What's Happening
Foundation
Welcome back to Term 4. We hope our Foundation students had a wonderful break. It has been lovely to see them return refreshed, happy and ready for another exciting term of learning. On Monday morning, the children enjoyed sharing their holiday experiences with their teachers and classmates through their recount writing. We loved hearing about their adventures and seeing their enthusiasm for writing. It is hard to believe that we have now reached their final term of Prep.
Corridor Reading
Corridor Reading will commence in Week 2 outside your Foundation classroom. We greatly appreciate your support with these additional reading sessions, as the children love having the opportunity to practise their reading with our parent helpers. There will be no sign-up sheets this term, so please feel free to come along whenever you are available. We simply ask that you ensure you have a current WWCC.
Literacy
In Literacy, we are continuing to consolidate familiar letter-sound patterns while introducing new ones. This week, students are learning the sound codes ‘er’, ‘ir’ and ‘ur’. Next week, we will explore ‘air’ as in hair, ‘are’ as in share, and ‘ear’ as in bear. We continue to be amazed by the students’ growing phonics knowledge and their ability to experiment with and apply these sound patterns in their writing. They are also doing a fantastic job reading our “Weird Words”. This week’s focus words are door, more and before. Next week, we will learn could and would.
Maths
In Maths, we are reviewing Place Value and have been extremely impressed with the growth students have made in this area. We will continue to use a range of concrete materials, including MAB, Unifix blocks, bundling sticks and ten frames, to support students in developing a strong understanding of place value.
Colour Fun-athon
We had a fantastic time at our Colour Fun-athon on Friday. The day was filled with a colour run, dance party and lots of fun colour activities in the classrooms. It was wonderful to see the children having so much fun and enjoying this special day together.
Looking Ahead
We are looking forward to a wonderful final term with our lovely Foundation students. We have lots of exciting learning and experiences planned, and we can't wait to see how much they continue to grow throughout Term 4.
Reminders
Our Term 4 Show and Tell notice will be sent home in Week 2. Show and Tell will commence later this term.
Please ensure your child has a spare pair of underwear, socks and pants in their school bag each day.
Grade 1
Welcome back, Year 1 families. We hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing holiday. We have an exciting term of learning ahead and are looking forward to seeing our students continue to grow and shine!
In English, we kicked off the term by writing descriptive sentences about our holidays. Students used adjectives and sensory words to bring their writing to life and help their readers picture and experience their holiday adventures.
This term, we will move into Narrative Writing, where students will learn how to structure and develop their own stories. We will focus on titles and orientations, introducing a problem, character feelings and reactions, sequencing events, resolution and conclusion.
In Mathematics, students will explore the units of Time, Location, Shape and Patterns, with plenty of hands-on opportunities to develop their mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills.
In Inquiry, we are excited to begin our new Mini-beasts unit! Students will investigate the fascinating world of insects and other small creatures, exploring their features, habitats and importance in our environment.
We can't wait for a wonderful Term 4 filled with learning, curiosity, creativity and lots of fun.
Let's make it a fantastic final term, Year 1.
Grade 2
Our Grade 2 students have had a fantastic start to Term 4. They've returned from the holidays full of exciting news and positive energy, ready to learn and grow.
Writing: We’ve been focusing on Narrative writing, and students are doing a terrific job demonstrating their understanding of story structure and key features like characters, settings, and plot development.
PhOrMeS/Word Study: In our PhOrMeS lessons, we’ve been learning about homophones—words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings (e.g. break, brake). Students are practising reading and spelling these tricky word pairs with growing confidence.
Grammar: This week, students are learning how to use apostrophes to show possession, helping students understand how to indicate that something belongs to someone.
Reading: As part of our Core Knowledge reading unit, we’ve begun exploring Fantastic Mr Fox. Students are building their vocabulary, comprehension, and predicting skills as they engage with this classic text.
Inquiry: Our new Inquiry topic is ‘Our Community: Past and Present’. We’ve started by looking at how homes and family life have changed over time, and students are beginning to make thoughtful connections between the past and their own lives.
Wellbeing: This term’s Wellbeing lessons have begun with a focus on resilience —learning to bounce back when things don’t go our way. We’re encouraging students to face challenges with a positive attitude and to keep trying even when it’s tough.
Maths: We’ve started our Fractions unit! Students are learning about equal parts, fractions of whole objects and groups, and how to read and write fractions. Exploring fractions in everyday situations at home—like dividing food or sharing toys—is a great way to support your child’s learning.
Homework: Thank you for your support with homework. Regular reading aloud and a weekly Word Study/PhOrMeS worksheet. Optional online extras: ‘Nessy Reading and Spelling’ and ‘Sunset/Jetpack Maths’ (Essential Assessment).
Excursion Reminder: We are heading to Ripponlea Estate on Monday 26th (2C, 2W) and Wednesday 28th October (2B, 2G). Please ensure you have read all the information on Compass and consented/paid. Thank you so much for your support.
We’re excited for the term ahead and can’t wait to see all the wonderful progress our students will make.
Grade 3
Novel Study: This term we are reading the popular children’s novel ‘Charlotte’s Web’. Students listen to a chapter each lesson and participate in discussions and written responses to build and demonstrate comprehension, and to develop their skills with combining and expanding sentences, and writing summary sentences when responding to the text.
Core Knowledge (Inquiry): This week we investigated the relationship between the Sun and the Earth, how this causes day and night and the seasons, and our experience of this in Australia.
Writing: We have begun our narrative writing unit for this term by analysing the structure and features of a mentor text or ‘WAGOLL’ (What a Good One Looks Like). Next week, students will be learning more about the components of an effective introduction/orientation.
Word Study: Students have been reviewing words derived from the Latin bases ‘form’ and ‘strue/struct’ and combining them with a variety of prefixes and suffixes, along with a focus on a range of ‘weird words’.
Maths: We started our final Multiplication and Division unit this week. Students are learning to represent multiplication and division of two-digit numbers with materials, identify the operation required to solve a worded problem, and create a worded problem from a multiplication or division equation. Encouraging your child to practise basic multiplication facts and related division facts at home, will help them continue to build their understanding and fluency.
Camp: We are very excited about our upcoming camp this term! As you’ll be aware, details were posted on Compass this week and forms sent home. A separate form for special dietary requirements will be sent home today. Please read through everything carefully and check dates for consenting and returning forms. As mentioned last term, we have been encouraging students to try a sleepover at a friend’s house if possible (if they have not done this before/often), to help prepare them for camp.
Homework: Students are reminded to ask a grown-up to check their homework with them and fix errors or make changes as needed, before submitting. Also, to continue regular home reading, record in diary, get it signed by a grown up, and bring it to school every Friday. Thanks for your ongoing support with this.
Grade 4
Welcome back. We hope everyone had a fantastic break and enjoyed the Grand Final weekend. After a jam-packed Term 3, our Grade 4 students have returned full of energy and enthusiasm for Term 4. We’ve hit the ground running with a range of exciting learning activities. Students have completed a variety of pre-assessments, started reading our class novel Wonder, and begun exploring Australia’s surrounding islands and beyond in Inquiry.
Reading: We’ve begun reading our in-class novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio. The story follows a young boy with a craniofacial condition and explores the challenges he faces at school and at home. Our Grade 4s have shown great curiosity and empathy, engaging deeply with the characters and themes. This text also links closely with our writing focus this term: narratives.
Writing: Using the ‘Elastik’ writing program, students completed a narrative pre-assessment titled Finding a Mysterious Message in a Bottle. We’re now learning how to build strong narrative texts, focusing on key elements like character, setting, problem, and solution. We’ve been using fun animations to help us understand how these elements come together in a story.
Numeracy: In Numeracy, our focus is on Mass and Capacity. Students have been using a variety of digital and scaled tools to measure, compare, and convert different units. It’s been a very hands-on and engaging topic — we’ve had lots of fun experimenting and problem-solving in class.
Homework: Homework will begin next week and includes:
Reading: 5 times per week. Please encourage your child to record their reading in their diary, and we ask that diaries be signed at the end of each week.
Word Study & Morphology: Based on vocabulary from our class novel.
Numeracy: ‘My Numeracy’ tasks on Essential Assessment
Other reminders:
We kindly ask that all students remember to bring in their diaries each day to write down any upcoming events or reminders they may need to record.
Grade 5
Welcome back students and families. The Grade 5 teachers hope you all had a wonderful break over the holiday period. It has been great to see the students settle back into school with eager attitudes and smiling faces.
Writing – Narrative
Grade 5 students have started Term 4 with a pre-assessment to demonstrate their understanding of the features within Narrative writing. They delighted in creating their own stories about a Mysterious Porch Package and will begin conferences with their classroom teacher to set personal goals to work towards throughout this unit.
Comprehension – The Last Bear
This term, students will be reading a novel entitled ‘The Last Bear’. To begin, classes have been introduced to April, her father Edmund, and her grandmother Granny Apples. Throughout the text, students will follow April through her adjustment to isolated life on Bear Island and her interactions with the animals surrounding her new home. We will continue analysing and inferring the text to build a deeper comprehension of the story and the meaning behind it.
Maths – Data Investigation
Students have been allocated new maths groups to begin studying Data and the relevant investigations that are completed to obtain results and communicate findings. Over the coming weeks, students will begin interpreting and comparing the data represented on graphs and make conclusions about these discoveries.
Inquiry – Travel Exposition
Throughout Term 4, Grade 5 students will be working in small groups to research a particular country of their choice in preparation for the Travel Expo at the end of the year. They will work productively to create an informative booklet and an exhibition stall where Grade 5 students will showcase their knowledge and welcome other year levels into their country’s culture.
Friendly Reminders for Grade 5:
3 x Health Education sessions, occurring weekly, begin on Friday the 16th of October.
Orders for 2027 Grade 6 Rugby Jumpers and Polo are now open. These are due on Monday 19th October. Please speak to your child’s classroom teacher if you’d like to try on any sample sizes.
Grade 6
Welcome back! We hope everyone has had a fantastic and restful holiday and is ready to take on the final primary school term for our Grade 6’s.
This will be an exciting, but also a super busy time for all. Term 4 will be packed with lots of learning opportunities, exciting incursions and excursions, sports finals, gala days, Transition Day for Year 7 and graduation, to name but a few.
Novel Study
Students will participate in a novel study of Rivet Boy, exploring the characters, setting, themes and key events throughout the story. Rivet Boy is a historical adventure novel set in Victorian Scotland in 1888–1889. It tells the story of 12-year-old John Nicol, a young boy who must leave school and find work to help support his family. The novel is particularly interesting because it blends historical facts with fiction. It gives readers an insight into Victorian Scotland, child labour, working conditions, engineering and the construction of the Forth Bridge.
Narrative Writing
Students will develop their skills as imaginative writers by learning how to plan, structure and write an engaging narrative. They will also practise using a variety of sentence structures, descriptive vocabulary and figurative language. This week, students will complete a narrative writing pre-assessment to demonstrate their current understanding and skills in planning and creating an engaging narrative. This assessment will provide teachers with valuable information about students’ strengths and areas for development, helping to guide their learning throughout the term.
Memory Books
The Grade 6 students will also continue publishing their Memory Books, bringing together special memories and highlights from their primary school years. A friendly reminder to please remember to send the physical Memory Book to school as soon as possible.
Mathematics
Grade 6 students are finishing their Cartesian Plane topic, where they have been developing their understanding of coordinates, plotting points and describing positions on a grid. In a couple of weeks, students will begin their Data Analysis topic, where they will explore how to collect, represent, interpret and analyse data to draw meaningful conclusions.
Smoothie Bar Incursion / Inquiry
Our Market Day theme this term kicked off with our Mini Boss Incursion. This incursion introduced students to the business world in line with our Market Day inquiry theme. Students embarked on a quest to create a smoothie product and marketing campaign. Working in teams, students discovered what it takes to become a business owner. They investigated their target market, designed and learned about cost and profit and trialled their delicious and nutritious blends. This was followed by using their skills to create marketing materials to promote their product and brand. Then it all came down to The Pitch. Congratulations to Disco Drinks and Disney’s Delightful Drinks, the two winning businesses in the Pitch Off.
GATEWAYS
All the best to our Gateways Challenge Team who will compete against other schools next Thursday at Aspendale Gardens PS. We wish Xavier, Jye, Lola and Evelyn all the best.