In Our Classrooms
Prep
Prep has had a fantastic start to Term 4! This week, we enjoyed our much-loved Prep Breakfast, where students arrived in their cosy pyjamas and enjoyed a delicious breakfast together. There was plenty of excitement as everyone tucked into toast, cereal, Milo and apple juice with their classmates. It was such a fun way to start the day and a wonderful opportunity to spend time together outside our usual classroom routines. We are looking forward to another exciting term filled with lots of learning, laughter and special memories!
Year 1
Welcome to Term 4 - Stimulating Science!
What a fantastic start to Term 4! Our Year 1 students have jumped straight back into learning, already demonstrating amazing learning routines and a wonderful enthusiasm for the term ahead!
This term, our Curiosity Unit is ‘Stimulating Science’, and our budding scientists have been busy exploring the exciting world of science! Students have been learning about the role of a scientist and have already immersed themselves in the scientific inquiry process by asking questions, wondering, making predictions, observing, testing their ideas and making discoveries! There was plenty of excitement during our first experiment, ‘Dancing Sultanas’, as students watched in amazement and shared their observations.
Throughout the term, students will continue to think and act like scientists as they explore the science in the world around them. They will investigate push and pull forces, discover fascinating facts about our Solar System and explore how materials can change when manipulated. Through hands-on investigations, students will develop their scientific inquiry skills by forming hypotheses, making observations and comparing their results with their predictions.
To add to the excitement, we can't wait to extend our scientific learning during our upcoming excursion to Scienceworks!
Year 2
We hope all our Year 2 families enjoyed a relaxing break and are ready for an exciting final term of learning. This term will be filled with opportunities for students to demonstrate their creativity, build their confidence and celebrate their achievements throughout the year.
Term 4 Mathematics
In Mathematics, students will strengthen their understanding of place value by reading, representing and ordering numbers up to 1000. They will explore multiplication and division through repeated addition, equal groups and sharing activities. Students will also investigate location and transformation by following directions, describing pathways and exploring turns and movements. Through engaging, hands-on activities, students will develop their measurement skills by comparing length, capacity and mass, while recognising, describing and classifying 2D shapes.
Term 4 Literacy
In Literacy, students will continue to develop their phonics knowledge, spelling, reading fluency and comprehension through the Little Learners Love Literacy program. In Writing, students will explore a range of text types, including recounts, information reports, persuasive texts and procedures. They will focus on organising their ideas, using appropriate text structures, expressing opinions with supporting reasons and writing clear, sequenced instructions.
Term 4 Curiosity – Robot Buddies
This term, our Curiosity unit will see students become inventors as they design and construct their very own robots using a range of craft materials. Students will investigate the properties of different materials, consider which materials are best suited to their designs and make thoughtful decisions throughout the construction process. They will also develop their ability to follow and write instructions while practising the important skill of striving for accuracy.
Year 2 Scientists in Action!
Lab coats on, curiosity switched on! Last week, our Year 2 students stepped into the shoes of real scientists as they ventured into the Senior School science laboratories for an exciting experience of discovery and experimentation. Guided by our wonderful Year 9 student mentors, students explored eight hands-on experiment stations, making observations, asking questions and discovering the wonders of science.
A highlight of the experience was watching spectacular science demonstrations led by a Senior School science teacher, including the impressive Elephant Toothpaste experiment! To finish their scientific adventure, each student received a special chromatography bookmark as a keepsake of the day. It was a fantastic opportunity for our Year 2 students to explore their curiosity, collaborate with older students and experience science firsthand.
We look forward to a wonderful final term filled with creativity, discovery and opportunities to celebrate how much our Year 2 students have grown throughout the year!
Year 3
We are so excited to have our Year 3 students back at school and look forward to another term of learning, discovery and fun! This term, students will be diving into our Science Challenge Show unit, where they will develop their skills in thinking and acting like scientists. Through hands-on investigations and exciting experiments, students will explore thermal conductivity, changes in states of matter and different types of forces.
We have already kicked things off by making our very own butter and exploring how scientists use curiosity, persistence and a growth mindset to make amazing discoveries. As the unit progresses, students will make predictions, investigate scientific concepts, learn about fair testing and work collaboratively to design their own science challenges for their classmates to participate in. We can't wait to see where their curiosity takes them!
Year 4
Year 4 students enjoyed an exciting and creative Stop Motion Animation Incursion with Brett from Cardytoons! As part of our Curiosity unit, Frame by Frame, students explored the art of stop-motion animation by using plasticine to create their very own slug character. They brought their creations to life by photographing each movement frame by frame, before adding sound effects and a voice-over to complete their animations.
The workshop provided a wonderful opportunity for students to develop their storytelling skills, experiment with digital technology and collaborate creatively. It was fantastic to see their imaginations come to life as they discovered how individual frames can be combined to tell an engaging story!
Year 5
Year 5 students have had a busy start to the term, quickly settling back into classroom routines, demonstrating our class expectations and actively participating in their learning. It has been wonderful to see students approach the term with enthusiasm and a commitment to doing their best.
In week 1, students participated in the Body Bright incursion, run by the Butterfly Foundation. Students learnt about body image, appearance pressures, and the importance of body appreciation, gratitude and resilience. They also discussed strategies for responding to teasing and bullying, seeking help when needed and developing positive attitudes towards their bodies. It was fantastic to see students listening attentively, contributing to discussions and engaging so positively with these important messages.
Students were also excited to participate in the College Pyjama Day on Wednesday the 14th of October, where students enjoyed the fun of coming to school in their cosy PJs! It has been amazing to see the students so engaged and enthusiastic as they start their final term of Year 5, and we are looking forward to another exciting term with them!
Year 6
Welcome back to our final Term with the Year 6 cohort! We hope everyone made the most of the sunshine over the break and are full of energy for the term ahead. Term 4 is jam-packed with events such as our Primary Years Learning Expo, Year 6 Awards ceremony, Year 6 Celebration evening, and our Years 4-6 Swimming Carnival.
Students have had a fantastic start to the term, demonstrating our college values through their great behaviours and eagerness for learning. This term, Year 6 will read about a mysterious, dust-covered, old man in ‘Skellig’ by David Almond, as the literacy focus novel as they work on developing their narrative writing skills. In maths, Year 6 have begun exploring probability with various concrete materials, games and scenarios. Students have applied their skills developed in Term 3 to calculate probability using percentages, fractions, and decimals. Year 6 is delving into the world of financial decisions in Curiosity with exploration of resources, wants and needs. It is shaping up to be another memorable term filled with learning, growth and fun for our Year 6 students.
Visual Arts
This term, our students in Visual Arts have lots to look forward to!
Prep
Students will be continuing on their projects about the “Magic Trash House”, where they are using craft materials to construct a fence, as well as learning about printing techniques to achieve texture when making grass and trees for their house construction. They will then assemble all of their elements together to complete their Trash House diorama.
Year 2
We have been taking a look at colour theory in order to understand how colours mix, using both RBY (Red, Blue, Yellow) and CMY (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) colour palettes, as well as adding black and white to lighten and darken. Students thoroughly enjoyed being able to make their own colours, as well as the magic of what their concoction would turn into! This will then form an abstract art piece that they will decorate later.
Year 4
There has been much excitement about continuing to work on our ceramic pumpkin pieces. Students have learnt about underglazing techniques, glazing, the firing process, as well as safe work practices when using clays and glazes. They are eagerly awaiting what their finished pieces will look like when they come out of the kiln!
Year 5
Students have been busy finishing off their “Seed Pod projects”, where they have completed observational drawings of various seed pods (gum nuts, pine cones, poppy seeds, etc.), and then painted them using a monochromatic palette, demonstrating their new knowledge about value (light and shade). Next up: Sewing!
College Arts and Technology Show
Don’t forget we have our College Arts and Technology Show coming up on Thursday 5th November from 5-7pm. This is Hazel Glen College’s opportunity to showcase to the community all of the talent in these subject areas, including artwork from all students across the Primary Years. There will be performances from students in both primary and secondary years, delicious food to try and badges to make. So make sure you put it in your diaries to come along and check it out!
