Learning News 3/4

Welcome to Term 2

Welcome back to Term 2! We are looking forward to another exciting term of learning and growth in Years 3 and 4. Students have settled back into classroom routines well and are already engaging enthusiastically in their learning.

Our big learning theme this term is Sustainability. Throughout the term, students will explore ways we can care for our environment and make responsible choices in our everyday lives.

In Geography, students are participating in a unit called War on Waste. They will investigate environmental issues and learn practical ways to reduce waste, reuse materials, and conserve natural resources. Students will also explore how individual actions can make a positive difference to the world around them.

In Science, students are learning about Food and Fibre. They will investigate where the products we buy at the supermarket come from and how they are grown, produced, and manufactured before reaching consumers. This unit will help students develop a greater understanding of the journey from farm to table and the importance of sustainable production practices.

In Writing, students have been learning how to create strong persuasive texts. We have linked our writing closely to our Sustainability theme, with students exploring important environmental topics through their persuasive writing tasks. So far, students have written about ways to care for the environment and why recycling is important. Their final writing piece for the term will focus on how we can make our school more sustainable by suggesting practical ideas and changes that could have a positive impact on our environment.

We have also been enjoying our regular reading sessions with the preschool students. The Years 3 and 4 students look forward to this special time each fortnight. These sessions are not only helping to build students’ reading confidence and fluency, but are also developing their leadership skills and strengthening relationships with the younger students in our school community.

In Mathematics, students have recently completed a unit on subtraction and inverse relationships. Throughout this unit, students explored a range of flexible strategies to solve problems and deepen their understanding of number concepts. We used empty number lines, partitioning, bar models for word problems, and formal algorithms to solve and explain mathematical thinking.

A strong focus was placed on understanding why strategies work, rather than simply memorising steps. Learning a variety of strategies helps students develop stronger number sense, think more flexibly, and choose efficient methods that make sense to them. Students also used inverse operations to check the accuracy of their answers and explain their reasoning clearly.

How You Can Help at Home

• Encourage your child to explain how they solved a problem, not just give the answer.
• Ask questions such as, “Can you solve it a different way?” or “How do you know your answer is correct?”
• Practise addition and subtraction facts regularly to build fluency.
• Use real-life maths opportunities such as shopping, cooking, or measuring.
• Continue practising times tables, as these support many areas of mathematics learning.