Learning News
Learning News Week 2, Term 3 2025
Learning News
Welcome back to Term 3! It's been a fantastic start, with all K-6 students settling back into their guided reading groups. We're diving deep into the world of literature, with some classes embarking on exciting new class texts, while our Stage 3 students are continuing on with last term's novel, now enriching their understanding by comparing it with other texts. As we begin the term, a significant part of our learning involves delving into the intricacies of stories, exploring how characterisation helps us understand who characters are, examining the context in which events unfold, considering different character perspectives to see how various viewpoints shape a narrative, and analysing the representation of characters within the stories we read.
Miss Summerell
Leader of Pedagogy / Mathematics Specialist Teacher
K/1
Our Kindergarten and Year 1 children have had a fantastic time reading the book "Hey, Little Ant" by Philip and Hannah Hoose! It's been exciting to explore the world of an ant while also learning a really important lesson: everyone can have different ideas. We talked about why it's good to listen to others, even if their thoughts are different from our own. This helps our kids understand that having lots of different opinions makes things more interesting and helps us solve problems. We're so proud to see them loving reading and learning to be open-minded!
Mrs CraffordK/1 Teacher
Year 1
Our Year 1 readers have been captivated by Stephen Michael King's "Three." It's a delightful story that has sparked so much discussion about friendship and how we can all be different and still belong. We've loved exploring the vibrant illustrations and talking about the unique qualities of the characters. The children have shown wonderful empathy as they considered how the characters might be feeling throughout their journey. "Three" has also been a fantastic springboard for conversations about problem-solving and helping others. It's truly been a joy to see our youngest learners engage so deeply with such a heartwarming book.
Miss Lyall
Year 1 Teacher
Year 2
Our Year 2 students have had a fantastic fortnight diving into the wonderfully witty world of David Walliams' "The World's Worst Teachers"! We've been absolutely captivated by the hilarious descriptions and imaginative vocabulary Walliams uses to bring his characters to life. The children have particularly enjoyed exploring the author's clever word choices, which have sparked some brilliant discussions about how words can make stories so much more exciting and funny. It's been a joy to see their enthusiasm for reading grow as they discover the power of language in such an entertaining way!
Year 2 Teacher
Miss Rasche
Year 3
Year 3 students are currently reading Emily Rodda's beloved novel, 'Rowan of Rin'. 'Rowan of Rin' is a fantasy novel that follows the timid young hero, Rowan, on a perilous quest to save his village of Rin. The village's water supply, located at the top of a forbidden mountain, has mysteriously dried up. Despite his fear, Rowan is chosen to lead a group of brave villagers on an arduous journey up the mountain, guided by a cryptic map. Along the way, they face various challenges and mythical creatures, and Rowan must overcome his own insecurities to prove himself a true hero and discover the truth behind the mountain's power.
Mrs Davis
Year 3 Teacher
Year 4
Year 4 students have commenced reading their new novel, 'The Callers' by Kiah Thomas. This engaging story is set in a tranquil town where, once every generation, a select group of children discovers an extraordinary ability: the capacity to hear and communicate with the ancient, magical creatures residing in the surrounding forest. As these young "Callers" begin to understand and develop their unique powers, they uncover a significant threat that endangers both their community and the mystical realm, leading them to collaborate and utilize their newfound gifts to protect all that they cherish. Through 'The Callers', students will also be exploring the literary concept of characterisation in depth, discussing how Kiah Thomas brings her characters to life through their actions, dialogue, thoughts, and interactions, providing a wonderful opportunity for students to develop their comprehension skills, infer character traits, and understand how authors build compelling personalities within a narrative.
Miss Martin
Year 4 (Minions) Teacher
Stage 3
Things are starting to get interesting in our novel Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by Katrina Nannestad. Our hero Sasha is beginning to remember his traumatic past, prompted by symbols in the novel. We have been eagerly waiting for these explanations to see if our predictions are correct regarding feathers, a shovel, a scraggly bunch of violets, a brick and three pencils. The storyline has taken us from peaceful life in a Russian village to on the war front, lost in the Russian Forest and now to Stalingrad. We have learnt many facts about World War II from our exploration of this historical narrative.
As a companion text, we have started to look at The Feather, by Margaret Wild, an older children’s picture book. It has been interesting contrasting the books which both have an underlying theme of hope despite the terrible conditions and situations the characters are living in.
If you haven’t read either of these books, Stage 3 highly recommend them!
Mrs Shepherd
AP/Stage 3 Teacher
