Curriculum News
National Simultaneous Storytime
On 24 May, students from Clovelly Park Primary School participated in the National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS). At 11am, in every classroom across the school, students were engaged in reading ‘The Speedy Sloth’ written by Rebecca Young and Heath McKenzie. The students listened attentively as teachers and guest readers brought the characters and story to life.
Clovelly Park was one of 20,154 locations participating in the event with over 2,199,785 students listening to the text across the nation. The impact of National Simultaneous Storytime extends far beyond the event itself. It inspires a lifelong love of reading and stimulates imagination. By participating in this nationwide initiative, our school reaffirms its commitment to promoting literacy and equipping our students with the tools they need to succeed in their educational journey and beyond.
Maths
G1 has been learning about measurement in maths. This week we have been focusing on length. We have been using lots of different materials to practice measuring things in our school. Today we measured each other and made flowers of how tall we are!
G3 & G4 recycling
G3 are teaming up with their amazing buddy class in G4 embarking on an eco-friendly mission. Our goal is to collect and recycle 10c containers to provide funds for the school's social justice club and reduce waste going to land fill. Currently we are walking around to classes collecting any 10c recyclables. From this, we have been creating posters to be placed onto bins that will encourage students to put their 10c containers in and to use the bins correctly. Together, they're proving that small actions can make a big difference! Stay tuned for more information on this later this term.
Y6 & Y7 NRL Excursion
On Wednesday 17th May, Y6 and Y7, our year 5’s and 6’s participated in an NRL Southern District Tackle Carnival at Brighton Primary School competing against other local primary schools. We had both a girls’ team and a boys’ team compete, all students played and played very well. It was awesome to see the skills and confidence of our students develop and grow over the course of the day. There were some serious NRL skills on display by our cohort, lots of impressive tackles, strategies and tactics in place and students who managed to resist being tackled, powering down the field. Well done to our girls who even volunteered to play for other schools who didn’t have enough players. The girls won their final game, the boys tied a game and both teams came home with a trophy. The boys won the NRL Inclusivity Award and the girls brought home the NRL Sportspersonship Award. We definitely have some junior NRL stars in the making. Mr Collier, Miss Helen and Miss Karina are all very proud of the way students not only participated but conducted themselves over the course of the day. Every student did an amazing job of representing Clovelly Park Primary School.
At our Governing Council meeting on 16 May, the staff representative shared an update about what had been happening in classrooms at the beginning of the term.
We have included this information below:
Red Unit
The Literacy focus in R1, R4 and R5 is repeated and paired reading to develop students fluency skills. In R1 and R4 students are learning about the structure of procedures. R5 students are learning about Narratives with a focus on Fairy Tales. There are 2 pre-service teachers currently on placement in the unit.
R2 students have been introduced to Jolly Phonics to support them to learn the English alphabet and develop an understanding of phonics. The students have also learned 15 tricky words. The theme of ‘shopping’ is being explored this term to support students to develop their vocabulary related to food and items that are found in shops. They are bringing items from home to support their development of oral language as they need repeated opportunities to practice speaking in English. In maths, students are learning about shapes.
Orange Unit
The students in O2 have started the term on a high as they begin their reading journey with the Premiers Reading Challenge books focusing on Australian Animals.
In Math students are learning about data, collecting answers to Yes/No questions and learning a lot about their peers with who likes what and discussing differences in likes/dislikes. With the new developments in the Butterfly Garden, they have been watching and waiting for new plants and seeds to be planted and admire them as they grow.
Yellow Unit
This term Y1 is exploring the topic of food and keeping healthy. They started by learning the names of fruit and what colours they are.
We are learning about foods, recipes and the ways we can keep our bodies healthy. They started this topic by learning the names of fruit and creating a "fruit basket" artwork using oil pastels and water colours. They are now using their new vocabulary to learn to write a "fruit salad" recipe.
The students in Y6 have been implementing their choral reading with a particular interest on persuasive texts (their literacy focus for the term). In Maths, they are exploring fractions and their percentage and decimal counterparts. They are excited to be attending an NRL carnival at Brighton Primary tomorrow.
The Y7 students have been busy finishing off their Fractions work, learning about persuasive writing, practising their fluency reading and getting prepped for their first assembly this week.
Green Unit
In Maths, G1 is learning about measurement. They are using informal units to measure length and capacity. In Literacy, they are learning about recounts and narratives.
In G2 they are learning to identify and use language features in informative texts. The students are developing their understanding of fractions and applying this new knowledge in different contexts. In Science, they are learning about the three states of matter and how they interact with each other.
In G3 students have been working on their fluency with daily partner reading using their decodable readers, and through using whole class passages to choral read (all students read the passage aloud at the same time). G3 have also been working with their buddy class G4, and are planning how to be problem solvers when it comes to waste in the school. They have already implemented the 10c recycling program and are going to be looking into better ways for the school to recycle more effectively, therefore reducing waste.
In G4 the students have begun their journey towards being eco-warriors and protecting the earth. Students will explore the principles of waste management with a particular focus on waste management practices in their area. The students in G4 will discover which items go into each bin and set up a whole school recycling program with our friendship class’s G2 and G3. In addition, they will continue to work in the garden. They have planted seeds and are waiting for them to turn into seedlings so they can plant them in Hattie's Garden. The students are also learning about life cycles in science and will have Spiny Leaf insects living in their classroom for the term.
Specialist Classes
HASS
The Reception-Year 1 classes have started learning about past, present and future. They have learnt what these words mean and practiced using them.
The Year 2 - 6 IELC and Primary Special Options classes have started learning what landmarks are and why they are special. They will be looking into famous landmarks around the world, as well as learning how to conduct our own research to investigate local Australian landmarks. The year 3/4 students are learning about the history of the firstfleet. They have learnt why the First Fleet came to Australia, and will look into what the conditions were like for the convicts and officers, and the impacts that the first fleet had on the First Nations Peoples of Australia.
The year 5/6 students are learning about Australian History in the 20th Century, with a focus on migration. We will explore the immigration policies that impacted on migrants, and learn about asylum seekers and refugees.
Performing Arts
This term in Performing Arts we have been learning how to make loops and beats using digital technologies and combining them with traditional percussive instruments. Once our beats have been made we have been rapping Dr.Seuss books over the top of our beats and performing them to the class. It has been fantastic to see students collaborating with each other to create some incredible pieces of music. There is some real talent at Clovelly Park Primary School and we hope to showcase some of our amazing skills to parents and families very soon.
The reception to year 3 students are using rhythm and percussion with a focus on dynamics, form and structure. In drama they will portray emotions using body language and facial expressions.
The year 4 to 6 students will also explore rhythm and percussion and will be given the opportunity to play simple melodies in the keyboard lab, working toward combining rhythm and melody to compose a simple musical arrangement. In drama the students will discover how vocal manipulation adds emotions to dramatic readings, working toward performing a short monologue of their choosing. During dance this term students will explore how meaning is conveyed through dance from a variety of cultures, working toward gaining an understanding of the significance of The Art as a key component in cultural identity.
Health
Students across all year levels will be looking at living a healthy life. In particular health messaging, the importance of being active, respectful relationships and emotional wellbeing. For example, the year 3/4 students will be completing four health topics in term 2.
The first topic: “strategies for health and wellbeing” with a focus on keeping healthy.
The second topic: “health information and messages” with a focus on health messages and information.
The third topic: “health strategies” with a focus on food choices and breakfast choices.
The fourth topic: “influences of health messages” with a focus on how health messages influence our choices.
Physical Education
In Term 1 we were fortunate enough to secure so Federal Government Funding through a program called Sporting Schools. With this funding it enabled all of the students here at CPPS the opportunity to receive expert Basketball coaching with a USA College Basketballer who has been recruited to play for South Adelaide Basketball Club in their PE lessons. All of the students really enjoyed their sessions and certainly all made significant improvements with their skill development.
We look forward to applying for further opportunities with other sports later in the year.
