Year 1 Cockatoos and Kangaroos

In Maths, the children have been working on two key skills: grouping large collections and making equal groups. They began by organising bigger sets of objects into smaller groups, talking about how they chose to sort them and what they noticed. From there, we moved into making equal groups, using counters and hoops to check whether each group had the same amount. These hands‑on activities have really helped them build confidence when explaining their mathematical thinking.

In English, we’ve been enjoying The Very Cranky Bear. The class loved discussing the characters and creating their own bear crafts inspired by the story. We’ve also been learning about alliteration and exploring how authors use repeated sounds to make writing more fun. The children came up with lots of playful examples, which made for a very lively classroom.

In HASS, the children have been learning about the past and present. They were surprised to discover that hopscotch has been played for hundreds of years, and they had a great time giving it a go themselves. It’s been a busy, happy few weeks in Year 1 with plenty of hands‑on learning and lots of enthusiasm from the children.

Year 4 Geckoes and Koalas

What a wonderful start to the term we have had! Our classroom has been buzzing with excitement as we explore new learning across all subject areas.

Mathematics

We have begun the term focusing on all things multiplication and division. Students have been learning written strategies to solve calculations and have discovered lots of tricks to help remember their times tables. Ask your child if they can show you the patterns in the 9 times tables or the special finger trick! We have also loved practising our multiplication and division skills on Times Tables Rock Stars. The class has even competed against the teacher. We are well on our way to becoming mathematicians!

English

In English, we have loved getting to know Roz through our novel study, The Wild Robot. We are learning all sorts of new vocabulary and challenging ourselves to use these exciting words in other areas of our work. Last week, we enjoyed reading about how Roz tried to camouflage herself. Inspired by her efforts, we created our own camouflaged butterflies. We wonder if you will be able to spot them hidden around our classroom!

Religious Education

During Religious education lessons, we have been learning about emotions, emotional intelligence, and empathy. We have explored how Jesus showed empathy to others and discussed ways we can be empathetic at both home and school. Students particularly enjoyed watching clips from Inside Out to learn about emotions and the important role they play in our lives. We have discovered that no emotion is wrong or bad; every emotion serves a purpose by helping to keep us safe, healthy, and happy. It has been wonderful connecting this learning to our Kimochis, especially through sayings such as, "It is okay to be angry; it is not okay to be mean." We are continuing to develop strategies to regulate our emotions and make positive choices.

HASS

In HASS, we have begun learning about the first contact between First Nations Peoples and visitors from other parts of the world, including the Macassans. Did you know that the Macassans and First Nations Peoples developed a shared language to help them communicate and trade? They exchanged items such as trepang (sea cucumber), cloth, tobacco, knives, and axes, creating important cultural and economic connections.

We are looking forward to many more exciting learning opportunities this term, as well as some extra fun with the Feast Day stall next week and the upcoming school carnivals. We can't wait to share more of our learning journey with you in the weeks ahead!

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Mass