Grade 6 News
Upcoming Dates
September 17th: Division Athletics
September 16th and 17th: Student Led Conferences
September 19: End of Term 3
October 6: Start of Term 4
MOANA PRODUCTION: Main Cast review
On the 2nd and 3rd of September, Lysterfield Primary School held the Moana Jr production. It was such an extraordinary matinee and evening show with both of the Moana casts being the best they can be. We all acted like our characters and it was astonishing to see the final product. From Grandma Tala dying to Moana restoring the heart of TeFiti and returning to Montinui, it was an emotional roller coaster all throughout the show. It was tummy-turning acting on the stage in front of hundreds of people, and for most of us it was way out of our comfort zone. At first, it was really nerve-racking, but as soon as we stood up on stage, the nerves started to melt away. We all had so much fun on stage, and afterwards we were thinking about the exhilarating time we just had. We’ve all made new friendships from rehearsals that will last forever. We are all so grateful to be part of such a wonderful Moana family. We want to thank all the teachers who helped and supported us. A big thank you to Mrs Higgins and Miss D for helping us every lunchtime for months and making our costumes look amazing.
By Pagie, Azalea, Charlotte and Jessica
MOANA jnr Reflection: By Kaylee D
This year Lysterfield Primary has been working on a special production for friends and family to enjoy. We worked on it since term one and finally we performed on stage with not a single seat to spare.
Our production featured our main character Moana played by grade 6 student Paige. The story of Moana is about a girl who longs to go to the ocean but is forbidden, until it's up to her to save her island and the world by voyaging, and our school has worked so hard to bring this to stage.
The start of the show was about the elders and how Te Fetti brought islands to life, how Moai stole the heart of Te Fetti and how Moana was chosen to defeat Te Kah, this scene was played by our grade 6 classes 6AL and 6IF.
We thank everyone who came to watch our performance for being such a lovely crowd and cheering at every scene.
Learning in Action
🧠 Word Work
Over the past fortnight, Grade 6 students have explored a range of morphemes in Word Work.
The first morpheme we unpacked was “dic-dict” meaning say/tell/proclaim. Students read, spelt, and explored the meaning of several words including predict, dictate, indicate, and vindicate.
We also investigated the morpheme “verse-vert”, which means to turn. Students read, spelt, and explained the meaning of words such as irreversible, universe, and divert, while exploring how different suffixes can change the meaning of a word.
📖 Literature Unit
This term, we have been reading The Last Bear. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl named April, who has a special connection to nature and animals. She has the opportunity to travel with her dad to the Arctic, to a small place called Bear Island. When April arrives, she notices the island feels empty — until something incredible happens: she spots a real polar bear.
While reading this book, we have also been learning about important issues such as pollution, human activity, and how shipping materials can damage the Arctic environment. Our discussions have focused on the big question: How do people affect nature, and what does that mean for animals like polar bears?
After learning new facts, students take notes and use the P.E.P.S. paragraph template to write persuasive pieces about how we could reduce pollution, protect the Arctic, and save polar bears.
🗣️ Vocabulary of the Week
- Deliberated – to think carefully
- Precariously – insecure and uncertain
- Callous – showing no concern for another person’s feelings
- Flailed – to flap about
🔍 Literacy Preview
We will finish reading The Last Bear and learning more about the Arctic and polar bears, which will help us deepen our persuasive writing skills. Students will learn how to write a concluding paragraph and edit their work, ensuring they include a range of sentence types and strong word choices, such as connectives and upgraded nouns. This work will be finalised and shared at Student-Led Conferences.
➗ Maths
In Grade 6 Mathematics, students have been developing their understanding of fractions, mixed numbers, and decimals. They have been practising reading and writing fractions greater than one, such as turning 7/4 into 1 3/4 . Students have also been learning how to convert between improper fractions, mixed numbers, and their decimal equivalents. For example, 3/2=1 1/2 =1.5. They have used their knowledge of place value to recognise patterns when changing fractions to decimals, especially those with denominators of 10, 100, or 1000. Students have explored how fractions, mixed numbers, and decimals connect to one another and have practised rewriting them in different forms. By comparing and ordering these values, they have been building confidence in choosing the most useful form—fraction, mixed number, or decimal—depending on the problem. Students have begun work on mapping coordinates and using cartesian planes, using the (x,y) rule
By Roman
📊 Mathematics Preview:
Moving forward, we will continue working with decimals and then percentages. Students will learn how to convert between them.
Grade 6 students will also complete a project on Cartesian planes, learning how to graph and map coordinates.
🌍 Knowledge-Rich Curriculum – World Deserts
This term, the Grade 6 students have been learning all about deserts. So far, we’ve studied the Sahara, the Kalahari, the Outback, the Gobi, and the Arabian Peninsula. Each lesson, we focus on answering one big question that helps us think deeply about what makes each desert unique. For example, this week’s question was: “What is distinct about the Mojave Desert?”
Students also compare deserts to one another, helping them notice similarities and differences between places around the world. For instance, we compared the Gobi Desert with the Arabian Peninsula, focusing on climate, plants, animals, and the people who live there. This has highlighted how each desert has its own special features, even though they all share the same name: desert.
📌 Knowledge-Rich Preview
Our focus going forward will be on deserts in North America, with the leading question: “What are the key features of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts?” By the end of these lessons, students will be able to describe the defining features of North American deserts.
Grade 6 Team:
Mr Hicks, Miss Ibbotson, Mrs Adams, Mrs Findlay and Miss Fisher
Updates from around the school
Garden Working Bee – Friday 12th September
We are calling on our wonderful school community to help us freshen up the gardens at the front of the school. On Friday 12th September, from 11.30am to 3.30pm, we will be holding a garden maintenance afternoon and would love your support.
The work will include:
- Removing old plants
- Weeding garden beds
- Planting new plants to brighten up the entrance to our school
If you can spare some time, whether it’s for the whole afternoon or just an hour, your help will make a big difference. Please bring along gardening gloves, tools if you have them, and plenty of energy!
To assist with planning, we kindly ask that you confirm your attendance by emailing the school office at lysterfield.ps@education.vic.gov.au.
Together, we can make the front of our school a welcoming and beautiful space for our students, families, and community.
Green Team News
Under the guidance of Mrs Stokol and Mrs Alexander, the Green Team met for the first time this week, and what a meeting it was! Across Years 3 to 5, we had nearly 50 excited and passionate students eager to do their part for the environment.
Whether it’s helping to keep the school free of rubbish, caring for and developing the gardens, or educating our community about sustainability, there was a real buzz in the air as students shared ideas and signed up for various roles.
A new initiative launched this term is the collection of 10c containers. Thanks to the special lunch day last term, we raised $21, a fantastic start! We’re now working to collect eligible containers daily to reduce landfill waste and turn recyclables into funds that will be reinvested into future Green Team projects.
Participation in the Green Team is inclusive and open to all. It’s not too late for your child to get involved; we’d love to have them on board!
Green Team Newsletter #2
The enthusiastic Green Team members from Years 3 to 6 continue to meet with Mrs Alexander and Mrs Stokol each Wednesday lunchtime. Meetings begin with a check-in on how the yard cleaning roster is going. Students report which areas are the cleanest, which need more attention, and share ideas for improvement.
Sustainability remains a key focus. Whether it’s managing waste, maintaining garden spaces, or spreading awareness, students have shown impressive initiative and creativity.
Our 10c container collection is going strong! We've raised over $30 in just a few weeks. Green Team members manage the collection bin outside the canteen on lunch order days, and also visit classrooms weekly to gather containers from specially labelled tubs. By collecting these items daily, we are preventing waste from going to landfill and turning it into cash to support our environmental efforts.
Be sure to check out the Sustainability Display in the gym over the coming weeks to see what we’ve been up to!
Did you know? You can support the Green Team by nominating Lysterfield Primary School (LPS) as your donation partner through Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme.
Download the app or visit:🔗 Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme | Learn How To Donate
It’s planting season, and what’s better than free plants?
Help the Green Team — and Earn Free Plants!
Did you know that the Knox Environment Society (KES) offers free native plants as prizes through their Nature Discovery Passport program?
By playing an interactive game and collecting stamps at local reserves, participants can earn plant prizes, and what better way to use those plants than by donating them to our school for the Green Team to grow and maintain?
Explore one of the many beautiful reserves in Knox on the weekend, learn about your local ecology, collect stamps, and claim your prize. It’s a fun way to get outside, support the environment, and contribute to our school’s sustainability efforts.
And who says the fun is just for the kids? Families are welcome to join in too!
To learn more, visit:
🔗 Nature Discovery Passport – Knox Environment Society
🔗 Knox Environment Society Home Page
Thank you — every little bit helps!
Mrs Stokol and Mrs Alexander