Classroom Spotlight

Foundation

Decoding

This week in Decoding, students explored two new focus sounds: /t/ and /p/. They were shown the cued articulation for these sounds and practiced identifying when they heard these sounds in words. We used Elkonin boxes to strengthen their phonemic awareness and to highlight that words are made up of sounds, not just letters. These small, repeated routines help children build strong foundations for reading. 

Content Knowledge

Our Content Knowledge focus this week centred on families and what families enjoy doing together. Students explored new vocabulary including repeat, chores, gather, and ancestors. These rich discussions help children build the background knowledge that supports comprehension. 

Text Construction

In Text Construction, students continued developing their handwriting and early writing skills, focusing on forming the letters t and p. We also created simple sentences using familiar characters from their decodable texts. Students practised identifying who the sentence is about and what the character is doing. Children then had opportunities to create their own sentences, supported through shared writing and drawing. 

Mathematics

In Mathematics, students explored repeating patterns either by copying, continuing or creating their own patterns. Through hands‑on activities using a range of concrete materials, students made patterns, learned to label them (e.g., AB, AAB, ABB), identify the unit of repeat and explain their thinking. 

What can you do to support your child at home? 

• Read to your child every night. Ask them if they can find any of the Heart Words or sounds they have learnt this week.
• Talk about your own family traditions, routines, and stories.
• Point out patterns in nature, clothing, toys, or daily routines.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Literacy

This term in Literacy, Junior School students have been learning about the Gold Rush. We have been reading about how the discovery of gold in Victorian caused an influx of people from different parts of the world and the challenges they faced when they arrived.

In Text Construction, we have been learning to expand simple sentences using question words such as ‘when’, ‘where’ and ‘who’. Students have been given a simple sentence relating to our Content Knowledge text and have created a more detailed sentence using the question prompts.

Numeracy

Junior school students have recently been learning about data and graphing. Last week they formulated a question to ask the class, collected data using a tally and presented this information in the form of a graph. This week students are learning about place value and our base ten number system including the key concept that ‘ten ones make one ten’.

Indigenous Studies

In Indigenous Studies, students have been learning about the lives of Indigenous children in different parts of Australia Including Orlando from Yilka Country, Josie from Waibene (Thursday Island) and Shae from the Sunshine Coast. We have been comparing our lives to the lives of these children and observing similarities and differences between us.

House Sports

During House Sports, Junior school students have been practising events in preparation for the whole school Athletics Day on Wednesday the 25th of March.  Some of the events they have practised include Sprints, Standing Long Jump and Bean Bag Bucket.  

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Literacy

This week, students will continue sharpening their reading skills by practising decoding strategies, breaking down multisyllabic words, and building fluency through repeated reading. Using Off We Go Around Australia as our anchor text, students will explore new vocabulary and strengthen comprehension as they revisit and reread short postcard‑style passages. In Writing, all classes are diving into the world of persuasive texts. Students will examine how writers express a clear point of view, organise their arguments, and use language features to influence their audience. Through guided practice and shared examples, they will begin experimenting with crafting their own persuasive ideas.

Numeracy

Our numeracy focus this week continues to centre on place value and confidently working with larger numbers. Students will build, break apart, and compare numbers beyond 10,000 using tools such as number expanders, place value charts, and a range of hands‑on materials. They will practise saying numbers aloud, representing them visually, and explaining their thinking using precise mathematical language. These activities aim to deepen students’ number sense and prepare them for the more complex operations ahead.

Discoveries

Students can look forward to an engaging variety of learning experiences across our discovery subjects. In House Sport, they will be introduced to hurdling, exploring safe and effective technique through guided warm‑ups and short practice runs. Performing Arts will focus on mime, giving students the chance to tell stories using only movement, gesture and facial expression. In Digi Tech, students will unpack what it means to be a safe and responsible gamer, learning about privacy, online decision‑making and how to recognise safe versus unsafe interactions. Indigenous Studies will continue to build cultural understanding of the Kulin Nation, with students mapping its five language groups and developing their knowledge of local stories, traditions and customs.

SENIOR SCHOOL

Content Knowledge and Text Construction 

In Content Knowledge, students have been reading Black Cockatoo by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler. They have been practising how to take clear notes and identify the big ideas in the story, such as connection to Country and community responsibility. Using examples from the book, students have also been learning about different sentence types, subordinating conjunctions, appositives, and figurative language. They then applied these skills to write their own narratives inspired by the text, focusing on making their writing more detailed and engaging.

Numeracy 

In Maths, students have been learning about decimals and place value. They have been using place value charts to understand how digits change in value depending on their position, and applying this knowledge to read, write, and compare decimals. By placing decimals on number lines, students are developing a stronger understanding of ordering numbers and recognising how close values are to each other. This hands on practice is helping build confidence and accuracy when working with decimal numbers.

Home Reading

Home reading continues to be a vital part of building strong literacy skills and confidence in the classroom. Students are expected to read for at least 20 minutes each night and bring their diary to school every day so their effort can be recorded and celebrated. Students are welcome to borrow books from our classroom library, read books from home, or access digital books through the BorrowBox app, which allows students to borrow eBooks and audiobooks from the Geelong Regional Library. To encourage consistency, we are introducing a new reading incentive where students will receive a certificate after 50 nights of reading, and at 100 nights they can choose between a hot chip lunch or a brand-new book. Thank you for supporting your child in building a positive reading routine at home.

School Yard

New Nature Play Space!

Students have been enjoying exploring our new nature play space, created by Zorbas Gardens! This space is an excellent addition to our yard and will provide students with opportunities to build creativity, strengthen social skills, develop coordination, and connect with nature through hands-on exploration and imaginative play!