Senior Classroom News

                          Grade 5/6 News

Weeks 2 & 3 

Last Wednesday the Gr 4, 5 and 6 students went to the Cross Country meet at Prince Park in Shepparton. They were great at encouraging each other and everyone generally had a pleasant day. Thank you to the parents, (and the grandparent) who were able to be present for your children on this day. It makes the students day when you can make an event like this. We understand it is not always possible.

At the end of last week in Religion, Gr 5 /6 students completed their unit on How Lent Can Transform Our Lives. We moved into a new unit called Pentecost – Celebrating the Spirit, which looks at Identifying the meaning of the feast of Pentecost, the role the Holy Spirit played in the lives of early Christians and exploring ways that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives and today’s world. Here are images of the Prayer Service we had in our room to conclude the unit on Lent.

Here the students volunteered to share the things that they find challenging in life and then how they will help them grow as a person.

In English, the students have settled into their reading groups which focus on the skill of summarising the chapters they read in the text with me, THRASSing out their spelling words, playing word games and following instructions to make unique items for special people.

During Maths, the students have been revising and using units of measurement that cover: area, length, mass (as in Weight), capacity and volume in their Maths groups and during explicit teaching times with me. I have also ensured that the maths task is Open Ended to see how the students solve the challenging Maths using real problems.

As a tool to assist students in learning better concentration, managing their energy and staying focused on their work, students at St Mary’s follow the Berry St model of having a Brain Break. Here is an example of some Gr 5 /6 students trying to untangle themselves, which requires patience, cooperation and teamwork.

Monday, the student undertook the Thrive Online Virtual Inclusion. The focus was on Green Time Diary, which concentrated on getting out and doing anything besides being on electronic devices.  

Last week JJ, as our  Focus Child for the day, brought to school his rock collection to share with the Grade. The students could touch each piece of his collection, and they listened with respect and interest. Well done.

Yesterday the senior students had two guest performers/ teachers, Mon and Laura, from the Australian School of Performing Arts (ASPA). They worked with the students on the songs they would perform, gave them warm-up activities which they enjoyed, and dance moves to practise. 

The Festival of the Sacred is on the 14th of June in Kyabram. 

You are welcome to come and watch - more information to follow in the coming weeks.