified games.

The Junior Primary students have focused their learning on developing their fundamental movement skills through a range of different structured activities. The students have been working hard to develop their running, dodging and skipping skills and their object control skills of throwing, catching and striking. Through active participation, students have also developed personal and social skills such as self-control, cooperation, sharing, problem solving and persistence.

Science: Troy

In Science students have started a range of new topics. Our Receptions are focusing on everyday materials and their properties with our Year 1 students looking at push and pull and the forces that act on moving objects. Our Year 2/3 have started their units on space and our 4/5 class has been looking at the effect of weather on the landscape. Finally, the 5/6 class are beginning to look at natural disasters and the impact they have on the environment around them.