Primary Specialists
Prep Art
What a fantastic last two weeks in Art. Firstly, a big shout out to all our amazing parents and students for bringing in materials for our sock puppet project. Your donations are greatly appreciated! Thank you! I cannot wait to pursue our next project and create our masterpieces. If you still have any clean long, socks (without holes) or recycled materials you'd like to donate, that would be incredible. Please give these to your child's classroom teacher. What's been happening in Art? In Week 5, our Prep students begun a new inquiry: Central Idea: Emotions, attitudes and beliefs influence the way we act. Once again, we have seamlessly aligned our Art curriculum with the Prep team. Students inquired into how we use colours and textures to show feelings & emotions. They begun to learn about a new element of Art: texture and will continue to learn about texture this term, both actual texture and implied texture. In Week 6, students learnt how they can create a connection between colour and emotions through matching certain emotions and feelings with colours and drawing emotions with different colours. Well done Preps!
Visual Art: Grade 1 - 6.
In Week 5, all year levels began and continued their core work with the art medium of threads and textiles. Here’s what each grade has been up to:
Grades 1 and 2: Students have been delving into the world of weaving, focusing on the importance of patterns. This week, they’ve moved on to using wool, creating vibrant and textured pieces.
Grade 3: Our young artists have been exploring Mexican culture through a technique called wool painting. They’ve been working on creating suns, inspired by the bright and lively colours of Mexican art.
Grade 4: This week, students have been honing their sewing skills. They’ve practiced the running stitch, blanket stitch, and whip stitch, mastering the basics of sewing.
Grade 5: Grade 5 students have been engaged in making God’s Eye weavings. Some have advanced to adding a secondary layer, increasing the complexity and beauty of their work.
Grade 6: The focus has been on basket weaving, with students starting to expand their creations into larger coils. They’ve also learned about the significance of basket weaving in various cultures, including the Maori and Polynesian Islands.
In week 6, we observed International Sorry Day. This important event allows us to recognise the histories of First Nations people and acknowledge the wrongs of the past. Students will express their understanding and respect through the use of colour, pattern, and symbolism in their art.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our creative journey!
Spanish
Hola! Y bienvenidos a la clase de Español,
Welcome to the Spanish class…
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are delighted to share the amazing progress our students are making in their Spanish lessons. From our youngest learners in Prep to Grade 2 to our more advanced students in Grades 3 to 6, everyone is embracing the joy of learning Spanish with enthusiasm and dedication. Here’s a glimpse into the exciting activities and lessons happening across all grades.
Prep to Grade 2: Building Foundations
Expanding Vocabulary: Our youngest students are diving into the basics of Spanish vocabulary. Each week, they learn new words through fun activities, songs, and games. This immersive approach helps them remember and use the new vocabulary in their everyday conversations.
Learning the Alphabet: Understanding the Spanish alphabet is a key step in their language journey. Through interactive exercises, students are getting comfortable with recognizing, pronouncing, and writing each letter. This foundation is crucial as they move forward in their Spanish studies.
Names of Places and Clothing: Students are learning to name various places such as "la escuela" (the school), "el parque" (the park), and "la biblioteca" (the library). They are also familiarizing themselves with clothing items like "la camisa" (the shirt), "los pantalones" (the pants), and "el sombrero" (the hat). These lessons help broaden their understanding of their surroundings in Spanish.
Parts of the Body: Learning parts of the body has been a fun and engaging experience. Students can now name body parts such as "la cabeza" (the head), "los ojos" (the eyes), "las manos" (the hands), and "los pies" (the feet). Interactive songs and games make this learning both enjoyable and memorable.
Grades 3 to 6: Advancing Skills
Classroom Routines: Our older students are becoming more comfortable with classroom routines conducted in Spanish. This includes understanding class instructions, asking questions, and participating in class activities in Spanish. It’s a great way to immerse them in the language and build confidence.
Practicing Past Vocabulary: Continuity is key in language learning. Students continue to practice and reinforce vocabulary they have previously learned. This helps ensure they retain their knowledge and can build upon it with new words and concepts.
Cultural Celebrations: Celebrating Spanish culture is an essential part of our curriculum. Students learn about various Spanish-speaking countries, their traditions, and some cultural celebrations.
Well done to Our Spanish Learning Community!
As we continue to explore the Spanish language and culture, we encourage you to engage with your children about what they are learning in our classes and practice Spanish with them. You will find lots of useful links on School box, Spanish page that will help them to continue their Spanish learning at home. Your support plays a vital role in their success.
Stay tuned for more updates on our Spanish learning adventures. ¡Hasta luego!
The Spanish team.
Mandarin With Miss Xiong
Year 1-2
We have now reached the end of the Mandarin rotation. While the students were reviewing the Chinese expressions for the 5 senses, they also made Mother's Day cards by hand and learned how to say "I love you" and "Happy Mother's Day" in Chinese. Additionally, they explored traditional Chinese stories about one of the famous mothers.
Year 3-4
We have now reached the end of the Mandarin rotation. Students continue to learn Chinese vocabulary related to fruits, mastering how to express personal preference of common fruits. They have deepened their memory through educational platforms like Kahoot! and Wordwall and improve their mastery and fluency in Chinese by practicing both pinyin and Chinese characters.
Year 5-6
We have now reached the end of the Mandarin rotation. By watching the movie Mulan, students have learned about the customs and traditional culture of Chinese communities. Through the film's portrayal of Chinese clothing and lifestyle, they have gained a deeper understanding of Chinese society. Students were also required to complete worksheets related to the movie to understand its meaning and the concepts it aims to convey.
Physical Education
Throughout P.E over the last fortnight we have been honing in on our AFL skills. After the visit from AFL Victoria we have continued to work on things like our 'drop punts'm and 'hand balling' skills. It has been pleasing to see students across all year levels engaging and having fun during these lessons.
We also held our year 3-4 Athletics carnival at the Werribee athletics oval on Tuesday. In what was a very successful day despite the grey skies and cold weather, the year 3 and 4's displayed high levels of team work and confidence participating in some events for the first time. Congratulations to all students and staff involved. We will be posting the winning house in the upcoming assembly.
Just a reminder the year 4 swimming program will be commencing from the 17th of June to the 28th of June this term. There will be a note out on Xuno shortly.
DANCE.
In dance we have been working on problem solving exercises while working within boundaries and specific guidelines also. Attention to detail and following instructions exactly as they have been outlined, have been set out in various tasks to challenge students to think outside the square and push the creative limits at the same time.
To add another angle to these tasks, students were paired up with fellow classmates that they may not normally spend time or associate with. This is to help build relationships within the classroom, as well as to teach students how to interact with others, and find a common ground and goal with in the tasks set out. Team work and communication skills being a major factor in these exercises to create a deeper insight and understanding to the many situations and circumstances to face students in their journey in the outside world.
WAKAKIRRI
Wakakirri rehearsals are going well with all students learning and picking up choreography at a rapid pace along the way. Students come in and get a head start all together and the teamwork has been amazing. We have learnt so much choreography and still have a little while to go as yet as we piece together this creative storyline for the upcoming show. This will be a great first year for our involvement in Wakakirri and we can’t wait to show you our finished product.
VSSS
The VSSS dancers have been working hard rehearsing the new routines they recently learned at the previous combined schools Hub rehearsal, as well as the original few that were taught earlier also.The team has been focussing on the detail and execution in movement, along with being consistent in their delivery and performance qualities.The energy and vibe in rehearsals has been great with everyone committing even more throughout every rehearsal, showing great signs of what’s yet to come!