Class News

Year Five Class News

This term has been a busy one full of fun and exciting learning experiences for the Year Fives.

In Religious Education, the children have learnt about the connections between Jesus celebrating the Last Supper at the Passover and how Catholics celebrate the Eucharist today at Mass. They have discovered the relevance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist as a fulfilment of God’s promise of Salvation.

The children will soon focus on communities. This unit explores the Ten Commandments and the children will examine the two great commandments of Jesus, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, with all your strength and all your mind’ and ‘You must love your neighbour as yourself’. The children will continue to wonder at the talents and good qualities that are within them, leading them to wonder about God who created these qualities.

In English, the children have continued to focus on ways to better comprehend texts, using a variety of comprehension strategies including making inferences, drawing conclusions and summarising. They have begun reading about significant Australians and individuals who have shaped the colonies and are learning about the Swan River Colony and the settlement of Western Australia. ‘Shaping a Colony’ is the focus for our Humanities and Social Science unit and the children will soon be producing a biography on a chosen significant individual from the 1800s such as; John Septimus Roe or James Stirling. The students are using an iTunesU course to direct their learning through this inquiry. In writing, the children will continue to develop their writing skills through fantasy narratives, poetry, biographies and persuasive texts. The students have continued to learn about and use figurative language, such as metaphors, similes, personification and onomatopoeia.

In Mathematics, the children have continued to build on their understanding of the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) when finding unknown quantities in number sentences and using the ‘rule of order’. Throughout the term, they have had different opportunities to focus on financial management and budgeting. This financial knowledge will be integrated into the Business and Economics components of the Humanities and Social Science curriculum where the children have started drawing on this understanding when planning for and implementing a stall for Infant Jesus Day. Later in the term, the children will also learn to use a protractor to estimate and measure given angles.

During Art, the children are exploring artworks from various artists and investigating the different approaches they used to communicate ideas, beliefs and opinions. Soon, they will develop and apply techniques and processes when making their own artwork and will reflect on this process.

We have also continued to consolidate the work we have previously completed during the Protective Behaviours Program. This program is based on two key themes: “We all have the right to feel safe at all times” and “We can talk with someone about anything, no matter what it is”. Topics covered include the importance of personal space, body awareness and having a network of people to turn to when we feel unsafe. The children have learnt how to use body language and tone of voice to achieve assertiveness in situations where they feel unsafe.

In Health this term, the children have started learning about the digestive system and different foods that they can eat to remain healthy.

During Sport, the children have learnt all about the rules and skills associated with the game touch rugby. They have also started developing their shot-put and javelin skills.

In Science, the children have begun observing different solids, liquids and gases and documenting their behaviour and features which make them unique.

This term in Technology, the students are learning about two natural fibres (wool or cotton) and the processes the fibres go through in order to become a final product suitable for retail sale. The students will present their research by creating an interactive KeyNote presentation that includes Humanities and Social Science hyperlinks using sequencing and branching.

We have enjoyed our start to Term Three and are excited for the many other learning opportunities in the term.  We will continue to #ExpectGreatThings of ourselves, our teachers and each other.

Library News

Our Book Week celebrations have been a huge success.  The children have enjoyed the Book Week Book Fair, competitions in the Library and the Book Parade.

Everyone was highly entertained by the fabulous costumes the children (and the teachers) wore at the Book Parade Assembly.  Well done to all the family members who created them.

A big thank you to the Tutt, Jupp and Radacic families for donating a book from the Fair to our Library.

The commission raised from purchases will build up on our wonderful Library collection.

Jenny Houwen – Library Officer

Sports News

Before School Athletics Program

Bright and early on Tuesday morning we had a select number of enthusiastic athletics from Pre-Primary to Year Three participate in the IAAF Kid’s Athletics Before School Program. Students rolled, jumped, ran, threw and hopped their way through the first session. The older students from Year Four to Year Six enjoyed their first session this morning.

Jumps Day

As you are aware, the Infant Jesus Jumps day for Years Three-Six has been postponed to this coming Tuesday, 28 August. Thank you for your understanding. Good luck to our Year Three to Six students.