BBPS Life

Prep

Isla "Yesterday we went to the aquarium. We saw penguins and jellyfish. There were tunnels you could go through and we saw sharks"

Sia "We saw some sea dragons. They are camouflaged so they look a bit like seaweed. We also saw some starfish"

Danny "I liked the penguins and the sea dragons"

Tex "I liked looking at the crocodile. It was 5 metres and it was massive. It ate a cow on a farm and then it went to the crocodile farm before it came to the aquarium"

Marley "I liked the crocodile. There was also an octopus in the corner stuck to the glass"

Olivia "I learned that jellyfish can glow"

Charlotte "Penguins have blubber to keep them warm"

Harriett "We saw a shark. There were shark eggs in the seaweed so other sharks won't eat them"

Adeline "I liked seeing the crocodile - he moved around in the water"

We all went to the aquarium! We have shared our experiences above. 

In other news, we have been learning addition, using strategies like count all and count on.

We also now have individual writing goals which we are practising each time we complete a written task. Don't forget to look at our shared writing piece, via Compass tomorrow.

For Social and Emotional Learning we have been making a Gratitude Tree, writing down the things we are grateful for, which then become leaves to make the tree. We are also learning about Zones of Regulation to understand how we feel and strategies to move back to the green zone (the best zone for learning).

Grades 1 and 2

Grade 1

Excursion: We went to the Aquarium! See pictures below. 

Maths: Doubling, addition and subtraction. We played  "Double Bubble" - rolling a dice and doubling it - adding characters to each bubble to see who fills their bubble first. So much fun!

Reading and writing: We have been learning about non-fiction and information texts, focusing on sea creatures in conjunction with the inquiry theme of Under The Sea.

Social and Emotional Learning: We are working on cooperation and agreeing on fair rules in game play.

Grade 2

Literacy: We are reading and talking about the author Margaret Wild, looking at the book 'Tangled' and the use of personification. This is part of our "Authors as Mentors" literacy unit. 

Maths: We've been mixing things up and attending workshops with teachers in other classes. This week we are working on addition strategies.

Social and Emotional Learning: We are discovering our personal strengths and sharing how we show kindness to others. 

PE: All students P-6 this week enjoyed cricket workshops during their weekly PE lesson, facilitated by Football Star Academy. We were lucky enough to have Dimitri Mascarenhas, former cricketer, work with our children.

Grades 3 and 4

Grades 3 and 4 had the most incredible incursion, with wild Australian creatures visiting the school. Take a look at the crocodiles, snakes, possums, and lizards in our pictures below. 

Grade 3

NAPLAN! Grade 3 have been busy completing NAPLAN, and we are very proud of their efforts. 

In Maths, they have been looking at Money (calculating change) and 2D/3D shapes. They have also recently started a new unit on measurement.

Facts are the focus for the next two weeks: they are starting to write information reports and are looking at the features of non-fiction texts.

Social and Emotional Learning has been focussed on having a positive mindset, particularly relating to the challenges of NAPLAN.

Grade 4 

The Australian animal incursion has helped us kick off our next Inquiry unit, which is all about classifying animals based on their attributes (what makes a marsupial a marsupial?).

Students are also writing arguments for debating (Are the best things in life free? Should screen time be limited to 1 hour per day for children?)

Maths has been all about money! Students are managing a budget for a class party.

In Social and Emotional Learning we are all about filling each others buckets with random acts of kindness. Check out the Grade 4 Bucket Wall in the CLC when you come for open classrooms next week.

Grades 5 and 6

Grade 5

While NAPLAN has been the major focus for the last 2 weeks, students in grade 5 have also nominated the following highlights:

• Attending the soccer clinic with Melbourne Victory!
• Starting to read and write persuasive texts, examining persuasive language and bias
• Working on their travel guides, planning and budgeting for exciting overseas trips

Grade 6 

Grade 6 students have been planning a lavish overseas holiday. With a budget of $10,000 they need to schedule flights, book hotels and events, and reserve restaurant tables. We think this is excellent training for future travel plans, and supports authentic Mathematics experiences linked to addition and subtraction, decimals and percentages!

Debating has been a highlight. Topics like "Video Games don't cause bad behaviour" have been the basis for robust arguments for the affirmative and negative. 

As part of the BBPS leadership program grade 6 have been learning more about themselves, and more specifically what kind of learner they are. This will form the basis for further self examination.

In English, students continue to devour texts and are becoming adept at responding to them in a variety of ways, with growing independence as part of the Reader's Workshop model.