Infants and Primary
Infants
What a week our Education Week was! It was just fantastic to see so many families and friends at school for many of our events during the week, including our Education Week Assembly, Grandparents and Special Friends’ Day, Book Fair and Character Parade and for our Spelling Bee and Numeracy Challenge. Our students were full of beans and smiles all week and it really highlighted the positive partnerships we have with our families and community and how valuable this is. A huge thank you to everyone who was able to come and be a part of any or all of the events, and of course to all our super staff for making these events happen.
Week 3 also saw a record number of parents attending our Parent-Teacher Interviews. Thank you to those parents and carers who were able to make time to speak with their child/s teachers and please remember that staff are always willing to discuss any issues or concerns.
Ms Mem Brougham
Assistant Principal Infants (relieving)
Kindergarten
In the lead-up to Book Fair and our Character Parade, Kindergarten students have been sharing their favourite stories with their classmates. We enjoyed reading so many of our best loved books each day and students have had fun finding out why each story is such a favourite. We were also curious to discover that rhyme was used in just about all of our favourite stories.
In mathematics, students are becoming more and more efficient with their counting and are confidently recognising combinations to ten – what clever mathematicians we have in Kindergarten! Another highlight has been building nests in STEM lessons. Students begun by considering how birds build their nests then drew their design and then built it using various materials, factoring in ways to make the nest strong as well as comfortable for the birds. We will continue working on these in future lessons with Mrs Bridge.
In the coming fortnight, Kindergarten students will be reading and exploring well known Fairy Tales and texts such as ‘Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House’ by Libby Gleeson to help us learn more about narratives. In mathematics, we will be investigating patterns, including recognising them in our environment, continuing patterns and making our own, as well as looking at counting patterns.
Ms Mem Brougham
Kindergarten Teacher
Assistant Principal Infants (relieving)
1/2 Class
In Week 2, 1/ 2 finished off their English unit about imagery and symbolism with a creative ‘cloud’ artwork. Students were encouraged to think of shapes they can see the clouds make in the sky and replicate this on a blue background with a piece of writing to go along with it. This was inspired by a book, ‘Little Cloud’ by Eric Carle. In the computer labs, students also typed up their cloud poems to be printed and published. During Week 4 in English, students have been exposed to the very tricky concept of complex sentences using heavy vocabulary such as ‘subordinate and independent’ clauses. We will continue to focus on these in more detail next week.
In mathematics, during Week 3, students learnt about probability and chance. This was lots of fun as we considered what events were impossible- these ideas gave us lots to laugh about. In Week 4, we have been looking at numbers- particularly what numbers can be found inside bigger numbers, as well as diving into place value. Next week, we come back to patterns.
In STEM this fortnight, students were challenged to not only complete their bird’s nest from last session, but also to consider how to create a nest that hangs. This involved a lot of team discussion.
Education Week was an absolute blast! Children could not stop talking about the books at the book fair, we saw some amazing costumes and best of all, we got to invite our wonderful grandparents into our school. Thank you everyone who had a part in making this such a wonderful week and thank you to parents and carers who came along to parent/ teacher interviews. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to catch up and create goals for the future of Year 1/ 2.
Emily Friend - Class Teacher
2/3 Class
Year 2/3 have had a busy start to Term 3. We have started learning our dance for Smart and Drama night, we have been doing lots of reading and writing and discussing different text types. In mathematics, we have been learning some fun new games, our favourite so far is called Garbage. We have also enjoyed playing some maths games out in the sun.
In history, we are learning about buildings and people in the past. During PDHPE lessons we are focussing on being kind and being a good friend.
Natalie Downey - Year 2/3 teacher
Primary
Firstly, I would like to thank all of the parents and community members that got involved in our Education Week festivities. It was a huge week full of fun, learning, competitions, changes to routine, formal assemblies and even a dress-up day. It’s always great to see so many families in and around the school and all of the students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed the week.
We opened the classrooms up to grandparents and families on Thursday morning for Education Week, which was a great success. The classrooms are full of bright displays, bright students and bright staff to make the learning of our students the best it could be. A large number of grandparents approached me afterwards to say how impressed they were with the learning and knowledge of their grandchildren – further evidence that we are creating a great place for the children of Boorowa to be educated here at Boorowa Central School.
Congratulations to all students that got involved in the Education Week learning challenges across K-6. The Spelling Bee and Maths Challenge were great fun, with all students putting in a great display of their knowledge across the curriculum. We find that sport is regularly celebrated here at our school, and it’s always good to allow students to excel and show their skills as learners too. Hopefully many more opportunities for these in the near future.
It was great to see so many parents and families involved in Parent/Teacher meetings last week also. The home/school connection is so important for the success of students at school, and we thoroughly appreciate the involvement of parents. If you require a meeting with any teachers, please get in contact with us so one can be arranged.
If you require any additional information or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email: Jason.stuart3@det.nsw.edu.au
Jason Stuart
Assistant Principal Primary (Relieving)
3/4 Class
We're already four weeks deep into Term 3! Time surely does fly. Here's a snapshot of our recent learning:
Setting the Stage
Our first few weeks were dedicated to putting in place strong classroom routines. This also involved guiding our students towards becoming more independent in their learning approach. This foundational work is all about helping them make the most of resources, ask questions, and think critically.
Poetry Comes Alive
Our students have showcased their poetic talents wonderfully! They've penned some memorable simile poems and are currently having fun crafting Limericks. Their enthusiasm for words and creativity is truly commendable.
Decoding Reading
We've delved deep into comprehension strategies during our reading sessions. Our focus has largely been on discerning an author's purpose and identifying the main themes or ideas. This kind of deep understanding is crucial and will stand them in good stead in their reading journey.
Adventures in Mathematics
Mathematics has seen us navigating through statistics and fractions problems. We've also embraced technology with the introduction of Prodigy Education—a dynamic mathematics platform. The good news is they can continue to challenge themselves with Prodigy at home. Should you face any hiccups accessing their accounts, we're here to help.
STEM Projects
Our current STEM project is all about combining creativity and practicality as we delve into constructing birdhouses. It promises to be an exciting journey from blueprint to final product.
On the Sports Field
Our sports sessions have seen a dual focus: honing soccer skills and imbibing the values of good sportsmanship. It's essential that while our students aim for the goal, they also respect their peers and play fair.
Looking to the Future
As we move forward, our learning journey will see some exciting continuations and new beginnings. The reading focus will remain steady as we continue to delve into comprehension strategies, while we wrap up our enjoyable exploration of poetry. In mathematics, we're expanding our horizons to cover more on fractions and also explore measurement, area, and volume. These topics will equip our students with practical insights and applications. On the sports front, we'll be shifting gears to collaborative games that emphasize teamwork and cooperative skills. These upcoming lessons promise to provide a rich and varied learning experience, further building on our foundational skills.
Thank you for your unwavering support. We're collaboratively shaping a wonderful learning experience for our 3/4 students. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me via email matthew.rowley12@det.nsw.edu.au or call the school to arrange an appointment.
Matthew Rowley - Class Teacher
5/6 Class
The Year 5/6 students have had a remarkably busy few weeks in the classroom, especially preparing for Education Week activities.
In English we have finished our narrative writing unit on ‘Replay’, where we explored the use of dialogue between characters and how to write to convey emotion and rich description of characters and settings. The final pieces of writing are outstanding and are proudly on display in the classroom. We will now begin a new unit on ‘Wonder’ by RJ Palacio – a fantastic novel about a young boy with a serious medical condition and how he faces challenges of attending mainstream school. We will be doing a lot of mixed writing and reading challenges while we complete this unit for the remainder of the term.
In mathematics, we have finished our unit on the four operations and will now move onto data, chance, probability and mapping. This is a very hands-on unit of learning, and we will be exploring how to read data displays, graphs, tables and how to accurately measure probability across a range of activities.
In creative arts, we have finished our focus on visual arts and colour, shape, contour and contrast. We will now focus on music and drama as we prepare for our Smart and Drama Night performances in Week 9. Look out for a note home soon with more information about Smart and Drama Night.
In science, we will now move onto a unit of work on ‘matter’. Here we will explore how matter changes states due to influences such as heating, cooling and environmental factors.
As always, please get in touch if you require any further information.
Jason Stuart - 5/6 Class Teacher
Assistant Principal Primary (Relieving)