School News
Prep News
Well done to all of our prep students – they have quickly settled back into full weeks of school after the transition period from remote learning. The weeks are flying by and we are grateful for some sunny weather, which has meant that we can go outside at recess and enjoy the new playground equipment!
In Reading, we have continued to build our strategies for decoding new words when reading, such as tracking words as we read, using our knowledge of phonics to segment and then blend the sounds, and using picture clues. We have been continuing our phonics journey with digraphs – 2 letters that make one sound. Since the last newsletter we have learnt about ‘ur’, ‘er’ and ‘or’ and investigated words with these digraph patterns. Some children have already learnt to read the first 100 Magic Words and we encourage those to focus on spelling these words. Some are still working towards this goal, so regular practise at home will help them to consolidate their knowledge before the end of the year.
We have also continued to explore features of non-fiction texts and searching for information. The use of KWL charts (Know/Want to know/Learned) has helped them to track their thinking. This links to our over-arching Inquiry/Investigations focus of Animals and their Habitats. Your child may have brought home their Information Booklet featuring an animal of their choice, where they have researched and written facts. They are very proud of their efforts, and rightly so! If you have not seen this yet, please ask your child about it!
Maths has seen the prep students build their understanding of division, using the vocabulary ‘share’, ‘fair’ and ‘equal groups’. They have also been revising addition strategies. Lots of hands on activities, practise of their problem-solving skills and then explaining their thinking is always at the core of our maths lessons.
The Prep Team
Alarna Creed, Claire Cripps, Ellie Stait and Hayley Peirce
Level 1/2 News
It has been wonderful to see the Level 1/2 students back at school full time! They have been busy settling into school routines and reconnecting with their friends. The teachers have been impressed with the students ability to adapt to change and show resilience. It's great to see the students enjoying the new playground equipment and each other's company!
In Reading, we have been learning about the styles of different authors and how they make their books engaging for the reader. We have focused on books written by Julia Donaldson, Oliver Jeffers and Jeannie Baker. The children have enjoyed discovering more about the different techniques used by authors to make their words and images come to life!
In Writing, the students have been learning how to express their own opinion and persuade others to agree with them. They have produced some impressive pieces of writing about "The Best Dessert in the World,' and have now progressed to learning how to participate in simple debates to express and justify their point of view!
In Maths, the students have been improving their knowledge and understanding of collecting data and creating simple data displays. They have created questions and surveys to investigate preferences in the Level 1/2 area. The students then collected, tallied and totaled the data and created a variety of data displays to show their findings.
We have some exciting news to share with the Level 1/2 students. School Council have just approved a Level 1 Fun Night and Level 2 Sleepover! Students will have the opportunity to participate in this event on Friday 10th December, 2021. Save this date if you would like your child to take part and look out for further information on Compass.
We are so proud of the way the students have returned to school: they are happy, hard working and excited about their learning and of course... Christmas!
The Level 1/2 Team
Ben Pedley, Daena Hailey, Kayla Hartrick, Llinos Poole and Tim Wilson
Level 3/4 News
Our fabulous 3/4 students have done a sensational job settling back into school full time and adjusting to wearing masks, swapping recess times and another new Specialist Timetable. They are so excited about beginning Bike Ed this week and we look forward to going on a ride as a level.
In the classroom they are showing tremendous resilience and adaptability by wearing their masks (without much compliant) and busily finishing off end of year projects and assessments.
3/4 students have been busy completing their Author Study Project and concluding our Film Studies unit. They have thoroughly enjoyed developing new skills and using new programs such as iMovie. The News Reports or Documentaries they are creating are absolutely awesome!
We have an exciting end to the year with multiple events to look forward to, please note below important information:
Upcoming! 3/4 Fun Day!
Please check Compass events for the following information regarding the upcoming 3/4 Fun Day:
Unfortunately, the Level 3/4 Camp to Phillip Island was cancelled earlier in the term with the news of our lockdown dragging on in Victoria. As a result of this, refunds were given to families and sadly, there was to be no camp this year. We were all disappointed with this news and as a 3/4 teaching team, wanted to provide the children with a fun alternative. The Level 3/4 students are invited to participate in two 'Fun Days' on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th November. The first day will include a company coming to school and setting up a selection of inflatables and giant games for the kids to enjoy! On the Thursday evening, we will invite the students back to school to have fun participating in a silent disco and enjoying a pizza dinner together after. This will run from 5pm-7pm. Over the course of the 2 days, we really want to give the students some experiences they would have received if we were on camp. Activities such as a Trivia afternoon (instead of trivia night!), a scavenger hunt and watching a movie together (popcorn provided) will be some of the extra things we will provide the students. There will be lots of prizes given out over the 2 days for different tasks. Given the kids a camp experience, without actually physically being on camp, is our priority!
Kind regards,
The Level 3/4 Team
The Level 3/4 Team
Carolyn Allan, Clare McCandlish, Damien Smith, Katie Smith and Teagan Cairns
Level 5/6 News
What an amazing few weeks it has been with us all back at school together! The students have done a remarkable job rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in to their learning. It's great to hear friends reconnecting, to have students to answer your questions and to go back to the good old days of telling students off for talking too much in class rather than not talking enough on Zoom.
In Reading, we've been practising our critiquing skills while reviewing a range of different texts including some of our most favourite picture story books, novels and movies. We’re now shifting our focus to amplify our analysing skills by conducting an author study where we delve into the craft of an author’s writing style. This week we’ve been exploring the factors that may have influenced the famous children’s writer Pamela Allen. You may have read some of her stories such as Who Sank the Boat?, Mr McGee and Mr Archimedes’ Bath.
In Writing, our very own 5/6 authors have began their Writing Passion Project compiling their personal booklet with a range of genres showcasing their understanding of the various test types learnt this year.
In Maths, we’ve been exploring coordinates and the cartesian plane including how points are written in (x, y) format and oriented to the axes as well as which directions are positive and negative. We’ve continued with the measurement theme and begun to look at converting between metric units for volume, capacity and mass.
To finish us off, we would love to extend a huge congratulations to Miss Hodgett who was finally able to marry, her now husband, Josh on the weekend. It’s been a long time coming and you’ve been the most positive and delightful bride whilst navigating postponements and wedding plans. All of us in 5/6 wish you a lifetime of love and happiness.
The Level 5/6 Team
Brendan Van Haaster, Elyce Munnecke, Emily Rapson, Mel Layton, Mykaela Hodgett and Samantha Tallentyre