Curriculum News

Arbury Park - Year 5&6 Camp

Week 7 saw our senior students visit Arbury Park for two nights from June 14th to 16th. The camp was an incredible journey filled with unforgettable experiences, team-building activities and opportunities for personal growth. So let's dive into the amazing adventures our students embarked upon!

Arbury Park is nestled amidst lush greenery just outside of Bridgewater in the stunning Adelaide Hills. From hiking through scenic trails up Mt. George to discovering hidden gems living in the local ponds, our campers immersed themselves in the beauty of the great outdoors. They developed a deep appreciation for the environment and learned valuable lessons about sustainability and conservation. Our students tackled thrilling activities that pushed them beyond their comfort zones, conquering their fears and discovered their own strength and resilience. The camp was a true testament to the power of determination and teamwork.

Camp offered numerous opportunities for students to forge lasting friendships and build strong bonds, with many not wanting to come home. Through team-building exercises such as creating a campfire, cooking damper or collaborative challenges such as building shelters, they learned the importance of effective communication, trust, and cooperation. Lifelong connections were formed, and our students returned with a sense of camaraderie that will extend far beyond the camp experience.

It was an absolute blast and we are so grateful to Arbury Park for hosting us and providing our students with such an incredible opportunity. Our students will never forget the memories forged here. 

R1 - Literacy

This term in R1 we have been engaged in ‘literacy rotations’ twice a week to develop students’ literacy skills. Groups get 8 minutes per task and then silently move around the room to a different task. These learning opportunities support and enable students to practice literacy skills such as reading, writing, blending, word work as well as developing their fine motor skills. During these rotations students work with Miss Conni, Miss Alanah and also work independently!

Science in R1

For Science this term the focus has been on dinosaurs which is a very popular topic in Reception and Year 1! Students have been mini scientists and have gained further knowledge about these prehistoric creatures. They have learnt about the different features, made dinosaurs out of clay/playdough and have made defensive shields that could protect dinosaurs from ‘predators’ using recycled materials.

In R4 Science we have also been learning about Physical Sciences. We have identified the forces of ‘push’ and ‘pull’ they use in their daily lives to play, live, and work.  We explored the effect of a ‘push’ and ‘pull’ on an object’s movement. We made ‘cup launchers’ in science to investigate ‘push’ and ‘pull.’ To investigate what would be launched furthest by our ‘cup launchers’ we tried launching a pompom, a foam ball and a ping pong ball. The students discovered that they used a ‘pull’ force to pull on the balloon, and then the balloon used a ‘push’ force to launch the ball. We had a lot fun making and trying out our ‘cup launchers.’