What's On In Specialists
STEM
In Term 3, the whole school will be exploring the Digital Technologies curriculum with a focus on coding.
Our Foundation students will use Bee-Bots to develop their understanding of directional language while learning how to create and follow simple instructions using symbols. Through these engaging, hands-on activities, students will explain and solve simple problems and begin to develop computational thinking skills. Students will also learn to follow, describe and represent simple algorithms involving a sequence of steps, branching (making decisions) and iteration (repetition) to solve problems.
In Years 1 and 2, students will begin the term by revisiting coding concepts using Bee-Bots to write and follow directions. They will then progress to ScratchJr, where they will learn the fundamentals of coding using drag-and-drop programming blocks.
Throughout the term, students will explore how to change backgrounds, design and customise characters, animate characters with movement, and create interactive dance scenes. Each week, they will develop a new coding skill and apply it through hands-on activities. By the end of the term, students will bring their learning together by designing and creating their own coding project using the skills they have developed.
In Years 3–6, students will design and create their own video games using Scratch. They will also have the opportunity to submit their game to the STEM Games Challenge, sponsored by Acer. If they choose to enter, their games will be judged by both industry experts and teachers.
Throughout the term, students will learn about the key elements of coding and game design. They will plan the concept and narrative of their game, develop characters, settings, objectives and levels, and explore visual design, audio design, programming and asset creation. As part of the design process, students will create prototypes, test their games, gather feedback from others and refine their work by making improvements. This project will encourage creativity, problem-solving and computational thinking while giving students the opportunity to apply their coding skills in an authentic and engaging way.
Chinese
In Term 3, our junior students will be learning about family members in Chinese through engaging and interactive songs. They will build their vocabulary by learning the names of immediate family members, practise correct pronunciation using pinyin, and develop confidence in speaking and listening through music, games, and classroom activities.
Senior students will be preparing for both the Specialist Expo and their graduation celebration. As part of the Specialist Expo, students will create a multimodal digital book showcasing the Chinese language and culture. Their book will include Chinese characters (Hanzi), pinyin, English translations, and relevant images to demonstrate their understanding of the vocabulary and topics covered throughout the year. This project will allow students to combine their language knowledge with digital literacy skills while creating a meaningful resource to share with the school community.
In preparation for graduation, students will also create a personalised display featuring their Chinese name written in Chinese characters. They will explore the meaning and significance of their Chinese names while producing a creative display to celebrate their learning journey and achievements in Chinese throughout primary school.
PE
Welcome back to PE for Term 3!
This term, students will be focusing on athletics. In the senior school, they will be refining their techniques in relays, sprints, long jump, triple jump, discus, and shot put as our qualifying students prepare for the District Athletics Carnival in August. If your child has been selected to compete at the carnival, they will be notified this week, with further information available on Compass next week.
Our junior students will be introduced to a range of fun athletics activities, including potato sack races, quoits, vortex throw, and beanbag toss. They will also participate in short sprints and relay races. We’re excited for them to showcase some of the skills they have learned at the Special Expo in September.
Later in the term, we will be welcoming a Sporting Schools Cricket coach from No Limits Sports to run a four week cricket clinic with our year 1-4 classes. This will be a fantastic opportunity for students to learn from a coach with specialist expertise and gain new skills in an engaging and supportive environment.
To finish off the term, we’ll be celebrating Footy Finals Fever in PE! Students will enjoy a variety of AFL themed games, building on the footy skills they developed towards the end of Term 2.
Don’t forget if your child enjoyed our Tennis Clinics last term at the Nunawading Tennis Club enrolments for the Term 3 lunchtime program are still open. See the flyer in the newsletter for more information,