Round the classes 

Reception class : Katie 

In the Reception class we have been starting to learn about Reconciliation Week. We are also starting to learn how to decode four letter words and we have started taking home readers. Last week we even wrote our own sentence. 

In maths we have started learning how to divide things in half as well as how to count using ordinal numbers. We have also been busy trying to keep the weeds and snails out of our garden. 

Year 1/2 classes : Sam and Kelly

What a busy two weeks we have had! We have been making great progress with our persuasive writing and are looking forward to our second Big Write this Thursday: Why should we keep our school community clean? 

We have continued focusing on our phonics by practising our initial, end and middle sounds, as well as dictation and writing sentences using openers and connectors. We also have been making predictions when reading texts, for example, What do you predict is going to happen next? 

In maths, we have been learning about addition and subtraction strategies. The children have been using counters, the hundreds chart, ten frames and number sentences to help them complete activities. It has been great to see how engaged they have been when working out how to solve the problems too 😊

Music is Fun was certainly a hit with all the classes. Some students were selected to participate by dressing up and joining in with the band. Sam’s class were peas for the Green Pea Song and Kelly’s class were driving cars for the Car Wash Song.

Year 3/4 class: Henry

Throughout Week 3 and 4 our class has been looking at 2D and 3D shapes in maths. We have learnt about the properties of quadrilaterals and polyhedrons, had fun creating 3D shapes with their corresponding 2D nets, and split larger 2D shapes into smaller shapes using geoboards. 

Our English focus has turned to informative writing. We started this new unit with a series of lessons on note taking before putting pencil to paper with a 'cold write' in which everyone had an opportunity to show off what they already knew about informative writing. We have also been looking at enhancing our writing by choosing more powerful connectives to use in place of 'and' and 'because'. 

In Geography we have continued looking at both the natural and manmade features of Australia, with the focus this week being on rivers. Students used Google Maps to find the longest rivers in each state and had a go at drawing them on a map. It has been fantastic to hear the kids talking about their experiences travelling both locally and around different parts of the country as we discover new landmarks and discuss new locations. 

Lastly, we have now had the opportunity to get stuck into the 'Mission to Mars' challenge course using the 3D design software Makers Empire. This program has given each student the chance to engage with the design process as they have all now designed new, as well as improved existing, space technology such as lunar rovers and astronaut helmets. 

Year 3/4 class: Alex

During Week 2 and 3 of this term students have been getting engaged in their drama lessons with Ada’s talented grandmother Sally Putnam. They have been listening to the soundtrack, practising lines and thinking about different parts they might be in their play of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. 

In Literacy, students have been working on their Words Their Way word sorts, discovering spelling pattern rules and practising spelling their words through a range of activities. Students have been finishing off and sharing their narrative writing pieces with each other, giving each other feedback about ‘what worked well’ and what would be ‘even better if’.

In Maths students have been applying a range of strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems. They have been using daily challenge cards to practise their problem-solving skills. 

Year 5/6 class: 

This week the year 5/6s have had Mr G while Sallie has been on leave. They have been working on a fractions investigation, which will lead into an exciting opportunity for the students to design their own educational board game.

Indonesian : Ibu Susan

In Indonesian the younger students have been busy making cicak ( geckos) and asking Di mana cicak? ( Where is the gecko?). The older students have added prepositions of place to their sentences to describe where things are located. Sallie’s class has also been researching Indonesia and comparing data on things like life expectancy with Australia.

Science : Troy

This term students in Kelly’s and Sam’s classes have been learning about the force of push and pull. Students have been creating boats which will use wind to push them through the water. During lessons they have created plans, made boats and tested how effective they have been before reflecting and making adjustments. 

P/E : Troy

Yesterday Michael from the SANFL development team came to Uraidla Primary School to run football clinics with all students. They learnt how to kick and handball playing a variety of games. Here are some snapshots of students having a great time. 

Gardening - Jo

Gardening was a bit wet this week, however, the students dodged the rain and raced around the school doing a sustainability audit race in pairs. 

The veggie garden is slowly being planted with winter vegetables.