Year 5/6 Term 4 Overview
Welcome back to Term 4. We hope you all had a relaxing break and were able to spend time with family and friends. We are excited to begin another busy term. Our calendar is already filling up with more set to be added as the term goes along.
Please note in your calendars:
- 5/6 Surf Lifesaving Excursion to Aspendale Beach - Tuesday 14 October
- Division Athletics - Tuesday 14 October
- 5/6 Virtual MoAD Excursion - Thursday 16 October
- Dance Workshops - Thursday 16 October
- One Voice Intergenerational Choir Workshop - Wednesday 29 October
- World Teacher Day - Friday 31 October
- School Closure Day - Monday 3 November
- Melbourne Cup Day (public holiday) - Tuesday 4 November
- 5/6A Assembly - Monday 10 November
- School Closure Day - Friday 14 November
- St Johns Community Fete - Saturday 15 November
- 5/6A Class Mass @10:00am - Tuesday 18 November
- 5/6B Class Mass @10:00am - Tuesday 25 November
- Whole School Advent Liturgy - Monday 1 December
- 5/6C Class Mass @10:00am - Tuesday 2 December
- Whole School Christmas Carols - Thursday 4 December
- Whole School Mini Missions - Tuesday 9 December
- Year 6 Funfields Excursion - Wednesday 10 December
- Whole School Picnic @Halliday Park - Monday 15 December
- Year 6 Graduation Mass and Supper @6:00pm - Monday 15 December
- Students Last Day of term - Tuesday 16 December @1pm
- Staff Last Day of Term - Wednesday 17 December
All other school dates are available on the school online calendar.
Religious Education
In Religious Education this term our focus is on ‘Law and Order in RE and our World’. We will begin by looking at the Catholic Social Teaching aspect of Social Justice. Students will examine what this looks like in our world today and find examples from the Bible of ways inequality is depicted and explained. We will also look at organisations such as The Sisters of Mercy and ways they address the issue of inequality and Social Justice.
In addition to this, students will prepare for Advent by engaging in activities that incorporate prayer, reflection and practical tasks that deepen our spiritual experience and help us focus on those in need. We will work on our Mini Missions project in the lead up to our whole school Christmas Market in early December.
Inquiry
Our Term 4 unit of learning is Civics and Citizenship, asking the ‘Big Question’ of
How do people work together to make rules and create change in our community?
Students will learn about the Government and democracy, examining the roles of changemakers at all different levels including police, politicians, courts and local councils, as well as historical changemakers. We will look at the structure of parliament and the roles of key figures such as the house speaker, state and federal representatives, and leaders of political parties, and how these members engage in debate in order to pass bills and change laws.
English
This term in English, our Year 5/6 students will be reading the novel ‘The Last Bear’ by Hannah Gold. This story focuses on the impact we can have on another through acts of kindness and love. It also looks at the idea that no one is too young or insignificant to make a difference. We will be engaging in a complete literature study unit encompassing speaking and listening, reading and viewing and writing.
Students will engage in persuasive writing, learning about the different language features utilised to persuade and move our readers to see things from a different perspective. This builds on our debating workshops from term 3 and also connects to our Inquiry learning where we will put our persuasive writing to work to argue a bill in Parliament. Students continue to use our VCOP (Big Writing) sessions to develop and apply these writing strategies consistently to their work.
Further along in the term, students will participate in a poetry unit learning about a wide range of poetry styles and language features. They will continue to use and apply their knowledge of description and emotive language to create their own poems, engaging in exciting activities such as poetry ‘play offs’ and ‘slam poetry’.
Mathematics
In our Term 4 Mathematics students will look at appropriate units of measurement for length, capacity and mass, as well as converting measurements. Continuing measurement, students will learn about 12- and 24- hours time systems, measuring elapsed time, as well as interpreting and using timetables.
In addition to this we will focus on the following topics across the term:
- Data investigation - posing and refining questions, collecting relevant data and determining appropriate displays to communicate information
- Decimals, fractions and percentages - understanding 100% represent the whole, finding familiar fraction, decimal or percentage of a quantity, applying knowledge to solve problems
- Applying knowledge of the four operations to a range of problems - including use of finance (decimals), measurement, patterns and BODMAS
Social Emotional Learning
This term, our Year 5/6 students are continuing to build their strengths both inside and outside the classroom, as we focus on learning, leadership and wellbeing. Through our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) framework, we’re helping students make choices that are respectful, responsible and safe, supporting a calm and connected school community.
We’re also deepening our understanding of wellbeing through The Resilience Project, exploring what it means to practice Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness each day. Many of our students are taking part in the BRAVE program, learning helpful strategies for managing feelings of worry and anxiety, and discovering ways to feel more confident and in control.
As our Year 6 students begin preparing for their transition to secondary school, and our Year 5s look ahead to becoming school leaders, we’ll continue to nurture student voice, self-awareness and resilience. It’s shaping up to be a term full of growth, courage and connection!
Digital Technology
Digital technology (digitech) forms a big part of our daily lives in grade 5/6 and our students continue to build and consolidate their skills with a range of digital applications and programs.
Wherever possible, Digitech is integrated into other learning areas. We regularly utilise learning applications such as Essential Assessment, Seesaw and ReadWorks to support our Mathematics and English learning. Furthermore, we also enjoy using creative software tools such as Canva to complete tasks in Inquiry, RE, STEM and all areas of the curriculum.
In Term 4, we will be focusing on creating digital solutions, looking at the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind programming. Students will engage in collaborative problem solving activities, identifying a problem, determining what makes it a problem, and coming up with suitable solutions. This process forms the backbone of programming. Students will engage in both unplugged and plugged activities to explore this process, also looking at the role of branching and using flowcharts to represent algorithms. Students will develop and modify their simple programs using software such as Scratch or Grok Academy to test each other's solutions and provide feedback.
STEM
Our Term 4 STEM unit will focus on Changing States of Materials. Students will investigate that changes to substances may be reversible or irreversible, in which case new substances are formed.
Investigations may involve cooking, solubility, evaporation, melting and freezing. Students will participate in experiments to investigate and observe changes in various substances. They will engage in discussions as to why or why not changes can or cannot be reversed.
To consolidate their understanding, students will carry out a group project to apply their understanding of reversible and irreversible changes through the creation of a presentation which demonstrates their knowledge.
Home Learning
Home learning for our Year 5/6 students will recommence in Week 3, continuing on a fortnightly cycle throughout the term. Each task sheet will include a matrix of engaging, curriculum-linked activities, along with occasional extras such as spelling practice or maths challenges. Students are also encouraged to make reading part of their daily routine, aiming for 15–20 minutes each day to build confidence and fluency.
We view home learning as an important way for students to strengthen their organisation and time management skills, helping them to prepare for the transition into secondary school.
This term, our Year 6 students will also begin collecting photos and memories for their graduation keepsake books — a wonderful way to reflect on their primary school journey. We’re also exploring the idea of including a final Passion Project as part of home learning, giving students the chance to follow their interests and showcase their creativity one last time before the year ends.
Weekly Specialist Timetable
5/6 A
Wednesday - Chinese
Thursday - Visual Arts
Friday - P.E. and Performing Arts
5/6 B
Wednesday -Chinese
Thursday - P.E.
Friday-Performing Arts and Visual Arts
5/6 C
Wednesday- Chinese
Thursday - Performing Arts
Friday - Visual Arts and P.E.
Communication
Effective communication between family and school is an important factor in a student’s learning. Please make contact with us if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
We will endeavour to respond to emails within 24 hours, during weekdays.
Our staff in each class are:
5/6A - Tracey Farrar, Diane Lewis (Monday) and Kim Wilson
5/6B - Marisa Box, (Tues-Fri) Amanda Hill, (Monday)
Julie Carroll (Mon-Wed) and Nicola Brooke
5/6C - Allison Bayliss, Jane Coghlan (Thursday) and Keyla Gleciano (Mon-Thurs)
tfarrar@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au
abayliss@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au