Positive Climate for Learning

Grade 5 Learning Community

In the last week of Term 2, the Year 5 students and teachers made the move from Cosy Corner to Winkipop. It was a big week! All the students showed Care, Collaboration and Commitment as they helped each other and their teachers to pack up their belongings and move them over to Winkipop. We are settling in nicely to our new space, and are making it our own with lots of pictures and displays of all our amazing work. We even have a rainbow library and lots of great places to read.

Last week we boarded the bus with the Year 5 & 6 students and teachers and set off for “Camp Lake Dewar.” What a fantastic three days we had! The activities included; the flying fox (over a gorge!), canoeing, survival training, geocaching, tunnelling, archery and kick biking around the beautiful lake. 

We had a disco where the teachers showed us how to do the Macarena and The Nutbush! The food was delicious and the weather was great for the most part. On the last day, we all woke up to see that Jack Frost had paid a visit! 

Our History unit in Term 2, provided us with lots of opportunity to work collaboratively together. We researched The Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation and The Victorian Gold Rush of the 1880s. 

Some students learned about the different types of mining that were used. Others researched The Eureka Stockade and some of us researched the effects of The Gold Rush, such as soil erosion, pollution and the destruction of habitats, which can still be seen around gold mining towns to this day. 

We have started a poetry unit this Term and can’t wait to share some of the poems we have been writing with the Armstrong Creek School Community.

Grade 6 Learning Community

At the end of Term 2, the Grade 5 & 6 students went to Science works. We had been learning about light reflection and refraction and how electrical circuits work. We had also been learning about how light moves through different objects and surfaces.

We started the day in the “Think Ahead” exhibit, which has more than 200 objects from the past, present and future and focuses on the changes to technology throughout the years. Students could make themselves into robots via videos, and walk through a space tunnel. 

Lily C: "I liked the space tunnel because it showed me what it might feel like in space.'

Iris: "I liked learning about the fancy electronic stuff. I liked looking at the old laptops and cameras - it showed how much technology has changed."

April: "I liked the LED lights that changed colour. I also liked the part with the secret door." 

We then went into the “Sportsworks” exhibit where we learnt about the abilities of the human body. The highlight of this area was being able to race Cathy Freeman. Staff and students were faster than Cathy, although some may have cheated. We also learnt about the connection between our muscles and bones when we move and play sports.

We also got to spend some time in the “Beyond Perception” room. This was like being in a giant sensory room with lights and vibrations through the floor. Students enjoyed lying on the couches and looking up to the mirrors on the ceiling, and the airflow snow machine.

Our last exhibit was “Illuminate - How science comes to light.” Illuminate is  an exhibition exploring the science behind the fastest traveller in the universe – light. We played with different light up displays and discussed “What is light, what can we do with it and how do we see it?”

One of the highlights was the activity where we could magnify objects to see them really close up. It showed how much detail there is on bugs, string and plants. 

Here are some of the things Grade 5 & 6 students enjoyed the most about the day:

Iris: "I liked the light show area with the couches. It was a really cool place to have a chill out during the day."

Bonnie: "I liked lying on the couches and looking up at the mirrors on the roof. It was a cool area with the lights and the snow machine."

Valeria: "I liked playing with the lights in the Illuminate display. It was heaps of fun."

Arizona: "I liked seeing the golden robot. The light display was really pretty."

Sam: "My favourite part was the sports part. It was fun to test things out and challenge my friends. I got to test my vertical leap and how strong I was."

Noah: "I liked the sports section because I got to measure my wingspan. I liked being able to measure my height and see how high I could jump. There was also a VR goal keeping activity which was really cool."

Pax: "I love science works so much. I love technology and learning about how it changes over time."

Matthew: "I liked the car transformation activity. It was cool and went onto the big screen after I finished making it on the computer. I also liked lying on the couches and looking at the mirrors and lights on the roof."

Visual Arts