5/6 CLASSROOM

English

Students have been developing their persuasive writing skills, with a focus on writing about the importance of knowing your family history. They have been learning how to structure their writing with a clear introduction, organised body paragraphs and a strong conclusion. During lessons, students have been practising writing topic sentences, supporting details and concluding sentences, and turning their notes into clear, complete sentences. It has been great to hear students sharing ideas about why family history matters, with some explaining that it helps us understand where we come from and learn about the lives of relatives before us. We have also been focusing on neat and legible handwriting, encouraging students to take pride in presenting their work clearly. Our next class text will be Deadly Science: Book 5 – The Solar System, where students will begin exploring explanatory texts and how authors clearly explain information and ideas to the reader. 

Maths  

In Maths, students have been learning about factors, multiples and square numbers. They explored different ways to break numbers into factor pairs to help solve problems, often using their knowledge of times tables to guide their thinking. When learning about square numbers, students identified numbers such as 16, 25 and 36 and used arrays (rows and columns) to show why these numbers form a perfect square. It has been great to see students sharing their thinking, checking their ideas and building confidence with their multiplication knowledge. 

Religious Education 

In Religious Education, the Grade 5/6 students have begun learning about the season of Lent and why it is an important time in the Church calendar. Students explored a range of Lenten symbols, including ashes, the cross and the colour purple, and discussed how these remind us to reflect and prepare for Easter. During our conversations, students shared thoughtful ideas about how the message of Lent can guide our actions, such as showing kindness, being patient with others and helping people who may be struggling. Students also learned about the origins and purpose of Lent, including why it lasts for 40 days and how it connects to Jesus’ time in the desert. We discussed the three key practices of Lent — prayer, fasting and giving — and how these can be lived out in everyday life. 

Auslan 

Students were excited to welcome Tim back for our first Auslan session of the year. In this lesson, students focused on learning the Auslan signs for different animals. Tim demonstrated a range of animal signs and students had to guess which animal each sign represented. The class really enjoyed the challenge, with many eager to call out their guesses and try the signs themselves. Students were particularly interested in the African animal signs, with lots of practise of movements for animals such as lions and elephants. It was great to see students watching carefully and having a go at signing along with Tim. 

Reminders 

Assembly: Friday - Even Weeks 

Student SRC: Friday - Odd Weeks 

Sport: Friday – Even Weeks 

Lunch Orders: Monday’s 

Diaries: bring to school each day