What's happening in the classroom

Foundation

Foundation students have been busy learning about living things! They explored the features of plants and animals and investigated what plants need to survive. Students conducted hands-on experiments using celery and flowers to observe how water travels through plants, and they also sprouted their own lentils, watching with excitement as they began to grow.

In Mathematics, students have been learning about measurement. They had fun using balance scales to compare objects around the classroom, making predictions about which were heavier or lighter. 

On the 18th of August, Foundation students were captivated by a drawing workshop with fantasy illustrator Marc McBride. They watched in awe as Marc created a dragon using an airbrush and stencils before being guided to explore new drawing techniques and embrace their imaginations as they sketched their own mythical creatures.

In Literacy, students were introduced to the digraph ‘ck’ and got creative making their own ducks. It has been a wonderful time of learning, experimenting and creating in Foundation!

Grade 1

Our little legends in Grade 1 have been getting their hands dirty while learning all about animals and plants and what they need to grow and survive! As part of our Science unit, the students created their very own grass heads, carefully planting grass seeds and creating fun characters to watch grow. 

The Little Legends are learning that plants need water, sunlight, air and nutrients to grow. They have been excitedly checking on their grass heads, watering them and watching for those first little shoots of grass to appear! 

It has been wonderful to see our little legends taking responsibility for their plants and observing how they change over time. We can't wait to see how wild and wonderful their grass heads become! Some have even started to grow!! 🌿🔬

Grade 2

This term in Science, Grade 2 students have been learning about living things, including animals and plants. We have explored what living things need to survive and grow, and the students have enjoyed making connections between their learning and the world around them.

As part of our learning, each student planted their own seeds using cotton wool and bird seed. Every day, students have carefully watered their plants and ensured they received plenty of sunlight. It has been exciting to watch the seeds begin to sprout and grow!

We have also been conducting class experiments to investigate what plants need to survive. One plant was given water and sunlight, another was placed in a cupboard without sunlight, and another was left without water. Students have been observing the changes and discussing how different conditions affect plant growth.

We are looking forward to our upcoming excursion to the zoo next Wednesday, where students will have the opportunity to learn more about animals and their habitats. We can't wait to extend our classroom learning through this exciting hands-on experience!

Grade 3

We also concluded our English unit on iron and information reports. We finished reading The Iron Man by Ted Hughes and discovered that we can overcome our fears by working together, just like the Iron Man and the people did. The story and our research also helped us learn about the element of iron, including its characteristics and properties, where it is located and mined in Australia, and its uses in the modern world. We wrote information reports about our findings - take a look at Annabelle's brilliant information report and you might learn something about iron too!

Grade 4

Cooking to Connect – Grade 4 

The Cooking to Connect program runs two sessions every Tuesday in our school hall kitchen with Janet and Tanya. Our Grade 4 students work together to prepare a variety of dishes, explore and taste new foods, and develop practical cooking skills in a fun and supportive environment.  

The program also provides a wonderful opportunity to build relationships, strengthen social connections, and encourage teamwork. Through sharing recipes, cooking together, and enjoying the fruits of their labour, our students have shown they are gaining confidence while creating meaningful friendships and a sense of community. We are looking forward to seeing some of these recipes in our upcoming school cookbook! 

Guest Speaker – Cr. Justin King 

Grade 4 were fortunate to have a guest speaker visit as part of our Civics and Citizenship unit. Cr. King was able to share his insights around being a Deputy Mayor on the Benalla Council, and he was able to tell us more about local rules and laws in Benalla. We enjoyed the opportunity to ask some questions and share what we think about our local town with the Deputy Mayor. 

Grade 5 

Grade 5 students have been very busy in maths learning all about angles. Students have learnt the different types of angles, how to measure them accurately and also about applications to real life scenarios. As part of this, students were then set a design challenge to create a golf course incorporating many different elements, including angles. It was great to see students enjoying the challenge and being so engrossed in maths.

Grade 6

Students in grade six have been exploring countries in Asia during their inquiry lessons. They have analysed information from different sources; used maps, graphs, tables and images to explain the country's geography, people, culture and environment, and its connection with Australia. Students also investigated one environmental issue on a sustainability or land management issue and propose solutions.

Illustrator: Marc McBride

As part of the lead up to book week, St Josephs was very fortunate to have the award-winning illustrator, Marc McBride visit our school. Students across all year levels learnt different artistic components like use of colour, making objects appear closer or further away, and how to draw a dragon. All this while painting impressive dragon pictures that the school can keep and display.

Urban Upcycle

Last Friday, grades 3 and 4 participated in the Urban Upcycle incursion. We revisited our understandings of recycling and sustainability and let our imaginations run wild as we made creations using recycled materials, including robots, people, animals and so much more - Sisanda N made an owl and used plastic tweezers for the brow and wooden pegs for the eyelashes. We had lots of fun and left the experience feeling very inspired!