In Our Classrooms
Book Week
Book Week is a much-loved event within the Primary Years, providing students with meaningful opportunities to celebrate literature, creativity and the joy of reading together. This year’s theme, Symphony of Stories, encourages our learners to explore the magic of storytelling in all its forms, from imaginative characters to the rich worlds found within their favourite books.
To continue fostering this love of reading, our Scholastic Book Fair will be open in the Learning Lab from Wednesday 26th August to Tuesday 1st September, offering families a chance to discover new titles and support our College community. Please ensure you are checking Compass for updates on opening and closing times.
We will also be celebrating with our Primary Years Book Week Parade on Tuesday 25th August. Students are invited to dress as their favourite book or book character and join us in bringing this year’s theme to life. Please check Compass for more details.
Below, our Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 classes have shared their favourite class books and what they love most about the book.
4A - We love ‘Wonder’ by R. J. Palacio because it was a wholesome book. It was funny, sad and happy to read. We learnt resilience, to never judge a book by its cover and that you can make friends when you least expect it.
4B - The '13-Storey Treehouse' series is one of 4B’s favourite book series because it is funny, creative and full of exciting adventures. We love exploring Andy and Terry’s amazing treehouse, discovering their wild inventions and laughing at the silly situations they find themselves in. Did you know there are 13 books in the Treehouse series? These books inspire our imagination and remind us how much fun reading can be!
4C - Our class absolutely loved reading 'Gangsta Granny' by David Walliams! It had us laughing out loud with its silly jokes, surprising twists and unforgettable characters. We loved discovering that Granny wasn't quite as boring as Ben first thought. The story taught us that people are not always what they seem and that spending time with family can lead to the greatest adventures. It also reminded us never to judge someone too quickly because everyone has an exciting story to tell. If you're wondering whether there are actually biscuits hidden in Granny's biscuit tin ... you'll just have to read the book to find out! (Just don't blame us if you suddenly feel like eating cabbage and playing Scrabble.) It even had us wondering whether our own grannies might have a few surprising secrets of their own!
4D - In 4D, we all enjoy reading and have lots of favourite books, but one that we can say we all love is 'Wacky Wednesday' by Dr. Seuss because it makes us laugh with all the crazy and wacky things that happen. Wacky Wednesday is a fun search-and-find book with bizarre occurrences that will keep you reading!!
4E - In 4E, we absolutely LOVE the Treehouse Series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton! We have been reading these novels since the very beginning of the year. We are currently on the 78-Storey Treehouse, and are reading them all in their order. We love hearing all about the adventures and crazy things that Andy and Terry get up to and the adventures within their stories. These novels never fail to make us smile and laugh throughout each chapter!
5A - Our favourite book to read has been a huge hit! It’s all about soccer, set in Australia and based on the excitement of the 2026 World Cup. The funny commentators, the bright pictures and the moment you can scream GOAL! make it even better. 5A students love the message of never giving up and always trying, and they especially adore the characters in the crowd, including the frilled‑neck lizard with a sign and the kangaroo cheering along
5B - Our favourite book is 'Luna Roo', which is about a kangaroo who plays soccer for FC Outback. She is a rookie and stars in the match, saving her team from losing and clearing the ball on the line in a last-minute save. Our class loves this book because it is based on a sport everyone in our class likes. We all celebrated when the teams got a goal, and everyone was cheering when Luna Roo cleared the ball on the line. We love how Luna shows our school values of Resilience, Relationships, Responsibility and Respect when she plays soccer.
5C - 5C’s favourite book is 'Pig the Pug', which is a funny children's book by Australian author Aaron Blabey. It is about a greedy, selfish dog named Pig. Pig refuses to share his huge pile of toys with his sweet friend, Trevor the Dachshund. His greed causes a wild accident, teaching Pig that sharing is important. Our class enjoys reading Pig the Pug because it is inspirational and creative. We love how detailed and funny the images are, but most importantly, we also link this book to ourselves personally so that we can learn from our mistakes.
5D - 'My Place' by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlings is a firm favourite in 5D because it feels like jumping into a time machine to explore history. Instead of reading boring facts, you get to hang out with twenty different kids who lived on the exact same piece of land over two centuries. Every page has awesome hand-drawn maps packed with secret clues. It is incredibly fun to see how the neighbourhood changes, while discovering how different families lived over different decades.
5E - 5E loved 'Holes' by Louise Sachar because it mixes true friendship, misunderstandings, a complex mystery with historical timelines into a funny novel that we couldn't put down. We also thought the movie was very accurate to what we were imagining whilst reading.
5F - 5F’s favourite book is 'My Place', written by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins. We enjoyed the way the story is cleverly told across different periods in Australian history, showing how the same place changes over time. The illustrations, particularly the large tree that appears throughout the book, help connect each story, while the diverse characters and their experiences show how people, communities and the land have evolved over the years.
6A - 6A’s favourite book is our class novel ‘How to Bee’. We’ve enjoyed this book so far because it has so many twists and turns we have not expected. We find it interesting because it is set in a world where bees are extinct and explores many different themes that relate to our lives.
6C - 6C’s favourite book is ‘Bluey - Grannies’. We love to watch Bluey episodes during our wet day timetables, and the Grannies episode is our favourite. We might be in Year 6, but we aren’t too old to still love Bluey!!
6E - 6E’s favourite book is 'Diary Of A Wimpy Kid' because it is relatable to our students. The quirkiness and humour of the stories also make it an extremely enjoyable read.
6F - 6F’s Favourite book is 'SpongeBob Squarepants Annual 2007'. We like this book as it is a comic book and has some funny parts. We also like some of the activities in the book as a brain break.
Prep Overview
We are well and truly underway with a very busy term 3 ahead! This term, we will continue to work hard, consolidate our learning, and continue to build strong foundations across all learning areas.
In Curiosity this term, our students are exploring the similarities and differences between their physical appearance, their families, and cultural backgrounds. They are learning about food and celebrations in different cultures and how they contribute to multicultural Australia.
Students are going on a ‘travel adventure’ to learn more about other cultures by visiting some different countries from where they come from. Students will have an opportunity to interview a member of their family and present this information to their class.
We are looking forward to seeing all of our students continue to grow in confidence, resilience and independence over this term.
Year 1 Overview
Our Year 1 students have been busy exploring the early concepts of multiplication through equal groups, skip counting and arrays. Through hands-on learning experiences, students have been practising how to organise collections into equal groups and represent their thinking using drawings, materials and number strategies. They have also been developing their ability to count larger collections efficiently by grouping objects and using skip counting.
To showcase their learning, the students created their very own Array Cities! Each building was designed using windows arranged in equal rows and columns, allowing students to create and describe different arrays. This engaging activity gave students the opportunity to apply their understanding of grouping and repeated quantities in a creative way, while also building important foundations for future multiplication learning. We loved seeing the students proudly explain the maths behind their colourful city designs!
Year 2 Overview
It has been a busy and exciting term of learning in Year 2 Maths! We have been developing our understanding of fractions, doubling, addition and subtraction, using a range of hands-on activities, strategies and mathematical thinking to build our confidence and skills.
As we move through the term, we will be exploring time by learning to read and interpret calendars and analogue clocks. Students will have opportunities to connect these skills to everyday situations and develop their understanding of how we use time in our daily lives.
To finish the term, we will investigate data collection and graphs. Students will collect, organise and represent information, creating graphs and discussing what they notice about the data.
Practising maths skills at home is a wonderful way to support your child's learning. Little opportunities such as practising number facts, finding fractions in everyday objects, talking about the time or reading a calendar together can make a big difference and help build confidence.
It has been wonderful to see the students' enthusiasm and growing confidence in Maths as they tackle new challenges and share their mathematical thinking!
Year 3 Overview
This term we have been learning different strategies to help us solve multiplication and division problems. We have skip counted and used the doubles strategy, and we have also drawn arrays and bar models to help us solve problems. We have used the language ‘times as many ’, and we have created our own number stories to match multiplication and division problems. As a result of all of this work, we have been able to learn some of our multiplication facts!
Year 4 Camp – Lady Northcote Discovery Camp
Our Year 4 students recently returned from an incredible 3-day, 2-night camp at Lady Northcote Discovery Camp in Bacchus Marsh. With 100 enthusiastic students and 13 dedicated staff members, the camp was a fantastic opportunity for students to challenge themselves, develop independence, and strengthen friendships outside the classroom.
Throughout the camp, students eagerly participated in a range of exciting instructor-led activities, including canoeing, archery, the giant swing, orienteering, and the Amazing Race. Many students stepped outside their comfort zones, showing remarkable courage, resilience, and determination as they embraced new experiences.
Students also enjoyed a variety of self-led activities such as bush cooking, hut building, fun games, and team initiatives. These activities encouraged teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and creativity while allowing students to work collaboratively and support one another.
One of the highlights of camp was seeing students grow in confidence, demonstrate leadership, and embody Hazel Glen College's values of Respect, Responsibility, Resilience, and Relationships. Whether encouraging a friend on the giant swing, paddling together on the lake, or working as a team to build the perfect shelter, students consistently displayed kindness, perseverance, and a positive attitude.
A camp of this size would not have been possible without the commitment and enthusiasm of our staff. We would like to sincerely thank our 13 staff members for giving their time, energy, and care to ensure every student had a safe, enjoyable, and memorable experience.
The Year 4 Camp created lifelong memories, strengthened friendships, and provided valuable opportunities for personal growth. We are incredibly proud of every student for the way they represented Hazel Glen College and embraced every challenge with enthusiasm.
Year 5 Overview
It has been a busy and exciting term of learning in Year 5 Writing! We have been developing our understanding of historical fiction, learning how writers can combine historical facts with imaginative characters, settings and events to bring the past to life. Students have explored the Australian Gold Rush and Eureka Stockade, building their vocabulary and understanding of historical events, people and places.
Our writing has also connected closely with our Curiosity Unit, encouraging students to ask questions, investigate the past and use their growing knowledge to inspire their writing. As we prepare for our upcoming Year 5 camp, students are excited to continue building their knowledge through real-life experiences and exploring historical places and stories. We look forward to seeing how their camp experiences spark new ideas, questions and curiosity that can be brought back into the classroom.
Students have worked hard throughout the writing process, from planning and drafting to editing, revising and publishing their historical fiction narratives. It has been wonderful to see their creativity and imagination shine as they bring history to life through their writing. We are excited to celebrate their learning and look forward to the new stories, discoveries and experiences that camp will bring!
Year 6 Overview
We have had a fun couple of weeks in Year 6!
In Maths, we have been collecting data by surveying our classmates and other students in the cohort. We have been using this data to create different graphs using Google Sheets and posters and have been answering follow-up questions.
In Curiosity, we have been learning about big issues children face around the world and using this information to create a spoken word poem. It has been a lot of fun to use different literary devices in our poem writing and practice speaking them using different tones and body language to call people to action on our important issues.
We are continuing to complete our text study of ‘How to Bee’ and are due to finish reading the book in the next couple of weeks. We will be continuing to work on our journalistic writing.
Interschool Sport has been a blast. We have enjoyed playing Volleyball, Softball and Tennis.
Congratulations to our Student Representative Council students receiving their badges at our latest Year 6 Assembly.
PE Term 3 Overview
We are excited to share an update on our Physical Education program for Term 3. This term, students will continue to develop their fundamental movement skills, fitness, coordination, teamwork and confidence through a range of engaging activities and sports.
Our PE program is designed to build skills progressively across each year level, with students working on age-appropriate activities that encourage participation, cooperation and enjoyment of physical activity.
Prep
Our Prep students have focused on Health and Dance. They explored ways to stay healthy and active, including completing a Learning Task creating a Healthy Lunchbox. They developed movement and rhythm through dance, and are currently building their hand-eye coordination through catching activities.
Year 1
Year 1 students have also worked on Health and Dance, developing their understanding of healthy choices and safety in the community. This included a Learning Task on their Safety Network. Students will now strengthen their fundamental movement skills while completing a catch unit.
Year 2
Year 2 students have developed their knowledge of Health and Dance, including completing a Learning Task on a Healthy Habit that they learnt about. They will now be introduced to the forehand strike. Students will practise striking with control and accuracy while building their coordination and confidence.
Year 3
Year 3 students have focused on Health and Skipping. Including completing an investigative Learning Task on a Healthy Habit. Students will now turn their focus to Fitness, where they will develop cardiovascular fitness, coordination and agility through a variety of fitness challenges.
Year 4
Year 4 students have continued their work in Health and Skipping. Completing a Learning Task gathering information on multiple Healthy Habits. Students will now start a unit on Fitness, with an increasing focus on developing fitness, movement efficiency and personal responsibility during physical activity.
Year 5
Year 5 students take on a variety of more specialised activities. Firstly, learning the rules and skills of Ultimate Frisbee. This included completing a Learning Task demonstrating a backhand frisbee pass. Now they will focus on AFL for the remainder of term. These activities will challenge students to develop accuracy, spatial awareness, teamwork and game-based skills.
Year 6
Our Year 6 students have developed their skills through Handball so far this term. They will now turn their focus to Soccer for the remainder of the term. These activities will provide opportunities to practise teamwork, decision-making, movement skills and strategies in game situations. The Year 6 student will complete their Learning Task in Term 4.
Additional Sporting Activities
Alongside our regular PE program, there are plenty of exciting sporting opportunities taking place across our Primary Years this term.
Our Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 students will be representing the College at the Hoop Time basketball competition on three separate days. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to put their basketball skills into practice, work as a team and demonstrate our school values of respect, teamwork and sportsmanship.
We will also have Year 4, 5 and 6 students participating in District Athletics, where they will compete against other schools and have the opportunity to showcase their individual athletic abilities.
Each Friday morning our Year 6 students compete in Interschool Sports against other schools in our district. This term the sports are Volleyball, Softball and Tennis.
To finish the term, we are looking forward to our Footy Day on the last day of term. This will be a great way for students to celebrate the term, wear their footy team’s colours, get active and enjoy some football-themed activities with their classmates.
It promises to be a busy and exciting term of sport and physical activity, and we look forward to seeing our students getting involved, challenging themselves and supporting one another.
Italian Language Learning in Term 3
A Busy Start to the Semester!
Our students have made a fantastic start to the term and have been enthusiastically building their Italian language skills through songs, games, speaking, reading and writing activities.
Prep students have been singing, sorting, matching and practising writing the Italian vowels while learning to recognise and name farm animals in Italian.
Year 1 students have been exploring nouns and discovering how they change according to gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular and plural).
Year 2 students have been learning the names of wild animals while extending their understanding of nouns and how the Italian articles (‘a’ and ‘the’) change to match the gender and number of each noun.
Year 3 students have been building their understanding of the important verbs essere (to be) and avere (to have) while learning vocabulary for school stationery. They have been using these verbs to create simple sentences to describe what they have.
Year 4 students have further developed their understanding of the verbs essere (to be) and avere (to have), using the correct pronouns and possessive adjectives (my/his/your) to describe body parts, physical features and ownership in Italian.
It has been wonderful to see students growing in confidence as they practise speaking Italian, recognise new vocabulary and make connections between English and Italian. We look forward to another exciting term of language learning!
