Level 5 & 6
Welcome to Week 6!
Toys and Fidgets
Recently, we have noticed an increasing number of fidgets and personal items making their way into classrooms and learning spaces. While these can be great for connection during break times, they can also become a distraction during lessons. Students are welcome to bring appropriate items to school to enjoy with friends at recess and lunchtime. During learning time, however, fidgets and personal items need to remain safely in students' bags.
Literacy
Reading
This week in Reading, students are preparing to begin Part Two of Wonder, which shifts to the perspective of Via, August’s older sister. This change in narrator provides students with an opportunity to consider how the same experiences and events can be viewed differently depending on a character’s perspective. As we read, students will explore Via’s thoughts, feelings and experiences while continuing to deepen their understanding of the novel’s characters and themes. Students will apply their comprehension of the text through our Literature Circle roles and rotations.
Writing
In Writing, students' poetry collections continue to grow! This week, students will explore the structures and features of Haiku's and Cinquain's. They will analyse examples of each style before planning, creating and publishing their own poems to add to their growing poetry collections. Students will continue experimenting with rhyme, rhythm, descriptive vocabulary and figurative language as they develop their individual voices as poets.
PhOrMeS
In PhOrMeS this week, we are continuing our exploration of Greek number. Students will continue building on our previous learning and introducing new Greek number bases including oct/octa, deca, hect and poly. Students will investigate the meanings of these elements and explore how recognising them within unfamiliar words can provide clues about a word’s meaning.
What you can do at home:
- Encourage your child to discuss their reading of Wonder, particularly the differences they notice between August and Via’s perspectives and how hearing from another character changes their understanding of the story.
- Ask your child to share some of the poems they have created and brainstorm interesting topics or rhyming words they could use in their poetry.
- Challenge your child to identify words containing our Greek number elements in everyday life and explain how these elements contribute to the meaning of the word.
Maths
This week in Maths, our Grade 5 students will conclude their decimals unit before beginning their learning in Measurement. They will draw on their understanding of decimals as they begin applying their skills to practical measurement contexts.
Our Grade 6 students will also begin their Measurement unit, exploring concepts related to length, mass, volume and capacity. Students will develop their ability to estimate, measure, compare and convert between units while applying their mathematical knowledge to real-world problems.
What you can do at home:
- Look for opportunities to explore measurement in everyday situations.
- Explore the mass and capacity shown on grocery packaging, compare different-sized containers, estimate the mass of household objects or help measure ingredients while cooking.
- Encourage your child to make an estimate first and then check how close they were using an appropriate measuring tool
CBL
Big Idea: How can we use our power to create positive change globally?
Guiding Questions:
- What is economic power?
- What makes a business successful?
- How can we use resources responsibly?
How can people use their ideas, skills and resources to improve the world around them?
Challenge: Create a small business, social enterprise or circular economy initiative that generates a profit for good.
Wellbeing
This week, we will be recognising Bullying No Way Week, with a focus on empowering students to be upstanders and support those around them. Students will participate in an interactive seminar facilitated by Kids Helpline, exploring what it means to be an upstander and how our actions can positively influence others, demonstrating the theme of 'Small Acts, Big Impacts.'
We will conclude the week by recognising this important initiative on Friday, with our Pop of Purple celebration, encouraging students to wear a pop of purple to show their support for kindness, inclusion and standing up for others.
What you can do at home:
- Talk with your child about what it means to be an upstander and discuss safe ways they can support others.
- Encourage conversations about kindness, inclusion and the trusted adults they can approach if they or someone else needs support.
Important Dates
August
18th - Adolescent Health Session 2
24-29 Book Week
26th Book Week Author Visit
26th Book Week Dress Up Parade
27 – 29th VSSS Tech Rehearsal Day
September
31-4th Annual Book Fair
10th Hoop Time basketball