Term overviews

The Eucalypts - Preschool

The Eucalypts term 3 overview 2023

Welcome to Macquarie Preschool.

Our preschool unit is known as ‘The Eucalypts’.

The two groups are...  

The Rosellas: Monday, Tuesday and odd-week Wednesday

The Sugar Gliders: Thursday, Friday and even-week Wednesday.

Staff

Educators:

Maree works with the groups Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Each Wednesday, Lynda works with the group.

Support educators:

Sharni works Monday-Friday

Lunch cover throughout the week is provided by Stacey, Jess and Kristy

The Program

This term, we will continue to provide opportunities for children to get to know each other and develop a sense of belonging. We aim to assist children to become capable and inquisitive self-managers. We give children the opportunity to play, and support them in the complex business of negotiating the use of spaces and resources, developing turn taking, sharing and reciprocal relationship skills.

The students will continue to sign in to preschool each morning. They will be supported to identify their name before tracing over it and then copying it with a pencil. Green dots on each letter of their name provide a starting point for letter formation.

We look forward to continuing to work with Lil (horticulturist) in the school’s garden in weeks 3, 6 and 9.

Guided by the children’s wonderings and interests, we are inquiring into dinosaurs, with the question, ‘What makes dinosaurs amazing?  We will inquire into what a dinosaur is, how they are similar and different (size, diet, characteristics) and investigate what happened to dinosaurs. This will lead into ‘Our Place in Space’ inquiry mid way through the term, where the children will investigate their relationship in relation to their world  (space-Earth-Australia-Canberra-community-school-home).  We will visit the National Arboretum in Term 4  as part of our inquiry process.

The children will continue to be provided with opportunities to identify their feelings and emotions and be supported to identify and use strategies that help them when needed.  This semester, they will be introduced to fortnightly topics including learning about their body (similarities and differences), the human lifecycle and relationships with others. We will also be learning that everyone has the right to feel safe all the time and that nothing is so awful that we can’t talk to someone about it. Experiences will include stories, songs, visual sorts and games.

Shapes, length, patterns, position and numbers in our world will be a mathematical focus through everyday play and activities on the maths table.

The literacy and fine motor tables have a variety of materials available at all times to promote drawing and writing in the classroom including visuals of letters and words related to our inquiry, clip boards, paper, pencils, crayons, stamps, stickers, envelopes and more. Fine motor activities, including playdough, cutting, tracing, pegging and threading, support pre-writing skills.  We rotate the materials by listening to what the children would like us to add or observing what they are using.

Our program is flexible to accommodate Canberra’s weather. Our day includes planned and unplanned, inside and outside play experiences including construction, art and craft and imaginative play. We plan short, group time sessions and during these times we read stories, engage in conversation, sing, dance, play games, and reflect on the events of the day.

On Wednesdays with Lynda, learning experiences will be centred around fairy tales. This will provide opportunities for developing oral language and stimulating imagination. Students will be involved in dramatic interpretations and experiences including puppet retells, character evaluations, scene reconstruction and creating visuals. This learning will aid in developing listening ability, recall of facts, building vocabulary and collaborative skills.

Woven throughout the preschool learning will be the continuing exposure to beginning reading behaviours and understandings, such as, reading left-to-right and top-to-bottom, phonemic awareness (letters and their sounds), and word meaning.

Communication

Our main form of communicating your child’s preschool experience will be through Class Dojo. Educators can help you connect to the app if needed.

Please let us know if your child has had a change in their routine that might impact their day so that we can best support them.

Any notes to go home will be placed in your child’s bag on a Tuesday or Thursday. Please hand any notes that need to be returned to preschool to the educators. 

The school newsletter is emailed to all families each  Thursday.

Library Visits

Both preschool groups visit the school library weekly.

Rosellas: Tuesday morning

Gliders: Friday morning

Please return the book in the library bag on or before their day.

Cooler Weather and Clothing

Please bring a jacket for outside play.

We still play outside every day during colder months.

A t-shirt and jumper are great for indoor time where

the heater is on.

Big outside jackets can be hung on the hooks provided outside.

Velcro sneakers are a great shoe as they have grip on the soles for running and climbing, and enable the children to independently take off and put on their shoes as needed.

We are a Sun Smart School

Our SunSmart Policy includes ‘hats off’ time from 1 June to 1 August when UV levels are low. This is a good time for children to have some sunlight on their face to support vitamin D absorption.

Pack a beanie to help keep little heads warm.

Community Connection

We would like to invite parents and carers to share knowledge of their culture and or days of significance with the groups.  This could include, but is not limited to, sharing  a song, reading a book or making something (art/food). Please speak with Maree to organise a time.

Lunchboxes

We provide regular breaks for eating and drinking throughout the preschool day. Healthy eating and drinking at preschool is encouraged, and we seek to minimise waste.

Please provide your child with:

fruits or vegetables cut into manageable pieces

morning tea snacks (e.g. yoghurt, cheese and biscuits, rice cakes, popcorn, hommus)

lunch (e.g. sandwich, wrap, rice, noodles)

a drink bottle full of water

Please label all containers and drink bottles.

For more lunch box ideas, visit

https://www.healthylunchboxweek.org.au/

We discourage treats such as chocolate and chocolate spreads, sprinkles, lollies and fruit juices being packed for preschool. These treats can be saved for home.

Please ensure that your child brings a bottle full of fresh water daily.

Other reminders

If your child rides a bike or scooter to preschool, they need to be walked in the grounds and stored straight into the bike storage rack.  The preschool is a high traffic area with many younger siblings accompanying parents so this helps prevent accidents.

Please leave your child’s preschool hat at school.

Dates for the Calendar Please check the calendar in the school newsletter

Week 6: Saturday 26 August- Working Bee

Week  7: Monday 28 August-Father’s Day Stall

Week 8: Thursday 7 September for Gliders- Learning Journey  2:30-3:30

Week 8:Friday 8th September-School Colour Run Day

Week 9: Tuesday 12 September for Rosellas-Learning Journey

Week 9 and 10: Wednesday 13 September  to Wednesday 20 Book fair

Acacia Mammals - Kindergarten

Literacy

Listening to reading: This term we will have a strong focus on non-fiction texts including books, brochures, maps, posters and websites which give us factual and true information. We will continue to read fictional books to expose students to a variety of texts.

Modelled Reading: Our explicit reading strategies this term will include a number of comprehension based strategies to support our students to understand what they have read. Making predictions (thinking guesses), asking and answering questions about what they listen to and read, inferring (looking for hidden clues and meanings in texts) will be the key strategies.

Guided Reading Groups: We will continue our guided reading groups again this term. Students work in small groups with books that are selected to support them to develop their personal and group reading skills.

Writer’s Time: Our writing focus for this term will be closely linked to our learning in Inquiry. Students will be immersed in different types of texts and look at how they can have similar characteristics. Some examples include writing postcards, letters and recounts of familiar events. Students will be encouraged to use descriptive language and use a clear logical structure. We will explore the writing process more deeply. Our writing process will be to: think, plan, draft, edit and share.

Word Noticing: Our vocabulary building and spelling this term will focus on rhyme, digraphs, blends and high frequency words.

Sentence Work: We will begin to unpack the purpose of words within sentences and explore which words tell us who or what, where, when or how.

Handwriting:

This semester, students will continue to engage in explicit letter formation. Students will work on:

Identifying where each letter will start

Capital and lowercase letters

Posture and grip

Are we there yet? - Excursion Provocation

This term we will be using “Are we there yet?” by Alison Lester to inspire our literacy sessions.

Mathematics

Number and Algebra

Students will:

count to and from 20 and ordering small collections;

students will be using terms such as ‘first’ and ‘second’ to indicate ordinal position in a sequence; and

students will be using a range of practical strategies for adding small groups of numbers, using  visual representations and hands-on materials.

Measurement and Geometry

Students will:

explain the order and duration of events;

compare objects using mass, length and capacity;

use direct and indirect comparisons to decide which is longer, heavier or holds more, and explain reasoning in everyday language; and

use appropriate language to describe location.

Statistics and Probability

answer simple questions to collect information and make simple inferences.

Mathematical Language:

Some of the key vocabulary includes: between, describe, direction, directions, forward, movement, near, next to, position, toward, order, second, sequence, starting point, addition, after, before, (more/less/fewer), make, sequence, starting, point, compare, connect , everyday language, longer, order, inference, information and collect.

Discovery Time

Discovery Time provides opportunities for students to develop their Inquiry Learning Assets: Collaborators, Self Managers, Thinkers, Researchers and Communicators. We will continue to structure it around introducing the opportunities for play, setting our learning asset goals and then reflecting at the end of each session.

Some examples of play opportunities may include: a writing centre, where students are guided to draw and write facts about different environments, postcards, letters and stories; construction area for designing and creating habitats and environments; a work station with the World Atlas, maps, globes and opportunities for students to create their own maps. A reading corner for immersing in fiction and nonfiction texts of interest; and a visual arts space for creative exploration.

Home Reading

We change our readers on: MONDAY.

Please send your home reading folder with your child.

Library

Our Library day: FRIDAY.

Please send a library bag with your child.

Inquiry

Our Inquiry will see us look through the lens of Environmental Sustainability to explore the big question:

‘What features make places diverse?’

We will use the key concepts of place, features and diversity to deepen our inquiry and extend our thinking.

Students will investigate How are maps used? How can they identify environmental features of places? How do we care for places? They will explore the importance of different environments and how we can use maps to help us understand them. Our excursion to the Canberra theatre, ‘Are we there yet?’ in week 1 will be used as a provocation for learning throughout the term. 

Specialist Teachers

Students in the Acacia Rainforests will access three of the specialists’ programs this term.

Drama with Sonia

Students will be learning drama skills with an emphasis on roleplay, mime and improvisation. They will be undertaking a variety of fun activities and games aimed at further enhancing their social and emotional awareness, collaboration and movement skills.

Music with Cynan

Students are continuing to develop their aural skills through fun and engaging activities. Using their voices and body percussion, they are learning to imitate pitch and rhythm patterns, which is an important foundation for future musical learning. These activities not only help to develop their musical abilities, but also their listening and concentration skills.

Physical Education and Health with Sean

Students will continue to build on their fundamental movement skills of running, throwing and catching. Students will build these skills through explicit instruction, practice and movement based games. Students will also be given an opportunity at the end of the lesson to reflect on what they have learnt.

Technology with Candice and Gen

Students will begin to learn how to log in to the Chromebooks, use the camera feature to scan QR codes and close windows they are using. They will also learn about safety and privacy related to usernames and passwords.

Social and Emotional Learning

This term we will continue to emphasise the importance of PBL expectations and our school values. We will continue to support students to interact in positive and productive ways and demonstrate how they can be safe, respectful learners.

As part of our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program, we will be continuing to focus on strategies to calm down like 5 finger breathing, mindfulness and relaxation exercises. We will also revisit our well-being placemats and check in to see if those strategies are still working for us.

Other Reminders

From August 1, as per our SunSmart practices, students will need to wear SunSmart hats at school so please make sure your child has a hat in their bag each day.

Please pack a piece of fruit or some fresh vegetables for a quick break during the morning session.

Please label all items with your child’s name, so lost items can be returned.

Important Dates

Week 3, Friday (Aug 4): PBL Certificates presented 9am

Week 4, Friday (Aug 11): Winter Walk to School Day

Week 5, Wednesday (Aug 16): 1/2 Arts Assembly

Week 6, Friday (Aug 25): Book Week Parade

Week 7, Tuesday (Aug 29): Kate & Jol Temple author visit

Week 7, Friday (Sep 1): Fathers’ Day Stall

Week 8, Thursday (Sep 7): Nude Food Day

Week 8, Thursday (Sep 7): Learning Journey

Week 8, Friday (Sep 8): School Fun Run Colour Day

Week 9, Monday (Sep 11) Year 5/6 Market Day

Australian Rainforest Animals - Year 1/2

English

This term the Rainforest Animals will engage in a comprehensive literacy program that includes:

Explicit reading instruction and listening to shared books-  we will discuss the behaviours that support us as readers and focus on reading strategies to find out:

• How can we improve and expand our vocabulary through reading a range of texts?
• How can we compare and contrast different texts that we read?
• How can we use visualisation to create a picture or mental image in our minds while we read?
• What other strategies can we use to check for understanding?

Guided Reading Groups- regular small group reading instruction to support the development of a range of skills and strategies for each learner.

Reading individually and with others - retelling familiar stories and selecting ‘good fit’ (appropriate) books regularly from the library collection with a focus on building our independent reading stamina.

Word Noticing - our spelling focus is guided by literacy expert Christine Topfer. This term we will inquire into high frequency words,  how sounds can be represented by different letter patterns, long vowels, and morphological word families.

Writer’s Workshop - students will be building descriptive sentences, exploring interesting vocabulary to use in their own writing and understanding the text structure of a narrative, including grammar and punctuation.

Writer’s Time -students will have opportunities to build their writing stamina by writing parts of a story that links in with exploring locations and describing journeys.

Mathematics

When working mathematically, students will engage in a range of learning experiences including working with hands-on materials, small groups, games and interactive ICT tools.

Our key focus areas for Mathematics this term are:

fractions - dividing shapes and collections into halves, quarters and eighths;

drawing, describing and transforming two-dimensional shapes;

associating collections of Australian coins and notes with their value;

using maps and the language of direction to move from place to place;

reading analogue and digital times - o’clock, half past, quarter to, quarter past; and

beginning to explore multiplication and division through equal groups and arrays.

Students will engage with SplashLearn Maths on chromebooks to practise, consolidate and extend their mathematical knowledge and understanding.

Mathematical Language:

This year we are focusing on specific vocabulary across the school for Mathematics. This is to ensure that consistent language is being used across the school from Kindergarten to Year 6.

Some of the vocabulary we will be using is:

Halves, quarters, eighths, two-dimensional shapes, square, rectangle, triangle, kite, rhombus, circle, straight lines, curved lines, edges, corners, slides, flips, quarter turn, half turn, coins, notes, dollars, cents, maps, repeated addition, equal groups, arrays, o’clock, half past, quarter to, quarter past, hour hand, minute hand, forwards, backwards, over, under, through, clockwise, anti-clockwise, left, right, north, south, east, west.

Inquiry

Our Inquiry will see us look through the lens of Environmental Sustainability to explore the Big Question of:

How can we explore location?

Our key concepts are: environmental change, location and explore.

Students will explore a variety of maps at different scales, including local, national and global. They will identify, label and categorise different features of places including natural, constructed and managed features. Students will then create their own maps and use these to describe, navigate and explain different journeys and locations. Students will also use technology, including Beebots and Ozobots to code algorithms for different journeys.

The Arts

Students in the Australian Rainforests will access three of the specialists’ programs this term.

Music with Cynan Brace

Students are continuing to practise a range of songs and rhymes. They are developing their aural skills by listening for pitch and rhythm changes, and further refining their abilities to match them accurately. They’re also learning basic musical notation, which will set a strong foundation for future learning.

Drama with Sonia and Candice

Students will be learning drama skills with an emphasis on roleplay, mime and improvisation. They will be undertaking a variety of fun activities and games aimed at further enhancing their social and emotional awareness, collaboration and movement skills.

Visual Arts with Nicole

Students will be experimenting with different materials, techniques and processes to create artworks. They will also identify design elements, such as line, shape, colour and texture, in their own and others’ creations.

Our Library and Home Reading day is:

Please send a library bag with your child and your home reader should it need to be changed. Students will borrow three good fit books for class to be kept in their book boxes for reading stamina opportunities. Students can borrow up to two books for home at a time. Books can be returned weekly. The library is also open at lunchtimes for students.

Health & Movement

Students will participate in regular movement sessions led by our specialist teacher Sean, where they will continue to build on their fundamental movement skills of running, throwing and catching.  Students will build these skills through explicit instruction, practice and movement based games.  Students will also be given an opportunity at the end of the lesson to reflect on what they have learnt.

Social and Emotional Learning

As part of our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program, we use the MindUP curriculum. This is an evidence-based program that is grounded in neuroscience, mindful awareness, positive psychology and social emotional learning. This term, our lessons will focus on:

How can we respond to different situations?

What does it mean to have perspective?

How can we cultivate a positive mind-set?

How can we develop our skills and habits to develop healthy relationships?

Other Reminders

From August 1, as per our SunSmart practices, students will need to wear SunSmart hats at school so please make sure your child has a hat in their bag each day.

Full water bottles are important for hydration.

Pack a piece of fruit or some fresh vegetables for a quick break at 10am. Only fresh or dried fruit and vegetables can be eaten at this time.

Please label all items with your child’s name, so lost items can be returned.

Important Dates

Week 3, Friday (Aug 4): PBL Certificates presented 9am

Week 4, Friday (Aug 11): Winter Walk to School Day

Week 5, Wednesday (Aug 16): 1/2 Arts Assembly

Week 6, Friday (Aug 25): Book Week Parade

Week 7, Tuesday (Aug 29): Kate & Jol Temple author visit

Week 7, Friday (Sep 1): Fathers’ Day Stall

Week 8, Thursday (Sep 7): Nude Food Day

Week 8, Thursday (Sep 7): Learning Journey

Week 8, Friday (Sep 8): School Fun Run Colour Day

Week 9, Monday (Sep 11) Year 5/6 Market Day

Forest Flyers - Year 3/4

English

Reading

Students will explore a range of quality literature and rich texts to support the development of reading strategies including predicting, clarifying, summarising and asking questions to strengthen their comprehension skills.

Handwriting & Typing

Students will explore pre-cursive and cursive handwriting, adding exits from the baseline when they are ready to join letters. They will practise diagonal and horizontal joins and forming letters of a consistent size. Students will be provided with opportunities to develop their typing skills through structured typing programs.

Spelling

Students will continue our learning of spelling through effective spelling methods. The focus for spelling for term two includes double consonants, long vowels, and word origins. Our teaching and learning of spelling is guided by Christine Topfer’s Effective Spelling resources.

Writing

Throughout Term 3, students will be provided with ample opportunities to apply their spelling, grammar, and language skills in various contexts, particularly in the realms of explanation and procedural writing. At the start of the term, our primary emphasis will be on developing a strong foundation in these areas. By engaging in the crafting of diverse texts, students will gain valuable hands-on experience, enabling them to effectively communicate complex ideas, convey step-by-step processes, and articulate clear explanations. This integrated approach will foster their linguistic growth and proficiency as they navigate through the term.

Speaking and listening

Students will participate in a range of daily class discussions and practise effective listening skills. Students will engage in collaborative activities that foster effective communication and active listening, promoting an environment of shared learning and understanding.

Mathematics

This term we continue embedding the vocabulary  of Mathematics during math lessons.

Our primary concept areas and mathematical language focus is:

Number

Multiplication

Division

Statistics and Probability

Measurement (Length, Perimeter, Area)

2D and 3D Shapes

The focus for number learning in Term 3 will focus on investigating the connection between multiplication and division. We will develop capabilities in a range of strategies to help solve multiplication and division problems.

Strong mental computation skills empower students to perform calculations quickly and accurately, without relying heavily on written methods or calculators. Through regular practice and engaging activities, students will enhance their ability to mentally multiply and divide numbers, enabling them to confidently tackle complex mathematical tasks both inside and outside the classroom.

The study of measurement, including concepts of length, perimeter, and area, along with the exploration of 2D and 3D shapes, offers students a valuable opportunity to connect mathematical principles to the real world. By understanding measurement, students can make sense of the physical quantities that surround them in everyday life, such as the length of a room, the area of a field, or the perimeter of a playground. Learning about 2D and 3D shapes allows students to recognise and appreciate the geometric structures that exist in their environment, from simple polygons to complex solid objects. This knowledge equips students with practical skills, enabling them to apply mathematical reasoning and problem-solving strategies when confronted with real-world scenarios that involve measurement and shape analysis.

Inquiry:

During our unit of inquiry we will be looking at the big question:

How can we design sustainable solutions to benefit communities?

Our guiding questions are:

What is the design process?

What are the design elements of the places we live that impact our lives?

How do technologies influence our lives?

How do different considerations influence the design of solutions?

SMART CITIES STEAM PROJECT

This term students will continue undertaking our Smart Cities STEAM Project inquiry unit. During this unit we will be designing scale model houses, cities and farms. We will be using the Micro:bit to program and help power and run our models. The BBC micro:bit is an exciting and innovative educational tool that has been designed to help children learn to code and develop digital skills in a fun and interactive way. It is a pocket-sized, programmable computer that can be used to create a wide range of projects, from simple games and animations to more complex inventions. The micro:bit is easy to use and comes with a range of sensors, LEDs, and buttons that can be programmed to respond to different inputs and outputs. It is a great way for students to explore the world of technology and develop their creativity and problem-solving skills. Whether you are an experienced coder or just starting out, the BBC micro:bit is a fantastic tool for learning and experimenting with digital technology.

This will be a major project for the Year 3/4 cohort which will culminate in an expo day in Term 4. Below is a link to a short video showing what the expo day may be like.

2022 Smart Home STEAM Project for Primary Schools (Highlights)

Languages (French) with Gen

In French, students will use simple phrases and expressions about familiar topics in songs and texts, continuing from last term. They will learn French nouns, verbs and adjectives to write descriptions and lists and present a short story play. Students will access Education Perfect for revision and extension. Topics will include likes/dislikes, food and animals and cultural learning about life in France for school aged children.

Drama with Sonia

In Drama, students will explore meaning and interpretation, forms and elements including voice, movement, situation, time and place as they make and respond to drama. They will use story structures to shape drama for a range of audiences.

Movement

Students will participate in daily movement sessions where they will refine their fundamental movement skills and apply movement concepts and strategies in a variety of physical activities. Students will also explore fair play and sportsmanship.

Music with Cynan

Students are continuing to develop their musical skills through a range of activities. They are practising their singing and pitch matching abilities, building their confidence and accuracy as they work on new songs. They are also exploring tuned percussion instruments, learning to play along with their singing in accompaniment. Additionally, students are encouraged to improvise their own patterns of body percussion, allowing them to express themselves creatively while further developing their aural skills.

Library

Pamela Gaukroger - Librarian

Library day:

Lyrebirds - Monday

Flame Robins - Tuesday

Goshawks - Thursday

Eagles - Thursday

The library is open during break two everyday.

Other Reminders

Macquarie Primary is a sun smart school. Please make sure that your child has a sunsmart hat with their name clearly labelled

Full water bottles are important for hydration. Please ensure that your child has a full drink bottle at the start of each day

Pack a piece of fruit or some fresh vegetables for morning fruit break

Please ensure you contact the school when your child is away either via a phone call, email or letter.

Birds of the Melaleuca - Year 5/6

English

Reading

Students will participate in reading groups where texts are differentiated to support learners at their level throughout the week. Learners will engage in comprehension activities that build their literal and implied meaning of texts. This will be done through small reading workshops which will support the developmental range of skills and strategies for each learner, as well as listening to class novels being read aloud.

Writing

Learners will engage with writing using the Writer’s Process, which will involve the students thinking, planning, drafting, editing, recrafting and sharing. In Term 3, students will complete a writing to inform task by creating an explanation text that links to our inquiry on the states of matter. We will also begin to explore the text and language features of narrative texts in the second half of Term 3. Students will look at how language features, images and vocabulary influence interpretations of characters, settings and events.

As part of our targeted differentiation and intervention for all students in the year 5/6 cohort, we will run writing  groups this term. Students will work with different teachers to further develop their writing knowledge.

Spelling

Our teaching and learning of spelling is guided by Christine Topfer’s Effective Spelling resources. Students will inquire into ‘Big Ideas’ such as morphological word families, noun forming suffixes, adjective forming suffixes and apostrophes.

Mathematics

When working mathematically, students will engage in a range of learning experiences including working with hands-on materials, small groups, games and interactive ICT tools.

In term 3, students will be covering the concepts of:

Number

Adding and subtracting fractions and decimals.

Multiplying and dividing fractions and decimals.

Creating patterns and sequences using fractions, decimals and whole numbers.

Calculating percentage discounts.

Consider how money affects everyday decisions.

Measurement

Measuring volume, capacity and mass.

Geometry

Connecting 3D objects to their nets.

Constructing 3D objects.

Mental Computation

Students will be building their automatic recall of multiplication number facts (times tables).  By the end of year 4 students are expected to be able to recall multiplication facts up to 10 x 10.  Many students are still building autonomy in this area.

Bring Each Day

A sunsmart hat.

A water bottle.

A piece of fruit or some fresh vegetables to eat during Fruit Break.

… And please label all items with your child’s name so lost items can be returned.

Important Dates to Remember

31 July - 25 Aug: P&C Readathon

21 Aug - 25 Aug: Book Week

29 Aug: Author Visit

7 Sept: Learning Journey

8 Sept: Crazy Colour Fun Run

12 Sept: Market Day

13 - 20 Sept: Book Fair

Inquiry

Our Term 3 inquiry lens is The Physical World and our key concepts are classification, change and design. 

Our guiding question is: How can scientific thinking be used to explore physical phenomena?

Throughout this inquiry, the learners will become detectives who identify and explain physical and chemical changes in everyday materials. They will inquire into what particles are and how they are constantly moving and reacting with one another.  They will conduct experiments to find out what makes things change and factors that affect the speed of change.  They will be developing scientific investigations, conducting experiments and identifying variables to be changed and measured. 

Towards the end of Term 3 our Inquiry will focus on Earth’s place in space. Students will observe and describe the movement to the moon across the sky, explore and model different theories about the movements of the sun, Earth and moon and interpret their model in reference to personal and scientific observations.

Health and Physical Education

Sean and Emma will be taking all the year 5/6 classes for a 30 minute lesson of Physical Education on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Throughout their schooling, the students have been developing and applying their gross motor, locomotor and fundamental motor skills.  In upper primary the focus is on applying movement sequences in various situations and demonstrating fair play.  This term we will be focusing on the sports of cricket and soccer.

In health this term, students will be exploring the key features of health-related fitness. Working as collaborators, they will design and facilitate a station that targets a specific fitness concept. Students will also Investigate community resources and ways to seek help about health, safety and wellbeing.

Library

Pamela Gaukroger - Librarian

Library days are:

Kookaburras - Tuesday

Ibises - Monday

Cockatoos - Thursday

Kingfishers - Monday

Books can be returned weekly and students can borrow up to four books at a time. The library is open at break 2 every day.

The Arts

Music  with Cynan

Students will be participating in specialist music lessons to develop technical and expressive skills in singing and playing instruments with understanding of rhythm, pitch and form in a range of musical pieces, including those from the community.

Drama with Sonia

In Drama, students will develop understanding of character through voice and movement and extend their understanding and use of situation, focus, tension, space and time. They will extend their understanding and use language and ideas to create dramatic action and consider mood and atmosphere in performance.

French with Gen

In French, students will plan, edit and publish a short bilingual book, as well as a French poster with cultural information report about a selected topic, which they will orally present to younger students. Topics will include sport, people, body, time, daily routines, food, festivals, French culture and Francophile countries. Grammar will include verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, connectives, prepositions and questions. Education Perfect will be used for revision and extension.