Grade Five
GRADE 5 2023
Term 1, Week 8 - Newsletter
The Grade 5 students and teachers have had a super start to our year together in Grade 5; we couldn’t be more impressed with how well everyone has settled in and the positive attitude that is brought to school every day! We welcome Miss Mills and Mr Werner to the Grade 5 Team; Andrea MacIntosh and Marie Leathem are providing invaluable assistance to our year level too!
What a week this has been so far! Our three day camp at Camp Rumbug in Foster North enabled 113 students and 8 staff to participate in an adventure camp that challenged our students’ preparedness to ‘have a go’, build confidence and resilience, as well as learning to work together as a team. The importance of building relationships between our students and their teachers allowed us to work on skills that will enable our students to not only be the best they can be, but also build on the leadership qualities so very important in Grades 5 and 6. Thank-you so very much to Shelley Shannon, Dean McCaughan, Clayton McInnes and Adrian Staudt who came with us; we are all so very happy that you did! Our students certainly upheld the values of respect, responsibility, friendship and resilience that underpinned their time at Camp.
During Week 7, our students sat three NAPLAN Tests; the final test being in Week 8 after we returned from Grade 5 Camp. All tests are conducted online, which was a new experience for our students. We are very proud of their positive mindset and how focused they were during their tests. Thank-you so much to Miss Coe and our Technician Michael for ensuring that everything online was ready and working; our Grade 3 Buddy classes were just wonderful for allowing us to complete the tests in their classrooms.🙂
Our English sessions this term have focused on setting our students up for success with their Literacy. Students worked through the characteristics of what makes an effective reader and writer, while making the vital connections needed to develop a deeper understanding of these two major elements within our English program.
During our Math sessions, we initially focused on setting our students up for success mathematically, working with concepts about them that relate to mathematics. Place Value, the Four Processes [addition, subtraction, multiplication and division], Measurement [perimeter, area and volume], Statistics and Probability and Location activities relating to our Grade 5 Camp have formed the basis of our Term 1 Maths program. Students are always encouraged to explain their thinking and record how they solve the problems presented to them.
Our Integrated Studies unit, Community- Making a Democracy, has been of high interest to our students. Developing an understanding of democracy and how our government works at the local, state and federal levels has enabled our students to gain an appreciation of how laws come into being, as well as the key values of democracy. Our Cyber Safety session was well-received by our students who actively participated and gained further insight into the cyber world that is very much a part of the world they live in.
The Specialist classes our students attend each week ensure that their education is well-rounded; the skills they learn continue to enrich their development and learning. As a team we remain very grateful for the opportunities our Specialist teachers offer our students. We congratulate the many Grade 5 students who swam at our Swimming Carnival in February, made it through to swim at the District and Division levels and now move onto Regionals; they have done themselves and our school proud!
As a team we are incredibly grateful for your support throughout Term 1 and look forward to the exciting challenges that Term 2 will bring!
"You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins."
– Jim Stovall
2023 Grade 5 Team