Independence Centre

Curriculum

Selamat siang!

Welcome to 2022 in the Independence Centre! We are so excited to be back in the classroom, especially after spending time in our new classes last year. The 3/4 teachers and students had a fantastic first full week back, filled with lots of fun and learning!

To begin the week, students had the opportunity to catch up and share about their holidays with their peers and teachers. They have written all about their adventures, with some students even writing newspaper articles with eye-catching headlines. Students also had the opportunity to prepare and present speeches to their classes outlining why they would make a good Student Representative Council member. Badges for these roles will be presented at assembly this week. In Reading, we looked at choosing ‘Just Right Books’ that are both interesting and challenging for us to read. We expect students to read for 20 minutes each night and record the name of their book and the pages they read in their logs. This week, we will discuss students at home reading expectations with them and set up their Reading Logs.

In Mathematics sessions, students began investigating our unit on Place Value. We looked at the properties of odd and even numbers and defined each of these terms. Students had the opportunity to show their teacher what they know and don’t know about Place Value through a pre assessment. This will help teachers target learning to students' areas of need. Grades 3 and 4 are important years for students when developing their understanding of numbers and their relationships. We find that students who solidify their understanding of times tables through regular practice feel more confident when working with more complex problems. Practising times tables at home is a great way to help students feel more confident with maths in the classroom!

Our Guided Inquiry topic this term is Identity: ‘Game of Life’ where students will be investigating their own identity and what makes them, them! By the end of the term, they will be creating their own board games with different cards that represent themselves. On Thursday, we had our Cyber Safety Day to ensure that students are aware of the important responsibilities involved with having a device. This day covered our Acceptable Use Agreement as well as an incursion with BullyZero. Thank you to all parents that came along to the BullyZero parent information night as well. It was a very informative session!

We are looking forward to an exciting term!

Wishing you a wonderful first week back,

Miss Richardon, Mrs McCoy, Miss Honan, Mr O’Connor, Miss Chooi and Miss Wang

Student Voice

Zsofia C - “My favourite thing about this year so far has been learning new things in problem solving maths!”
Kayla S - “My favourite thing has been being with my new old teacher again, Mrs McCoy!”
Megan T, Claire S , Nicha C & Julia N - “We have enjoyed seeing friends again!”

Reminders

Students need hats and water bottles each day
Message your classroom teacher on Sentral if you have any questions
Students need their own pair of headphones at school
Acceptable Use Agreements must be signed and returned to school as soon as possible
Senior Parent Information Night - Wednesday 9th at 7pm on Zoom (see newsletter item for details)
Please complete consent forms on Sentral as soon as possible
New daily timetable: Lunch time is 11-12 and Recess is 2-2:30

Pupil of the Week

3/4C: Sebastian S -

For demonstrating persistence and bravery during challenging tasks. You have role modelled our class expectations of taking risks and trying your best and should be very proud of a great start to Year 4. Super, Sebastian!

3/4H: Anna R -

For demonstrating creativity and perseverance when writing your Holiday Recount. You included interesting openers to sequence your ideas and events. Amazing Anna!

3/4M: Wendy W -

For demonstrating leadership and kindness during our first week back at school. You have been an excellent role model to the younger students in the grade, truly demonstrating what it means to be a student in the Independence Centre. Wonderful, Wendy!

3/4O: Dinayne J -

For demonstrating leadership and modeling our school values. You have been an exemplar of our school values throughout the week as you focused on learning tasks and supported your classmates. Dynamic Dinayne!

3/4R: Chitra S -

For demonstrating courage and perseverance when presenting your SRC speech to the class. It was fantastic to see you showing bravery to get up in front of the class and share your speech. Cheerful Chitra!

3/4W: Anoshan M -

For demonstrating leadership and kindness in the classroom when supporting your peers. It was incredible to see you exhibiting the classroom expectations and showing initiative towards helping others. Admirable Anosh!