Classroom News

Foundation Newsletter - Term 4, Week 2

Dear Parents/CaregiversWelcome back to Term 4! We have had a fantastic start to Term 4, with students returning enthusiastic, settled and ready to learn. It is already shaping up to be another busy and engaging term filled with new learning, special events and hands-on experiences. We look forward to continuing to watch each child grow in confidence, independence and curiosity as we learn together throughout our last term together.

Below is an overview of important dates for Term 4. There will be updates of new dates added to Compass as the term progresses:

Literacy:

During Term 4, students will continue to develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through the Core Knowledge curriculum, Sounds-Write, explicit writing instruction and daily oral language activities. Students will explore Our World, developing their understanding of the world around them. They will learn about different places, people and environments, building their geographical knowledge and discovering how our world is connected. Through engaging discussions, stories and visual resources, students will be encouraged to ask questions, share their ideas and develop curiosity about the world we live in.

Writing lessons will follow a structured writing cycle, beginning with sentence starters, oral language activities, modelled writing and dictation before moving into pre-writing tasks and engaging hooks designed to spark curiosity. Students will analyse mentor texts, build vocabulary, create story maps and use actions to support oral retelling. They will explicitly learn the features of quality writing, including text structure, titles, subheadings, adjectives and complete sentences, before planning, drafting, revising and publishing their own writing innovations. Throughout the term, regular modelled writing and dictation willstrengthen students' handwriting, spelling, punctuation, sentence construction andconfidence as independent writers.

Students will continue to participate in daily Sounds-Write lessons, focusing on Unit 11 before beginning the Extended Code (/ae/, /ee/ and /oe/). Lessons will include word building, reading and spelling, dictation and sound review activities. Throughout the term, students will continue to develop their phonemic awareness, build automaticity when reading and spelling words, and strengthen their understanding of common spelling patterns. They will also work towards improving their reading fluency and confidently applying their phonics knowledge to read and write increasingly complex words. Regular revision and assessment will help students consolidate previously taught sounds and skills while building confidence intheir reading and writing.

Numeracy:

Throughout Term 4, students will continue to build strong mathematical understanding through the Prime Mathematics program, daily Facts on Fire fluency practice and hands-onlearning experiences. Students will develop confidence in mathematical language, reasoning and problem-solving while applying their learning in real-life contexts. Students will begin by learning about money and developing their understanding of how it isused in everyday life. Students will also explore 3D objects, learning to recognise and describe their features. They will practise using positional language to describe where objects are located and continue developing their counting skills by counting forwards and backwards to 30. Students will also investigate sharing and grouping objects, helping thembuild a strong understanding of early number concepts.Students will represent their thinking using pictures, manipulatives, ten frames, number bondsand mathematical equations, before progressing to solving more complex word problemsand explaining their mathematical reasoning.

HASS: Geography

This term, our Foundation students will be exploring the world around them through our Geography unit, Our World. Students will investigate the places that are special to them and discover what makes these places important.

We will begin by exploring familiar places, including our homes, school and local community. Students will develop their geographical skills by identifying important features, using simplemaps and symbols, and creating their own maps of Toorak Primary School.

Throughout the unit, students will also learn about the importance of Country to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, exploring connections to land, waterways, plants, animals and community. 

As we broaden our understanding of the world, students will explore where we live, from Toorak and Melbourne to Victoria, Australia and beyond. We will investigate maps and globes, discover places around the world and celebrate the different places to which our families are connected.

Through hands-on activities, discussions, observations and mapping experiences, students will develop their curiosity, geographical understanding and appreciation of the places and communities around them.

Wellbeing:

This term, students will explore how to achieve and feel success in our wellbeing program. Through engaging discussions, stories and practical activities, students will develop an understanding of what success means and recognise that success looks different for everyone.

Students will learn the importance of having a go, setting achievable goals, persevering when faced with challenges and celebrating personal achievements. They will explore how effort, practice and a positive attitude help us learn new skills and improve over time. Students will also be encouraged to recognise their own strengths, feel proud of their progress and celebrate the successes of others.

Throughout the unit, we will reinforce the message that success is not about being the best, but about trying our best, learning from mistakes and never giving up.

Families can support this learning at home by celebrating effort, encouraging children to try new things and talking about moments when persistence has helped them achieve a goal.

PMP:

Our Prep Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) helps students develop their fundamental movement skills, coordination, balance and body awareness through fun, engaging activities. Each Friday afternoon, students rotate through 10 stations in small groups, practising skills such as skipping, throwing, catching, jumping and balancing. PMP encourages students to build confidence, develop physical skills and enjoy being active!

An email has been sent to families with further information about the program and how to sign up to volunteer. Thank you for your support!

Warm Regards

The Prep Team

Tegan, Renee, Ashleigh and Vanessa

Year 1 Curriculum Newsletter - Term 4, Week 2 

Welcome to Term 4. We hope you have had a restful break and are ready for another great term of learning.

Below is an overview of important dates for Term 4. There will be updates or new dates added to Compass as the term progresses:

Year 1 Term 4 Timetable 

Please note, Foundation-Grade 2 Assembly will now be every second Wednesday afternoon (Odd Weeks). 

Numeracy:

This term, students will recognize, represent and order numbers to 120. They will be introduced to division, using sharing and grouping strategies without any left overs. They will also learn to recognize fractions, for example, one half as one of two parts, and apply this to quarters (one of four parts) and eighths (one of eight parts) too.  Finally, they will learn about money, using calculation strategies for simple money transactions.

Literacy:

In Reading, students will use the “Traction Man” books in a book study to inspire their plots for narrative writing. They will continue to locate and use information from these texts to answer literal, inferential and evaluative questions. They will  also engage in daily reading aloud to support their decoding, word recognition and fluency. Goals in fluent reading continue to be accuracy, reading rate, expression and pausing for punctuation.

In Writing, students will focus on writing exciting narrative texts, using the adventures of Traction Man.  They will continue to build on their sentences using when and where information as well as well chosen adjectives and conjunctions. To complete the term, students will read about Ancient Egypt and locate their final narrative amongst the pyramids. 

In Spelling, students will continue their spelling instruction using the programs Heggerty and Sounds-Write. They will develop their phonemic awareness by exploring and applying the sounds /oy/ /ar /l/ /o/ /a/ /ae/ /d/ and /ee/ in a range of words. Students will practise segmenting and blending sounds to support accurate spelling, as well as identifying different spellings for the same sound. Through explicit teaching, repetition and guided practice, they will strengthen their ability to use their sound knowledge in their reading and writing.

Wellbeing:

Weekly wellbeing lessons continue to examine respectful relationships in and out of the classroom and will use the Bounce Back program to increase resilience and problem solving strategies for daily school life. 

Science:

In this unit, students will explore light, sound and vibration. They will solve simple problems to see science in action. If your child plays a musical instrument, we would love to have them bring it in to demonstrate the range of sounds it can make. In Week 8 students will participate in a visiting “silent disco” where they will experience light and sound in a disco environment.

For Our Problem Solving - please help us by collecting small cardboard boxes, cardboard tubes, rubber bands and celophane.

Homework will commence in Week 2 and be handed out on a Monday and returned on a Friday.

HOMEWORK TASKS:

Numeracy task:

Each week, students will complete a maths task that links to the mathematical concepts and skills they have been learning in the previous week.

Numbots: 

Students will do Numbots tasks. Their logins can be found at the front of their Homework Book.

Reading Log: 

Students are to read for 20 minutes per night (including their decodable text provided each Monday). They are then to record their page number and time read into their reading log at the back of their Homework Book, and have this signed by a parent/carer. 

Rewards:

Students will be rewarded with a weekly token for completing all their homework and reading log.

Fluency and Sounds Write activity: 

 Students will complete the Seek the sound- Sounds Write activity by:

1. Reading aloud the passage to a parent/carer. 
2. Listening carefully for words with the sound focus and either highlight, circle or underline the word. 
3. Students will fill in template sorting words with the weekly sound into spellings

Library:

1C will have library on a Monday, and 1A and 1B will have library on a Thursday. Students will need to bring their library books inside their orange library bags each week on their designated library day.

Year Sport:

Students will have their weekly year level sport on a Thursday. Please ensure your child is wearing their sports uniform and track shoes.

Healthy Eating/ Allergies:

In line with the Toorak Primary School's Healthy Eating Policy, which can be found on the school website, we will be encouraging

students to bring healthy snacks for their recess and lunch breaks. At 10am everyday, students will have the opportunity to have a fruit

snack where they can have a piece of fruit or vegetables. We would greatly appreciate it if you could support us from your end. We

also ask that students do not share their lunches or recess snacks. 

Within our cohort we have students who are anaphylactic to peanuts and sesame products, and therefore Year 1 will be a nut and 

sesame free zone. 

Warmest regards, 

Year 1 Team

Caroline Morrison, Alison Sparks and Emma McDonnell

Year 2 Curriculum Newsletter Term 4, Week 2

Dear Year 2 Parents and Caregivers,

Below is a snapshot of recent activities, alongside important dates for the next two weeks. 

Important Dates to Remember:

Kind regards, 

Year 2 Team

Daniel Lewis, Thilini Marasinghe, Zhuang Bian, Charlene Maguire

Year 3 Curriculum Newsletter - Term 4, Week 2

Dear Year 3 Parents/ Caregivers,

Welcome back to Term 4! This term is packed with events including camp, songs of celebration and grandparents morning! Please see the list below for important information and dates

Important Dates:

We will send a compass notification on the way home from camp with an approximate arrival time to pick up your child from the prep playground.

Reading:

In Reading, the students will be learning about the Viking Age!

We begin by learning about Scandinavia and the areas the vikings lived in, as well as the tools they used, such as weapons and ships, and how they became feared seaborn raiders.

After this, we will be reading the Velveteen Rabbit, and exploring the themes of identity, self worth and love.

Writing:

This term in Writing, students will be creating persuasive pieces. The topic they will be arguing before or against is “Should we save special things from the past, for the future.” Students will choose their side, and then formulate their arguments. The big ideas that students will relate their arguments to are, Global Citizen, Money, Education and Time. It would be great if you can discuss this topic with your child to help give them ideas for their arguments.  

Numeracy:

In Numeracy, students will be undertaking the following units in Term 4: Fractions, Chance, Money, 3D Objects, Volume and Capacity. 

Students will be doing a mixture of hands-on tasks, using concrete materials as well as worksheets and worded problems to solve problems related to these topics.

Geography:

This term, the student’s geography unit coincides with our reading unit, The Viking Age. Throughout the term, the students will learn about Scandinavian culture and their impact on the world today. This unit picks up directly after the fall of Rome in 476 BC, where European cultures blended across the Mediterranean and cultures such as Nordes were left alone due to their climates. The students will look at maps to determine the origins of Nordic culture and the equipment they used to conquer much of mainland Europe. 

Wellbeing:

In Wellbeing, the students are continuing their work on Positive Relationships. Throughout the next few weeks, the students will study case scenarios and depict  stereotypes within society. With the work they have already undertaken, the students are able to identify gender based violence as a form of interpersonal violence that harms people on the basis of their gender. Examples the students gave include; groups of students targeting a girl for playing soccer with boys, and a group of students teasing a boy for having long hair. You can help support your child with having positive conversations centred around individuality and positive role modelling.  

If you have any questions, comments or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

Year 3 Team

Harrison, Lauren and Cassie

Year 4 Curriculum Newsletter -Term 4, Week 2 2026

Dear Year 4 Parents and Caregivers,

Below is an outline of our curriculum program for the term, along with some important dates for your diary. 

Important Dates to Remember:

Reading:

In Reading, students will continue exploring Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman. They will build on their understanding of the characters’ experiences and the challenges faced by refugees, using evidence from the text to support their ideas. As they read, students will make predictions, discuss themes, and expand their vocabulary through rich class discussions. Alongside our novel study, students will also engage with a range of information texts to learn about Earth and Space Science. They will practise identifying key facts, summarising main ideas, and comparing information across different sources to deepen their understanding of our planet, the solar system, and beyond.

Writing:

In Writing, students are learning how to craft engaging portal narratives that transport their readers to imaginative new worlds. They will follow a clear narrative structure with an opening, build-up, problem, resolution, and ending to ensure their stories are well organised and cohesive. Throughout the unit, students will explore how to use a range of narrative tools, including fronted adverbials to vary sentence openings and simple, compound, and complex sentences to create rhythm and flow. They will experiment with sensory language to bring settings and characters to life, use rhetorical questions to draw readers in, and include lists of descriptions for vivid imagery. Students will also practise writing and punctuating direct dialogue, and use appositives to add detail and depth. 

Mathematics:

In Term 4, in Mathematics, students will:

Decimals: Students will extend their understanding of place value to tenths, hundredths, and thousandths, reading decimals on number lines, converting between fractions and decimals, and comparing decimal numbers.

Money: Students will practise mental and written strategies for adding and subtracting money, using estimation to check that their answers make sense.

Area & Perimeter: Students will learn to calculate the area and perimeter of squares and rectangles using formulas, work backwards to find a missing side length, and apply these skills to composite (combined) shapes.

Time: Students will learn to tell time on digital clocks using am and pm, and calculate the duration between a start and end time (as well as work out a missing start or end time). They'll also be introduced to seconds as a unit of time and explore relationships between hours, minutes, seconds, days, weeks, months, and years, building a foundation for converting between units of time and adding or subtracting them. 

Symmetry: Students will explore symmetry by identifying and creating symmetric figures, drawing lines of symmetry, and recognising rotational symmetry. They'll also design their own symmetrical patterns using half, quarter, and three-quarter turns.

Earth and Space Science:

In Earth and Space Science, students are exploring the Universe. They are learning about our Solar System, including the planets, their distances, and how small Earth really is compared to the vastness of space. Our focus includes stars; how they move, change, shine with different brightness, and how we can capture and record them. We are also discovering constellations seen from Earth, and the largest star we know, the Sun. Alongside this, we are investigating Earth’s movement, its relationship with the Moon, and the processes that shape our planet, such as shifting tectonic pieces, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, erosion, and landslides. Students are also working on a Planets in our Solar System project, where they will showcase their learning about the variety of worlds that orbit our Sun. 

Wellbeing:

In Wellbeing, students will be exploring the concept of stress management through the resource 'Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships'. They will build a deeper understanding of what stress is, and find tools and strategies to help them manage these emotions. The Zones of Regulation will be embedded to build their understanding further. Students will also look at the idea of success through the program ‘Bounce Back’. This unit explores growth mindsets, and it builds students skills to show how success can be achieved. These strategies include resilience, setting goals, taking risks and the positives of making mistakes. Students will build on their knowledge of inclusion, diversity and respect through a range of picture story books and activities. They will also be exploring how to make informed choices on how to stay safe online. Students will continue to identify and learn how to show expected behaviours through our School Wide Positive Behaviour Matrix. 

Other Reminders

Homework:

Each week students will required to do: 

Maths: 4 tasks to practice a variety of concepts and to increase number fluency 

Reading Nightly: In order to develop vocabulary, comprehension skills and reading fluency, our other component of homework is reading for 20 minutes everyday. Students should complete their reading challenge sheet that has been stuck into their homework book. 

Homework tasks and books will be released  on a Monday and they will be due back on a Friday. It is not expected that students  are completing homework on weekends. 

Devices:

We encourage students to bring their devices everyday and would appreciate your assistance in getting students in the habit of charging their laptops every night so that they can be used for tasks during the day. 

Phones and smart watches will be required to be handed in to classroom teachers at the beginning of each day. If you need to pass a message onto your child, please phone the office or email your child’s classroom teacher.

Kind Regards,

Year 4 Team

Sam Palla, Jessica De Angelis, Tim Maclachlan and Katie Smith 

Year 5 Curriculum Newsletter - Term 4, Week 2 2026

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome Back to Term 4!

We hope everyone had a wonderful break and enjoyed some time to relax and recharge. We’re so excited to welcome all our students back for Term 4 — our final term of the year!

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the final stretch of the school year. This term will be filled with lots of exciting learning, hands-on activities, creative projects, and opportunities for our students to reflect on how much they have grown and achieved throughout the year.

As we move towards the end of the year, we look forward to celebrating our students’ successes, continuing to build their confidence and skills, and making many more wonderful memories together.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership. We’re looking forward to a fantastic final term and a wonderful end to the year!

Below is an overview of important dates and events coming up over the term:

Our Learning Progamme Term 4

Reading:

This term, students will be reading the novel Heroes of the Secret Underground. Through this engaging story, students will develop their understanding of characters, setting, plot and themes while making connections between the events in the novel and the wider world.

Students will also strengthen their reading skills by exploring vocabulary, making predictions and inferences, identifying key ideas, and supporting their thinking with evidence from the text. Class discussions and activities will encourage students to share their ideas, consider different perspectives and develop a deeper appreciation of the novel.

Writing:

During the first three weeks of the term, students will develop their persuasive writing skills by creating leadership applications. They will learn how to communicate their strengths, qualities and ideas clearly and persuasively, while considering their audience and purpose. Students will focus on structuring their writing, selecting convincing language and supporting their ideas with relevant examples.

Following this, students will explore historical recounts. They will learn how to research and organise historical information, sequence events accurately and write informative recounts using appropriate vocabulary and language features. Students will focus on creating engaging and well-structured pieces that demonstrate their understanding of the historical events they are studying.

Mathematics:

This term, students will explore a range of mathematical concepts across Number, Measurement, Statistics and Geometry. They will investigate data and percentages, developing their ability to interpret information, represent data and solve problems involving percentages.

In Measurement and Geometry, students will explore angles, triangles and quadrilaterals, identifying their properties and applying their understanding to solve problems. They will also investigate volume and capacity, developing strategies for measuring, estimating and calculating.

Students will also explore transformational geometry, learning about transformations such as translations, reflections and rotations. Throughout the term, students will be encouraged to apply their mathematical knowledge to real-world problems, explain their thinking and develop confidence in selecting effective problem-solving strategies.

Science:

This term, students will explore Earth and Space Science through our Core Knowledge unit. They will learn about the different spheres of Earth, including the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, and develop an understanding of how these systems interact with and depend on one another.

As part of their learning, students will also complete an at-home project on a chosen natural disaster. This will provide students with an opportunity to research a natural disaster and explore its causes, impacts and connections to Earth’s different systems.

More information about the at-home project will be provided throughout the term.

Wellbeing:

This term, students will continue their learning through the Respectful Relationships program. We will begin with Topic 5: Stressors, where students will explore what stress is, identify common stressors and develop strategies for managing challenges and maintaining positive wellbeing.

We will then move into Topic 7: Gender Identity, where students will develop an understanding of identity, respect and inclusion. Students will be encouraged to appreciate and respect individual differences and recognise the importance of creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for everyone.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or require further clarification. 

Regards

Year 5 Team

Vanessa Burke and Josh Bretherton, 

Year 6 Curriculum Newsletter - Term 4, Week 2 2026

Dear Year 6 Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to Term 4! It’s set to be an exciting and busy final term for our Year 6 students as we prepare to celebrate their final weeks of primary school. Students will be involved in a range of wonderful experiences, including graduation preparations, Volleyball Gala Day and various end-of-year activities to mark this special milestone. Alongside these events, students will complete their end-of-year assessments and participate in high school transition activities to help them feel confident and ready for the next chapter. Our learning programs this term will continue to challenge and engage students across all areas of the curriculum, including Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Geography, Health and Wellbeing.

Uniform:

Students are expected to wear the correct Toorak Primary School uniform, which proudly represents our school community. Our uniform colours are maroon and navy blue, and students should wear these consistently to show pride in our school. Recently, some students have been wearing black shorts or skirts, black tights or incorrect tops underneath their maroon tops, which are not part of the approved uniform. We kindly ask that all students follow the uniform policy to help promote equality, teamwork and respect for our shared identity as Toorak students.

Term 4 students are required to wear their hats daily.

Below is a snapshot of recent activities, alongside important dates. 

Kind Regards,

Year 6 Team

James Thomas, Natasha Williams and Emma Heron