Week 1, Term 4

This week, teachers engaged in professional learning with Alana Wearne, the project lead of the Respectful Relationships team.  Our main focus of this session was exploring the evidence base and teaching materials for Topic 7, Gender Norms and Stereotypes and Topic 8, Positive Gender Relations.  

Teachers sampled several activities from these topics including this one from the Grade 5/6 resource ‘The Intergenerational Gender Machine’. https://arc.educationapps.vic.gov.au//43923.rsf 

This week, I was also fortunate enough to be working with the Grade 5/6 students this on the first lesson of Topic 7 which focuses on inclusive language and actions.  Students discussed strategies for creating a safe, friendly inclusive school, recording their ideas on a ‘fish diagram’, here are a couple of examples:

Welcome to Term 4 from the Prep Rooms,

In Literacy this week, we focused on the sounds ‘ph’ and ‘wh’ this week. Students practised reading and identifying words that use these codes. We also learned that we need to be careful, so we don’t confuse them with codes ‘f’, ‘ff’, or ‘w’ which also make the same sound. 

A highlight this week was exploring the structure of a narrative story. After learning about the three main parts - the beginning, middle, and end - students were eager to write their very own stories. It was wonderful to hear all the imaginative ideas and creative ideas they came up with!

In Maths, we have been using materials such as tens frames, paddle pop sticks, and MAB to build and represent two-digit numbers. We discovered that when we have ten ones, we can bundle them together to make a ten! This helps us count more quickly and see how many tens and ones are in each number. 

Next week, we’ll be eagerly writing another story, which students will illustrate and turn into their very own book to share with their buddies before bringing it home. You might like to chat together at home about possible characters, settings, or problems your child could include in their story to help spark some creative ideas. In Maths, we will continue to read, make, write and compare two-digit numbers using different materials and strategies to strengthen our understanding of place value. 

We wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Welcome to Term 4!

We have jumped straight into our learning this week and we tuned into our new Big Question, "What is it made of and why?". We explored different materials and their properties such as whether they are hard/soft, rough/smooth, strong/weak, waterproof/absorbent, and transparent/opaque/translucent. We sorted different materials into groups and even made a class collage using a range of materials.

In Literacy, we have been focusing on past tense verbs. We read the story ‘Stick Man’ by Julia Donaldson and looked at the verbs (actions) in the book and converted them into past tense. We also created our own Stick Men and described their actions using present and past tense verbs.

In Maths, we have been learning about positional language and how we can describe where an object or location is. Some of the vocabulary we have been using is above, below, next to, across, left, right, near and far. We have also used ordinal language such as first, second, third, last etc. We used maps and mazes to give and receive directions, and even made our own pirate treasure map!

Our Play Is the Way game ‘Robots’ tied in well as students needed to give clear instructions to guide their blindfolded ‘robot’ to collect their beanbags. This sometimes ended in hilarious results as we worked on getting our ‘lefts’ and ‘rights’ correct!

In Wellbeing this week, we looked at gender-based violence as part of the Respectful Relationships curriculum. We talked about the difference between fair and friendly play and play that is violent or ‘too rough’. We discussed different types of violence, including hurting people’s feelings, hurting people’s bodies or damaging their possessions on purpose. We named some emotions people can have when they see violence or when it happens to them. We unpacked different scenarios and talked about how some kinds of violence are also gender-unfair. We discussed that if we see people being violent we can help by not joining in, telling them to stop, getting away to safety or getting help.

Next week, we will continue exploring our new Big Question with a focus on wood and paper. We will look at the properties of both materials, why different objects are made from these materials, find out how paper is made, and get hands-on with building using these materials.

We will use the picture book ‘The Most Magnificent Thing’ by Ashley Spires in Literacy to unpack subject and object pronouns and start exploring fractions in Maths. We are also looking forward to author, Craig Silvey, coming in to visit us on Friday. If you have a Craig Silvey book at home that you would like to be signed, make sure to send it in with your child on Friday morning.

And lastly, just a reminder to please send in any empty water or soft drink bottles as we will be needing them in Week 3.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend,

Wendy, Laura, Claire, Sarah and Andrew

This week in Literacy, we have looked at some key elements that can make our writing more exciting. Some of examples of these are using ‘ing’ verb openers and direct speech.

In spelling, we’ve been exploring the Greek root word hydr, which means “water.” Students have been investigating how this root appears in English words such as hydrate, hydrant, and dehydrate.

During Maths, we’ve been exploring probability through some intriguing and surprising activities. Students have discovered that some games that seem fair at first can actually be misleading or skewed in favour of one outcome. Our sessions have focused on comparing experimental and theoretical probabilities by testing predictions, collecting data, and evaluating the results.

This activity led to some interesting discoveries around the probability of certain numbers being rolled.

Next week in Literacy, will be looking at subordinating conjunctions and students will be complete a Big Write based on our Viking knowledge unit.

Welcome to Term 4! We hope everyone enjoyed a restful holiday as we gear up for an exciting and busy time ahead. Earlier this week, we sent out an overview email for this term’s upcoming events—so be sure to check your inbox and stay tuned for more updates!

This week, 15 lucky students headed south for the biannual Somers Camp. They departed on Tuesday and will be returning next Wednesday. We hope they are having a fabulous time and look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return.

At school, students built on their skills by reviewing 12- and 24-hour time from last term, before jumping into the fun “Big Day Out” project. Each student is planning a day trip to Melbourne, including taking the V-Line train for both journeys. They’ll choose three attractions to visit, select which day of the week they’d prefer, and use train timetables and Google Maps to plan their transport around the city. This hands-on task is a fantastic way to practise time, timetabling, and journey planning skills.

In Literacy, we are continuing reading non-fiction and deepening knowledge about matter. Students are practising re-reading texts closely to find answers to questions. Next week in BQT, we’ll be modelling an experiment to demonstrate the different densities of hot and cold weather, and afterwards, students will be drawing scientific diagrams to add to their learning journals. 

We’ve started a new unit exploring the Latin base words QUIR-QUIS-QUEST, meaning “to seek” or “to ask.” Over the next few weeks, students will practise reading and spelling and completing sentences using these base words. 

The gloves are on, and the competition has started—the much-anticipated Softball games are underway. Who will be victorious in the end-of-term match: the Teachers or Grade 6s?  

Wishing everyone a restful weekend. See you next week!

Division Summer Sport – Grade 5/6 (select students) 

Next Friday, the 17th of October, many of our Grade 5/6 students will represent our school at Goldfields Division across the sports of basketball, cricket and tennis. This is the progression from District Sport where we play matches against schools from Macedon Ranges and Maryborough. Permission notes and payment must be returned by Wednesday 15th October. We require the support of parent helpers to assist us with supervision, scoring or coaching. Please indicate on your permission form if you are able to help. 

Bike Education - Grades 3-6 

Our Grade 3/4 and 5/6 classes will participate in the Bike Education program during their PE lessons. We anticipate starting 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.

Region Athletics – Grades 4-6 (select students)

Best wishes to our student representatives at Region Track and Field next Monday in Bendigo.

Prep E

Rassie M - for bouncing back after taking a tumble.
Gloria A - for thoughtfully looking out for others.

Prep N

Jovi C - for the thought and detail you put into your narrative story.
Leo L - for always being ready and enthusiastic to join in every learning task.

1/2 CS

Elliot D - for the courage and determination you are showing when completing tasks independently.
Asha M - for the beautiful attention to detail you put into your classroom map.

1/2 L

Mia N - for your creative stick person pipe cleaner design.
Mahlee C - for your exceptionally neat and accurate mapping skills.

1/2 WA

Winnie B - for working beautifully in a team to successfully complete your journey through a maze.
Robbie B - for your excellent collaboration and patience during our Wilson Game 'Robots'.

3/4 H

Alban R - for putting your best effort in creating your spinners in maths.
Ffion M - for your beautifully presented probability spinners.

3/4 L

Magnus E - for being an upstander and looking after your classmates.
Hunter E - for always sharing your ideas and taking on feedback positively.

3/4 PS

Arlen J - for your passion when sharing your mathematical thinking during challenging tasks.
Sadie A - for the way you engage in all of our learning activities.

3/4 S

Sierra E - for all your wonderings around out BQT and the Viking way of life.
Frances B - for your consistent enthusiasm in out literacy sessions and willingness to participate in rich discussions.

5/6 BH

Lilah C - for the hard work and curiosity you've shown during our maths lessons on time.
Mathilde T - for your extensive responses to questions and contributions to class discussions during our matter lessons.

5/6 BN

Poppi W - for the care and consideration you put into your scientific drawings about air and matter.
Sidney P - for consistently treating your classmates with kindness and respect.
Sidney C - for always being thoroughly engaged in every aspect of school.

5/6 H

Ruben B - for being kind and taking care of other people's belongings.
Bailey B - for making an effort to help someone find a lost item.

5/6 J

Thomas C - for the friendly greeting you gave a classmate in the morning.
Joni B - for the strategic way you played our bump fraction game.

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