Week 2, Term 4

Hello from the Prep Rooms! 

This week in Literacy we have been revising all the sounds we have learnt so far. After learning about the three main parts of a narrative (beginning, middle, end) everyone was excited to write our first story at school. After planning our stories, we wrote each part of our story, illustrated it, then it was turned into a book! It was exciting to hear all the imaginative ideas and stories we came up with!

In Maths, we continued developing our confidence with two-digit numbers. We have created and compared numbers with MAB and paddle pop sticks, created our own two-digit superhero and showed our understanding with a two-digit placemat. You can come in and see our superheroes displayed in the classroom!

In Wellbeing, we asked a partner questions to complete a Venn Diagram, showing our similarities and differences.

In BQT, we have continued exploring the properties of materials, which helps us decide which material to use when creating different things. 

Next week, we will be learning two new codes that make the same sound - ‘ay’ and ‘ai’ - and when to use them. We will be writing another story, which we will illustrate and turn into another book that we will bring home to share. In Maths, we will be exploring location. We will practise using different directions and use special coding mice for our Maths and STEAM challenges!

Everyone was excited to get our Prep Dinner/Games permission note! Please return the form and money to your classroom teacher by Friday 14th November.

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Nicole and Miss Else

Hello from the Golden Wattle building!

It’s been an exciting week in Grade 1/2, as we started exploring the ‘Finding Out’ stage of our inquiry. We have started looking at particular materials as part of our new Big Question, "What is it made of and why?", and this week, we explored paper and wood. We found out about different types of wood, how paper is made and looked at the different things you can make out of these materials. We thought about why these materials are good but also thought about any downsides to these as well.

Our STEAM Challenge this week involved learning about the Wright brothers who made the very first aeroplane out of wood, and then we tried to design our own wooden biplanes and tested them to see whose could fly the farthest!

Our Literacy focus this week has been on using pronouns correctly. We read the stories, ‘Whatcha Building?’ and ‘Rosie Revere, Engineer’ which were both about children who love to create and build. There were also important messages including reusing materials and persevering when initial ideas fail.

In Maths, we have been learning about fractions. We focused mainly on halving, doubling and quartering collections of objects. A favourite activity including separating a collection of Lego blocks into quarters and then making something different with each quarter.

This week in Wellbeing, we looked at how the opposite of violence is respect. We did this by  

role-playing ways that we can play with others in a way that is friendly, gender fair and respectful. We also identified strategies that we can use to help solve problems in a respectful way.

And of course, we were super excited to meet the author of ‘Runt’, Craig Silvey in person on Friday! We were lucky enough to hear Craig read some of his new book, ‘Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping’ and ask him some questions about being an author. Some of us even got Craig to sign our books!

Next week in Literacy, our focus will be on identifying and using possessive adjectives. We’ll continue exploring fractions in Maths and start looking at how plastic is made in BQT. Don’t forget to send in any plastic bottles if you have them at home!

We hope you have a wonderful weekend, 

Wendy, Laura, Claire, Sarah and Andrew

It’s been a productive few weeks in our classrooms.  

In Maths, we’ve been learning about angles—how to measure them accurately with a protractor and how to recognise and calculate complementary and supplementary angles. Students have been applying these skills to solve practical problems and challenge tasks. We have also been reading timetables, calculating elapsed time and planning a timetable for a Big Day Out in Melbourne. The students have plenty of ideas of how they would spend their time!

In Science, we’re finishing our Big Question on "What is it Made of and Why?". This week, our students have been running experiments focused on the density of different liquids and developing their ability to draw clear, labelled scientific diagrams to show their findings.

For Wellbeing, we have been exploring the concept of gender and how we are all part of society which can be like a ‘machine’ that helps to construct ideas around gender. Students explored various ‘cogs’ of the machine, such as clothing, sporting, media and ads and family life to try and deconstuct if we were ‘born or made’ in a certain way. Many interesting discussions and respectful debates were had.  

We recently welcomed back students from Somers camp, who returned with plenty of great stories while looking well and truly exhausted! We are now getting ready for the Grade 6s to head off to Urban Camp next week.  

It was a treat on Friday to have author Craig Silvey visit us. Many of our students are big fans of his and this was an unforgettable experience. The students who attended District sport also made their school proud.

Region Athletics 

Congratulations to all of our students who attended the Region Track and Field on Monday. These students have practised their event/s during lunchtimes over a series of weeks and can be commended for their efforts to improve. We are extremely proud of their achievements.

Notably, our 10-year-old Boys 4 x 100m relay team won the silver medal to qualify for the State Final at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park on Thursday 6th November. All the best for having a great experience at this prestigious event.

Division Summer Sport

Many of our Grade 5/6 students represented our school at Goldfields Division across the sports of basketball, cricket and tennis today. Full report and photos next week.

Bike Education Grade 3-6

Our Grade 3/4 and 5/6 classes will participate in the Bike Education program during their PE lessons. We start in Week 6 (beginning 10 November), which is the week following Melbourne Cup Day week. The program will run for four weeks. 

Students will need to bring a roadworthy bike and a helmet to school on their scheduled PE day. Specific dates and further information will be sent home with students next term.

District Kickball Grade P-2

We have begun practising ‘Kickball Rounders’ in PE lessons in preparation for a successful outing to District Kickball. We are honing our skills of stopping a rolling / bouncing ball, throwing, catching and kicking, along with learning the rules of the game and thinking about team fielding strategies or individual kick placement tactics. 

All students in Grades Prep, One and Two participate in District Kickball on the morning of Friday 7th November. Our students are placed into multi-age teams across all junior grade levels to play casual games of ‘Kickball Rounders’ against student teams from other schools. The emphasis is on participation, fun, personal growth and development. 

The kicking team step up individually  to take a kick and then run as many bases as they can before the fielding team returns the ball to the designated bowler (who is usually a Grade 5/6 student leader). Innings are timed at approximately 10 minutes each with continual rotation through the kicking team until the allocated time is finished. 

We require support from parents/carers to help supervise our teams. Permission forms will be sent home next week. 

Swimming: Grade Prep-2

We are extremely proud of our swimming and water safety program across all grade levels at our school. We have traditionally held swimming lessons for our Grade Prep/1/2 classes during Term 4 at the Castlemaine Indoor Pool. This venue is currently closed, which is both a disappointment and challenge for our school and our community. We are currently exploring our options, but may not have access to swimming lessons this term. We will update and inform you of any developments.

Next year, swimming for Grades 3-6 will proceed as usual at the Castlemaine Outdoor Pool during Term 1.

Prep E

Hugo B - for the impressive way you are making two-digit numbers with MAB and paddlepop sticks.
Susanna C - for the brave way you are listening to feedback and practising to write your letters correctly.

Prep N

Edie H - for the persistence and effort you are putting into reading and writing into reading and writing tricky heart words.
Bettie B - for the confidence and determination you are showing when reading, writing and making numbers up to 100.

1/2 CS

Taras H - for the enthusiastic way you are practising your number facts at home.
Florence T - for your enthusiasm during class discussions - particularly in BQT.

1/2 L

Ben E - for your enthusiastic attitude to writing and the way you now challenge yourself to write in detail.
Alice D - for the thoughtful way you stepped in to help a classmate build her Lego models in maths.

1/2 WA

Eloise C - for challenging yourself during our maths lessons and excelling with your fraction Lego structures.
Nathan M - for your excellent sportsmanship during our Wilson game of 'Ladders'.

3/4 H

Milly P - for speaking up for yourself.
Rafi A - for being so helpful all around, in and outside of the classroom.

3/4 PS

Oden R - for your passion and enthusiasm during our Viking Big Write.
Jack B - for the impressive use of high level openers in your Viking inspired Big Write.

3/4 S

Rider M - for your thorough comprehension answers related to The Viking World.
Theo D - for your persistent work in maths this week, with a particular focus on the 'broken calculators' task.

5/6 BH

Banjo C - for the wonder you displayed when contributing to our class discussion during RRRR.
Adelaide G - for the way you always step up when something needs doing.

5/6 BN

Jessica H - for taking the time with your scientific diagrams that demonstrated the density of liquid.
Oscar T - for always asking thoughtful questions that show you are always seeking to understand.

5/6 H

Jasmine R - for your willingness to support others.
Alba M - for your outstanding description of physical and chemical changes.

Performing Arts

Nathan M - for demonstrating courage through thoughtful choices.

Castlemaine Rocky Riders Mountain Bike Club

The Castlemaine Rocky Riders Mountain Bike Club, Dirt Crits Series starts Thursday 6th November and registrations are now open! Dirt Crits is a junior cross country mountain bike event series, consisting of 10 rounds of mountain biking fun (5 in Nov-Dec 2025, 5 in Feb-Mar 2026) at the Walmer Forest trailhead, Daltons Road Castlemaine.

Dirt Crits are run as a handicapped format, with individual start times and laps to complete calculated week-to-week, based on lap times. So on any given week, anyone can win!

There are two categories: Dirt Cubs (age 3-7 ) and Dirt Masters (ages 8-14 ).

Dirt Crits is all about fun. We encourage riders of all abilities to come and have a go, either to compete, or to just roll around and enjoy our local trails in a friendly and inclusive environment.

Cost of entry for each week of racing is just a gold coin donation.

To register: https://events.auscycling.org.au/event-registration/individual/events/2529