Welcome to Term 4

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to the final term of the 2021 academic year at Glen Waverley Primary School! We extend a warm welcome to new families that have recently joined our ever-growing community. The Level One team, trust that you have had a restful holiday break and your children are ready to continue pursuing their educational curiosities. We are incredibly excited to host yet another productive and wonderful term of teaching and learning.

This term brings many highlights, such as the anticipated Level One ‘Late Night at School’ and the celebration of the conclusion of Year One. On behalf of all the Level One Teachers, we deeply appreciate your continuous support all throughout the year!

Reading

In Reading the students continue to develop their understanding of multiple CAFE Strategies. They will be focusing on their comprehension, accuracy, fluency and expanding their vocabulary. Students will be analysing different procedural texts which include pictorials, texts or a mixture of both. This compliments the Cafe goal, ‘Use the pictures… Do the words and pictures match?’ When focussing on Poetry they will learn about the different styles and the importance to ‘Show the meaning or feeling of the text in how it is read’.

To support your child’s Reading and Viewing at home:

• Read and follow instructions to build Lego or follow cooking recipes.
• Challenge your child to describe how they did something in steps.
• Encourage your child to highlight the author’s emotions in a range of poetry texts.

Writing

Students will continue to consolidate and apply their understanding of VOICES through writing. They will experience learning other forms of writing styles which includes procedures and poetry. These genres have their own unique set of features that the students will acquire by analysing the structure, language, ideas and purpose. 

To support your child’s writing at home:

• Encourage your child to write the instructions to their favourite meal after watching you make it.
• Engage your child by reading a variety of poems and write one together.

Maths

Students have begun Term Four, by diving into a Money and Financial Mathematics unit of learning. They have explored different types of Australian coins and notes and developed their understanding of basic monetary transactions. While Learning from Home, students had the authentic experience of investigating their own ‘piggy-banks’ and physical currency. They will then delve into Location and Geometry, by learning about the mathematical language for giving directions and reading a map, in addition to simple translations (slide, flip, turn) that can be made to objects. Later in the term, the lens will shift to Units of Measurement, specifically Mass and Capacity. Students will have the opportunity to measure and compare a range of objects, making connections to our Inquiry unit centred around the resources and materials people use.

To strengthen your child’s mathematical understanding, you may wish to:

• Explore money values on product prices and receipts during shopping trips.
• Discuss the directions that need to be taken to places that your family frequents, e.g. How can we get to the shopping centre, local park, and so forth?
• Analyse recipes where ingredients are measured by mass and capacity and involve your child in the kitchen.

Inquiry

This term in Inquiry, students will explore the guiding question of ‘What resources do we use and value?’ They will conduct investigations around their home and school environments, to develop a deeper understanding of the resources around them and those they value. Students will then examine the concepts of sustainability and ethics in regard to the use of resources, with a focus on their individual impact on the environment. Through our Global Goal of ‘Clean water and sanitation’ they will make connections to resources used in other cultures and the effect of weather and environmental conditions on water supply and usage. 

To support your child's Inquiry learning, here are some suggested strategies to use at home:

• Have conversations with you child about the resources you use and why you value them.
• Encourage your child to explore resources in their local environment and question what they are made of and used for.
• Discuss the importance of sustainability and their impact on the environment.

YCDI

In Term Four, Students will further develop their knowledge of the five ‘Keys to Success -Organisation, Resilience, Perseverance, Getting Along and Confidence’.  There will be a strong focus on Resilience, Organisation and Getting Along skills to support the transition from remote learning back to onsite classroom learning. Students will problem solve a range of social scenarios to build to positive connections. They will identify a personalised focus and develop individual learning goals to work towards throughout the term. Additionally, students will explore strategies to build Perseverance and Confidence to become independent learners. They will focus on building positive connections within their class community by making links to our School Values. Students will explore how they can apply Integrity and Initiative to demonstrate Respect when they are faced with challenging social situations.