Foundation

Can you believe we’re already over halfway through Term 3? Where has the time gone! Our Foundation kids have been working their socks off and doing an amazing job!

Literacy:In Literacy, the students have been working really hard on learning some new sound patterns (codes). Last week, we looked at ay/ai (like in play and rain), and this week we’re focusing on ee/ea (like in tree and beach). They’ve been doing a great job using these sounds to read and spell some tricky words.

We have also been looking at information reports as a class and focusing on community helpers. We have been identifying the important elements of an information report, including an introduction, where they work, what vehicle they drive and what our community helpers wear. This week, we have been continuing to draft our very own information reports about the community helper of our choice!

Maths:We have started our ‘Measurement’ unit in our own classes and will be focusing on a variety of different areas such as length, mass and capacity. The students will be exploring how to measure and compare the length of different objects using fun, hands-on activities. We’re definitely getting lots of practice at being little mathematicians!

As always, thank you for all your support. We’re officially on the downhill run until holidays now, how did that happen?!

Grade 1

What a wonderful week of learning we have had in Year 1!

In Mathematics, students have been learning about division through sharing and grouping. We have been using practical activities to help build our understanding of how objects can be shared equally into groups.

In English, students planned and wrote a procedural text explaining how to make a koala biscuit. We then followed our own instructions and made the biscuits ourselves — and, of course, got to enjoy eating them too! It was a fun way to put our procedural writing skills into action.

In Inquiry, we have been taking a road trip around Australia, visiting each state and territory and learning interesting facts about the people, places, animals and landmarks that make each part of Australia unique.

In Word Study, we have been learning and revising the spelling codes oi/oy, eigh and ey. Students have been practising recognising these codes in words and applying them in their reading and writing.

In Reading Comprehension, we have been exploring perspectives, thinking about how the narrator and different characters can have different thoughts, feelings and viewpoints. Our focus book, Honest Red Riding Hood Was Rotten, has provided lots of opportunities for interesting discussions!

Keep up the wonderful home reading and fantastic effort, Year 1.

Grade 2

Writing: Students have been learning about the structure and features of persuasive texts. Using a planning template, they are working to ensure their writing includes a clear introduction, three strong reasons with supporting evidence, and a conclusion that restates their opinion. We are also focusing on using strong, emotive language, along with developing writing skills like paragraphing.

Reading: We are still reading Wind in the Willows. Students have been answering comprehension questions and unpacking key themes like responsibility, irresponsibility, friendship, and hospitality. Students have had a chance to make predictions, outlining what they believe will happen to the characters.

PhOrMeS / Word Study: In our PhOrMeS lessons, we’ve been learning about the rule: “i” is not allowed at the end of words (usually). We’ve also been reading and spelling words with suffixes that end in -y.

In Grammar lessons students have been completing different sentence stems using subordinating conjunction like if, before, after and even though.

Inquiry: Our inquiry continues as we explore Earth's precious resources. This week we have looked at soil and its importance in our environment. Additionally, we have been exploring waste and ways to dispose of it correctly.

Maths: Last week we wrapped up our unit on Multiplication and Division. This week we move into our new topic: Shapes! Students will explore both 2D shapes and 3D objects, learning to identify and describe their features using appropriate mathematical language.

Homework: Thank you for your support with homework: Regular reading aloud and a weekly Word Study/PhOrMeS worksheet. Optional online extras: ‘Nessy Reading and Spelling’ and ‘Sunset/Jetpack Maths’ (Essential Assessment)

Grade 3

What’s Happening Grade 3 – Week 7 28/8/26

Novel Study: This week we started our novel study, ‘Storm Boy’. Students listen to several pages each lesson and participate in discussions and written responses, with the current focus on building vocabulary, and sentence expansion to give more detail when talking and writing about the text.

Writing: We are now exploring explanation texts, noting the differences between these and information reports, and procedural texts. Students are focusing on structure, sequence and using technical or scientific words to explain how or why something happens.

Word Study: Students have been reviewing the morphemes ‘tract’ and ‘form’, combining them with a variety of prefixes and suffixes, as well as reviewing specific homophones, and a range of ‘weird words’. We also began looking at the Greek numbers ‘mon’ as in monorail and monologue, and ‘di’ as in diverse and dilemma.

Maths: This week we completed our Multiplication and Division unit for Term 3. Students learned more about identifying key information in a worded problem, representing multiplication and division problems with bar models, and choosing an appropriate strategy to find the answer. Encouraging your child to practise basic multiplication facts and related division facts at home, will help them continue to build their understanding and fluency. We will revisit this topic at the beginning of Term 4.

Wellbeing/Values/Social Skills: Students have been learning more about respect for diversity, describing some of the ways people and families can be different, and sharing ideas about how we show respect for difference in a friendly way. We have also participated in the whole school program for ‘Bullying, No Way’ week, with the theme, ‘Small Acts, Big Impact’.

Project: Students are doing a fantastic job of working with a partner to construct their balloon-powered cars. Thank you for your support with providing additional materials. Once construction and decoration is complete, we will be racing!

Camp: Our Grade 3 students will attend Briars Camp on the Mornington Peninsula for two days/one night on Thursday 19th to Friday 20th November (Term 4, Week 7). The event will go live on Compass the first day of Term 4, and an information pack will be sent home the same day (which will include a form for parent helper volunteers).

In the meantime, we’d encourage students to try a sleepover at a friend’s house, if they have not done this before or often, in preparation for spending a night away from home at camp :)

Grade 4

We are well and truly nearing the end of Term 3, and it has been another busy and productive time in Grade 4. Students have continued to build their skills across Reading, Writing and Inquiry, with a strong focus on developing their understanding, thinking and communication.

Writing

This week, we have been working on our scaffolded persuasive writing task. Students have been given three topics to research and have worked through the planning process before beginning to write their persuasive texts. Throughout the week, students have received feedback on their writing and will use this feedback to make improvements and strengthen their arguments. We have been focusing on using persuasive techniques, organising ideas clearly and supporting our opinions with relevant evidence.

Reading

We have now finished our novel study of War Horse. To demonstrate our deeper understanding of the novel, students have completed a range of comprehension tasks as well as a post-test. These activities have encouraged students to think carefully about the characters, events, themes and messages within the text, while using evidence from the novel to support their responses.

Inquiry

In Inquiry, this week, students have been working in groups to create their own political parties. Each group has developed ideas and are preparing a persuasive speech designed to convince their classmates to vote for their party. Students have been applying their understanding of democracy, voting and political parties as they work towards an election in the classroom. It has been fantastic to see students collaborate, share ideas and practise their persuasive speaking skills.

Reminders

Camp packing lists have now been sent out. Please check Compass for the list, as students will not be given a hard copy.

Grade 5

ASPIRE Leadership Incursion

Grade 5 students had a wonderful time at our ASPIRE Leadership Incursion last week, learning about what it means to be a leader both with and without a badge. Students were challenged to demonstrate a range of leadership qualities through fun and cooperative activities, while also taking time to recognise and celebrate the achievements of others. This incursion marks the beginning of our students’ Grade 6 leadership journey, which will formally commence in Term 4.

Reading Comprehension

A Single Shard Classes have delved further into our mentor text, A Single Shard, and continue to develop their ability to construct detailed responses to comprehension questions. Students are practising responses that include a topic sentence, explanation, supporting evidence and concluding sentence. We are really proud of the quality of work students are producing and love seeing how much they are enjoying the novel.

Writing – Information Report Writing

Students have begun our Information Report Writing unit, which will also prepare them for our Travel Expo inquiry topic and project in Term 4. This week, teachers are modelling the process of researching effectively using reliable sources, taking efficient notes, organising information into a graphic organiser, and using this planning to construct an informative main body paragraph. Next week, students will put these skills into practice by researching an animal of their choice with a partner. We’re very excited to see what they discover and teach us!

Maths

Shape Maths groups have been exploring concepts related to shape, location and transformation. Students have practised rotating, reflecting and translating shapes, with some groups also progressing towards transforming shapes on a Cartesian plane.

Health Ed – Parent Online Session | Thursday 10th at 6:00pm

Please see the Compass notification posted on Wednesday for further information regarding our upcoming Health Education Parent Online Session.

Grade 6

Grade 6 has had a busy few weeks, with our usual routine interrupted by a range of extracurricular activities. Students have embraced these opportunities with enthusiasm and are incredibly excited for this week's camp adventure. Our Inquiry learning has focused on the Victorian Gold Rush, and students are looking forward to visiting Sovereign Hill, with many hoping to return having "struck it rich!"

Despite the busy schedule, students have remained focused on their learning. In Literacy, we have continued our study of The Magician’s Nephew while also working on Memory Book writing. In Numeracy, students have been further developing their understanding of ratios and angles, demonstrating persistence and growth in their learning. A reminder that Memory Books can now be purchased and will be required in the first few weeks of Term 4. Please refer to the Compass note for further details.

As we move towards the end of the term, we are looking forward to returning to a more regular routine while also enjoying some end-of-term celebrations. Our Grade 6 motto this term has been "You get out what you put in," and students have certainly lived up to this message through their effort, resilience and positive attitude. We are proud of all they have achieved so far and look forward to a strong finish to Term 3.

Focus Newsletter

'Together We Achieve'

Issue 15 · 28 Aug 2026

In this issue