Professional Learning Community Foundation (Preps)

Professional Learning Community 1 (Grade 1)

Hello, Grade 1 families and welcome to the halfway point of the term. Our students have been quite driven and energised over the past few weeks with their learning and are being creative in showcasing their understanding. Within Numeracy, Grade 1s have been having a hands on experience with capacity, learning about what has a capacity and what can be used to fill that object. Students were able to utilise measuring items such as sand and Unifix Blocks to fill using even scoops. Literacy has centred around fairytales and recreating a unique version of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. With their weird and wonderful ideas, these fairytales are sure to create some added hype around the kitchen table as Grade 1s conclude their narratives this week.

Parents, keep an eye out for an email with a couple of changes for next week regarding Numeracy.

We also have something crazy happening this Friday! I am sure your students will be excited to tell you all about it when the get home Friday!

Professional Learning Community 2 (Grade 2)

Writing

In Writing, we have begun to write a persuasive piece titled ‘I Should go to the Moon!’ Students have been inspired by the Phil Cummings book ‘Touch the Moon’. We are focusing on using strong and powerful vocabulary that convinces our reader.

Reading

In Reading we have been exploring the powerful language and powerful writing strategies used by Phil Cummings in his picture story books. Our focus has been adjusting our reading and self-correcting our errors without disrupting fluency.

Numeracy

In Numeracy, students have been working on developing our division strategies and understanding the link between multiplication and division using post box maths. Students have explored using the problem-solving strategy- use concrete materials by using the Cuisenaire Rods.

PBL: We have begun to explore chemical science and students have been able to participate in some exciting experiments such as making slime and investigating how skittles react with water.

In kitchen our students have been cooking up a storm! We have made risotto and bread sticks.

Professional Learning Community 3 (Grade 3)

The countdown to camp has well and truly begun! With only 2 weeks to go, we have been writing a very convincing exposition in Writing, giving all the reasons as to why school camps are awesome! We are discussing the setting and mood of texts in Reading and making connections between these in multiple texts.

In Numeracy we are looking at fractions and practising counting by fractions.

If you are yet to complete permission and medical forms for camp, please ensure these are completed ASAP to allow for adequate planning.

Professional Learning Community 4 (Grade 4)

This week the Grade 4 students have been continuing to learn about dragons and their fascinating history.

In Reading and Writing, we are deciding if dragons and other mythical creatures such as mermaids and unicorns exist or not. What do you think?

In Numeracy we have been exploring different 3D shapes and their volume. We have learnt how to calculate the volume of these shapes, both regular and irregular! We've used Unifix Blocks and Geoshapes to help us visualise rectangular prisms. We've really enjoyed learning about different shapes!

For PBL, we have just started researching different materials to help make the perfect outfit. We have all gotten our own scenarios to design clothes for, and we have to think about the different properties of materials and whether they might be useful in the scenario. We're looking forward to presenting them at the end of the term!

Professional Learning Community 5 (Grade 5)

The last few weeks have had us very busy in PLC 5, with students really getting into their book club texts and practising the skill of analysing, particularly identifying symbols and evaluating how realistic a text is and justifying their thinking. Students have also been looking at precepts (lessons in which to live by) and working hard to understand their meaning and apply the lessons within them to their own lives.

In Writing students have loved creating their Choose Your Own Adventure story working on developing multiple endings with a variety of great, good or bad endings. Keep an eye out for these pieces in Students’ Portfolios this term, but why not ask them to share their favourite storyline.

In Numeracy students have been working hard to plan a party – creating their own budget and collecting the prices of all items. They needed to think about pricing for a venue/entertainment, decorations and all food costs for their guests. Student were also challenged to find the new price if a discount was applied.

As you would all know we are busy preparing for the Grade 5 camp next week. Please make sure that you have filled out a medical form for any medication that students require over the 3 days. Please see your student’s teacher for a copy of this form ASAP to allow us adequate time to prepare. We can’t wait to share with you our Camp Adventures, it is sure to be a truly fantastic experience!

Professional Learning Community 6 (Grade 6)

As we approach the halfway point of Term 3, we extend a warm welcome to you all. We hope this message finds you well and ready to embrace the continued learning and growth that lies ahead.

In Numeracy, our students have been honing their skills in the conversion of fractions, decimals, and percentages. This groundwork is paving the way as we delve into the application of percentages, including calculating discounts on products.

Turning our attention to Reading, we're diving into a new enthralling class text, "Fuzzy Mud" by Louis Sachar, the author of “Holes”. This captivating narrative will be at the heart of our learning activities. At the moment students are working to uncover hidden meanings and explore the depths of the story through inferring.

In Writing, our students are crafting engaging and imaginative narratives, expanding their vocabulary and storytelling prowess. We are all very excited for the students to be able to share their stories with you.

Science is taking us on an exhilarating journey through the wonders of chemical sciences. Our students are actively engaged in captivating experiments that illuminate the transformative properties of matter. This week we have looked at how the speed in which chemical reactions occur can be impacted by changes in temperature.

Looking ahead, we're excited to celebrate Book Week on August 22nd, a time when our students can immerse themselves in the joy of reading and storytelling and of course dress up!

Finally, a gentle reminder to families about the importance of promptly returning Year 7 acceptance forms to the school, ensuring a smooth transition for the year ahead.

Warmest regards,

The PLC 6 Team

JSC News