Classroom News

Foundation: Mrs Mclay

In Literacy, our Foundation students have been working hard to consolidate their growing literacy skills. We have been focusing on reading and spelling CVCC and CCVC words such as jump, milk, frog, and * swim*. Students have been practising how to blend these words when reading and segment the sounds when writing, helping them become more confident and fluent learners. 

In Writing, students are now beginning to create their own independent sentences. We have also been learning how to use simple conjunctions, such as because, to explain why something happens. This has helped students add more detail to their ideas and make their writing more meaningful. 

In Maths, our Foundation students have been exploring some exciting new concepts. We began by learning about place value, focusing on how numbers are made up of tens and ones. Students have been using hands-on materials to build, make, and compare numbers, helping them develop a strong understanding of how numbers work. We have now moved into learning about time duration. Students have been investigating whether an event takes a long or short amount of time, and they are beginning to compare which of two events takes longer or shorter. Through real-life examples and classroom activities, students are building their sense of time in a fun and practical way. We also explored Australian coins, learning their names, appearance, and value. Students enjoyed sorting and comparing coins and talking about what each coin is worth. 

This week, we held our Inquiry Celebration Afternoon, giving families a chance to see the exciting learning students have explored throughout the term. Our young scientists proudly demonstrated three hands-on experiments: elephant toothpaste, floating investigations, and lava lamps. Each activity showcased the students’ developing understanding of scientific processes, prediction, observation, and cause and effect. The classroom was full of excitement as students explained what they had discovered and showed their parents how each experiment worked. The clear favourite of the afternoon was elephant toothpaste, with its bubbly, colourful explosion bringing lots of smiles and “wow!” moments. It was a fantastic way to celebrate a term of curiosity, questioning, and exploration. Thank you to our families for joining us and supporting our learning. 

Foundation- Grade 1: Mrs Tyler

Last week we said goodbye to Ms Emmett and wish her well on her maternity leave. We can't wait to about your new addition!

This week we have been working hard in Initialit learning about the bossy 'e'. We have learnt that the bossy 'e' makes the vowel sound long. It's been wonderful to see their confidence grow over this sequence of daily lessons. Have a look at some of their great work! 

We came up with some sentences using the bossy 'e'. Can you spot the words in our sentences?

Joe: I went to school on time. 

Lara: Pete has a brand new house. 

GD: The lake is cold. 

Izzy: I ate my picnic. 

Harriet: The little rabbit is so cute. 

Grade 2: Miss Wooden

This term in our Grade 2 class, we've been on an exciting journey exploring how things move! Our science theme has focused on the properties of materials and the different ways they can change or react when force is applied. The students have been actively engaged in hands-on experiments that bring the concepts of motion to life!

We conducted tests using rolling balls made from different materials and toy cars of various sizes. The children observed how the material of the balls affected their speed and distance when rolled down a ramp. They also compared how the size of the toy cars influenced their movement. This hands-on approach allowed the students to understand concepts like friction, weight, and aerodynamics while having fun with their experiments!

Grade 3: Mrs Stock

Another busy few weeks in Grade 3, and we can’t believe we are already nearing the end of the term! There is still plenty of learning to be done, along with lots of fun activities for the students to enjoy as we head into the final stretch.

In Maths, we have been exploring probability through lots of practical activities and hands-on experiments. Students observed and recorded the outcomes of everyday events, using language such as likely, unlikely, certain and impossible to explain their reasoning. They then represented their results by creating clear and detailed bar graphs to show the different outcomes from their investigations.

We have now begun our new unit on multiplication and division, where students are learning to multiply and divide one- and two-digit numbers. They are representing problems using number sentences, diagrams, and arrays, and using a variety of calculation strategies to solve them.

In English, we have continued reading The One and Only Ivan. The students are really enjoying the story and the discussions that come with it. Alongside our reading, they have been working on persuasive writing and have just completed their introductions for a piece arguing why wild animals should not be allowed in circuses. They have been able to use evidence from our class readings to support their arguments.

The Grade 3s really enjoyed our Inquiry Celebration on Tuesday. Here are our highlights and takeaways from the celebration:

Ollie- I learnt that when vinegar and bicarb soda mix with vegetable oil it makes a reaction which causes bubbles. I liked elephant toothpaste activity.

Charlie- I liked it when Mrs Stock put the water, food colouring, syrup and oil into a glass because it showed the liquids separating. I enjoyed Mrs Stock's activity the best.

Tully- I liked elephant toothpaste activity, when the yeast got mixed with bicarb soda and dishwashing liquid. This was my favourite activity.

AJ- I liked Mrs McLay's because we got to see how elephant toothpaste was made. 

Oonagh- I really liked everything! I liked learning about density when the elephant toothpaste exploded and the bubbles in the lava lamp. 

Tom-The elephant toothpaste activity was very fun, and I learnt a lot about chemistry and explosions.

Will- I liked Mrs Stock's activity because it had a lot of different experiments. My favourite was the elephant toothpaste activity. 

Joshua- I liked the elephant toothpaste activity because Abby squished it.

George- I liked the lava lamp activity because I learnt that making a lava lamp is way cheaper than buying one. 

Addie- I liked Mrs Stock's activity, where we learnt about density. 

Zarielle- My favourite activity was the elephant toothpaste because we did three different ones.

Grade 4: Miss Dove & Mrs McKiernan

We have had a busy couple of weeks, with lots of learning happening in the classroom. 

In Literacy, we’ve started reading our final class novel for the year, His Name Was Walter by Emily Rodda. The students have been fascinated by the way the author uses language and structure to bring the story to life. The rich descriptions of characters and settings have really inspired us! The story begins with four children and their teacher becoming stranded at an old house, where they discover a handmade book. As they read its tale about a boy named Walter, they slowly realise it’s not just a story at all, it’s the real account of a long-ago mystery that took place in the very house they're in. Using this as inspiration, students have begun drafting their own narratives. They have planned and written their character and setting introductions, using a checklist to help them include strong adjectives, adverbials to show time, place and manner, and figurative language such as similes. It has been wonderful listening to their ideas and seeing how much detail they’ve used to paint vivid pictures for their readers. Their creativity has really shone through! 

In Math, we are wrapping up our Multiplication and Division unit before moving on to our final topic for the year, Mass and Capacity. Over the past few weeks, students have been learning how to divide by a one-digit number, both with and without regrouping. They’ve also explored how to use bar models to represent multiplication and division word problems, which has helped them visualise the steps more clearly. To support their problem-solving, students have been using the CUBES strategy to identify the important information in worded questions. It’s been great to see their confidence grow as they apply these strategies to increasingly tricky problems. 

It’s really starting to feel like the end of the year as we read our last text, work through our final math unit, and finish up Inquiry! Time is certainly flying as we head into Week 9! The excitement is building as students look forward to all the end-of-year celebrations, including our special “100 Students” celebration day, which is shaping up to be a fantastic event. Our classroom tree is also starting to look very festive as we fill the space underneath with Kris Kringle gifts. A big thank you to those who have already brought theirs in, it’s truly appreciated and adds to the excitement in our room. 

Grade 5-6: Miss Rasmussen

In Grade 5/6, we’ve made a great start to our new class text, The Last Bear. The story follows April, a young girl who travels with her dad to the Arctic Circle for six months. While she’s there, she meets the only bear left on Bear Island and names him Bear. The students have loved learning about the bond the two form — especially the moment when April helps fix Bear’s injured paw.

As the story unfolds, we’re now discovering the tough reality that climate change and pollution are threatening Bear’s existence. This has prompted some terrific class discussions, and the students have begun writing persuasive letters calling for action against climate change and human interference, hoping to protect real-life polar bears just like Bear.

In maths, we are really getting the hang of percentages. Students can calculate percentages of an amount and are now applying this to real-world situations, such as working out the discount of a sale item. They’ve shown great persistence with what can be a tricky concept.

Our Grade 6s have also started attending transition days at their chosen secondary schools, and the excitement is definitely building! It’s been lovely hearing their reflections and seeing their confidence grow. Meanwhile, our Grade 5s have enjoyed putting forward their thoughts and ideas for next year’s Grade 6 tops — a small but exciting step toward their final year of primary school.

It’s been a busy and positive week in 5/6, and we’re looking forward to what’s ahead!