Student Learning
What's been happening in Mrs Loffler's Foundation Class
The Foundations have been busy settling into school life and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know and spending time with their amazing Year 6 buddies. What a beautiful presentation our Year 6s gave in Week 5 at Worship.
We have begun our new Playberry Laser phonics program, learning many new letters and become masters of reciting the alphabet!
In Maths we have been busy sorting all things. We sorted buttons, toys, stationery and even our shoes! We have also learnt how to ask simple questions to collect data from yes or no answers.
We have some creative art displayed in our classroom as we focus on collage. We have used different textures and colours as well as natural materials to create some interesting display pieces.
Our Geography topic this term is A Special Place. We have been learning about places we know, places we belong, and we are looking forward to sharing with our class our own special places through an oral presentation at the end of the term. We are learning about places that are special to Indigenous Australians and the importance of Country.
We were fortunate to have Mrs Yu share a lesson with us for Chinese New Year. She brought in some of her special paper and lanterns and shared what her family does to celebrate. We enjoyed folding and cutting some window art as well as making some lanterns.
Megan Loffler
Foundation Class Teacher
What's been happening in Year 5/6M
This term we have been busy bees with our excursions, buddy assemblies, and NAPLAN coming up! Here is some of what we have been learning about so far…
Literacy
The students have been practicing their persuasive writing skills using persuasive devices and the PEEL method to structure their paragraphs. PEEL stands for point, elaborate, explain and link to the main idea of the persuasive text. The students are working towards writing a persuasive debate that will tie into our HASS unit this term. It was wonderful to see some of them already using persuasive devices as they debated on our recent excursion to Parliament House!
HASS (Civics and Citizenship)
In HASS, we have been learning about democracy where we have considered what our values are, the three levels of government and their roles, and what rights and responsibilities we have living in Australia. This is particularly relevant at the moment with the state election coming up. If you have received any election flyers that you would like to get rid of, please send them into school with your child for us to examine and discuss in class. Thank you to those who have already sent some in.
Wonder
This term we are reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio for our novel study. The students have contributed thoughtfully to discussions, and have been learning how to write effective summaries on the chapters we have read. For our beginning of the year class portraits, we decided to make them in the style of the front cover of Wonder. Here are some of our marvellous artworks, including words that we would use to describe ourselves and our interests!
Maths
This term we have all been focused on Numbers! The Year 6s have been learning about number patterns and properties, as well as the order of operations with Miss McKennall and Mrs Wicks, whilst the Year 5s have been learning about whole numbers with Mrs Spencer, and measurement with Mrs Tretheway.
Abbey McKennall
Year 5/6 Class Teacher
Year 5/6 Excursion to Parliament House
Last Wednesday, the Year 5 and 6 students had a very special time on our Parliament House excursion, where they sat in the seats of government members and joined in on a mock vote! They enjoyed wearing wigs and cheering “Here, here!” as they debated on the topic of school homework. Erin Thompson, who gave us a tour of the building, noted the students excellent public speaking skills and knowledge of democracy. We were very proud to see how our students recalled what they have learnt from our HASS lessons this term, and asked intriguing questions.
The students also enjoyed touring the Centre of Democracy and eating lunch at the Pioneer Women’s Memorial garden. Overall, it was an insightful and exciting day!
Abbey McKennall, Libby Spencer and Kate Tretheway
Year 5/6 Class Teachers
Leaders Passport
Every Tuesday after lunch, our Year 6 students take part in Leaders Passport, a program designed to develop leadership skills, build confidence, and encourage service within our community.
Each student will receive a sleek, black compendium to document their journey, filled with a mix of whole-class activities and student-choice challenges. These activities are designed to help students grow in each of the Pilgrim Student Attributes.
As they achieve milestones in different categories, students will earn badges to showcase their learning. They can wear these badges proudly as they progress through the program - challenging themselves, supporting each other, and most importantly, having fun!
We’re excited to see our leaders grow and look forward to sharing their progress with you throughout the year.
Abbey McKennall, Libby Spencer and Kate Tretheway
Year 6 Teachers
Year 5 & 6 Aquatics Adventure
What an amazing few days our Year 5 and 6 students had at Aquatics!
The Year 5s started with an important water safety session on the beach before grabbing their boogie boards and testing their skills in the waves.
The Year 6s had two big days of adventure, taking on surfing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, snorkeling, and a little boogie boarding too!
It was wonderful to see students stepping outside their comfort zones, taking on new challenges, and making great memories with their friends.
A big thank you to the staff and instructors who made this experience so special for our students. We had a blast and it’s an experience we’ll remember for years to come!
Abbey McKennall
Year 5/6 Class Teacher
Premier's be Active Challenge
Pilgrim School will be running the ‘Premier’s be Active Challenge’ in 2026. This is the 20th year of the Premier's be Active Challenge which started in 2007.
The Premier’s be active Challenge is a physical activity program introduced to:
- encourage students to be more active more often
improve the health and wellbeing of South Australian students.
Guidelines to complete the Premier’s be Active Challenge:
- Every student must have their activity recorded in the student recording booklet. These can be downloaded from Compass School Documentation or ask your child to collect one from the Front Office.
Complete at least 60 minutes of physical activity on at least 5 days of the week for at least 4 weeks between Week 1, Term 1 and Week 10 Term 3 and record it.
Please note there is an option for a 4 week, 10 week or special 20 week challenge (for 2026 only).
- Students must have their record verified by a parent, caregiver or teacher.
- Pass on the completed Student Record to the Front Office by the designated due date.
- Receive an award in late November.
Research has shown that parental support makes a difference to how active children are. One of the biggest factors in helping children to be active is providing support to participate in physical activity. Whether that is getting them to sports, taking them to the playground, riding your bike with them or simply encouraging them outside to play, these are all things that will help your child to be active.
The Premier’s be Active Challenge is most successful when parents show interest and support their children. Help your child get 60 minutes of physical activity per day and you will be making a positive difference to their future. It’s also a great way to be more active yourself!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school.
Brett Middleton
Campus Sports Coordinator & Pilgrim Wellbeing Coordinator
Premier's Reading Challenge
The Premier's Reading Challenge for 2026 is underway. All Pilgrim students are encouraged to participate in this year’s challenge!
What do I need to do?
To complete the Premier’s Reading Challenge students need to read 12 eligible books including e-books, audio books, class or shared reading, non-fiction books, books read as research for assignments or books in another language. Students in Foundation to Year 6 must read 8 books from the Premier’s Reading Challenge Booklist and 4 personal choice books between now and 4th September 2026.
Every student will need to submit a completed Student Reading Record supplied to your child last week. Spare records are available from Mrs Chesterfield or your class teacher.
Where do I find books from the list?
For a full list of books or to download a spare student record see the following link Premiers Reading Challenge on Compass.
Look for the coloured stickers in the Campus Library or your local public library.
What if my child is still learning to read?
Students may read books, listen to audio books or have someone read a book to them. This includes reading books to your child in languages other than English. If you need help completing the form or checking which books are on the list, please see your child’s class teacher.
This year we are offering a prize to the first class to return all their completed forms. As each child returns their completed student record they will write their name on one of the book spines and add it to the bookshelf display outside Mr Harris's class.
Happy reading!
Yiota Chesterfield
Premier's Reading Challenge Coordinator