Specialist  

Overview of Learning

Art

Prep: Students will begin the term by exploring the meaning of Street Art and learning about the rules surrounding graffiti. They will briefly touch on the history of Street Art, starting with early forms of graffiti. Students will learn about the work of Drez, a Melbourne-based street artist, known for his beautiful colour gradient murals. Following this, they will investigate Sustainable Art and work with fibres as their primary material.

Years 1/2: Students will begin the term by learning about Sustainable Art. They will be encouraged to "create something from something", using recycled plastic as their medium. They will explore the work of artists who focus on recycled materials, such as Veronika Richterová, Caroline Cardinet, Lauren Berkowitz and Rox de Luca. Later in the term, they will be introduced to early Street Artists including Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Years 3/4: Students will start the term focusing on Sustainable Art, working primarily with cardboard. They will view and discuss the work of artists Monami Ohno, Toby Horrocks and Patrizia Biondi. Following this, students will learn about Banksy and other stencil artists, and will have the opportunity to create their own stencil-based artworks.

Years 5/6: Students will also begin the term with a focus on Street Art. They will explore its history and the etiquette and rules that define this artform. The unit will include a study of lettering artists such as Jingili and Mudburra artist Narisha “Nish” Cash, culminating in students creating their own hand-drawn graffiti. In the second half of the term, students will shift their focus to Sustainable Art, specifically using recycled toys. They will examine sculptures by artist Robert Bradford and use similar materials to create their own works.

Lauren Zahra / Evelyn Stavridis

 

Auslan

In parallel to Term One, students will actively engage with Auslan through the AES (Australian Education Services) program. The program aims to bridge the gap between deaf and hearing people. It is a dynamic program that includes videos, stories, games, and dedicated time for revision and practice. Students will have opportunities to sign with partners or collaborate in groups, enhancing their learning experience.

Prep: Students will focus on the Auslan alphabet, colours, numbers, family, school, farm animals and some everyday expressions. They will learn to sign numbers using their dominant hand. Students will practice their knowledge through songs, games and stories.

Ant De Melis (Prep)

Years 1 to 6: The focus of Auslan will be on

• Everyday activities and events, such as camping, museum visits, and picnic lunches.
• Objects, things around the house, including appliances, medication, and materials.
• Daily routines, communication, and positional signs, covering shapes, sizes, and inside/outside concepts.

Evelyn Stavridis (Years 1 to 6)

 

PE (Physical Education) 

Prep: Students will be explicitly learning a variety of fundamental movement skills (FMS). FMS are basic movements that form the basis for physical activities and that provide the foundation for competent and confident participation in a range of physical activities. These include locomotor, non-locomotor and object control skills:

• locomotor and non-locomotor skills – balancing, running, leaping, jumping, hopping, dodging, galloping, skipping.
• object control skills – bouncing, throwing, catching, kicking, striking.

Years 1/2: Students will begin to look at how invasion games work. Invasion games are games in which the aim is to invade an opponent's territory and score a goal or point like in Netball and Soccer. They will also be developing their striking skills in modified games of tennis hot shots (forehand strike) and cricket blast (two-handed strike).

Years 3/4: Students will be completing the 15m Beep Test, to then repeat the test in Term 4 to note any improvements in their fitness and stamina. They will also compete in our House Cross Country event on May 8th, hoping to make the top 10 and qualify for the District Cross Country event on May 20th. Students will also be trying out a variety of sports in different game classifications such as invasion (Netball), net/wall (Tennis) and striking & fielding (cricket).

Years 5/6: Students will be completing the 20m Beep Test, to then repeat the test in Term 4 and note any improvements in their fitness and stamina. They will also compete in our House Cross Country event on May 8th, hoping to make the top 10 and qualify for the District event on May 20th. During PE lessons, students will be focusing on perfecting their skills and understanding strategies in sports that are part of the Heidelberg District Weekly Interschool Sport; Netball, Hot Shots Tennis and Cricket Blast.

Amber Vincent / Evan Butler

 

Performing Arts

Prep: Students will explore the art of puppetry as a tool for improvisation and storytelling, creating scenes inspired by the theme of ‘friendship’. They will work collaboratively with their peers to develop and perform short puppet shows.

Years 1/2: Students will explore drama through storytelling, play, and performance. They will learn how different cultures and communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, use drama to share ideas, beliefs, and traditions. Students will work collaboratively to create, rehearse, and share short drama performances using expressive skills, character, and narrative.

Years 3/4: Students will take on the role of young entrepreneurs as they work in teams to develop an original product idea. Students will explore Media Arts by analysing advertising techniques, and create promotional materials such as posters, commercials, or podcasts. As part of their learning, students will also apply their acting skills to deliver a persuasive pitch to their peers. 

Years 5/6: Students will explore iconic dance styles from various decades, with a special focus on how pop culture has influenced dance trends. Students will then collaborate to choreograph their own routine and produce a short music video using their chosen track. 

Bec Zappia / Michael Rochford

 

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)

This term in STEM, all year levels will be focusing on the chemical sciences – the study of substances. All students will participate in ‘hands-on’ investigations and group work to build their scientific inquiry skills.

Prep: What are things made of? Students will gain an understanding of common materials and their observable features. They will explore what things are made of in the school environment and the properties of the materials used to make them. Students will consider why particular materials are used to make different objects. They will develop skills of observing, describing, comparing and communicating.

Years 1/2: What happens when we mix materials? Students will investigate what happens when different materials are mixed together. They will explore how changing the quantities of materials in a mixture can alter its properties and uses. Students will consider why products are combined together to make different objects. They will develop skills of observing, describing, comparing and communicating.

Years 3/4: Why do materials change state (solid, liquid, gas)? Students will observe the features that classify items as solids, liquids or gases. They will investigate how these features change with changes in temperature. Students will be introduced to chemical reactions. They will develop skills of predicting, fair testing, measuring results and drawing conclusions.

Years 5/6: What are the properties of different states of matter (solid, liquid, gas)? Students will explore the properties of solids, liquids and gases and use these to classify substances. They will consider how a substance’s particle arrangement influences its properties and behaviours. Students will develop skills of using evidence to support explanations and clearly communicating their conclusions to others (orally, diagrammatic and written).

Sandy Brewerton

 

Bands

This term sees the commencement of our newest and youngest band formation: the 2025 Training Band. For training band students, small group lessons started in Week 1 (except Brass instrument lessons which will start in Week 2, due to the public holiday on Monday). Please encourage students to practise at home regularly and perform for their family and friends whenever possible, as this supports confidence and instrument familiarity. The first few weeks may include excitement, fun, nervousness, challenging body co-ordination and even difficult moments but with your support they will ultimately rise to loving music, being proud to play an instrument and performing in a band. Please note that Training band will rehearse on Thursday mornings at 7.30am, starting on Thursday 15 May. 

I look forward to seeing you all at the mid-year evening concert on Monday 30th June at Montmorency Secondary College where the band will also perform as part of the combined Superband.

Michael Rochford