School News
Prep News
Welcome back to Term 4! I’m sure you all enjoyed the break and the sunny weather we had - thank goodness playgrounds are open again!
It is great to see the children on the class zooms and we are so impressed with the engagement in their learning. We have been focusing on strategies that we can use for solving and decoding words as we read. Developing a range of strategies is useful as not all words can be ‘sounded out’. We have also been continuing our phonics focus as well as revising previously learnt letters and sounds. In Writing, we have been continuing to build confidence around conventions, such as writing on the line, spaces between words and sentence structure. We have explored how to express an opinion with a ‘this or that’ format. In Maths, we have been refining strategies for addition, such as counting on using a number line, using tens frames and developing our reasoning skills by explaining how we came to an answer.
Needless to say, we are super excited at the prospect of returning to school! It is also completely normal to feel a little anxious – as we used to say ‘butterflies in our tummy’. Embracing this feeling as excitement, and focusing on the positives will help support your child to feel confident and thrive in this transition back onsite. The classrooms look the same, their seats and other familiar spots remain unchanged and, for the first couple of weeks back, they will get to have the new playground equipment to themselves!
The Prep Team
Claire Cripps, Hayley Pierce, Ellie Stait and Alarna Creed.
Level 3/4 News
Welcome back to Term 4! I’m sure everyone enjoyed the break from daily Zoom’s and the chance to meet up with a friend or two and picnic outdoors. The slow change in weather has certainly made this more enjoyable too.
We’ve had a wonderful first week back with great enthusiasm during class Zoom’s. As the end of remote learning draws closer, it is both easier (because the end is in sight) and harder (still a few weeks to go for Year 3/4’s) so we do appreciate student’s logging on and being ready for the school day at 8:50am.
In Reading, we have been exploring a range of Australian authors in the lead up to our Author Study in coming weeks. It is lovely to see students eager to discuss their favorite authors and books as well as discovering new reading opportunities in the process.
Our Writing unit is captivating students too as we delve into exposition writing through the genres of news reports and documentaries. Students are learning about the devices used to gain a viewer’s attention including speech, images, sound, lighting, emotion and persuasion.
In Maths, students have impressed their teachers demonstrating perseverance as we continued our fractions and decimals work. This week, we have moved on to chance and probability. If your child comes to you asking for some coins, please oblige as this is likely related to our Maths work and not a ploy to make frivolous purchases!!
We can’t wait to see Year 3/4 students back in the classroom soon. In the meantime, we have a fun few weeks of remote learning left where we will focus on the positives and enjoy our time together in this unique environment that we have become so accustomed to.
The Level 3/4 Team
Carolyn Allan, Teagan Cairns, Katie Smith, Damien Smith and Clare McCandlish
Level 5/6 News
What a great start to the term it has been! We have loved jumping back into our Zoom communities and kicking the term off with the smiling faces of the 5/6s each day. We teachers are in awe of the independence, adaptability and flexibility that they continue to show us each and every step of the way. We are sure that you are just as proud!
In Reading and Writing, we’ve started the term off with exploring expositions. In Reading it’s all about analysing the structure, language features and persuasive devices that an author uses to persuade their audience. While in Writing it’s all about using the same elements to craft a well written persuasive text. All very timely given the news and current affairs we’re exposed to at the moment.
Around the 11:30 mark each day we’re sure your households are full of words like common, denominator and numerator. The students have been doing an outstanding job applying the 4 operations to fractions and solving a range of complex problems.
For the grade 6s please don't forget to email through Graduation photos - one as a baby, one from Prep (if you didn't attend RHPS) and one of your family and a Graduation profile to Mrs. Layton so that we can start gathering pieces for our Graduation celebration at the end of Term 4.
We hope that you had a well-deserved break over the school holidays and that you were able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine while exploring some new places within your radius. Check out what the 5/6 teachers got up to over the holidays below. We wonder if you can spot your teacher/s?
The 5/6 Team
Brendan Van Haaster, Elyce Munnecke, Sam Tallentyre, Mel Layton, Emily Rapson & Mykaela Hodgett