Welcome to Term 4

Welcome back to Term Four. It certainly has been a different year to anything else we have ever experienced; however, our Level Six children have remained stoic throughout. We are incredibly proud of the way each child has met their own individual challenges during this time and are thrilled to see the children back at school very soon. 

For Level Six learners in particular, the pandemic of COVID-19 has denied them of some opportunities that they would have otherwise had. Despite this, our learners have remained positive since transitioning between online and on-site learning and seem determined to make the most of their final term of primary school. As a result, much of the discussion that has been happening in Level Six has been and will be focused on our Graduation and transition to secondary school. 

Whilst Graduation will look a little different this year, we will still ensure that it allows the children to celebrate their time at GWPS and acknowledge all of their achievements over the journey. Graduation is an important rite of passage, and we want to ensure it is memorable for all of the learners. Currently, collaboration is underway with both staff and students to develop a graduation that fits the GWPS COVID-19 Safe Plan and will also be a highlight for everyone involved. 

Finally, we would like to finish by acknowledging the tremendous support of the parents/guardians this year. Much of the success during the Learning from Home period was due to your diligence and willingness to support your child while running a household or managing full/part time work. We sincerely thank you for all of the time and commitment you displayed during this year. 

As always, we look forward to a productive term. If you ever have any queries, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

The Level Six Team.

MATHS 

During Term Four, the Level Six learners will be covering a range of Mathematics concepts including Patterns and Algebra, Geometric Reasoning, Chance and Probability. The whole school approach of SURF will provide students with a structured framework to use when working mathematically. The SURF strategies will also be used for students to choose their mathematics learning goals. Students will work with a range of different problems and will be provided with opportunities to combine pictorial, concrete and abstract strategies to justify their found solutions to questions and challenges. 

While at home, you can support your child by:

• Encouraging them to show their working out when completing maths problems.
• Prompt them to double check their learning to minimise ‘silly’ mistakes.
• Facilitate questions about what patterns do they notice in the world around them. 

English

During Term Four, students are exploring the genre of speech writing in preparation for our graduation ceremony on the 2nd of December. Students in Level Six will compete for the honour of presenting their speech in front of their peers, teachers and the wider community. Winners will be shortlisted in their classes first based on a set of agreed criteria created as a cohort. Shortlisted applicants will then present their speeches to Mr Catalano and other teachers.

Through analysis of a variety of speeches, both exemplary and otherwise, students will build an understanding of the various strategies that a speech maker uses to engage an audience. This includes exploring how literary devices such as rhetoric questions, alliteration, and the power of three, enhance audience engagement and how to demonstrate confidence when public speaking.

All learners will present their speeches to their peers in class, and students will have the opportunity to provide feedback to others whilst refining their own speech.

Following on from speech writing, we will reflect on our skills as creative writers through a Poetry unit.

If you wish to support your child’s learning at home in the area of Literacy this term, you can:

•             Encourage them to read their speech aloud to you.

•             Encourage your child to read regularly, discussing their books with them and asking questions to determine your child’s understanding of the text.

Inquiry

We start off Term Four wondering, how does light form images that we interpret? We will explore the electromagnetic spectrum of light and understand how and why we see colours and light. We look at the biology of the human eye and how light reflection and refraction allow us to see. We will link our science unit with our graduation ceremony by designing and creating a unique disco ball that scatters, refracts and reflects light.

As we come to the end of our final year of Primary school, we shift our thinking to “how are rites of passage celebrated?” This will provide our students to consider what a rite of passage is and how key milestones are celebrated in different countries and cultures.

If you wish to support your child’s learning at home in the area of Inquiry this term, you can:

• Discuss different rites of passage that are important to your family and culture. 
• Encourage your child to discuss and further their exploration of light with you.