Prep Team Report:
In Prep, we have had a great time in Term 1! We have enjoyed celebrating Harmony Day and Athletics Day and we are looking forward to the Easter Hat Parade.
In Literacy, the preps have made great progress with their reading and writing! We have learnt 16 sounds and we are learning to blend the sounds to read words and sentences. The students are using their letter-sound correspondence to write words with a cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant) pattern for example; sat, not, big, vet. We have also been learning how to correctly form the letters.
In our English unit, we learnt about 3 different topics. In our All About Me unit we have learnt about the things that make us special and unique. During our Nursery Rhymes unit, we learnt about sequencing events. We also learnt to identify the character and the setting. Most recently we have been learning about our 5 senses and each of the body parts we use for each one.
In Numeracy, we have continued to learn about numbers while counting how many days we have been at school. We are all very excited to celebrate when we reach 100 days! We have focused on number sense to 10. We can count forwards, backwards, read and write the numbers. We have learnt about more/less/same and have compared collections as well as ordering and identifying the number that comes before and after.
In Wellbeing, we have continued to explore our emotions. We have learnt the names for different emotions and describe what they look and feel like.
We can’t believe term 1 is almost over! We have so many exciting things to look forward to in term 2.
Katie Harrowfield
Prep Team Leader
Year 1 Team Report:
The time has come to say farewell to Term 1 and what a fantastic busy term it has been. All Grade One students have made a tremendous amount of progress this term and the Grade One Team are so proud of all their efforts!
In Literacy, we have been continuing to explore the extended code. We now know about the different spellings for the sounds /oe/ and /er/. Students have also been exploring how one spelling can make two sounds, just like <o> in go and stop. Building on their fluency, students have been making great progress working with partners and taking turns to practise reading a text. To be fluent readers we read with appropriate accuracy, expression, rate and punctuation. Students are continuing to develop their handwriting skills and have enjoyed working on this each day.
In English, students have been taken on a journey across all seven continents and have dived through all five oceans. This unit was a particular favourite as students got to learn about the important landmarks, people and animals that call each continent their home. After exploring the continents students landed in the country we are lucky to call home, Australia. They have enjoyed connecting their adventures around Australia with the learning we have been doing in class, more specifically the animals, amazing landmarks and the many big things we have throughout our country.
In Writing, we have been hard at work expanding our sentences using question words. The question words of who, what, when, where, why and how have helped students to add more detail to their sentences, and wowie what great sentences we have seen! Students have also enjoyed creating compound sentences by using the conjunctions because, but and so to join two ideas together. Each conjunction comes with its own unique meaning to help make our sentences more interesting. Because tells us why, but changes the idea and so is used to show cause and effect.
In Maths, students have been looking at tally charts and using the data to create a picture graph. They have loved getting to ask their classmates a question and record their data using tally marks before turning it into a beautifully presented picture graph. In place value we have explored three-digit numbers up to 120. We have learnt how to read, write and order these numbers with the help of number lines, hundreds charts and our place value knowledge. Students have been exploring how to read time on an analogue clock. They have been focused on reading time to the hour, half past, quarter past and quarter to. Here is a sneaky tip we have learnt, you can read the time on an analogue clock just by looking at the hour hand!
We wish you all a happy and safe holiday break ready to return in Term 2. We cannot wait to continue the adventure that is learning in Grade One!
Jemma Armer
Year 1 Team Leader
Year 2 Team Report:
As we bid adieu to Term 1, we reflect on the remarkable journey our Grade Two students have embarked upon. This term has been filled with tremendous growth and learning, and we couldn't be prouder of each and every one of them!
In Literacy, our focus has been on the sounds /o/, /oo/, and /ow/. Delving into these sounds has allowed our students to deepen their understanding of phonics and expand their reading and writing skills. We have explored reading and spelling lots of words with these sounds and spotting them in the texts we have been reading.
In Reading, our students have delved into the fascinating world of animals and plants features and how they help them to survive. They have compared these features with human inventions. Do you know what humans have invented that is like an elephant’s trunk? Our students can tell you!
Additionally, they've been captivated by the exploration of the first civilization, 'Mesopotamia,' learning about its significant contributions to human history.
In Writing, our students have been honing their skills in crafting effective sentences. They've been employing conjunctions such as because, but, and so to connect ideas seamlessly. Furthermore, they've been utilizing question words - who, what, when, where, and why - to infuse depth and curiosity into their writing.
In Maths, our students have been immersed in the exploration of place value, extending their understanding of three-digit numbers. They've been modelling the value of numbers and sharpening their ability to order them effectively. Exploring time, has also been a great focus, as they explore how to tell the time to the quarter-hour. Additionally, they've been navigating the concept of probability, understanding the likelihood of events ranging from impossible to certain.
As we approach the holiday break, we wish all our students a joyful and safe time with family and friends. We eagerly anticipate reconvening in Term 2 to continue our exciting journey of learning and discovery in Grade Two!
Ashlee May
On behalf of the Year 2 Team
Year 3/4 Team Report:
As our inaugural term comes to a close, we reflect on the incredible journey we've shared! Over the past semester, we delved into various subjects and discussions, and we are truly impressed by the diligence and effort our students have shown, especially with NAPLAN. Let's revisit some highlights of the learning experiences we've had together this term.
During our reading sessions, we ended the term exploring Ancient Rome. We learned about the geography of the Mediterranean region, Romulus and Remus, the Roman Republic, the Punic Wars, Julius Caesar, Gladiators and Chariot Races, and the decline of the Roman Empire. Students also explored a variety of different texts, with the focus being on reading comprehension and understanding how to locate and find different information within a text.
In Literacy, students have been completing our new spelling program called ‘Spelling Mastery’ where they are split into separate classes for 30-minute blocks. The program aims to improve students' ability to spell accurately and confidently by teaching them rules, patterns, and strategies for spelling words correctly. It provides structured lessons and activities that gradually increase in complexity, allowing students to build a solid foundation in spelling that they can apply across various contexts.
Students have been working hard during our writing sessions where they have learned how to identify and explain what run-on sentences and how to separate independent clauses using a full stop, or to combine them using a variety of conjunctions. Furthermore, students worked on creating well thought out narratives that have a strong problem and solution, along with detailed persuasives that incorporate the MPO (multiple paragraph outline) structure.
In Maths, students have worked on automatically recalling their addition and multiplication facts. They have also been working on consolidating their place value knowledge, adding and subtracting 10, 100, 1000 and 10000, and their addition and subtraction algorithms. Most recently, students have been working on deepening their time knowledge through exploring the language of time, digital clocks, and drawing the minute and hour hand on a blank clock.
As we embark on the upcoming term, we eagerly anticipate further developing the skills we've acquired and are excited about delving into intriguing new subjects. We will be investigating forces and learning about Vikings through our Reading lessons. In Writing, we will be continuing on with run-on sentences, developing our complex sentence knowledge through the use of subordinating conjunctions, and learning about appositives and relative clauses to add more information to our nouns. In Maths, students will be exploring multiplication and division algorithms, measuring and converting units of measurements, exploring chance through different scenarios, and much more.
We extend our gratitude to all our students and families for their dedication and efforts this term. Wishing everyone a fantastic break filled with relaxation and rejuvenation.
Daniel Pinneri
3/4 Team Leader
Year 5/6 Team Report:
What a sizzling term we have had! Firstly, we are incredibly proud of all of our Year 5s for their efforts during NAPLAN and we say a big thank you to all our students for demonstrating our school values throughout this process.
Our knowledge unit on Ancient Greece and Rome has been a big hit this term and we can understand why. These city states had some amazing scientific achievements! Did you know that the Olympics originated in Olympia in 776 BCE. These ancient Olympics were part of a religious festival dedicated to the Greek god Zeus and were held every four years.
To support student learning about these city states, they developed questions and responded to these questions as they built their knowledge. They learnt about all four sentence types - statements, questions, commands and exclamations - and worked hard to formulate a variety of sentences about and in response to their reading. We finished the term with learning to write complex sentences using the most common subordinating conjunctions: before, after, if, when, even though, although, since, while, unless and whenever.
In Literacy, students have been building their fluency through partner-reading. Over the course of a week students have been repeatedly reading a text to practise decoding accurately, pausing and phrasing and reading at a good rate. Fluency is important for our students to practise because it is the bridge between decoding words and language comprehension.
In Numeracy, students are thoroughly enjoying the daily review sessions, where they revisit their learning each day. We are delighted to see their remarkable progress in reciting, recalling, and applying the knowledge and skills they've acquired. This term, we focused on addition and subtraction, emphasising effective problem-solving strategies. Additionally, students have engaged in reading and interpreting data represented on various graphs. They have also mastered the skill of reading and interpreting timetables, along with converting between 12-hour and 24-hour time formats.
This term, all students enthusiastically participated in Athletics Day, which was a great success. Many students bravely attempted various events, while actively encouraging their peers to strive for their personal best. Some of our students headed off to represent Eynesbury Primary School in the Summer Lightning Cup - playing in either tennis, volleyball or cricket. There was an immense amount of positive teamwork and integrity throughout the day and we were impressed with how well our students represented our school. So congratulations to all our Year 5 and 6 students on their hard work and efforts throughout Term 2 and we wish everyone a wonderful holiday break.
Emily Leonard
5/6 Team Leader
STEM Report:
This term, our Preps have delved into various scientific disciplines, acquainting themselves with the scientific method and essential safety measures for experiments. They have honed their skills in formulating rational hypotheses and utilised experimental data for evaluation.
In Grade 1, the focus has been on Physics, specifically Simple Machines. Through hands-on exploration, students have explored the mechanics of object movement and the fundamental role of Simple Machines in amplifying effort.
Grade 2 has embarked on a journey into the world of minibeasts this term. Each session has been dedicated to the investigation of a different minibeast, with a keen emphasis on understanding their physical attributes and diverse ecosystems.
Meanwhile, Grade 3/4 students are nearing completion of their Endangered Animal Wanted research posters. This project has entailed comprehensive research into various aspects of endangered species, alongside strategies for mitigating their endangered status.
In Grade 5/6, students have initiated a Sustainability research project. They are currently in the process of translating their findings into visually impactful infographic displays. Additionally, next term will see them using their research in a practical application, including 3D printing sustainable dwellings and utilising Minecraft Education for final assessments.
A special commendation to all students who applied for a position on a STEM team this year. While only a limited number could be selected, I encourage those who didn't make it this year to reapply next year. Congratulations to the following students for their selection:
Girl’s Robotics Club:
Leana F, Kenzie M, Jaida T, Hayley B
3D Pen Club:
Eva R, Mason M, Elijah SH, Emma B, Scarlett Z, Amie M, Addison B
Model Solar Team:
Jacob VC, Isla I, Luisa Q, Noah P, Archie D, Ethan C, Darcy A, Owen T, Toby K
Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child's education.
Nicholas Bevilacquae
STEM Teacher
PE Report:
In the fast-paced world of Eynesbury Primary School, we're excited to bring you the latest scoop on our students' achievements and endeavours in physical education. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity as our young athletes have been jumping, running, and showing exceptional sportsmanship.
Week 6: Jumping into Action
In Week 6, our entire school rallied around a common focus—jumping! While our Prep-2 students honed their fundamental movement skills, particularly the art and technique of jumping, our Grade 3-6 students immersed themselves in the world of athletics. The older students dedicated their time to perfecting the techniques of long jump, high jump, and triple jump in preparation for the upcoming athletics carnival.
Grade 5/6 Sporting Day Success:
A highlight of week 6 was undoubtedly the Grade 5/6 Summer Lightning Premiership Cup held on Friday, March 8. Our talented students participated in volleyball at Heathdale Christian College, tennis at Wedge Park Primary School, and cricket at Arnolds Creek Reserve. Despite the long, hot day, our Grade 5/6s exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and fairness, as well as reflecting the core values of Eynesbury Primary School. Kudos to the tennis team for bringing home our school's very first blue pendant – a significant achievement that we couldn't be prouder of!
Week 7: Practice makes perfect!
As we approached the halfway mark of the term, our students knuckled down on refining their skills for the much-anticipated athletics carnival in Week 8. Running and sprinting skills were fine-tuned, throwing stances were revisited, and jumping skills were refreshed to ensure that every student is in peak condition for the big day. It's all about making sure we're super ready to shine on the track and field!
Cross Country Triumph:
Week 7 also saw our annual cross-country event, a day filled with excitement and spirited competition. The students showcased their running skills, and we witnessed some potential future track and field stars in action. Congratulations to the Freeman house for claiming victory in the house points competition this time round. Below are the house results:
Celebrating Sportsmanship and Skills at the Athletics Carnival:
We are thrilled to share the excitement of our recent Athletics Carnival, which took place during Week 8! It was an incredible day where our students had the chance to showcase the skills they've been practicing in PE class. Laughter and friendly competition filled the air, making it a truly memorable event. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to our amazing teachers, ES staff, admin team who provided first aid support, and the fantastic parent volunteers who helped everything run smoothly. Your support truly made a difference! We're incredibly proud of all our students who participated and demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship. Congratulations to the Goodes house for claiming victory in the house points competition this time round. Below are the house results:
Tanisha Thomson
PE Teacher
Arts Report:
Students in prep have had lots of fun getting messy! They have used stampers and their hands to print a landscape painting, inspired by the book ‘The Wonky Donkey’. They have used oil pastels and watercolour paint to create resist paintings and we are looking forward to working with clay next term.
Students in Years 1 and two have been learning about drawing objects in 3D they have used size, shading and detail to show distance and have created some very imaginative drawings by manipulating the basic shape of a pencil to create spaceships and planes. We even drew a delicious tea party with yummy cupcakes and donuts to eat.
Students in Year 3-4 have been developing their techniques for working with clay. Students have created many gorgeous creatures by joining two pinch pots together, then adding details by shaping clay and embossing texture. Next term, students will create their final piece out of air dry clay, which will be painted and brought home.
Students in Year 5-6 have been learning to play ‘When I’m Gone’ on ukulele. They have learnt some basic chords and some strumming patterns, as well as ‘the ‘Cups’ routine. Next term we will be putting it all together and playing as part of a group. Students will then learn some essential film-making skills, and work in a small group to write, direct and record a short film based on a well-known fairy tale.
Victoria Quayle
Performing Arts Teacher
LOTE Report:
In Term 1, the prep students learnt how to introduce themselves by saying “Nihao, nihao, wo jiao…” in Chinese. The students played games, sang songs and participated in role-playing exercises to reinforce their learning. They were also introduced to the basic strokes of Chinese characters.
Our Grade 1 and Grade 2 students have been exploring a unit centred around colours. They have practised singing the colour song and can now articulate 8 different colours in Chinese. Following this, they advanced to learning the correct spelling of these colours in Pinyin and successfully matching them with their corresponding hues.
Our Grade 3 /4 students have been studying a unit on countries. They learned how to pronounce 10 different countries in Chinese and how to write them properly, stroke by stroke. Additionally, they discovered some fascinating facts about these countries. Furthermore, they acquired the ability to say 'I am Australian' in Chinese.
Our Grade 5/6 students have been immersed in a unit focusing on family members, using the 'I love my family' song as a key resource. They have grasped the hand gestures representing various family members and can articulate 10 family members in Chinese. Furthermore, they comprehended the female symbols within family writings and can now proficiently identify the characters.
Ella Xu
LOTE Teacher
Well done to all of the EPS community for engaging in a wonderful Term 1 for 2024!
We wish all of our students and staff an exciting and relaxing school holidays, and hope they make the most of their time off before Term 2 comes around!
Breakfast Club:
Breakfast club runs out of the school canteen, where you will see platters of yummy food that will get you ready to start your day.
It will run two times a week; every Tuesday and Thursday morning!
The menu will be located around the school, and here in the newsletter. Please remember to put your rubbish in the bin when you have finished your breakfast and keep our environment tidy. Let’s work together to keep this great initiative going!
Interested in becoming a Breakfast Club Helper? Come and see Meaghan in Wellbeing to find out more!
Lunch Clubs:
Lunch clubs will be running 3 times a week; Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and there are a variety of options to choose from!
This year, some lunch clubs will run inside the library, whereas other lunch clubs will be outdoors or in the STEM space.
Check the timetable found on posters around the school, on the pinboard in the admin space, or here in the newsletter, to find out what exciting activity is running that day!
Let’s work together to respect the equipment and activity materials we use, to keep our lunch clubs running all year round.
If families are in need of a wellbeing pack containing cereal, long lasting milk, fruit cups etc for the school holidays, please email eynesbury.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Meaghan Vella
Engagement and Wellbeing Coordinator