Year Level Newsletter

Year 3/4

Welcome

Dear Families,

It has been a pleasure to welcome students back after the holiday break and see them settling smoothly into the school routine. Term 3 is a shortened term but filled with lots of exciting learning and events to come, such as Book Week.

Inside the classroom, students are engaging with a wide range of topics across all learning areas, with a strong emphasis on building their skills in Reading, Writing, and Mathematical problem-solving.

 

Kind Regards,

The Year 3/4 Teachers

 

English 

We're excited to launch a novel study based on the text Storm Boy by Colin Thiele. As part of this unit, the literacy block has been restructured into a combined two-hour session that integrates both literacy and literature. This approach allows students to engage more deeply with reading and writing through a rich and cohesive learning experience. The structure of the literacy block is as follows: 

 

  • Daily Review: A brief, fast-paced review of previously taught content. 
  • Literacy Skills: This component covers instruction across grammar, handwriting, reading fluency and spelling.
  • Literature Block: This component covers reading of the class text with a focus on developing text-level comprehension, incidental and explicit vocabulary instruction, and sentence and text-level writing.

The text the students are focusing on for the term is Storm Boy. The book is a short, poignant Australian novel about a young boy who lives with his reclusive father in a remote coastal region. Set amid the wild beauty of the Coorong in South Australia, the story explores themes of nature, isolation, friendship, and the bond between humans and animals. Storm Boy forms a deep connection with a pelican he rescues, and through this relationship, he learns about connection, loss, and growing up.

 

Homework: Reading Daily, Weekly Tasks

Students are expected to read for 15-20 minutes each night and record their reading in their diaries.

Please record the reading using the following format:

Title:

Time Read:

Pages:

Parent signature:

 

After completing the reading, it would benefit your child to talk about what they have read.

This ‘verbal processing’ helps them remember and think through the book's themes. 

Ask questions before, during, and after a session to encourage reading comprehension.

 For example: 

  • Before: "What are you interested in about this book? What doesn't interest you?" 

 

  • During: "What's going on in the book? Is it turning out the way you thought it would? What do you think will happen next?" 
  • After: "Can you summarise the book? What did you like about it? What other books does it remind you of?" 

You may also like to visit the local library and select books that interest your child.

 

Homework: Curriculum Tasks 

Homework tasks will be presented to each child for the week. The classroom teachers allocate the tasks based on the prior week's curriculum. Tasks are assigned to take no more than 20 minutes per session.   

Homework tasks for this term commenced in Week 2. The last week of homework will be handed out to be completed in the second-to-last week of term, Week 8. 

 

Mathematics

Daily Review: Students take part in a one-hour Mathematics lesson each day. Lessons begin with a 10-minute session of Daily Review. This part of the lesson revisits both current and previously covered topics, giving students the opportunity to practise and reinforce their understanding. The goal is to help transfer this knowledge into their long-term memory.

Maths Rehearsal: After rehearsal, the class moves into Maths Rehearsal and Teacher Sprint groups. During this time, students build fluency in mathematical skills by engaging in group games and activities. At the same time, teachers work with small focus groups to provide targeted support on specific concepts.

To start the term, students engaged in a Multiplication & Division unit exploring how to represent equations using bar models. They were then taught how to create number sentences from worded problems and finished the unit solving two-digit equations using a place value chart. Our current unit looks at recognising angles as a measure of turn. Students are identifying right angles and big and small angles.

 

Other mathematical concepts to be covered this term are:

  • Measurement - Telling time
  • Number - Decimals
  • Measurement - Mass and Capacity

 

Inquiry

This term in Inquiry, students are exploring the rich and complex history of Australia. We began by looking at the timeline of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, recognising them as the world’s oldest living culture. Soon, students will begin learning about the British colonisation of Australia and the impact of significant historical figures such as Captain Cook. To conclude our unit, we will investigate the development of laws in Australia and the important role played by local councils in our communities.

 

Religious Education

During the first half of the Term, the students will be learning about the Catholic Social Teachings and what each teaching helps us to help those around us. 

The Catholic Social Teachings are: Preferential option for the poor, Human dignity, Care for our common home

Subsidiarity and participation, The Common Good and 

Solidarity. In the second half of the Term, the students will be learning about Jesus as healer, and this will include work on a Winter Appeal. 

 

Dates for your Diary

 

  • 8th August - School Mass - St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop. 12 p.m.
  • 15th August - Whole School Closure
  • 18th August - Book Week 
  • 29th August - Whole School Assembly
  • 4th September - Father’s Day and Special Friend.
  • 5th September - School Closure
  • 15th September - Parent, Teacher and Student Meetings 2.30 p.m.
  • 18th September - Learning Celebrations 2.45 p.m.
  • 19th September - End of Term at 1.30 p.m.

 

As dates can be subject to change, please check the school newsletter weekly.

 

How to Contact Us

All of the 3/4 team members can be contacted at the following emails. When sending emails, please be mindful that we are teaching the students and allow time to reply; we will get back to you as soon as possible.

 

Tahira Tannen - ttannen@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au 

Lachlan Ware - lware@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au 

Emily Casaceli - ecasaceli@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au 

Rosario Corio - rosario@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au 

SPECIALIST PROGRAMS

Art

Welcome to the art room for Term 3! Although this is a shorter term, it’s certainly shaping up to be a busy and exciting one, filled with lots of creative projects for our students to enjoy and complete.

 

We’re especially excited to be contributing to the Mary Poppins production at the end of the term. Each student will be creating their very own unique art piece to display as part of the set décor. It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to see their work become part of a larger school event.

 

This term, students have also been introduced to a new art form – silhouette art. They’ve been exploring how shapes and outlines can be used to tell a story or create mood, and we can’t wait to see how their ideas take shape.

In addition to these projects, we’re also preparing for Father’s Day and Book Week, both of which will feature fun, themed art activities that encourage creativity and self-expression.

It’s going to be a fantastic term in the art room, and I look forward to seeing all the amazing work our students will create!

Warm regards,

Mrs Milena Santoro

 

 

Physical Education 

Welcome to term three!

On 28th August, some students will be attending District Athletics at Duncan Mackinnon. If your child has been selected to be on the Athletics team to represent St Andrews, please complete the permission form on Operoo, which has further information.

The sports we will focus on this term will be badminton, soft-crosse, and basketball. A large emphasis will be on working well with others, showing good sportsmanship throughout group activities, and communicating effectively during games. We are excited for another fun term ahead! 

 

Miss Puetz 

 

LOTE- Italian

Dear parents, welcome to Term 3.

Ciao a tutti,

The students begin this term by revising, recycling and consolidating previously-acquired language through written and oral activities. They will continue to develop their skills in Italian and build on their vocabulary knowledge, with the emphasis this term being on oral communication and group work. 

 

The students will be introduced to new sentence structures and build their vocabulary knowledge in a unit of work which is centred on the topic of pasta. The focus in this unit of work is for the students to learn and understand cultural differences between the regions of Italy in relation to which pasta shapes and types of sauces are preferred.

 

The students will complete mini research assignments in order to gain an understanding of the history and origins of pasta and the role it has played in the lives of all Italians around the world. The students will also complete a poster, listing the types of pasta under different headings according to shape, colour and any other characteristics. They will then share their findings with the class orally. During the lessons, the students will be participating in playing games, quizzes and completing varied classroom activities to reinforce their knowledge and understanding of the new vocabulary and grammar.

 

Cordiali saluti.

Signora White

 

Performing Arts 

Hi 3/4 Students and Families,

Welcome to another term of Performing Arts 3/4 students and families!  We will be continuing the focus of this term on practising and perfecting material for Mary Poppins Jr.  Students will be using the Mary Poppins songs and script to practice a more specific set of performance skills, including:

  • Pitching their voice through singing, going from chest to head voice using their diaphragm and vocal strength.
  • Ensuring that they can sing their part, which may be different to others without back up.
  • Emoting through singing to convey a message or feeling.
  • Perfecting movement skills including timing, use of space, individual body movement, energy levels and actions to planned choreography.
  • Conveying a message or feeling through dance whilst maintaining accuracy in choreography.
  • Combining acting, choreography and lyrics to give an overall performance.
  • Memorising the script and applying their interpretation of a scene to convey the idea, theme or message using body language, voice and facial expressions.

I’d encourage all students participating to learn their lines and songs as soon as possible! Performances will be on the 10th and 11th of September, and more specific information will come out via Audiri very soon.  Students involved in the production will be required on both nights.

Once the production is finished, we’ll enjoy some more music training, learning the beginnings of the piano. We’ll be learning about left and right hands, white notes and black notes and using their prior knowledge of the treble clef to start playing simple melodies.

 

Lastly, we hope you will come and see Mary Poppins Jr on either 10th or 11th of September. The students have been working super hard and are doing the most amazing job, and we’d love to see you and your families and friends there!

 

Here’s to a great term!

Mrs Emma Cooper

 

Library News

In the lead-up to Book Week 2025 (August 16th - 23rd), our 3/4  students have been diving into the imaginative worlds of some of Australia’s most inspiring storytellers. Each student has chosen an author from this year’s CBCA shortlisted books whose stories captured their interest, and they’ve begun exploring what makes these authors so engaging — from their writing style and recurring themes to what inspires them to write for young readers.

 

As part of their research, students are creating informative and eye-catching posters to showcase what they’ve learned. Using images, subheadings, and creative layouts, these posters will highlight key facts about their chosen author and celebrate the stories that spark curiosity, build empathy, and help young readers explore new worlds.

We can’t wait to share their work as we Book an Adventure together and celebrate the power of storytelling during Book Week 2025!

 

Best wishes - Mrs Daniella Polites