News from our Specialists

Term 3 Art at Donvale Primary School 🎨✨

Prep

This term Prep students will explore a range of fun art techniques using oil pastels, watercolours, paint, chalk and mixed media. They will experiment with colour, texture and pattern, while creating artworks including penguins, textured ocean scenes with "shark-ish" drawings inspired by the book 'Ish', and colourful International Dot Day artworks that celebrate creativity, individuality and the joy of making art. Students will also create sparkling shooting stars using foil, beads and pipe cleaners to accompany their Writers' Festival piece, My Three Wishes. Throughout the term, students will be encouraged to experiment, use their imagination and discover that every artwork is unique and doesn't have to be perfect to be something to be proud of.

1/2

This term Year 1/2 students will explore a range of creative art techniques using oil pastels, mixed media, charcoal, watercolours and weaving. They will create vibrant artworks including positive and negative space scribble designs, patterned apples, peacocks, hot chocolate mugs, expressive charcoal chickens and a woven polar bear scene inspired by winter. Students will also make magical wish star wands to accompany their Writers' Festival piece, My Three Wishes, and work together to create a colourful chalk artwork around the school. The term will conclude with an International Dot Day activity, celebrating creativity, individuality and the confidence to express unique ideas through art.

3/4

This term 3/4 students will complete our Dairy Australia life-sized cow sculpture by adding the final bits of painting and mosaic details. They will also finish of their painted teacher portraits and share them with the staff. After, students will create a woven artwork inspired by Vincent van Gogh to accompany their Writers Festival piece, before finishing the term with a dry pastel self-portrait.

5/6

This term 5/6 students will complete their painted teacher portraits before exploring photography and mixed media to create self-portraits that reflect their dreams and wishes. These artworks will accompany their writing pieces for the Writers Festival, encouraging students to express their identity, aspirations and creativity.

Term 3 LOTE at Donvale Primary School 🈶🌏

Welcome back to Term 3. This term, students will continue to develop their Mandarin language skills through engaging, topic-based learning across all year levels. Lessons will focus on building students' confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing Mandarin through interactive games, songs, role-plays, creative activities and meaningful classroom conversations. Throughout the term, students will also explore Chinese culture by celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival and Father's Day, learning about the traditions, customs and values behind these special occasions.

Prep

Prep students will explore the topic Greetings and Classroom Language. They will learn how to greet their friends by asking "How are you?" and responding appropriately in Mandarin. Students will also learn how to greet teachers and elders politely by using the respectful form of "you" (您) and addressing teachers using their family name followed by "teacher" (老师). They will extend their language by learning “Good morning, Good afternoon and Good night”, as well as everyday classroom expressions such as sit down, stand up, thank you and I'm sorry. Students will build their confidence through puppet role-plays, songs, dances, storytelling and other hands-on activities that foster enthusiasm and a love of learning Mandarin.

1/2

Year 1/2 students will explore the topic of 2D Shapes. They will build their Mandarin numeracy vocabulary by learning the names of common two-dimensional shapes and using their prior knowledge of numbers to describe shapes in Mandarin. Through engaging hands-on activities such as creating a Shape Monster, guessing games, and sorting shapes by colours, sides and corners, students will strengthen both their mathematical understanding and Mandarin language skills.

3/4

Year 3/4 students will explore the topic Feelings and Emotions. They will learn how to recognise and express a range of emotions in Mandarin while developing language that supports positive wellbeing. Students will learn to ask classmates, "How are you feeling today?" and extend conversations by asking "Why?" They will practise sentence structures such as "I am feeling happy because..." to explain their emotions and experiences. Through songs, role-play, collaborative discussions and wellbeing activities, students will learn strategies for calming themselves, supporting others and expressing their feelings with confidence in Mandarin.

5/6

Year 5/6 students will explore the topic All About Me, building on their previous learning about sports while expanding their ability to describe themselves in greater detail. They will learn sentence structures such as "My favourite food is...", "My favourite colour is...", and ask classmates about their hobbies and interests. Students will further develop their speaking skills by describing something they are proud of or excited about, using Mandarin to communicate personal experiences. They will create a bilingual "All About Me" artwork introducing themselves, including their name, age, class and favourite subjects in Mandarin. Students will also work collaboratively to discuss an unforgettable school experience that made them feel happy, sad or nervous. By the end of the term, each group will deliver an oral presentation with a bilingual poster, building confidence in speaking Mandarin while making meaningful connections between language learning and their everyday school lives.