Professional Learning Community Foundation (Preps)

Professional Learning Community 1 (Grade 1)

Wow! What a busy couple of weeks we have had in Grade 1!

The highlights of the last fortnight included our adventure to Sovereign Hill and Pirate Day.

Arrrrr me hearties…. It was fabulous to see our Grade 1s and teachers get into the spirit of Pirate Day, dressing up and helping raise funds for Childhood Cancer. Throughout the day, we had lots of fun pirate themed activities happening, including reading Pirate stories, writing a narrative about a Pirate adventure and we even had a visit from a real-life parrot. During Numeracy, students were given the challenge to hide their very own treasure and write the directions so another cheeky scallywag could find and steal the treasure.

EUREKA! We struck gold!! Last Friday, we had a fun filled day at Sovereign Hill with the Grade 2 classes. We participated in many activities including the Red Hill Mine Tour, educational lessons learning about life in the 1850s and watching the workers pour molten gold to make a gold bar. Some lucky students even got to hold the real gold. Some classes also watched the lolly making and candle making demonstrations, had a go at ten pin bowling and everyone tried their luck panning for gold.

Thank you to all of the staff who came and made the day possible for our students, and well done to our Grade 1 and 2 students who demonstrated the Delacombe values. We can’t wait to see what PBL projects you create exploring ‘Then and Now!’

Professional Learning Community 2 (Grade 2)

Professional Learning Community 3 (Grade 3)

Hello Everyone,

PLC3 Teachers hope that you all had a fun and relaxing long weekend. Some students (and teachers) were fortunate enough to travel to different destinations to just ‘get away from it all’. Lucky Ducks!

This week in Literacy, students are practising reading fluently to others. This involves reading dialogue with phrasing and expression that reflects understanding of characters and events. Thinking about how a character sounds when angry, happy or bored takes some skill with students trying to change their voice. It’s hilarious at times! Our Sounds Write focuses on the /oo/ sound with a multitude of spellings for this one sound, no wonder spelling is tricky. Can you think of a word that has the oo ew u ue u-e ui ou ough spellings?

On Tuesday all PLC3 classes had a zoom meeting with Matt Cosgrove. Students were enthralled to hear from one of their favourite authors and illustrators of the Macca the Alpaca series and many other books in Australia, including My Dad Is a Robot, Thanks, Mum!, and the Epic Fail Tales series.

In Numeracy, students are investigating how angles are everywhere in our surroundings and they are a measure of turn. They will learn some names of specific angles and understand that shapes have internal angles.

We have had the most delicious food in Kitchen recently and the happy smiles says it all. Thank you to Kate and all of our wonderful volunteers!

Have a good week!

Professional Learning Community 4 (Grade 4)

What a great Term 2 we have had! The Grade 4s have had an amazing time learning lots of interesting topics including Sea Explorers - which made Pirate Day even more interesting!

Our Reading focus this week has been on analysing texts to really understand what they are about. We have been looking at the genre of texts and why the author has written the books that we read. We have been learning about First Contacts/Sea Explorers; therefore, we have been developing our Writing skills (description, narrative and exposition) as if we were a crew member upon a boat including Navy ships, pirate boats or Captain James Cooks boat.

The Grade 4s this week are expanding their knowledge of 2 Dimensional (2D) shapes including looking at the properties. We are completing an interesting portfolio task, so make sure you look out for this next week. Perhaps you can try it in the school holidays! Scary they are just around the corner.

Thanks PLC 4 Team.

In relation to our castles topic, we are creating trebuchets and parachutes to explore forces such as gravity and push/pull! We are having fun and this week we are ready to present our findings to the rest of the class!

We hope everyone has a great and relaxing Term break ready for Term 3!

Professional Learning Community 5 (Grade 5)

What a great few weeks the Grade 5s have had!

We started off with Pirate Day last Thursday, where the school raised $545.75 for childhood brain cancer. This was incredible! The kids put great effort into their costumes and we even had real life Macaw visit all the classrooms throughout the day. A big thank you to Cooper in 5B for bringing Rio in!

This week, we participated in two amazing workshops with Matt Cosgrove, who wrote the 'Macca the Alpaca' and 'Worst Week Ever' series, and Andy Griffiths, who wrote the Storey Treehouse series.

Matt Cosgrove allowed the students to contribute their ideas into his new collection called 'Worst Week Ever'. Throughout the workshop, he gave some writing tips such as:

- don't do what is expected and do things differently to surprise the reader

- don't tell the reader everything right away, keep some details hidden to make it more interesting,

- put your own spin on it

- add conflict or a villain to your story.

We hope these tips from Matt will inspire out students to enhance their writing.

As the end of term is approaching, we would like to thank the Grade 5s for a wonderful effort, we certainly packed a lot into a short term. Please all stay safe over the holidays and make sure you come back well rested ready for a busy semester (including camp).

From Miss Mccutcheon, Miss Skrobalak and Mrs Austin

Professional Learning Community 6 (Grade 6)

Dear Parents, guardians and carers,

🎉 Congratulations on Your Child's Success in Assessment Weeks! 🎉

Firstly, we want to extend a heartfelt congratulations to your child for their exceptional effort and hard work during the recent assessment weeks. They have demonstrated resilience, determination, and a commitment to their studies, and we are extremely proud of their achievements.

✨ Exploring the Wonders of Magic ✨

In our recent learning journey, we have embarked on a captivating exploration of the question: "Is magic real?" Through our "Is Magic Real?" exposition, your child has engaged in thought-provoking discussions, analysed various perspectives, and developed their critical thinking skills. It has been wonderful to witness their curiosity and enthusiasm as they delve into this intriguing topic. Building upon the engaging discussions we've had, over the next week, students will have the opportunity to create magical description pieces. Encouraged to let their imaginations run wild, they will craft vivid and enchanting written expressions, bringing to life extraordinary spells, mythical creatures, and captivating settings. We look forward to witnessing their creativity soar!

📚 Understanding the Role of Setting in Reading 🌍

In our reading sessions, we have been focusing on the importance of settings in texts. Your child has been exploring how settings contribute to the overall meaning, atmosphere, and character development within a story. By immersing themselves in different settings, they are developing their ability to analyse and interpret the impact of these literary landscapes. We are thrilled to see their growth as insightful readers.

➕✖️ Mastering Numeracy: Area, Perimeter, and Number Patterns 🔢

In numeracy, our emphasis has been on developing a strong foundation in area, perimeter, and number patterns. Your child has been actively engaged in exploring the relationships between shapes, measurements, and mathematical patterns. Through problem-solving activities and interactive exercises, they have been building their skills in calculating area and perimeter, as well as identifying and extending number patterns. Their mathematical reasoning and critical thinking abilities continue to grow.

🌴 Approaching Well-Deserved School Holidays! 🌴

Finally, the school holidays are almost here. It's a well-deserved break for your child to relax, recharge, and spend quality time with family and friends. Take this opportunity to celebrate their achievements and create lasting memories together. We encourage you to provide opportunities for reading, exploration, and engaging in enjoyable learning experiences during the holidays.

We are grateful for your continued support and partnership in your child's education. you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Warm regards,

PLC6

Boys' Program 2023