Curriculum Matters
Foundation
What a busy few weeks we have had in Foundation!
First, we made Fairy Bread because we are learning how to write a procedure. We liked the last step where we get to eat it the most!
Next we had our Minibeast incursion. It was amazing! We got to feed butterflies, touch a stick insect and a yabby, catch crickets and look at them under the microscope and also we saw a real butterfly chrysalis. We learnt so much and we demonstrated so much resilience and bravery when we were getting close to the insects.
Finally, we got to make popcorn (and eat it) for another procedure. We learnt why popcorn pops and found out that a small amount of kernels makes a lot of popped corn!
Level 1
On Thursday 15th June the Level 1 students went on an excursion to Scienceworks, where we had the privilege of immersing ourselves in a world of knowledge, discovery, and hands-on exploration.
Year 1 students recently embarked on a captivating excursion to Scienceworks. Filled with eager anticipation, the young explorers boarded a bus, bubbling with excitement for the day that lay ahead—a day brimming with interactive learning, laughter, and awe-inspiring discoveries.
Upon arriving at Scienceworks, the students eagerly entered the realm of science and technology, ready to immerse themselves in a world of light and sound. One of the activities was a visit to the General Viewing exhibition, where they were exposed to a range of captivating displays and experiments designed to ignite their curiosity.
With wide-eyed wonder, the students marveled at the dazzling light displays and learned about the different sources of light that surround us daily. They discovered the science behind shadows, observing how objects block light to create dark areas. It was a joy to witness their faces light up as they realized that light could be bent and refracted.
Throughout the day, our young scientists were encouraged to ask questions, make observations, and draw connections between the concepts they were learning and the world around them. They eagerly absorbed new knowledge, their minds buzzing with excitement and their imaginations ignited by the wonders of science.
As the day drew to a close, the Year 1 students returned to their classrooms, their hearts filled with cherished memories and a newfound appreciation for the marvels of light and sound.
Level 2
Over the last 2 weeks, Level 2 students have been working incredibly hard to create their material monsters!
They have hammered, sanded, painted, and designed some incredible little monster friends. Our students are feeling an immense sense of pride looking at their new, handmade creations and it was a great effort by all students who attended our incursion!
Level 3
We are thrilled to share with you the incredible journey our students have embarked on with Lego Robotics!
Over the past few weeks, our young innovators have been immersed in the world of engineering, programming, and problem-solving, all through the magic of Lego.
Students built and coded their very own robots using Lego Mindstorms kits.
Level 4
World of Maths Incursion
At World of Maths, we witnessed what it is like to have maths in everyday life. There were some really challenging activities and some really fun activities like the busy bee puzzle. This puzzle is a really fun and challenging activity because what we have to do is to make a trail of the way the bee goes to its home. There were many other fun activities like drive along when you follow the instructions and manoeuvre a marble to its ending colour. Doing incursions like this helps us learn and have fun at the same time. Kaleb G
In week 7 we had a maths incursion with 4B and were split into groups of 4. At the incursion there were different activities. I loved the ski race activity where we used marbles and counted how many times the light goes on. The most challenging activity was like a puzzle, putting different pieces of tiles together and counting the number of lines. We worked as a team and learnt how we never give up!
Jackson S
At World of Maths, 4B and 4J were split up into groups of 4 and spent about 45 minutes doing Maths problems like solving puzzles, mazes, patterns and even more. I enjoyed all of the activities but my favourite was one where we had to do 4 small different puzzles, some were harder than others. In this incursion some kids thought outside the box like some grade 1 asked if they could put the board down on the table. Sometimes incursions aren't as interactive but this was one of the most interactive incursions I’ve experienced. I know some people don’t like maths but I think most people loved it and I loved it. Tiarna J
At World of Maths we got to play lots of different types of Maths games and we got to train our minds. In our classrooms we have been doing a lot of maths exercises for example we did graphs, division, multiplication and Maths Talent Quest Projects and for the maths incursion we got to put our skills to the test. Before we went for the Maths incursion we got into different groups from other classes. My favourite one was the snake patterns because you got to create different types of snakes. My other teammates loved the frog game because you got to weigh every frog and you have to put them in order from lightest to heaviest. Emilia V
On Tuesday 6th of June, all of the grades went to an incursion called World of Maths, this incursion included solving puzzles and mazes.
My favourite activity was the one where you had to build these objects with blocks. I liked this one because it involves the most teamwork out of all of the activities we did. My group thought that it was impossible to complete the activity, but we tried many different ways of solving the activity and somehow we worked out all of the puzzles! This incursion was incredibly fun in my opinion, especially since I love maths! Even the people that think maths is their weak point also enjoyed it!
Daniel Y
CERES Excursion
The Level 4 students had a fantastic time on their excursion to CERES.
We took part in the ‘Zero Waste’ program and learnt lots about ways we can be sustainable and work towards having zero waste in the school and the world. We made our own paper from scrap pieces of paper and although it was cold putting our hands in the water we loved the process and can’t wait for our paper to dry out.
We went on a waste walk along a river and learnt about rubbish catching initiatives that are in place to stop trash getting to the ocean.
The best activity was the bug scavenger hunt and worm farm. Some groups found a frog hiding under the log in the dirt! People who wanted to got to hold a worm in their hands and we learnt how worm farms work differently to compost.
We also enjoyed the massive playground that was built out of re-used items. The guides were all really nice and knew lots of stuff- one of them was even a past Jells Park student!
Thank you to the parents who came to help on the day and Mr Vietch for organising it for us. We have lots of new ideas for how JPPS can get closer to zero waste!
Push Up Challenge
There’s been a bit of huffing and puffing coming from the bottom portable over the past couple of weeks as both 4B and 4J are helping Mr Jenkins and Mrs Bower with the Push Up Challenge.
The Push Up Challenge is designed to facilitate conversations about Mental Health and raise awareness of organisations who strive to reduce the impact of Mental Health on our lives. Mrs Bower and Mr Jenkins have both just passed the 2000 push up mark (or a combination of push-ups, sit ups and squats) on their way to 3144 in total (each). If you would like to donate you can go to https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/main-donate-page and search for either Darren Jenkins or Jess Bower.