Primary Specialists

Visual Art

The Art room has been buzzing with activity as we have focused on remembering and commemorating the soldiers who fought in the ANZAC War.  Students in Year Prep and Year One have learned about ANZAC day and read the story of Anzac Ted, a teddy bear who goes to war with his owner. They looked at the soldiers uniforms that were worn during the war and decorated their Anzac Ted bears. 

Students in Year Two to Four used mathematical concepts of measurement and scaling as the created their Anzac day poppies. Students had to work in groups of four to create a poppy and were asked to make a section of the flower so that all parts made a whole flower. This was a great opportunity to show teamwork. 

Students in Year 5 and 6 discussed the importance of ANZAC Day and why we commemorate this day in Australia. They read the book My Grandad marches on ANZAC day, and created portraits of Soldiers in the war. They looked at symmetry, proportion and space as they created their artworks. 

It has been a fantastic start to Term two and it is wonderful to see all our students back at school. Our expectation is that the students are going to hear and speak the Spanish language as much possible, and our students risen to this challenge! 

We have begun reviewing and expanding upon previously learned vocabulary and then using this in genuinely communicative activities using what they know in a meaningful way. Students are starting to use phrases and questions that are already helping them to increase their Spanish input in class, as well as express their needs and share their thoughts in Spanish.

 Students continue.

• Familiarisation with the sound system of the Modern Spanish Language
• Learn to identify and write letters and words using the Spanish alphabet.
• Make comparisons with the English alphabet, words and connect it to Spanish.
• Use Spanish to interact with each other.
• Repeat both formal and informal modelled language.
• Introduce themselves, their family and exchange greetings.
• Use visual cues to ask and answer questions.
• Vary their responses combining sentences, phrases, or words.
• Respond to simple instructions and classroom routines.
• Read and write short sentences independently.

In addition, using ICT students can access School Box, Spanish page where they can find helpful videos and links to practice their Spanish vocabulary. 

It is also exciting as they are getting to the end of their first rotation, our senior students from year 3 to 6 are finishing their final projects and are very proud of their learning, so should they!

Years 3 & 4 have done an excellent job using vocabulary about transports and places to create interactive maps, kahoots, games, alien cities...

Year 5 & 6 students have been recording their videos in Spanish using their new vocabulary to order food. Some of them have had a great time creating props and acting out their incredible scripts.

We are looking forward to an exciting term learning about the language and culture of the Spanish speaking community.

Congratulation to our Spanish learning community at Saltwater P-9 College.

Adios..

Señor Pasten and Javi.

Music 

Next week is the final week of music for the first cohort of students from Grade Prep to Six. We have spent time reflecting on our sessions thinking about everything we've experienced together. 

For some of our students learning formal musical notation has been a new experience, and the challenge of communicating our ideas using notes has been an interesting new language. 

We have expanded our vocabularies to include new musical terms to help us express our thoughts about music, and we have thought more deeply about what we're hearing and  what it means for to become music.

In our final unit we have experience creating our own rhythms and melodies and are performing them to our peers encouraging genuine feedback. 

Media Art with Mr Howarth

Preps: Using episodes of "Bluey" as a mentor text, students are identifying the different features of a narrative. When learning about main characters, we explored what it is that makes a character the central focus of a story and how we can distinguish them from supporting characters. 

Year One: To wrap up our unit exploring historical cultural stories, the year one students are watching Disney's Hercules. Students have enjoyed recognising the characters they have previously learned about appearing on the screen, such as Zeus and Hades.

Year Two: To begin Term Two, our students have been completing their radio ads. Working in pairs, students completed a script and recorded their voices with the teacher. As we complete this unit, students will share their published pieces with one another. 

Year Three: As we wrap up our unit on still-image narratives, students have gone out into the yard with their iPads to create a story of a student facing their fear by going down a slide. It has been great to see students utilising the shot types they have previously learned earlier in the year. 

Year Four: As we have continued analysing the children's TV show, Thalu, students have been exploring what representation is and why representation in media is important.  

Year Five: Year Five students have been tucked away in the editing room, shaping their short film footage into a cohesive piece. Students are focusing on action, sequencing, and audio

Year Six: Following our final line of inquiry, “The meaning of artifacts, heirlooms and traditions”, students are sharing family recipes that hold significance to them. Together, we will be creating a class recipe book.   

DANCE.

Another great start to the term in dance has seen the Prep students return from holidays bursting with huge amounts of energy and dancing their hearts out. In class we have worked on contrast in movement through floor work and various combinations, highlighting range, sharp and soft movements, and different angles. Through this students also became risk takers creating their own combinations, to which the class joined in and added on the choreography. This was also a task created for teachers to take back to class to build on, and use as a team building and muscle memory exercise. 

VSSS dancers recommenced their rehearsals in preparation for the next combined schools HUB rehearsals soon approaching on 18th May. It's been great to see all the extra hard work and practice the students have put in over the break. Their energy is on another level as they hit the routines with more energy, power, and enthusiasm, and we can't wait to see them shine on the big stage in September!