From the Classroom

FOUNDATION – YEAR 2

From Clyde to Paris

Term 3 continues to be a busy and exciting time. With the Olympic Games in Paris, excursions, assemblies and celebrations for our Foundation students’ 100 Days of School, our students have truly enjoyed the lively pace of the past few weeks. During the two weeks of the Olympics, it was amazing to see the enthusiasm as students took part in our own mini-Olympics at school. The teamwork and sportsmanship were evident throughout.

In Foundation, students had a blast dressing in their brightest clothes to celebrate their 100 Days of School. They took part in fun activities including cooking and making crowns to proudly wear around the school grounds.

In Year 1, students went on a local walk to The Hub where they listened to author Kaye Baillie read some of her books. They had lots of questions about her stories and the process of writing and publishing a book.

In Year 2, students are developing the skills they need to research and present an information report. Using recycled materials, they are also constructing models of their chosen animals.

With the recent beautiful sunny weather, the students in Foundation A explored 3D shapes. They searched the school grounds for cylinders, rectangular prisms, cones, cubes and spheres, and recorded what they found.

We have been practicing reading in our fluency pairs. During these sessions, students take turns reading a page to each other and then offer feedback or assistance to their partners. We are thrilled with the focus that our students have shown.
The Year 1s had an amazing time exploring the past on a recent trip to Coal Creek. 1A visited the General Store where they were shown old food items and how shops worked back in the day.
1B had the best day at Coal Creek. They particularly enjoyed their lesson in the old schoolhouse where they wrote with fountain pens and ink. They also used old blackboards made of slate. The teacher or ‘Madam’ explained how strict schools were in the past and how the boys and girls were never allowed to play together.

In celebration of the Olympics, 2A enjoyed a fun toy race. Each student picked a toy to represent themselves and competed in a friendly, spirited race. This activity brought some of the excitement of the Games into the classroom and encouraged teamwork and creativity.

This term, 2B have been exploring animals and their needs. They enjoyed reading The Rainbow Serpent and books about ocean animals. In art, we made our own Rainbow Serpent and 3D ocean diorama.

YEARS 3 – 4

Making art together

Term 3 started full of anticipation for the Paris Olympics.As children excitedly cheered on our Aussie athletes on the screen, they were also busy hosting their own fruit and vegetable Olympics. Students in Years 3 and 4 used potatoes and other fruits and vegetables to compete in events such as ‘ar-cherry’ and ‘grape dancing’. They had lots of fun.

The Year 3 students were also lucky enough to have artist, Candy, and Mirvac visit the school to work on an amazing collaborative art piece that will be displayed within the estate. They drew pictures of their homes and things they could not live without. This was a fun lesson and there are so many talented Year 3 students at our school.

In Year 4, some students competed in a maths competition and they have also enjoyed book ‘tastings’ during literacy reading groups.

The students in 3A were lucky enough to be involved in an art project with Mirvac and artist, Candy. After discussing types of art and looking at some of Candy’s work, the children drew a picture of their house. The pictures will be used on hoardings around the Smiths Lane estate.

3B students have been learning about the Earth, Moon and seasons. To help explore these concepts, they have explored the night sky from the comfort of their own mini planetarium. They love spending time contemplating the mysteries of the universe.

Faster, Higher, Stronger!
To celebrate the Olympics in Paris, Year 4 students participated in the amazing Potato Olympics. The events included: Rhythmic Gymnastics, Bowling, Balance Beam, Long Distance, Weightlifting and Diving. The students were allocated a country and there was much excitement during the final medal ceremony when the gold medal was awarded to the Czech Republic (Savreet). There were also many opportunities for students to learn to measure metres, centimetres, millilitres, minutes and seconds. They also learned the importance of fair play, integrity and supporting team mates.
The Year 4 students have taken part in literacy circles during the past few months. They completed a ‘book tasting’ where they read a few pages of a text and then rated it and they were then allocated a book based on their rating. Each week, students read together and focus on their comprehension skills. Last week, with the beautiful weather, we went to Smith’s Lane Park to complete our literacy circles, and the students definitely enjoyed their new reading environment.‘