Primary Specialists

Prep Art

Hello wonderful Prep families,

In Week 3, our Prep students began exploring various 3D paper techniques, delving into eight different methods with great enthusiasm. In Week 4, they investigated the connection between art and cultural celebrations, specifically focusing on Diwali. Our Prep students had the chance to share their own experiences, enriching the discussion for their classmates. Building on their previous learning of art elements and principles, Prep students were then given the opportunity to create their own Diwali artworks. Well done superstars! 

Visual Arts 

Exciting news for our wonderful students. Our Year 2 students have been busy working on 3D paper techniques. They have learned how paper can be cut and folded to create various structures. 

Students have pasted their paper structures onto card, to produce Christmas baubles. Some of these baubles will appear on a Christmas tree display at the local Sanctuary Lakes Shopping Centre. Parents, friends, carers and the wider Saltwater community are encouraged to visit the centre, and view our Tree. The tree is on display as of Monday, 18 November – Sunday, 8 December. You can vote for our tree by scanning a QR code located near the tree. The tree with most votes wins $1000 Officeworks and enables us to purchase more resources for our talented Saltwater College artists.

Please visit the centre at 300 Point Cook Rd, Point Cook. The display will be located in front of the Aldi store.

Years 1 & 2 

During week 3, Grade 1 and 2 students began preparing artwork for Diwali. Diwali, is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival of lights symbolises that light is the protector from spiritual darkness and is as important as the Christmas holiday celebration.  

In week 4, students celebrated ‘The Day of the Dead or in Spanish ‘Día de Muertos ’ The Spanish holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and remember friends and family members who have passed. 

Students consolidated their learning on 3D paper folding techniques, creating concertina folded fans for Diwali lanterns and elaborate masks, for Day of the dead. Students cut and glued tissue paper onto the masks and were given agency to line the masks with fringes and other paper structures.

Year 3 

In Weeks 3 and 4, Grade 3 students continued their mask designs, selecting tissue paper colours and images from magazines to assist them in sending a message or telling a story through their art. They continued their research on a variety of different types of masks and various cultures to get inspiration and adding to their designs. 

Year 4 

In Week 3 and 4, Grade 4 students continued their exploration of landscapes and began to work on their final landscapesusing a variety of torn or square cut paper, to layer and collage onto my landscape designs. 

Grade 5 

 Week 3 and 4, Grade 5 students continued to work on their portrait sketches. They drew the base shape for the head, neck, and shoulders and neatly cut and assembled their base shapes onto backing paper. Students then began to form three-dimensional facial features using cardboard or other materials. 

Year 6 

In Week 3 and 4, Grade 6 students continued to work on their dragon eye artwork. They used plasticine to shape the main elements of the dragon eye (e.g., eye, eyelids, scales). 

and experimented with different techniques to create textures, adding detail to their design. They reflected on which techniques would work best for their design. In week 4, students continued to sculpt their ‘dragon eye’ using Model Magic clay, paying attention to detail, shape, and texture. Once completed students will use markers to add colour and enhance the design. 

Spanish

Hola y bienvenidos a Agua Salada 

On our Spanish lessons, students not only learn about the Spanish language but also the culture of various Spanish-speaking countries. Since we love to make learning Spanish fun, students will continue their Spanish language learning by playing games, singing songs, reading books, dancing and using Rockalingua, the School based Spanish learning app, to encourage, challenge and motivate them to learn the language.

Activities that our students have been participating in the past weeks.

• Speaking and listening; asking and answering questions in Spanish
• Drama related activities including role-playing.
• Listening and singing Spanish songs.
• Using hand gestures; indicating, pointing to demonstrate understanding.
• Participating in a variety of games aimed at encouraging the students to talk among themselves, have a go, and help them remember past and new vocabulary. 
• Using Spanish apps on iPads and watching Spanish videos.

Students continue practicing their Spanish vocabulary by:

• Greeting teachers and peers in Spanish using vocabulary such as: Hola, Buenos días, Adios
• Singing and dancing to head shoulders, knees and toes in Spanish.
• Using Kahoots and Rockalingua to practice numbers, colours and directions in Spanish
• Asking and responding simple questions in Spanish:

¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name)

¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)

¿Puedo ir al baño? (Can I go to the toilet?)

and singing songs to practice parts of the body, numbers, colours and directions in Spanish.

Well done to our Spanish learning community,

Adios!

The Spanish Team.

Mandarin with Miss Xiong

For Mandarin, we keep using unique Accelerative Integrated Methodology (AIM) to help students to explore traditional Chinese culture and language. We have different focus on:

Year 1-2:

In the initial years, students focus on mastering the fundamentals of Mandarin, starting with the basics of counting numbers 1-10. Utilizing Chinese hand gestures, students gain a deep understanding of the meaning and origins of each gesture. Building upon this foundation, students enhance their mathematical skills by learning to add numbers from 1-19 in Mandarin. Engaging activities such as the Chinese Dragon Number Game and Word Wall Game reinforce their learning experience.

Year 3-4:

As students’ progress, they delve further into number counting from 1-19, now incorporating sentence construction using these numbers. Students not only master the basic counting rules but also learn to express themselves in Mandarin, for instance, inquiring about ages. Through a combination of online games and worksheets, students strengthen their ability to recognize Chinese characters and pinyin, enriching their language proficiency.

Year 5-6:

In the advanced stages of our program, students expand their knowledge of Chinese counting rules, encompassing numbers 1-10, 11-19, and 20-99. Writing skills are honed through engaging activities such as the Counting Bubble Tea worksheet, fostering both creativity and proficiency. Additionally, students participate in comprehensive reviews of their acquired knowledge through interactive platforms like the Kahoot! Game, ensuring a solid understanding of Mandarin concepts. 

Media Art with Mr Howarth

In Media, students are taking skills learned in prior lessons and applying them to new tasks. In particular, we have been focusing on:

Year One: In Year One, students are learning about a different Dreamtime story each week. We are making connections to the way stories survive over time, how they are told today, and the ways in which we can still share stories to help them thrive. 

Year Two: Students are exploring different angles and perspectives when shooting, including how we have our subject pose.

Year Three: The Year Three students have thoroughly enjoyed taking their foundational knowledge of shot types and using in-device editing to make those shot flourish.

Year Four: We are continuing our analysis of Thalu to explore Aboriginal history. Recently, students have explored Indigienous bush survival methods. 

Year Five: Year Five students are half-way through filming their short film projects. We have taken pause to review what we have shot and plan what we will still need to shoot as we resume next term.

Year Six: We are beginning our assessment task, where we will create an art piece that reflects one of our personal or community value. 

Music

Hello from Steve at Primary Music!

Grade Prep:

Last week, we explored the power of sound in storytelling by listening to “The Cockerel and the Thieves.” By focusing on different sounds, students are learning to identify tones and dynamics that enhance the narrative, deepening their awareness and appreciation of how sound contributes to storytelling. We returned to the song BINGO to practice our rhythm reading and singing.

Grade One:

In Grade One, we listened to a variety of music, from choral to orchestral, while mindfully colouring. The children were encouraged to identify musical elements, instruments, or simply share the emotions they felt while listening. This helps them connect more deeply with music.

Grade Two:

Our Grade Two students continued to sing “Alligator Pie” with hand actions, practicing their listening skills—both to their own voices and their peers. They’re also working on matching their voices to the notes they are singing, improving their vocal precision.

Grade Three:

Grade Three is making great progress with their recorder lessons! They’ve mastered “Au Claire De La Lune” and are now moving on to “Ode to Joy.” Their focus is on building technique and confidence with each new piece.

Grade Four:

This week in Grade Four, students are delving into formal musical notation using small metallic glockenspiels to better understand melody. They’re also working on Noteflight, where they’re tasked with composing a simple 8-bar melody in the treble clef.

Grade Five:

Our Grade Five students are expanding their ukulele skills by learning their third chord, G Major. They’ve started playing their first song, “You Are My Sunshine,” which combines the chords they’ve learned so far. We’ve also begun working on “Riptide,” introducing a new chord, Am, to their repertoire.

Grade Six:

Our Grade Six students have been away on camp and return to music this week. Like the grade 5’s they too are working on “Riptide” before moving on to using the app Garage Band to create music.

Physical Education

In P.E, students from grade P-2 have been practising a range of activities to prepare for the upcoming Mini Olympics in November. The students have practised the egg and spoon relay, sack racing and hurdles.  

Students from 3-6 have continued their fitness unit where they have been participating in circuit fitness training to improve their cardiovascular endurance. Students will test their fitness levels in week 6 where they will participate in the beep test as their post test for the unit. 

We encourage students to practise the exercises at home to assist with improving their fitness. 

On the 22nd  of October two students, Fernando Reyes and Amora-Lee Laititi participated in the Western Metropolitan Athletics at Keilor Athletics Track. Fernando competed in both 100 and 200 metre race, finishing 3rd in the 100 metre and 4th in the 200 metre . Amora-Lee competed in the 80 metre hurdles and finished 4th. Both students demonstrated determination and great sportsmanship, we are very proud of both students.

DANCE.

As term 4 gets into full swing, so does our preparations for the end of year events and celebrations. All primary classes have chosen their Christmas carols and are beginning their routines for this years Saltwater carols performance. Some fun routines are happening and everyone will be in for a great performance this year. The dance extension students will be coming in soon also to begin their very first Christmas carols experience, which will be sure to please. Fresh off their Wakakirri success, all students are eager to get back on stage in front of you all again soon. Their music and routines are being created as we speak ready for them to learn and rehearse.Year 6 graduation performance has been going through the creative process with the music, concept and the message behind it all being put together. Each year we try to leave an empowering message off reflection and motivation going forward, and what is being constructed will be sure to please. Watch this space for more to come.