Primary Specialists

 Prep Art

In Week 9, our Prep students used their newly learnt skills and understanding to replicate and draw half of their faces, guided by a photo of themselves. Once completed, these self-portraits will serve as a powerful connection to our Art essential agreement, illustrating how both similarities and differences help build strong relationships. Next term, students will finalise their faces by painting them. In Week 10, students reflected on their successes throughout the term, revisiting and celebrating all their amazing work they've done and what they've learnt this first term. Students had fun participating in an engaging guided Easter activity to finish the session. Well done Preppies. I am so proud of your learning and growth this Term. Happy Easter and holidays to you and your families. Be safe over the Easter break and I'll see you all next term!    

Year 1&2 Art

We are at the final 2 weeks of the term, and I have been amazed by the efforts and contributions of my year 1 and 2 artists! We have been continuing in our exploration of the 'Elements of Art', with shape and 

colour being the focus.  Students were learning to identify cool and warm colours,

 an emphasis on 'the moon and the sun, and landscapes to capture the essences of 'contrasting', themes, like night and day.  The students also enjoyed the challenge of creating their 'own masterpiece', depicting warm and cool colours- (including our wonderful and talented E.S. Ms Romana!)

 quite a delight to view!   There were many mini masterpieces that evolved over a period of 2 weeks- lots of detail, shapes, lines, and designs to be proud of!  The term culminated in an easter  (paper egg hunt) with surprises to be utilised in the art room (e.g. glitter bunny toppers, time in the 'calm zone', 'artist of the day', privileges) What a fun filled way to end Term 1, Celebration of Art, and Easter too!  May you all have an Eggsellent Easter.. and see you all next term, for an even more FuntArtstic Term 2!  Stay safe, and enjoy your holidays..lots of love, Miss Ancona!

Year 3 and 4 Art 

Wow, Term 1 has already come to an end! Students in years 3 and 4 have established great relationships with one another and have modelled rules and expectations within the Art space.  

They have shown artist flair when completing their artworks based on Pablo Picasso’s Cubism style and the Year 4s study on artist, Sandra Silberzweig. 

Both year levels have met the artist brief by creating their own emotional abstract portrait masterpieces. They used the elements Line Shape and colour to create these works of art.

We finished the term with a group discussion and a reflection of the terms work and celebrated with a final 

Easter related art activity, based on the work of artist Piet Mondrian. 

Wishing all our families and students a Happy and safe Easter break and look forward to seeing the students refreshed and ready to learn Art, in Term 2. 

Music

Dear Students and Families of Saltwater P-9 College,

As we near the end of Term 1, it’s a wonderful time to reflect on what has been a vibrant and successful start to the year. Our music program has offered students across all year levels enriching opportunities to sing, move, and express themselves through the joy of music.

In Prep, our youngest learners began their journey as performers, exploring music through listening and working collaboratively. They’ve been discovering the etiquette of both performers and audiences, while enjoying singing, clapping, and playing simple percussion instruments. These experiences have allowed them to combine creativity with the structure of group performance.

In Grade 1, students experimented with creating their own rhythmic pieces using traditional notation. They challenged each other to perform from peer-written scores and experienced the process of receiving and applying feedback to refine their work—an important step in artistic growth.

In Grade 2, students performed a variety of simple melodic pieces on tuned percussion instruments. This culminated in successful renditions of Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb on xylophones and glockenspiels.

In Grade 3, students rehearsed and improved two engaging ensemble pieces: Funga Alafia and Can You Dig That Crazy Gibberish?. These performances required teamwork, blending both tuned and untuned percussion instruments. We also explored how to visually and functionally arrange an ensemble to enhance group cohesion and performance impact.

Grade 4 continued developing ensemble skills with Funga Alafia, rotating through different instruments to discover how each contributes to the overall sound. We discussed performance etiquette from both performer and audience perspectives, building awareness of the unspoken communication that enriches musical experiences.

In Grades 5 and 6, students excelled in their full-class arrangements of the African piece Sansa Kroma. Additionally, they collaborated in small groups to create original works, showcasing impressive initiative, creativity, and musical maturity.

As this rotation draws to a close, we take a moment to celebrate the outstanding achievements and personal growth of our students. Their dedication, creativity, and passion for music—whether through performance, composition, or collaboration—have been truly inspiring.

Let’s carry this momentum forward as we head into the next term filled with new projects and exciting creative challenges.

Spanish

Prep:Our Prep students have been enthusiastically learning about colours in Spanish! They have been practicing the words morado (purple), azul (blue), naranja (orange), and amarillo (yellow). To reinforce their learning, students enjoyed a creative activity where they coloured a fish using these vibrant colours. Additionally, they have been singing a fun number song to help them become familiar with Spanish numbers: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Their enthusiasm and participation have been wonderful to se

e!

Year 1 and 2 Students Enhancing Reading Comprehension! Our students from year 1 and 2 have been diving into Spanish reading comprehension. They have been reading texts with common Spanish words, such as:

• El gato (the cat)

• Tiene (has)

• Gris (gray)

• Muy travieso (very mischievous)

• Le gusta (likes)

• Hermanos (siblings)

• Tiene 4 años de edad (is 4 years old)

Through these activities, students are strengthening their vocabulary and understanding of sentence structures in Spanish. It is amazing to see their progress and confidence grow!

Year 3 and 4 Students Practicing Colours and Reading! 

Students from Year 3 and 4 have been reinforcing their knowledge of colours while engaging in reading comprehension. They read a text titled Estaciones del año (Seasons of the Year) and followed instructions to colour different elements according to the sentences. This activity helped them connect reading with visual understanding while expanding their Spanish vocabulary.

Grade 5 and 6 Students Exploring Feelings, Days, and Months! Our Grade 5 and 6 students have been discussing sentimientos (feelings) and learning vocabulary such as:

• Triste (sad)

• Contento (happy)

• Hambre (hungry)

• Sueño (sleepy)

• Miedo (afraid)

• Sed (thirsty)

• Calor (hot)

• Alto (tall)

• Pequeño (small)

• Frío (cold)

Additionally, they have been practicing the días de la semana (days of the week):

Lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes, sábado y domingoAnd reviewing los meses del año (months of the year), reinforcing their understanding of time-related vocabulary in Spanish.

Looking Ahead We encourage students to continue practicing their new vocabulary at home by identifying colours around them in Spanish and trying to form simple sentences using the words they have learned. Keep up the great work, everyone!

¡Nos vemos el próximo período! (See you next term!)

Mandarin

In the Mandarin program, we continue to use the unique Accelerative Integrated Methodology (AIM) to help students explore traditional Chinese culture and language. Our learning focus varies across different stages:

Prep to Year 2:In the initial stages, students focus on mastering the basics of Mandarin, starting with numbers 1 to 10. Through the use of Chinese hand gestures, students gain a deep understanding of the meaning and origins of each gesture. Additionally, students are able to recognize Chinese characters and pinyin, further enhancing their mathematical skills. Interactive activities like the "Word Wall Game" help reinforce their learning.

Year 3 to Year 4:As students progress, they continue learning numbers from 1 to 19, while also starting to construct sentences using these numbers. Students not only master the basic counting rules but also learn how to express themselves in Mandarin, such as asking about age. Through online games and worksheets, students strengthen their ability to recognize Chinese characters and pinyin, enhancing their language proficiency.

Year 5 to Year 6:In the advanced stages of the program, students expand their knowledge of Chinese counting rules, learning numbers from 1-10, 11-19, and 20-99. Creative activities like the "Counting Bubble Tea" worksheet help improve their writing skills. Additionally, students engage in comprehensive reviews of their acquired knowledge through interactive platforms such as Blooket, ensuring a solid grasp of Mandarin concepts.

Wellbeing

Year 1 and 2: Students have been exploring the anger emotions and how we can use harmful and hurtful ways to cope with this emotion. We have identified that although anger is an emotion we all feel, there are lots of helpful things we can do to "calm our anger monster". 

Year 3 to 6: As the term comes to an end, students completed a school survey and participated in various activities to identify who they are and what goals they want to set for themselves. We also looked at exploring and showcasing different talents in the classroom with a end of term 'Students have talent'. 

DANCE

In dance students have been working on range of tasks covering contrast of movement, light and shade, building and expending their memory, and focussing on attention to detail through instructions choreography given. Through these exercises this has helped students focus on accountability and ownership of actions, while learning the positive outcomes of applying yourself 100% to any and all tasks given. Students have embraced these challenges with an open mind and a deeper understanding to how these tasks can impact them in the outside world, and how they can help guide them to reaching and achieving their goals. 

The secondary enrichment program is already off to a great start with students feeling more comfortable with the tasks and exercises set out. They have all settled in well and have a long yet great journey ahead, as we all work towards the goals we have set out for this year!

VSSS…(Dance)

Last week Saltwater College held their first ever Victorian State School Spectacular combined schools Hub rehearsal! We had 6 other schools participating in this years Mass Dance Section of the VSSS show, join us for a full day rehearsal in the school Gym. There were over 125 students and staff dancing their hearts out all day learning huge sections of the first 5 routines being performed for this years show. The energy and atmosphere inn the gym was amazing, with all visiting schools loving and enjoying the new Hub rehearsal space for this year! Our students represented each other, the school, and our community proudly, and led by example throughout the day. As teachers we couldn’t be happier and prouder of how they have all started VSSS this year, and we can’t wait to see their progress as the journey unfolds!

Wakakirri…(Dance)

Our Wakakirri cast has been working hard in their first few weeks of rehearsals, and have been so eager to get back into the studio after each rehearsal. Everyone is making great progress throughout, and are already collectively looking so strong as a group so early in the development stages of this routine. The energy in rehearsals has been great and everyone has been committed in applying themselves to whatever is needed to get this to the next level. Term 2 is going to be a jam packed term with rehearsals and finishing the routine, and we can’t wait to see students embrace what’s yet to come and shine up on stage soon!

Have a great and safe holiday everyone, and we look forward to seeing you all back in Term 2! :)

Physical Education 

Summer Sports Gala Day

In Week 9, our Year 6 students participated in the Summer Sports Gala Day, held at Saltwater Reserve, where they competed against schools from across the district. Our Year 6 athletes showcased great sportsmanship and integrity, making the event enjoyable for everyone involved.

A special congratulations to the six teams who will be advancing to the Summer Sports Finals in Term 4:

Basketball (Boys/Mixed)

Volleyball (Both teams)

Softball (Boys/Mixed)

Cricket (Both teams)

Well done to all the teams and participants for their dedication and enthusiasm!

Western Metropolitan Regional Swimming Competition

On April 1st, several of our amazing swimmers represented the school at the Western Metropolitan Regional Swimming Competition in Geelong. Congratulations to the following students for their exceptional effort:

Mikayla Liu

Mila Lei

Anna Wu

Harper Liu

Dylan Clendenning

Jun Ming Yuen

Zoey See

A standout moment came from our 9/10 girls relay team – Mikayla Liu, Mila Lei, Anna Wu, and Harper Liu – who narrowly missed out on a place at the State finals, finishing second in a thrilling photo finish. Amazing effort, girls!

A special mention goes to Zoey See, who won all three of her events and will be advancing to the State Finals in May! She will be competing in freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke. Congratulations, Zoey, and we wish you the best of luck in the next stage!