Year Five
Dear Year 5 Families,
As we reach the end of Term 2, we are incredibly proud of the curiosity, compassion, and collaboration our students have shown across all areas of their learning.
Students visited Scienceworks, explored Indigenous culture and storytelling in our Dreaming Stories unit, and took great pride in leading the school’s Walk for Reconciliation. We had our school photos, students presented their learning at their three-way conferences, and we launched our third Unit of Inquiry exploring the theme of equality versus equity.
Some of our Year 5’s proudly represented Saltwater at the District Cross Country and showcased their athleticism during our Athletics Day. Over 95% of our cohort shared their voices through the ATOSS survey. Most importantly, we’ve seen the cohort begin to settle, support one another, and grow into a more connected and cohesive group.
Reading
Throughout our third Unit of Inquiry, students have explored a range of powerful mentor texts that connected to our central idea about human rights and equality. Stories such as For the Right to Learn and The Stone Lion helped students analyse how authors use character perspective and language to influence readers’ understanding of justice and empathy. These texts sparked deep discussion and personal reflections, especially when students considered how different circumstances affect access to opportunities around the world.
Our students explored the text We Are All Born Free, which creatively shows the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through pictures. They then worked collaboratively to re-create their own version of the declaration, translating key human rights messages into language that
children can understand. These thoughtful and creative texts reflect both their understanding of complex ideas and their ideas to make the world a fairer place.
Writing
Our writing focus aligned closely with our Unit of Inquiry, with students researching and creating informative texts on global issues such as access to education, child labour, and inequality in Australia.
They have begun developing skills in gathering information from different sources, organising their ideas clearly, and using paragraphs and precise language to explain topics such as child labour, education access, and climate change. Through drafting, peer feedback, and revision, they are learning how to use technical vocabulary and structure their writing to inform and persuade. We are particularly proud of the way students are beginning to use VCOP strategies purposefully to strengthen their writing and look forward to seeing this more in Semester 2.
Mathematics
Over the past two weeks, Year 5 students have been learning all about data. They’ve learned how to collect, organise, and represent data in a variety of graph types including columngraphs, dot plots, and line graphs. Students explored how to choose the most appropriate graph type for their data and have built confidence in accurately labelling axes, plotting points, and interpreting what the data shows.
Students have practised writing their own survey questions, collecting categorical data using tally marks, and drawing conclusions by identifying patterns and trends. These hands-on experiences help students build their critical thinking and communication skills and shows them how data can be used to understand the world around us.
Inquiry
Our third Unit of Inquiry has had students unpacking key concepts like perspective, causation and responsibility through engaging lessons and real-world case studies, including the work of the United Nations and global figures such as Malala Yousafzai.
To end this unit and Term 2, each class will be hosting our very own Model United Nations. Each student has been assigned a country and is currently working in teams to research how issues like climate change, poverty, and education impact their nation. They'll act as ambassadors in a formal debate setting where they will present their country’s viewpoint, collaborate with other “nations” and vote on resolutions. This exciting experience ties together our learning in research, teamwork, public speaking and global citizenship.
On behalf of the Year 5 team, we would like to wish all of our Year 5 families a happy and safe break and we look forward to seeing our students continue their learning journey in term 3.
Reminders
A reminder that students need to be wearing the correct Saltwater College uniform every day. This means no nail polish and/or hair out if longer than shoulder length.
Students should be bringing their MacBook’s in every day and they must be charged.
Premier's Reading Challenge has begun and runs until September 5th.
Camp Kangaroobie is in Week 3 of Term 3
Absences: If your child is away, parents/carers need to log this on XUNO to minimise any unexplained absences.