Year 5/6

Welcome

We are delighted to welcome everyone back for another exciting term in Year 5/6. We hope the holidays provided an opportunity to relax, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends. This term promises a range of engaging learning experiences, exciting opportunities, and meaningful challenges that will support each student's growth.

Throughout the term, we will continue to strengthen positive learning behaviours, encourage increasing independence, and inspire every student to strive for their personal best. We value the partnership we share with our families and look forward to working together to make this a rewarding and successful term for all.

5/6LH

Lucy Levett & Alex Heenan

5/6C

Rosario Corio

5/6W

Lachlan Ware

5/6H

Aoife Harrington

Our Learning this Term

Literacy

The students will complete a two-hour literacy block daily at the beginning of each day, focusing on improving their literacy skills through daily rehearsal.

The structure of the literacy block will be as follows:

Daily Review: A brief, fast-paced review of previously taught content.

Daily Writing Review: Learning new vocabulary based on our class novels and incorporating them into our writing in different sentence types.

Literacy Skills: This component covers instruction across grammar, handwriting, reading fluency and spelling.

Literature Block: This component covers reading the class text, with a focus on developing text-level comprehension,

This term, we will continue teaching the students in their grade level during the literacy block. The aim for this change is to help enable the students to be exposed to explicit instruction catered for their year level.

Year Five

This term, the Year Fives will be reading the novel ‘Wonder’.

Wonder is about Auggie Pullman, a 10-year-old boy with a facial difference who starts attending school for the first time after being homeschooled. He faces bullying and challenges but also makes good friends. Through Auggie's courage and kindness, the story shows the importance of empathy, acceptance, and treating others with respect.

Year Six

This term, the Year Sixes will be reading the novel ‘Once’.

The Novel Once is about Felix, a Jewish boy living in an orphanage during World War II. Believing his parents are in danger, he escapes to find them. Along the way, he meets Zelda, a young orphan, and the two travel together through war-torn Poland. The story explores courage, hope, friendship, and the harsh realities of the Holocaust through Felix's determined and optimistic perspective.

Mathematics

The students will complete a one-hour daily mathematics lesson. There will be a focus this term on:

Weeks 1 - 5: Fractions and Decimals,

Weeks 6 & 7: Angles

Weeks 8 & 9: Measurement

Weeks 10: Time

To consolidate key mathematical concepts and build long-term retention, each Mathematics lesson begins with a Daily Review. Students use individual whiteboards and markers to respond to a range of questions, encouraging active participation, immediate feedback, and opportunities to confidently share their thinking. Teachers also use full-participation strategies to make these reviews and lessons engaging and effective, including Think–Pair–Share, Choral Response and Repetition, Non-volunteers, and Gestures.

Students also take part in Daily Maths Rehearsal, where they develop fluency in place value and strengthen their automatic recall of number facts across the four operations. These regular practice sessions help build confidence, accuracy, and efficiency when applying mathematical skills in a range of learning contexts.

Specialist Subjects

Students will have Performing Arts, Italian, Physical Education and Art every Monday. Please ensure that the correct Sports Uniform is worn.

*This may change due to Swimming in Weeks 3 & 4 - students will be advised prior.

LIBRARY BORROWING TIMES

Students must ensure that all books they borrow from the library are returned on their non-library week. Library classes are every fortnight on odd weeks. They must have an appropriate Library Bag to protect their books (not plastic).

Yr 5/6C, 5/6H & 5/6W will borrow books on a Tuesday (fortnightly).

Yr 5/6LH will borrow books on a Thursday (fortnightly).

Religious Education

This term, as part of our Religious Education program, students in Years 5/6 are deepening their understanding of the Holy Spirit and the ways God’s Spirit guides us to live with courage, wisdom and understanding. This learning is especially meaningful for many of our Year Six students who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Friday, 28th August. In class, students are exploring how the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit can shape their choices, strengthen their faith and support them in becoming active, thoughtful members of our Catholic community as “young christiani”- Latin for - followers of Christ.

Inquiry

This term, our Inquiry unit will focus on Geography as students deepen their understanding of countries around the world and explore the impact of tourism on different communities. Throughout the unit, students will develop valuable life skills by planning a holiday to a destination of their choice. They will learn how to create and manage a budget, design a travel itinerary, and work collaboratively with their peers to complete this project. This learning aligns with the Victorian Curriculum for Year 5/6 Geography, as students investigate the characteristics of places, the ways people influence environments, and how human activities, such as tourism, impact communities both locally and globally.

Wellbeing

This term, students will begin the Respectful Relationships units of Positive Coping and Problem Solving. Through engaging discussions and practical activities, students are developing strategies to manage challenges, regulate their emotions, and solve problems respectfully and effectively. These lessons encourage resilience, empathy, and confident decision-making, equipping students with valuable skills to navigate everyday situations both inside and outside the classroom.

Throughout the term, Class Meetings will continue to be scheduled weekly. Class meetings provide students with a safe and respectful space to share ideas, discuss concerns, and strengthen our classroom and school community. These meetings support the development of communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills, while reinforcing school values and expectations. Students are encouraged to listen actively, contribute thoughtfully, and work collaboratively to build a positive, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.

Homework

In line with our St Andrew’s Homework Policy, it is an expectation that Year Five and Year Six students complete the following as homework requirements.

Weekly requirements:Each week, you are expected to complete the following:

20 minutes of reading each night
Three tasks from the activity grid each week
*in the case of a short week (school closure/public holiday), only complete two tasks from the activity grid

Please check in with your child and ensure they are logging into their homework each week. Occasionally, students will have a week off, and we will notify you via email when that is the case.

Our Homework program aims to strengthen home-school partnerships and reaffirm the role of parents and guardians as partners in education. It is an opportunity for students to reinforce and share their classroom learning and develop productive routines and time management skills.

Classroom Organisation

Please note our Year level requirements below:

Any student who may need to bring a mobile to school is expected to hand in their phone to the school office in the morning. All phones will be returned before the end of the school day.
Students are expected to bring their Library Bags to school on designated Library days.
Students are expected to use their Chromebooks at school and home responsibly. When carrying their Chromebooks to and from school, they are expected to use the Chromebook case supplied by the school. Please note that parents and guardians are responsible for monitoring their children whilst using their Chromebooks at home. Students are encouraged to use their Chromebooks in a shared space. It is expected that Chromebooks will be charged in readiness for the school day.

SPECIALIST NEWS

Library News

We are looking forward to celebrating Book Week in Week 7 of this term! The 2026 Children's Book Week theme, "Symphony of Stories," celebrates the way stories bring people together, with every book adding its own unique voice to the wonderful world of reading.

Our celebrations begin the week before Book Week with a very special visit from one of Australia's favourite authors. On Monday 17 August, students in Grades 3–6 will meet Morris Gleitzman, who will share his journey as a writer, talk about what inspires his stories, and discuss the books that have made him one of Australia's most loved authors.

Students are welcome to bring a favourite book from home to have it signed by Morris Gleitzman. The book does not need to be one of his—it can be any book they love.

Book Week festivities will continue throughout Week 7 with a variety of exciting literacy activities, finishing with our much-loved Book Week Parade during Friday morning assembly on 28th August. We encourage all students to begin planning a costume based on a favourite book character or story. Costumes can be simple, and even sports clothing can be used if it connects to a book.

We can't wait to celebrate the joy of reading with our students and see all of their wonderful, creative costumes!

Library lessons will encourage students to think critically and engage deeply with a range of nominated Book Week texts through activities such as:

📚 Analysing characters, their motivations, relationships, and development throughout the story.
💬 Exploring themes, messages, and the author's purpose using evidence from the text.
✍️ Responding to texts through discussions, written reflections, and creative or analytical tasks.
🎨 Creating visual responses that represent important ideas, settings, or symbolism from the story.
🌟 Evaluating and sharing personal opinions about texts, supported by thoughtful explanations and textual evidence.

We look forward to our Book Week Parade on Friday the 28th of August

Best wishes,

Mrs Nicole Milne

L.O.T.E. Italian

Ciao a tutti e bentornati a scuola.

Dear parents, welcome to Term 3.

The focus this term in Years Five and Six will be on further developing the students’ speaking and listening skills, as well as reading and writing. Using familiar language, the students will write a personal profile in Italian, sharing details about themselves which they then share with the class.

The students begin the term by working on a unit of work entitled Buon appetito - Enjoy your meal -which aims to introduce the students to the types of foods prepared and served at a fast food restaurant, as well as the cultural differences between Australia and Italy in relation to the types of restaurants.

They will be learning new vocabulary and new grammatical structures which they will use in their written and oral tasks. They will learn to express likes and dislikes when ordering food and drinks at a restaurant. Mi piace – I like it. Non mi piace-I don’t like it. Preferisco- I prefer.

The students will also be working on their art activity for the art show and their poster for the Dante Alighieri Poster Competition- My perfect day.

During the lessons the students will continue to participate in singing songs and playing games to reinforce new grammar and language structures. The students are also encouraged to keep up with the Duolingo program in order to increase their vocabulary knowledge.

Cordiali saluti,

Signora White

Art

Grade 5/6 Art – Welcome to Term 3!

Welcome back to Term 3! I hope all of our Grade 5/6 families enjoyed a relaxing and refreshing holiday break.

Last term was a busy and creative one in the Art Room as students explored the exciting world of Pop Art. They learnt about a variety of influential Pop Art artists and experimented with the bold colours, patterns and techniques that define this vibrant art movement. Students thoroughly enjoyed creating both 2D and 3D Pop Art-inspired artworks, showcasing their creativity, imagination and growing artistic skills.

This term, we are looking forward to creating something special for Father's Day, giving students the opportunity to design and make a meaningful keepsake. We will also continue working on exciting projects as we prepare for our much-anticipated School Art Show.

Excitement is building as we count down to this wonderful event! We warmly invite all families to attend the School Art Show Opening Night on Tuesday 1 September, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. It will be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the creativity and achievements of our students and see the incredible artworks they have produced throughout the year.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our families who have generously donated newspapers and paper towel rolls to the Art Room. Your ongoing support is greatly appreciated and plays an important role in many of our creative projects. If you have any spare newspapers or paper rolls at home, we would be grateful if you could continue sending them in throughout the term.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Visual Arts program. We are looking forward to another creative and productive term ahead! 🎨

Warm regards,

Milena Santoro

Art Teacher

Physical Education

Welcome to Term 3

During this term in Physical Education, Grade 5/6 students will participate in a variety of fitness activities, as well as cooperative games. Students will continue to develop their understanding of positive teamwork, communication, and effective collaboration through a range of engaging activities and games.

5/6 students are currently preparing for the school athletics day coming up on Friday 31st July. They will be participating in a number of events including Long Jump, High Jump, Shotput and 100m sprint. Throughout the term, Grade 5/6 students will also have the opportunity to learn Touch Football through a four-session Touch Football program, developing their skills, game awareness, and teamwork in a fun and supportive environment.

Grade 5/6 students will also be completing their swimming program this term. This will run from 27th July to 6th August (excluding Fridays), students will attend 45 minute swimming lessons at Aquastar Moorabbin.

Mr Heenan

Performing Arts

Hi 5/6 Students and Families,

Welcome back! Well done to the 5/6 students on their work in Semester 1. Term 3 has started with students learning a song related to a colour (e.g. Blue, Yellow, Black or White and Green Green Grass) with the intention of recording it for a backing track for the Art Show presentation. Classes have been working hard learning accurate timing when playing the chords on piano. We’ve been using games like Beat Tag to assist students in coordinating their timing and playing together.

Once the Art Show is finished, students will be working on a drama unit, analysing the literacy within a script. By identifying script writing conventions such as stage direction, implied meaning in punctuation and dramatic language concepts, students will be extracting meaning from scripts and applying it to their acting. Once they have an idea about these conventions, they’ll be using them in their own work to write a short script and perform it.

To help develop your student’s understanding, ask them to read as many books (or better still, scripts of plays) to identify what characters are feeling/thinking at that moment.

Looking forward to an exciting term!

Mrs Emma Cooper

Key Dates

July

Monday 27th - Swimming Program begins

Friday 31st - St Andrew’s Sports Day

August

Thursday 6th - Swimming Program finishes

Monday 10th - Bullying No Way Week

Friday 14th - School Closure

Monday 17th - Morris Gleitzman Visit

Monday 24th - Book Week