Classroom connections
We hope that by showcasing the learning from each year level in this section of our newsletter we give you, our HEPS community insight into the amazing things that happen in our classrooms on a regular basis. Please enjoy a snapshot of our wonderful learning from the last fortnight.
Foundation
Literacy
We have been exposed to all 44 English sounds. FKB are doing a great job of stretching and blending words and sentences together. We are loving reading! Now we are starting to learn about ‘Magic E’, with our ‘Magic E’ wands we can turn a short vowel sound into a long vowel sound.
Numeracy
In Numeracy this week we have been learning about giving directional language such as, next to, under, above, beside, forward and backwards. To practice these skills we used BeeBots and choreographed a BeeBot dance. It was so much fun!!
Life Saving Australia
Life Saving Australia spoke to FKB about different ways we can stay safe at the Beach.
By Slipping on a shirt, slopping on some sunscreen, slapping on a hat, seeking out some shade and sliding on some sunglasses. We also got to try on some life saver outfits! Look at how cute we are.
Foundation KB are so proud of all the learning and growing they are doing! They really know how to ‘Aim High’ at HEPS.
Level 1
In Level 1 we have been busy learning lots of new things and exploring different topics. In Reading, we have been exploring Non-Fiction texts and have been working on identifying the different features such as the title page, headings, labels and photographs. In Spelling, we have been looking at nouns and pronouns and each student created an illustration that was added to our ‘Noun Town’. We have also been working on initial blends in words, such as ‘bl’, ‘fl’, ‘pl’ and ‘st’.
In Writing, students have been writing lots of procedure pieces. Last week, the Level 1’s made fairy bread and then wrote a procedure on how to make it. This week, we have been making popcorn and writing out accurate steps on how to make it. The students have enjoyed being chefs and tasting the different things we have made.
In Maths, we’ve been exploring addition and subtraction. The students have worked hard at learning the relationship between these two operations and have enjoyed completing various activities about these topics.
In Inquiry, we have been ‘change explorers’. Students have been looking at how things change and what causes something to change. We conducted a change experiment with spaghetti and observed how it changed when heated and then made pictures using the spaghetti! The students had a lot of fun and discovered that spaghetti can get quite sticky when cooked!
Finally, the Level 1’s attended the Lifesaving Victoria incursion, where we learnt how to stay safe around water and what to do if we ever get into danger. The students enjoyed participating in hands-on activities and sharing their knowledge about water safety.
Looking ahead, we will be learning about Location and Direction in Maths and learning different positional words such as ‘on top’, ‘under’, ‘next to’ and so on. In Reading, we will continue looking at non-fiction features, as well as identifying the main idea of a book. In Writing, we will be moving onto learning about Information Reports. In Inquiry, we are continuing on with our Science unit ‘Spot the difference’ and ‘Bend it, stretch it’ and will continue exploring change.
Level 2
We have had a great 2 weeks in Level 2. The students have been working super hard, and have been doing really well with assessments. The students have been engaged in predicting for reading, persuasive in writing, money and number talks in numeracy and water for inquiry. All the level 2 students have shown a great work ethic and teamwork in all areas of learning.
LITERACY:
Writing
Over the past two weeks, students loved writing persuasive pieces about their Mums, explaining all the ways their mum is the best, making Mother’s Day cards, filling in questionnaires and writing everything we know about our mums. We have also refreshed our memories around Narrative, Procedure and Persuasive writing.
Reading
During reading lessons, we have been looking at predicting, using our schema of what we already know. Students have enjoyed looking at different stories and predicting what they think will happen from the front cover. Students have enjoyed seeing if their prediction was correct or if the story had a different sequence of events.
NUMERACY
In Numeracy over the last 2 weeks, Level 2 has been learning about money. We have been looking at where we use money and have explored identifying and ordering different values of Australian coins and notes. During these Numeracy lessons we have looked at using addition strategies when working out the amount of money we had in front of us. This term we have introduced Number Talks. During number talks we present our students with a math problem and ask them to mentally solve it without being able to write down their strategies. We then ask the students to share the strategies they used with the class.
INQUIRY
In Inquiry, students have been looking at water this term. In week 3 of this term, we had an incursion run by Life Saving Victoria. The students had a great time learning about how to be safe around water, how to read signs at the beach and what to do if they find themselves getting into trouble while out in the water. Some of our students were lucky to try on a life guard uniform and we had a race to see who could put on a life jacket the fastest.
LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR LEARNING IN WEEK 5 AND 6 OF TERM 2:
Inquiry: Water
Reading: Predicting, Analysing and Inferring
Writing: Informative writing
Spelling/Grammar: ‘ch’ as in school, ‘ai’ making the long ‘a’ sound and homophones
Handwriting: Hh and Ii
Maths: Addition strategies
Level 3
In 3GE we have settled in well to the new term. We have been completing some assessment tasks and worked very hard to show off all of the growth we have made so far this year.
READING
We have started learning to make inferences, or ‘read between the lines’, when we read. When we first learnt about inferencing, we discussed how it is different to predicting but we sometimes make predictions and inferences at the same time. Our first activity involved making inferences about what was happening in the comic strip, and then making a prediction about what might happen at the end.
WRITING
In 3GE we have been learning about adventure narratives and the 6+1 Writing Traits ‘Ideas’ and ‘Organisation’. We have finished brainstorming, planning, and developing our characters, and soon we will start writing our Bold Beginnings, Mighty Middles, and Excellent Endings.
MATHS
In Maths, we have been learning about addition and subtraction, focussing on the different strategies that we can use and being able to explain our thinking. We really loved the game called ‘Closest to 100, 1000 or 10,000’, where we got to practise vertical addition with and without regrouping.
LIFESAVING VICTORIA
In Week 3, we were lucky enough to get a visit from some lifeguards from Lifesaving Victoria. They spoke to us about water safety at the beach and around bodies of water, including swimming pools. Miss. Edgell was so impressed with how well we listened to the lifeguards and each other.
Level 4
The Level 4 Urban Camp: A Successful Combination of Independence, Educational Interest and Fun!
We are so proud of the Level 4 students from Heathmont East Primary School who attended the Melbourne Urban Camp over Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in week 2 of term 2. It was an action-packed few days that saw our students experience some of Melbourne's most iconic landmarks and attractions.
The Melbourne Urban Camp is a unique opportunity for our students to explore the city and develop their independence. During their time in Melbourne, the students visited the MCG, where they saw the giant AFL football stadium in all its glory. They also visited the Shrine of Remembrance, where they learned about wartime history and saw the eternal flame.
The students also got to experience the Melbourne Sky Deck at night, where they were treated to breathtaking views of the Melbourne skyline. In addition, they attended a safety talk with Victoria Police and toured the Old Melbourne Gaol, gaining unique insights into Melbourne's history.
At the Melbourne Museum, the students saw viewed and learned about amazing dinosaurs, rainforests, and Magical Melbourne (including see the magnificent Phar Lap with his 6 kg heart). The interactive music trivia night was a highlight, as they could participate some crazy dance, have fun and answer some pretty tricky questions at the same time. Lastly, the students visited the Royal Melbourne Zoo, where they were captivated by the animals and wildlife.
Throughout the camp, the students travelled independently on trams and trains, using public transport to get around. Their behaviour was exemplary, showing amazing cooperation, resilience, and independence.
We would like to take this opportunity to say how immensely proud we are of each and every one of our students. They were a complete pleasure to look after the whole time, and we hope they enjoyed the experience as much as we enjoyed having them on the trip.
Thank you to all parents and guardians who supported their children in attending this fantastic opportunity to explore Melbourne.
Level 5
Level 5 have been busy planning, designing and creating dioramas of a moment in Australian history as part of our Inquiry topic. It has been a rich and interactive way to research and understand facts and information. The students have researched and written an information report to go with their diorama and will move on to recording a sound element to further explain their learning. There has been an emphasis on using the internet in a safe way and only using websites that are credible and factual. Our students have been focused on angles, times table fluency and time in maths and have been making sure they can discuss and articulate our process and problem solving in class reflections. It has been wonderful to see every student being respectful and kind to each other. The Level Five teachers are incredibly proud.
Level 6
Hello! We are 6RH and we are thrilled to be presenting in this week’s newsletter! We have done so many cool things recently and are thrilled to share them with you!
Cross Country
Firstly, Two weeks ago we had Cross Country! We were all super excited and were happy to help set up and encourage some of the younger kids. Even though Cooper, who is one of the sports captains, won for Green House, Blue House managed to come on top with some solid performances. “I’m super proud of Blue House. They are a great team.” said Blue House Captain Charlotte. We were also super excited to help out our prep buddies with their first ever Cross Country. We were all super happy for them, especially for Leroy and I, where our buddy went from a rough start to second!
Inquiry
In Inquiry we are currently learning all about Australia’s history, from the Aboriginals to the Federation of Australia, when all the states united to become a country. At the moment we are making dioramas of a special event in Australia’s history, like the First Fleet, the Gold Rush and many other amazing things. “It’s very interesting learning all about Australia’s history.” says Green House Leader Mason and we can’t wait to keep working on our dioramas!
Life Saving Victoria Incursion
Last week Life Saving Victoria came to our school to present a presentation all about safety in and near aquatic environments. We learned what to do in an emergency at the beach or in the pool. We practiced saving our friends and learned about what it takes to become a Life Saver. We also learned what all the signs and flags mean, to help us stay safe. I’m sure we will all know what we can do to help ourselves and others next time we’re at the beach.
ES Staff Appreciation Day
Tuesday the 16th of May was ES Staff Appreciation Day where we celebrated the work of our ES Staff at HEPS. The work the ES Staff do is important as they work with the students and help them when the teachers are busy and assist students finding school hard.
Cartesian Coordinates and Transformations
In Maths we have been learning about location and geometry and on Monday we learned all about Cartesian coordinates. The Cartesian coordinates are a system of working out the coordinates of a specific location. Often referred to as a number plane. We all made a number plane and drew a picture, lining it up with different coordinates. We then used our transformation skills to Translate it, Reflect it and finally rotate it in all four quadrants of the number plane.
Looking Ahead
Some events we have coming up include School Photos, so make sure to get your order placed on Schoolpix soon. On Thursday this week we have an Open Night! All the classes have a chance to show off their learning.🙂
By George and Thanh
Sustainability
This week we are introducing Nude Food Fridays. At HEPS, we are aiming for ZERO items of rubbish every Friday, to work towards becoming a waste-wise school. When packing your lunch box on Friday, remember to include Nude Food. That means no rubbish. The class with the least amount of rubbish each week will receive an award at our Monday Assembly! We can't wait to see how you go!
From The Sustainability Team
Japanese
Mrs Elliott and I are very excited to announce that students at HEPS have the opportunity to engage in Virtual Exchange with a school in Japan. Over the school holidays, I visited Oyamagaoka Elementary School in Machida, Tokyo. I met with their English teacher, Megumi Sensei, and she gave me a tour of the 3-story school. I also met many Japanese students who wanted to impress me with their English skills! Megumi Sensei and I will be working together over the next few months to plan our Virtual Exchanges with our upper-level students. Together, we hope to build a strong and positive relationship between our schools. Megumi Sensei is hoping to visit us in the future, so keep an eye out! For now, enjoy some photos of Oyamagaoka Elementary School that I took during my visit.