Year 3/4

Welcome

Welcome back Year 3/4 families, 

We hope that you all had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday with your children. The year Level Newsletter will be available to all families at the start of every term. This will enable you to keep up to speed with what is happening in your child’s year level, including important dates for your calendar. 

Please take time to read our newsletter regarding events and news about our school.

Regards,

Year 3/4 teachers and Specialist Team

Our Learning for this Term

English: Reading 

In Reading, students are discovering the stories of of inspirational leaders through Factual Narratives. Within these factual narratives, students are building a range of skills. They are learning to locate information to answer literal and inferential questions. Students are also building their vocabulary of adjectives and nouns and consolidating the spelling of high frequency words and long vowel sounds. 

English: Writing

In Writing, students will focus on the characteristics and skills of the leaders identified in the Factual Narratives read. They will learn to identify key points of their lives and create story maps describing how they became leaders. Students will also identify and define words and phrases that describe the leadership qualities of these people. Students will learn to collect data and sort it into a data chart for the leader, their qualities, why they are important, and how they have made an impact. They will also work through writing a book that identifies key points in their own life so far, their goals and their own leadership qualities.

Homework: Reading Daily, Weekly Tasks

Students are expected to read each night for 15-20 minutes and to record their reading in their diary.

Please record reading using the following format:

Title:

Time Read:

Pages:

Parent signature:

It would benefit your child once reading has been completed to talk about what they have read.

This ‘verbal processing’ helps them remember and think through the themes of the book. 

Ask questions before, during, and after a session to encourage reading comprehension.

 For example: 

• Before: "What are you interested in about this book? What doesn't interest you?" 
• During: "What's going on in the book? Is it turning out the way you thought it would? What do you think will happen next?" 
• After: "Can you summarize the book? What did you like about it? What other books does it remind you of?"
• You may also like to visit the local library and select books that are of interest to your child.

Homework: Curriculum Tasks 

Homework tasks will be presented for the week to each child. The tasks will be allocated by the classroom teacher based on the curriculum presented from the week prior. 

Tasks are allocated to take no more than 15 minutes per session.   

Homework tasks will commence the week beginning Monday 26th February.

Maths 

In Mathematics this term, the 3/4s will further develop their numeracy skills by refining their mathematical concepts through modelling with concrete materials and problem-solving using efficient strategies. 

We will start the term with a focus on counting and Place Value. In the coming weeks, the students will be focusing on the following key mathematical areas of:

• Addition and Subtraction 
• Multiplication and Division 
• Length and Area 

Inquiry 

In the Inquiry Unit this term, students will focus on leadership and how we can live it in our own lives. They will investigate what qualities a good leader displays and how to apply these skills to everyday activities. They will have the chance to interview a panel of our school leaders and ask them questions about how they display leadership qualities in their specific roles. Students will then have the opportunity to develop and show off their own leadership qualities throughout the term. 

Religion

This term in Religion we will be focussing on both formal and informal Prayers. Students will reflect on how prayers are a way to learn about God and connect with Him meaningfully. By saying prayers, they can understand who He is and how they can rely on Him for support throughout their lives.

Our students will also explain and reflect on the significance of key events and celebrations within the Liturgical year, especially during Lent and Easter.

Children in Year 3 will be preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation shortly.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Every morning all classes participate in Positive Behaviour for Learning from 8.50am-9.00am, except during specialist days. This term, the focus for our P.B.L. is Respect. This is an important time where students engage in activities to build relationships with both their peers and teacher, and learn social-emotional skills to contribute to a positive learning environment within their classroom.  Please ensure that your child is on time for school, as these activities are important to their overall experience at school. 

Swimming

The swimming program begins this Monday 12th February. All students will be involved in an intensive Swimming Program over eight days at the Aquastar Swim School on 24 Arco Lane Moorabbin.

Dates: Monday 12 - Friday 23 February 2024 (8 days, excluding both Wednesdays).

Please feel free to email your child’s teacher or chat with us at school if you have any questions.

Specialist Teachers and Timetable 

Italian –  Mrs. White

P.E. – Miss. Kromer

Performing Arts - Mrs Cooper

Visual Art – Mrs Bartlett

All Year 3-4 classes have specialist lessons on Mondays. Students are to wear sports uniforms with runners only on a Monday. 

SPECIALIST PROGRAMS

L.O.T.E.    ITALIAN

Ciao a tutti e felice anno nuovo.

Dear parents, welcome to 2024. May it be a happy and successful year for all.

In Years Three and Four the students will begin the term by revising previously- acquired language through different activities and games. They will use familiar language to introduce themselves, to share information about their families and their likes and dislikes. They will also be creating personal profile cards to use in class for “Chi sono?” game. (Oral comprehension)The students will be extending their knowledge of the Italian language and culture through a unit of work on ‘celebrations’ which are an important aspect of our lives. They allow for an expression of community and/or religious feeling, or are an acknowledgement of significant events in an individual’s life. This unit aims to introduce students to some celebrations that are unique to Italy, encouraging an understanding of why these events are important to Italians, with a focus on Pasqua and Carnevale. It also allows students to study some of the important celebrations which Australia and Italy share, exploring how and why they may be different in each country. The focus will be on further developing the students’ speaking and listening skills, aswell as reading and writing through varied and structured activities. During the lessons the students will continue to participate in playing quizzes, games and completing interactive tasks on Duolingo in order to practise their oral and speaking skills and deepen their vocabulary and grammar knowledge.

Buon lavoro e ciao a presto. 

Best wishes,

Signora White 

Physical Education 

Hello families and welcome back! This Term in Physical Education the Year 3/4  students will be focusing on cooperation skills and fitness. Also introducing sports such as sof-crosse, netball and soccer while incorporating sport specific skills.

We will be embedding fitness within all our lessons.  Students will learn the fundamental skills involved in being prepared for fitness sessions by stretching and warming up correctly. For fitness they will do sit ups, push ups, star jumps, short and long distance running.  There will be many fun fitness games with an eight minute run near the end of term. 

Year 3/4  students have the opportunity to compete at the Bentleigh District Swimming Carnival held on Tuesday February 27th. Training will be held at AquaStar, 24 Arco Lane Moorabbin on 8th Feb, Friday 9th Feb, Thursday 15th Feb, Friday 16th Feb and Thursday 22nd from 7:30-8:00 am.

Before school running club will begin Thursday 29th Feb and will continue each Tuesday and Thursday until the end of term to prepare for St Andrew’s Cross Country Day at Bald Hill Park . 

Tuesday - Running Club

Thursday - Running Club

Year 3/4 Swimming Program - Week 3 & 4

St Andrew’s Cross Country Day - Friday 15th March at Bald Hill Park 

St Andrew’s Athletics Carnival / Kaboom - Friday 22nd March

Looking forward to a fun and active term 1

Best wishes, 

Beth Kromer

Visual Arts

Grade 3/4 Art room news 2024  

Hi and welcome to the art room for term 1. We will begin the year by creating a whole school mosaic mural for display. They will enjoy painting, drawing and collage work. The children will continue to be given opportunities to feel free and confident to express ideas and are encouraged to respond to the artwork of others. In the art room we incorporate both art making and art appreciation and help the children develop a visual arts language. They will be mixing more complex colours and tones and will recognise and experiment with warm, cool and complementary colours for the effects they create. They will continue to experiment mixing different colours to create shadings and tones using acrylic paints, water-colour pencils, crayons and pens. We will also be creating art works to coincide with our units of study in religious education including Lent, Easter, and our inquiry units. We aim to have lots of fun during our new learnings, creations and experimentations during art classes throughout term one.

Enjoy,

Mrs. Cathy Bartlett                                                                                       

Performing Arts

Welcome back to school Team 3/4’s and families! I hope your students are all well rested and are looking forward to another fun term of performing arts!

Thank you to all the parents who have provided their children with recorders for this term, for those who have yet to do so, please bring them to school asap. 

The start of Term 1 will concurrently cover musical notation and dance. In dance, the 3/4's examine elements of dance, using the acronym BEATS (Body, Energy, Action, Timing and Space). Each week students will focus on expanding their dance moves, concentrating on one of the elements. After we’ve covered all the elements, students will build up enough dance moves to choreograph a sequence to a set piece of music.  They’ll also be learning how to interpret dance according to the music so their movements match both the musicality and message of the piece.

In music, we’ll be focusing on musical notation, learning the notes of the treble clef using games, instruments and voices! There’ll be a lot of singing so please warm up your voices in readiness, I can’t wait to hear the students in full song!  After practising singing in tune and identifying notes on the stave we will begin (or continue for grade 4’s) recorder.

Happy singing, dancing and acting!

Emma Cooper

How to Contact Us

All of the 3/4 team members are able to be contacted on the following emails. Please be aware that teachers will read and respond during working hours. Please be mindful that we are teaching the students and allow us time to reply. We will attempt to get back to you as soon as possible.

Rachel Gurvich- rgurvich@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Netty Howe - ahowe@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Emily Casaceli - ecasaceli@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Lachlan Ware - lware@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Tahira Tannen - ttannen@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Milena Santora - msantoro@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au