Year 6

Welcome back!

We hope you had an enjoyable break and are coming back from holidays refreshed and ready for a busy term ahead.

Term 2 Inquiry 

This term will be a STEAM-oriented term. The students will be learning about Natural Disasters, and in particular, cyclones and flooding. Students will learn about how cyclones are formed, their impact and modern innovations to withstand them. This knowledge will form the basis for the term STEAM project, which will require students to build a house that can withstand the effects of a cyclone/flooding.

Literacy and Numeracy 

This term in Literacy, we are using a novel study to explicitly teach vocabulary and sentence writing skills. The texts that have been chosen are Dirrarn by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler, and Once by Morris Gleitzman. 

Dirrarn is a First Nations text exploring culture, identity, and connection to Country. Students will build skills in vocabulary, summarising, and inference, while analysing characters, themes, and author intent.

This unit supports both literacy development and a deeper understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.

Once is a novel set during World War II that follows a young boy’s journey through increasingly complex and confronting circumstances. Through structured and open-ended tasks, students will deepen their understanding of sophisticated vocabulary, summarising, and inferential thinking. They will engage in rich discussion to analyse character motivations and transformation, explore underlying themes such as hope, morality, and resilience, and evaluate the author’s use of narrative voice and perspective. Students will also be encouraged to question and interpret the ethical dilemmas within the text, supporting their thinking with evidence and thoughtful justification.

In Writing, students are building on their reading of Once and Dirran by exploring how authors shape meaning through structure, voice, and perspective. They are consolidating skills in factual recount and information writing, with a focus on clear organisation, precise vocabulary, and the ability to convey key information effectively.

Students are also engaging with Cyclone, a poetic narrative, based on the events of Cyclone Tracy. Using this as a stimulus, students will craft a narrative from the perspective of someone who lived through the cyclone. They will draw on descriptive language, emotional insight, and historical detail, while considering whose voice is being represented and why. This work supports students to thoughtfully connect factual knowledge with imaginative writing, and to develop empathy through perspective-taking.

This term in Numeracy, students are focusing on fractions, addition and subtraction, converting units of measurement, chance, and time. They will develop their understanding of equivalent fractions, comparing and ordering fractions, and applying addition and subtraction strategies to solve problems.

In Measurement, students will practise converting between units (e.g. length, mass, and capacity) and applying these skills in real-world contexts. In chance and time, they will explore probability, interpret simple data, and read, calculate, and solve problems involving elapsed time.

This unit supports students to strengthen their mathematical reasoning, accuracy, and confidence across key number and measurement concepts.

Homework

This term, students will complete an inquiry project exploring natural disasters. They will research, analyse and present their findings through a creative presentation, developing their research, organisational and communication skills.

Students are also expected to track their weekly reading at home and record it in their homework books. In addition, there is a weekly mathematics task to be completed.

Transition to Year 7

The process of transition to Year 7 has begun! Please return your transition pack by the 8th May.

Year 6 Team

Bernard Hickey and Tanya Wells

Important Dates

29th April - 1st May - Year 5 and 6 School Camp

5th May - District Cross Country @ Mentone Playing Fields

8th May - Year 7 Transition Forms due

27th May - Girls Soccer Gala Day @ Mentone Playing Fields

8th June - King’s Birthday Public Holiday

19th June - Winter Lightning Premiership - Mentone Playing Fields (AFL and Soccer), Dales Park (Netball) and Kingston Heath Reserve (Softball)

26th June Last Day of Term 2. Dismissal at 2:30 pm