Specialists Updates and Celebrations

Physical Education

Grade 1 and 2 have started off Term 2 by focussing on their overarm throwing skills. Students have practised their technique by throwing and catching to each other in pairs. The size of the balls thrown and the distance chosen allowed students to challenge themselves in different ways. We also played two of our favourite games. In Fruit loops, teams have to throw bean bags into different sized hoops to get points. In our other favourite game, "Tidy the bedroom", Students are in two teams. They have to clean their side of the gym (the bedroom) as fast as they can by throwing their rubbish (balls) to the other side. Whichever team has the tidiest bedroom at the end wins!

Mandarin

Our Grade 3 and 4 students have been learning about different hobbies in Mandarin. Their learning goal is to tell their classmates about their favourite hobby in Mandarin. This week our students explored their learning through role-playing and practising their speaking skills with each other. 

Music

In the Grade 5/6 Music program we have kicked off the term by looking at rock music as a genre in preparation for Rockstar Day later this term. Students have been examining the characteristics of rock music and learning about some of the most important bands and artists. 

After a large focus on untuned percussion instruments in Term 1, we are focusing on guitar and marimba this term.

On both instruments, students will be learning class songs, independent songs and participating in writing their own music too!

Visual Arts

This week the Preps have begun their unit of work learning about Aboriginal Australian Art. They were bright with positivity and eager to learn about all the styles of Aboriginal Art, including Rock Art, Bark Painting and Dot Painting. They enjoyed colouring in beautiful Aboriginal pictures by the Aboriginal Artist Dixon Patten.

Library

Term 1 Library Highlights

This term we added a total of 1,242 new books to SMPS! 403 for the school library, 646 for the classroom libraries and 193 teacher reference books. 

This term Grade 2 to 6 visited the library weekly. During these sessions 971 library books were circulated. Classes with the most books borrowed were: 

The top borrowers for each class were:

The most popular books this term have been:

1. Weirdo 3 : Extra Weird!
2. Wings of Fire Graphic Novel : The Dark Secret
3. Wings of Fire Graphic Novel : The Dragonet Prophecy
4. The Bad Guys 3 : The Furball Strikes Back
5. Wings of Fire Graphic Novel : The Lost Heir

A BIG thank you to the parent volunteers who helped in the library during Term 1. Together they covered 705 books in contact to protect the new books for use in the library and classroom libraries.