2021 Pakenham Springs PS

Before I begin to write the latest entry for the newsletter, I have a habit of reading the past one. Just a fortnight ago I began with ...

"Many of us are holding the year 2021 in high hopes and thus far, it has not disappointed."

Well, perhaps not disappointed but recent news has certainly taken us back a little (5 days to be exact). Before the news on Friday however, the Learning Community here at Pakenham Springs was in full swing. I am so pleased that I took every opportunity I had to visit students in classrooms.

Year 3 students have been revising odd and even numbers. What makes a number odd or even? Does your child know how to define an even number?

CHALLENGE and REWARD.

Encourage your child to write the definition of odd and even and show me at school - I may even have a surprise waiting up in the office for students who give this a go! Another learning task in Mathematics last week was identifying sets of numbers as greater than, less than or equal to. An example of this learning can be seen in the photo below.

Students also completed a Reading assessment. This will ensure all students are catered for at their point of need. The Year 3 teachers have been working collaboratively to analyse these results and are now using this information to inform their planning and teaching. Reading every night is still very important in Year 3. Please listen to your child read, have books of interest for them to access and ask them about the characters and/or the things they have learnt through reading.

Students in Year 4 have been assessed in their spelling pattern awareness and knowledge. The Year 4 teaching team have done a fantastic job sorting this data and planning literacy-based lessons around the needs of all students. In mathematics, the year 4 students have already leapt into recognising, representing and writing FOUR and FIVE digit numbers! You can see in the photo below that students were provided with a clearly stated learning intention (WALT) and success criteria (WILF) to support them. This practice is consistent with research, stating students learn best when they know what is expected of them.

I was fortunate enough to visit a few Year 5 classrooms whilst the students were practising their Student Council Representative (SRC) election speeches. I have shared some snippets of them here:

Brody writes:

I will be a good role model for the school. I am very helpful and respectful. I will make sure our school is kept clean and tidy, that our school is a happy and respectful place.

Ebony writes:

I think I would be a great SRC rep because I will listen to what you have to say. I will try my best to have creative ideas for our school. I think being an SRC rep would be a good opportunity to learn more about Pakenham Springs and make good decisions for this school.

It is going to be a tough decision and an interesting result - stay tuned!

YEAR 6

Our Year 6 students have been amazing. They are really proving why they have earned the position of senior school leaders. With the classrooms calm, safe and orderly, our focus is on learning and wellbeing. It is important that we work as a team to encourage our children to speak with respect and to be tolerant of differences. Classroom mission statements have also been a focus. The mission statement is jointly created and gives purpose to the class. It is an agreed way of behaving towards each other. Please ask your Year 6 students about their class mission statement. They may not have it memorised just yet, but they certainly can describe it.

Keep an eye out for an invitation to attend this term's Springers Celebrations. These began last week and will continue, each Friday this Term. These celebrations are for excellence in effort, learning, showing the school values and being a productive member of our Learning Community. At this stage, please understand that only one adult can attend the event. We are all crossing our fingers (and toes) that we can increase this number in the coming school terms. When your child has been awarded a ‘Springers Award’, please come to the office at the time stated. This ensures a timely start to the celebration and prevents interruptions.

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend,

Regards

Mrs. Jane King

Assistant Principal (Middle/Senior School)

Communication

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