Specialist Update

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC TEACHERS

We are currently looking for instrumental teachers for 2023. We need both guitar and drum teachers. If you are interested in this opportunity or know someone who may be, please email the school with attention to Lisa Scott or contact Lisa Scott directly to place your expression of interest. We have many interested families, we just need the teachers!!

Another busy term for the Specialist team!   

MUSIC

This is an outline of what we will be covering in Music this term: 

 Prep students will continue to develop their musical skills through the topics of ‘The Jungle’ and ‘The Sea’. 

Year 1 – students will explore creating body percussion and learn techniques for playing a range of percussion instruments.  They will also experience music and dance from different countries. 

Year 2 – Students will be creating and performing soundscapes and will develop their improvisation skills. They will also experience music and dance from different countries. 

Year 3 - students will be challenged to develop their singing skills by learning and performing a variety of rounds and canon. They will also compose their own music using the pentatonic scale. 

Year 4 - students will be learning techniques to play in a drum circle and will also use a range of ‘Orff’ instruments to play music in unison and in several parts. 

Year 5 – studentswill experience playing the guitar and bass guitar.  They will be learning to play chords and riffs to accompany a variety of songs in whole class music making.  They will also write and perform a piece of rap music. 

Year 6 - students will experience playing the bass guitar and further develop their individual skills in instrumental playing using either guitar/bass/keyboard/ukulele/drums/marimba. 

They will play and perform a whole class song chosen by the students. 

PERFORMING ARTS

We are super excited to consolidate our acting and dramatic skills throughout this term. 

Week 1, all year levels watched and discussed drama and performances from all around the world and senior students used Venn Diagrams to compare and contrast these performances with each other. 

Prep students are focusing on learning and then performing well known nursery rhymes and looking at drama through literacy. 

Year 1 students are discovering how to use dramatic skills to perform improvisations and using our bodies for mime and movement. 

Year 2 students are learning and then presenting a well-known fairy tale to the class and learning how to portray the characters in them. Students are also learning how to improvise in drama. 

Year 3 students are beginning the term learning and performing a reader's theatre play with a group and then looking at literacy through drama.  

Year 4 students are beginning the term learning and performing a reader's theatre play with a group focusing on characterisation and expression when performing and then looking at puppetry and masks used in performances. 

Year 5 students will begin the term writing a script, then practicing and performing it to the class and then investigate mime and movement in drama.  We will finish the term discovering our individual talents! 

Year 6 students will begin the term writing a script, then practicing and performing it to the class and then study and create some digital drama.  We will finish the term with a talent showcase for our classes. 

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Term 4 is full of extra sporting activities for our students in every year level. 

The term began with a two-week swimming program for students in Years 1 to Year 3 at KingSwim Narre Warren. Later this term, the Years 4, 5 6 students will take part in a swimming program at Casey Arc. 

On the 19th October, the school had a record fifteen students representing Hillsmeade Primary School at the Regional Athletics Day at Casey Fields. The students did an amazing job competing at such a high level. 

The junior cross-country race will take place on Friday 28th October. This will be an exciting day as the Year 6 students will be running other fun activities for the students when they are not running in the race. The junior athletics day will take place on Friday 18th November which will feature a mixture of traditional and fun athletics events. 

There are no interschool sports events this term, however our Year 5 and Year 6 sport programs will jam packed with a range of activities including dancing and sports tournaments.  

The focus for the physical education lessons this term will be net sports. Students will be exploring the skills involved in range of net sports including badminton, volleyball, tennis and table tennis. 

The school was also successful in receiving a grant to purchase golf equipment. Students in Years 5 and Years 6 will also be given a few golfing tips from two experts who will be visiting the school to deliver a golf program on Wednesday 26th October. 

MANDARIN 

We are very proud to hear our students across all year levels use Mandarin outside the Mandarin class - from varying their greeting words based on the time of a day to singing some children’s rhymes at home.  Feedback from parents, and also grandparents, keeps coming back and reminding me how much our language program is being valued and supported in our school community. 

In Term 4, we will continue to build up our speaking skills, expand our vocabulary, learn about Chinese characters and explore some cultural aspects.  Different year levels will engage in a specific unit of work.

Prep students will learn to say basic colours and will be officially introduced to the Chinese writing system. They will learn to use a writing grid to practise handwriting Mandarin numbers in both characters and Pinyin (the Romanised pronunciation).  

Year 1 students will learn to say basic family words. They will learn to express preferences to describe their likes and dislikes in colours, and to substitute the subject ‘wo’ (I) with other nouns, such as family words and pets.  

Year 2 students will extend their vocabulary of colours and learn to say basic family words and some common pronouns.  They will learn to express preferences to describe their likes and dislikes in colours, and to substitute the subject ‘wo’ (I) with other nouns and pronouns.  

Year 3 students will focus on a group of fruit names. They will learn to ask simple yes/no questions and provide answers using scripted mini dialogues. Students will be introduced to the Mandarin Pinyin alphabet and have a close look at the initial sounds (consonants).  

Year 4 students will explore some Chinese characters through an animation, Thirty-six Characters. They will focus on the characters as logographs and learn about their origins. Students will play various hands-on and digital games to help them reinforce this knowledge.  

Year 5 students will focus on countries, nationalities and sports. They will learn to say a selection of common verbs and apply them to exchanging information about activities they do. Students will revise days of the week and create a weekly planner of extra-curricular activities.  

Year 6 students will extend their vocabulary of food. They will learn to give simple reasons when expressing preferences in food. Students will apply this knowledge when giving a mini speech about themselves and practising mini dialogues to exchange information with their peers.  Students will continue to examine character structures and components in enrichment activities. 

Digitech and Media Arts.

In Term 4, students will consolidate what they learnt last term and support new learning in Digitech and Media Arts.

Prep, Year 1 and Year 2, students will revise the correct terms to name ICT equipment and practise using a mouse, keyboard, and touch screen to manipulate commands on the screen.  Pupils will use QR codes to open and use resources for their teaching and learning.  Students will be shown how to take photos using an iPad and be creative with long and close-up shots, action images and capturing our outdoor environment.  These images will be employed to create collages of their photography.  Students will be encouraged to practice these skills at home with regular updates to class teachers and parents/carers. 

Year 3 students will complete a design of their superhero/villain characters.  They will use their character to develop a short comic story using Comic Captions.  They will also learn to create a character by using drawing tools.  They will learn techniques for tracing, using colour and drawing freehand from online experts and sharing ideas. 

Year 4 students will have an opportunity to complete their animated films.  It will give students the chance to show their skills at teamwork, building on a storyline and making it come alive with animation.  Year 4s will also learn to show their creative drawing skills using Sketchbook.  They will learn techniques for tracing, using colour and drawing freehand from online experts and sharing ideas. 

Year 5 students will learn the skills of animation.  They will then research, plan and create a short, animated film to share with others.  The school will offer students an opportunity to build digital intelligence.  The eSmart Digital Licence+ provides students with an exciting, gamified learning experience to explore an interactive story world.  Users will engage with learning materials, relatable scenarios, and guided reflections of their own experiences with technology.  Students earn the badges they need to receive their Digital Licence+ by completing each milestone. 

Year 6 students will be exposed to Podcasts.  They will hear how this form of communication is prevalent in covering various topics.   Students working in teams will be encouraged to build their style and brand and build a follow over the term.  The school will offer students an opportunity to build digital intelligence.  The eSmart Digital Licence+ provides students with an exciting, gamified learning experience to explore an interactive story world.  Users will engage with learning materials, relatable scenarios, and guided reflections of their own experiences with technology.  Students earn the badges they need to receive their Digital Licence+ by completing each milestone.