Year 5 Update

Year 5 Newsletter – Term 3 Highlights

Dear Hillsmeade Families,

Term 3 has been full of rich learning experiences for our Year 5 students, with exciting developments across English, Mathematics, Inquiry—and the Performing Arts!

🎭 Madagascar Production Prep

We’ve been busy rehearsing for our upcoming school production of Madagascar! Students are enthusiastically preparing their dancing, singing, and acting, and we can’t wait to showcase their talents on stage. The energy and commitment they’ve shown during rehearsals has been inspiring—get ready for a wild and wonderful performance!

🧠 Mathematics: Subtraction & Division

In Maths, students have explored subtraction through strategies like Jump the Difference, Jump Back, and Transformative Thinking. These approaches have helped students build confidence in mental maths and problem-solving. This week, we’re excited to begin our Division Unit, where students will apply their understanding of number patterns and operations. We strongly encourage families to support regular times tables practice at home to boost fluency and success.

📚 English: Narrative Writing & Historical Fiction

Our English block has focused on narrative writing, with students drawing inspiration from our class novel and historical events. They’ve learned how to use paragraphing, precise vocabulary, and emotion-driven description to bring their stories to life. Through activities like “Tweet the Twist” and “Dialogue Detective,” students have practiced crafting compelling scenes that go beyond just talking—adding action, body language, and internal thoughts to enrich their writing.

🕰️ Inquiry: Life on the Goldfields

Our English block has focused on narrative writing, with students drawing inspiration from our class novel and historical events. They’ve learned how to use paragraphing, precise vocabulary, and emotion-driven description to bring their stories to life. Through activities like “Tweet the Twist” and “Dialogue Detective,” students have practiced crafting compelling scenes that go beyond just talking—adding action, body language, and internal thoughts to enrich their writing.

💬 Student Voice

Here are a few reflections from our learners:

• “I liked acting out life on the ship—it helped me imagine how hard it was.”
• “Jump the Difference made subtraction easier when the numbers were close!”
• “Writing as Henry made me feel like I was really there during the Eureka Stockade.”
• “I’m excited to be a dancing lemur in Madagascar!”

We’re incredibly proud of the creativity, curiosity, and collaboration our Year 5 students have shown this term. Thank you for your continued support at home—we look forward to seeing you at the production!

Warm regards,

The Year 5 Team