Year 5/6 - Senior Unit

What’s Been Happening in 5/6?

It has been a very busy and exciting few weeks in 5/6! Students have been learning, creating, competing and collaborating across a range of experiences both inside and outside the classroom.

Literacy

In Literacy, we have been enjoying our class novel, Spirit of the Crocodile by Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker, with Lyn White. We were particularly excited to discover that the novel has recently been shortlisted for the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers!

We are incredibly lucky to have a very special visit from Michelle Scott Tucker, one of the authors, this Friday! Students are looking forward to talking with Michelle about the story, learning more about the writing process and, of course, asking lots of their curious questions.

Alongside our novel study, students have also been developing their persuasive writing skills. They have been working towards answering the question: Should WPS rebook the Dream City Robotics and Coding Incursion in 2028? Students have been developing arguments, selecting persuasive language and supporting their opinions with reasons and evidence.

Inquiry

Our persuasive writing topic was certainly inspired by a fantastic recent experience! The Dream City Incursion last Friday was a fantastic opportunity for students to practise what they have learned this semester in Inquiry. We participated in Electronic Engineering, Robotics and VR Headsets and understood how these technologies are used in everyday life. The experience gave students the opportunity to be creative, problem-solve and explore technology in an interactive way.

Judging by the enthusiasm during the incursion, and the very persuasive arguments students have since written about bringing Dream City back, it was certainly a hit!

Some students had to say:

“It was an experience like no other”- Seb P
“Every second was a second of adventure”- Beau C
“This is one of those memories that will last forever”- Millie S

Next week, students will begin working on their final project for our Inquiry unit, where they will bring together their learning from across the unit.

Maths

In Maths, we have been exploring probability and chance experiments. Students have been conducting experiments, making predictions, collecting data and comparing their results with what they expected to happen.

It has been fantastic to see students becoming comfortable with the idea that chance experiments don't always produce the expected result straight away! They have particularly enjoyed the hands-on and sometimes surprising nature of our experiments.

COBAW District Basketball

On Tuesday, our boys' and girls' basketball teams competed in the COBAW District Basketball Competition. Both teams played exceptionally well and represented our school with fantastic sportsmanship, teamwork and determination.

We are very proud that both teams finished in third place and, most importantly, had a wonderful day competing, supporting one another and representing WPS.

A huge thank you to Mr Spilsted and Liam for coaching and supporting our basketball teams and helping make the day such a great experience for our students.

Mathslympics

Our Mathslympics was a huge success! Students had a fantastic time exploring mathematics through a fun and competitive 'games' lens, taking part in a range of challenges throughout the day.

Our senior students did an especially fantastic job as leaders. They supported younger students to participate in the activities, worked cooperatively with their groups and helped everyone transition between activities throughout the day.

There was certainly plenty of mathematical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork and laughter and students were well and truly exhausted by the end of it!

Family Maths Night

Apparently, Mathslympics wasn't quite enough maths for some of us! We had a fantastic turnout for our Family Maths Night, where students and their families had the opportunity to play a range of fun maths games together.

It was wonderful to hear the laughter and see families enjoying the opportunity to play, compete and problem-solve together. Maths games are a great way to reinforce important mathematical skills while creating positive and enjoyable experiences around mathematics.

A huge thank you to all of the families who came along and supported the evening. We loved seeing so many of you there!

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Finally, the Premier’s Reading Challenge wraps up this Friday. Congratulations to all of our students who have met the challenge! It has been wonderful to see students engaging with books and challenging themselves as readers throughout the year.

We have lots more exciting learning ahead in 5/6 as we head towards the final weeks of the term!

Check out a few of our pictures of the activities.