Year 5 Update

🌟 Year 5 Newsletter 🌟

What Are We Learning?

English:

Students have been engaging with our class novel Music for Tigers, using it as a foundation to explore both reading and writing skills. Our learning has focused on:

• Understanding how narratives are structured, including the orientation, complication and resolution.
• Analysing characters and their relationships, using evidence from the text to support thinking.
• Exploring how authors build tension through language choices, including short sentences, strong verbs and descriptive detail.
• Developing grammar skills through the use of complex sentences and conjunctions to connect ideas.
• Building reading fluency and confidence through regular partner and repeated reading.

Students have been encouraged to think critically about what they read, while applying these techniques to strengthen their own writing.

Mathematics:

Students have been developing a strong understanding of addition through a range of mental and written strategies. Our learning has focused on:

• Estimating answers by rounding numbers to check if solutions are reasonable.
• Using efficient mental strategies such as jump, split and switch to solve problems.
• Applying place value knowledge to break numbers apart and recombine them effectively.
• Using the vertical algorithm to solve addition problems, including those requiring renaming.
• Solving worded problems by identifying key information and selecting appropriate strategies.

Students have been building confidence in explaining their thinking, choosing efficient strategies, and checking that their answers make sense.

Upcoming Events: 

Year 5 Sovereign Hill Camp:

We are excited to announce that our Year 5 students, for the first time ever, will be embarking on an educational overnight camp to Sovereign Hill, a living museum that brings the history of the Victorian Gold Rush to life. This excursion is designed to complement our school's educational program, specifically aligning with the Humanities curriculum for Year 5 as outlined by the Victorian Curriculum. This overnight experience is a vital component of your child's learning for 2026, due to it's direct correlation to the classroom program.

The Sovereign Hill excursion will provide our students with a hands-on learning experience that directly ties into several key areas of the Year 5 Victorian Curriculum. The "Put Yourself in the Eureka Story", in particular, will allow students to role-play the experiences of miners, gold buyers, and troopers, offering a vivid understanding of the historical events leading up to the Eureka Rebellion in 1854. 

A Non Refundable $50 deposit must be made by 3rd April 2026 to confirm your spot on the Camp. The total cost of the camp is $275  to be paid in full by 29th May 2026.

Homework Reminder:

Please ensure students are:

• Practising times tables on timetables.com
• Reading for 20 minutes each night
• Practising their weekly spelling words
• Filling in their diaries daily
• Bringing their diaries to school every morning

Consistency with homework supports classroom learning and builds strong study habits.

Awards

Congratulations to the following students who were recognised at assembly with Hillsmeade Hero Awards for their hard work and outstanding behaviour.

5A: Otis & Madeline 

5B: Audrey & Kai

5C: Kahenat

5D: Ruby & Aaron

5E: Isaac & Harjodh