Curriculum Matters
Foundation
On Wednesday, our Foundation students braved the wild weather at Melbourne Zoo.
The students donned their jumpers & raincoats, grabbed their umbrellas and brought along a positive attitude as we trekked through the rain to see the animals.
Many students were lucky enough to have up close encounters with the tiger, pygmy hippo, orangutans,& Tasmanian devils.
We couldn’t be prouder of the students for their excellent behaviour and the resilience they showed.
A huge thank you to our parent helpers - Dani, Wendy, Sofie, Hanh, Tania, Louise, Chantelle & Michelle - without you, the event wouldn't have been possible!
Level 1
It’s been a fantastic and busy fortnight in Level 1!
In SEL, we’ve been learning about returning things that aren’t ours and help-seeking —
important skills for building honesty and responsibility. A highlight was our whole-year-level Lava Run in the gym, there was lots of laughter and lots of listening skills on display.
In Literacy, we’ve been focusing on checking our heart words during writing and have started creating our own stories using the prompt “How the ___ got its ___.” Students have shown incredible imagination with ideas like How the Cobra Got Its Scales and How the Flamingo Got Its Beak!
In Maths, we’ve wrapped up our unit on sharing equally and have now begun learning to tell the time to o’clock and half past. Students have enjoyed using classroom clocks and hands-on activities to practise reading time accurately.
In Inquiry, we’ve been exploring weather. We investigated the water cycle and discovered how rain is made, as well as what causes wind and how we can observe it in our environment. Making and testing kites and pinwheels was definitely a favourite activity!
We are also very excited to begin Concert practice! The students have started learning their four songs and can’t wait to perform confidently on stage later this term.
Level 2
As part of our Inquiry unit on ‘Habitats’, Level 2 students enjoyed an exciting day exploring Healesville Sanctuary.
Surrounded by native bushland, students discovered the unique features and habitats of many amazing Australian animals. They learned how animals meet their basic needs for food, water, shelter and how different species grow and change throughout their life cycles.
It was a wonderful day of learning, curiosity and appreciation for the incredible wildlife that calls Australia home!
Level 3
Our Level 3 students have been fully immersing themselves in narrative writing this week! Throughout our Big Write sessions, students have been carefully planning, drafting, and showcasing their excellent writing skills and creative ideas based on their chosen topics.
To celebrate all of their hard work, we held a special showcase where students shared their narratives with the entire cohort.
It was a wonderful opportunity for them to present their stories and listen to others' amazing stories.
Level 4
Our Level 4 camp at Phillip Island Adventure Resort was an unforgettable experience filled with fun, laughter and new adventures.
We stayed in comfortable cabins, enjoyed delicious meals and took part in exciting activities that helped us build teamwork and confidence. One of the highlights was visiting the Penguin Parade, where we watched the tiny penguins waddle up the beach after sunset, it was magical to see them so close in their natural habitat!
Another favourite moment was our campfire night. We roasted marshmallows under the stars, sang songs and even had a singing competition that brought plenty of laughs. We enjoyed the visit to Amaze N’ Things, where we explored the maze, tried mind-bending illusions and had loads of fun on the attractions. Finally on the last day we spent time at the beach. It was the perfect way to finish off a fantastic camp and we all came home with great memories and new experiences.
A huge thank you to our Parent Helpers and Teachers that came along.
Level 5
Level 5 students have done an incredible job since the beginning of the term preparing and presenting their Leadership speeches for next year.
The standard was extremely high from all candidates and we are all very proud of the way they delivered them!
We have also continued with our weekly Science rotations as part of our Inquiry into Chemical Science.
This week the students explored the effects of Magic Milk, what happens when we mix a solid and a liquid with our Self Inflating Balloon experiment and finally watching the physical reaction of when we drop Mentos lollies into a soft drink bottle.
Level 6
SEL & READING - CHARACTER STRENGTHS
During Term 4, the grade 6 students have been studying Character Strengths during SEL. During their studies they have been successful in reviewing the difference between talents and character strengths. Students have identified character strengths they value in themselves and the character strengths of their peers.
The strengthen students understanding of their own character strengths, and those of their peers, two meaningful tasks were created. One, a reading task which allowed students to visualise an image of themselves that was inspired by the book ‘Who Might You Be?’ The illustration in this text uses only tangrams and students were inspired to create an image of themselves, using the tangram theme in the text.
Students also created an image for a peer, each student was given a friend from their class to represent as a cartoon character. The focus for this task was to choose a cartoon character that demonstrated the same character strengths, qualities and personal attributes that their friends have on developing resilience and achieving success. This was an incredibly rewarding task as students had a chance to celebrate their peers’, they were all rewarded with a fun and creative memory to take with them for the future.