Prep

Over the past two weeks, our Prep students have been diving into the colourful world of Pop Art! Inspired by the bold and vibrant styles of artists Romero Britto and Andy Warhol, students are in the process of creating their very own Pop Art portraits – each featuring a living thing of their choice, such as a beloved pet or even a favourite plant.

Building on the patterns explored in Britto’s famous dog artwork last week, students used simple shapes and eye-catching designs like hearts, stripes, and polka dots to bring their creations to life. The focus has been on expressing personality and creativity through colour, pattern, and line – just as Pop Art encourages.

It’s been wonderful to see the joy and enthusiasm in the classroom as students experimented with their ideas and proudly shared their unique artworks. We can’t wait to see how their artistic journey continues to unfold!

Year 1 & 2 Art

In Art, Year 1 and 2 have continued their journey into the world of the Great Masters, focusing on Claude Monet and the magical art style of Impressionism. The students were captivated by the beauty of Monet’s naturalistic paintings and embraced the challenge of recreating his enchanting garden scenes.

They collaborated to design stunning 3D water lilies from paper, showcasing impressive origami skills, and painted their own interpretations of The Japanese Bridge overlooking Monet’s famous garden.

To enrich this study, Ms Ancona visited the National Gallery of Victoria to view Monet’s original Garden and Bridge artworks. Inspired by these masterpieces, the students’ watercolour creations shone with vibrant energy and creativity—so much so that Monet himself would have been proud!

Grade 3 & 4 Art

In Art, Year 3 and 4 students have been busy continuing their 3D dessert sculptures.

Students built the bases of their cake slices and donuts using recycled cardboard and masking tape. They explored the paper mâché process, layering paper and glue to create strong and sturdy structures.

This week we also celebrated Book Week, and all the art teachers joined in the fun by dressing up as artists.

In week 6, students shifted their focus to painting and decoration. They thought about how to make their sculptures both realistic and fun, using materials on offer such as tissue paper, pom poms and jewels. They continued to use paper mâché techniques to paste tissue paper and glue to add colour and texture as well as painting their sculptures with acrylic paints to create bold, vibrant finishes. Some students went further, adding creative details such as painted pasta sprinkles and fruit decorations made from drying clay.

Year 5 & 6 Art

Grade 5 and 6 students have been busy preparing creative designs for their own rubber stamps. Using lino tools, they carefully carved into soft rubber, exploring how positive and negative space work together to create bold images. The students were excited to see their unique stamps come to life with each print they made!

MEDIA

Year One students have been expanding their knowledge of cultural stories and the different ways those stories have been shared for thousands of years. Having previously explored Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories students branched out with Chinese and Greek/Roman stories. We made connections with these cultural stories appearing in our everyday life, even though they may not be tied to our own personal culture. For example, Lunar New Year is a community-wide celebration. We also have the planets named after the Roman gods, or Nike shoes named after the Greek goddess of Victory.

Year Three classes have continued developing their multi-media skills, taking photos of the different learning and play areas in our school. This has included our classrooms, places for physical recreation, the entrance to the school. Students upload their photos onto PowerPoint and give them greater meaning by adding titles and captions.

Mandarin

In the Mandarin program, we continue to use the unique Accelerative Integrated Methodology (AIM) to help students explore both traditional Chinese culture and language. Our learning focus varies across different stages, ensuring that students build a strong foundation and gradually progress with confidence.

Prep to Year 2:

In the initial stages, students focus on mastering the basics of Mandarin, beginning with numbers 1 to 10. Using Chinese hand gestures, they gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and origins of each number. Students also recognize Chinese characters and pinyin, which further enhances their mathematical thinking and early literacy.

Interactive activities such as the Word Wall Game make learning fun and engaging. This term, our Prep students have also done fabulous work in handwriting and developing their Pinyin skills!

Miss Qiao is very proud of their progress!

Year 3 to Year 4:

As students progress, they continue learning numbers from 1 to 19 and begin constructing simple sentences using these numbers. They not only master basic counting rules but also learn to express themselves in Mandarin, for example by asking and answering questions about age. A variety of activities, including worksheets and online games, support students’ recognition of characters and pinyin. In Weeks 1–5, students also explored the topic of greetings and took part in Bingo-style speaking practice sessions, where they applied all the key words and sentences they had learned in real-time speaking challenges.

Year 5 to Year 6:

At 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 tasks, such as the Counting Bubble Tea worksheet, support the development of their writing skills while making learning culturally relevant. Students also engage in regular review sessions using interactive platforms like Blooket, ensuring a thorough understanding of key concepts. In Weeks 1–5, our focus was on greetings, and Year 5–6 students enthusiastically joined Bingo-style speaking practices to strengthen their confidence in using greetings and conversational Mandarin in a fun and competitive way.

Wellbeing:

This term, our Grade 1-6 students have been exploring important life skills through our Wellbeing program. One of the key areas we've focused on is understanding what stress feels like and how to respond to it in healthy ways. Students learned to recognise situations that might make them feel upset, nervous, or overwhelmed, and used fun and simple strategies like deep breathing, talking to a trusted adult, or taking a break to help manage those feelings. It’s been wonderful to see our young learners becoming more aware of their emotions and growing in confidence as problem solvers.

Another highlight of our wellbeing journey has been learning about kindness. We discussed what kindness looks like, how it feels to be kind and to receive kindness, and why it's so important in our classrooms and beyond. Through stories, role-play, and group discussions, students explored ways they can show kindness every day, whether it’s through sharing, helping a friend, using kind words, or simply offering a smile.

🌟 Spanish 🌟

🐣 Prep, Year 1 & Year 2

Our younger learners have been exploring “Todo sobre mí” (All About Me), where they learned to introduce themselves and share personal information.They also had fun identifying and describing “las figuras geométricas” (shapes), as well as using vocabulary for “útiles escolares” (school supplies). Through songs, games, and interactive activities, they have built a strong foundation in everyday Spanish words.

🎨 Year 3 & 4

Students in Years 3 and 4 expanded their knowledge of shapes and school supplies. They practiced using these words in full sentences, helping them gain confidence in both speaking and writing Spanish. Class activities included labeling classroom items.

🗣️Year 5 & 6

Our senior primary students have been developing their conversational skills. They revised shapes vocabulary and also practiced conducting an interview in Spanish to exchange personal information (such as name, age, likes, and hobbies). This activity encouraged them to use Spanish in a more authentic, real-world context.

🎉 It’s inspiring to see their enthusiasm for learning another language and embracing different cultures.

¡Felicitaciones a todos!

Physical Education

Over the past two weeks, students have continued to build on their fundamental movement skills with a focus on soccer and AFL related activities.

Prep to Grade 2: Students have made noticeable progress in catching and basic movement coordination. This week, we’re introducing two-handed strike activities and dribbling activities to further enhance their confidence with movement and ball handling.
Grades 3 to 6: Students have been refining their kicking and passing techniques through a range of targeted drills and partner activities. We’re focusing on improving accuracy, timing, and control to prepare them for applying these skills in more dynamic settings. In the coming weeks, we’ll begin to introduce small group activities and modified game scenarios to help transition into gameplay.

We’re proud of the energy and enthusiasm students are bringing to each session, and we look forward to continued growth in both skill and confidence!

Wellbeing Report

On behalf of the Wellbeing Sub-Committee, we would like to introduce our very new and exciting Saltwater parent and carer support group