FOUNDATION – YEAR 2
Our Foundation students have been busy exploring the wonderful world of animals. We began by learning about mammals and marsupials, discovering their unique features and how they care for their babies. In Literacy, they have been working hard on writing complete sentences while building their phonetic awareness to support their spelling and writing skills. In Mathematics, our hands on manipulatives, Numicon is helping students develop their understanding of addition by confidently adding two numbers together. It has been fantastic to see their growing confidence!
Over the past few weeks, Year 1 students have been enthusiastically exploring addition and subtraction through a range of learning experiences. Students have been practising “bunny hops” on number lines to 100, building two digit numbers using bundling sticks, and using Numicon to support their understanding of addition and subtraction. They have also been building on their graphing skills by collecting and organising data on a variety of fun topics, including favourite sports and animals. They used tally marks to record information before creating colourful bar graphs to display their results.
Year 2 students have been busy learning about places that are special to them and exploring how these locations help connect people and communities together. As part of their learning, students created beautiful Aboriginal inspired artworks using pastels and ink, experimenting with colour, pattern, and texture. In Literacy, they have been focusing on narrative writing, with an emphasis on sequencing events in the correct order and including a clear problem within their stories. In Mathematics, students have been developing their understanding of positional language and measurement through a range of activities.
Deanne Bourke
Years F – 2 Coordinator
Foundation A enthusiastically welcomed back our friends from Botanic Gardens Retirement Living, who very kindly brought along blank cards and a wonderful assortment of stickers for the students to use in creating special Mother’s Day cards for their mums. There is always such a happy and vibrant atmosphere in our classroom when these wonderful ladies come to visit.
Year 1 students and staff were so excited to celebrate the amazing mums and special carers in our community! After shopping up a storm and carefully choosing the perfect gifts, the students proudly invited their mums and special guests to participated in a fabulous fashion parade.
While dressed to impress, each student showcased their beautifully handcrafted handbags and dazzling fascinators as their mums strutted down the runway and struck a pose! After sharing plenty of smiles and laughter, each guest was presented with a beautiful posy of flowers.
It was a heartwarming event full of love, creativity and plenty of Year 1 glamour!
Year 1 was buzzing with excitement as we explored the wonderful world of creepy crawlies! From busy ants and hungry caterpillars to fascinating spiders and incredible stick insects, we have discovered so many amazing facts about the tiny creatures that crawl, creep and wriggle around us.
Our caterpillar adventure had a few chilly challenges this term, with only 2 out of our 10 little munchers still happily crunching away on their leaves. However, the excitement quickly returned when we were thrilled to receive 12 chrysalises.
After eagerly waiting and watching, hoping to see them transform into beautiful Monarch butterflies, it has finally happened – and they are spectacular!
In Humanities this term, Year 2 students have been exploring our topic, Places We Live. We have been learning about the different scales of places, including personal, local, regional and national.
As part of our learning about the personal scale, students designed and created their own houses and have been growing grass to represent their gardens. Throughout the term, students have shown great responsibility by caring for their grass through regular watering and trimming.
It has been wonderful to see them connecting their learning to the places they live in every day.
YEARS 3 – 6
It has been another busy and exciting few weeks across our school, with many wonderful learning opportunities and achievements to celebrate, not to mention the exciting play-grounds and building developments going on all around.
Our Year 3 students recently enjoyed a fantastic excursion to Melbourne City. They spent time being guided around Federation Square and the surrounding area, learning all about Melbourne as they went.
Congratulations to our Year 5 students for a highly successful school camp. They demonstrated independence, teamwork and resilience while participating in a range of fun and challenging activities.
Year 4 students are once again collecting old batteries for the City of Casey recycling competition. Please send your used batteries to school with your child and the Year 4 student will take care of the rest.
Well done to all Year 3 – 6 students who participated in the Cross Country events at both School and District level. Students displayed excellent sportsmanship and determination – I was exhausted just watching! Congratulations to all participants on their efforts and achievements.
It’s been really exciting to watch the new building and playground taking shape around our school. While construction continues, we ask all students and families to help keep everyone safe by not playing on the temporary fencing and by keeping ball games away from the fences to prevent balls from being lost.
Thank you for your continued support!
Greg Newham
Year 3 – 6 Coordinator
Year 3 students participated in a walking tour of Melbourne to explore the city’s history and development over time. Students visited significant historical landmarks and learned about the changes that have shaped Melbourne into the city it is today.
The excursion also included an opportunity to sample native edible Australian plants and learn about their traditional uses. The experience supported classroom learning through real world connections.
Recently, our Year 4 students enjoyed a memorable visit to Willum Warrain Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Our hosts shared the rich culture and history of the local Aboriginal communities of the Kulin Nation, and the students learned about Country, moieties, language groups, possum-skin cloaks and Marngrook (Football). They also participated in a special Welcoming Ceremony featuring ochre face painting, smoke, and water blessings.
During the excursion, students toured the amazing Koorie plant trail and Pun Pun wetlands, where they learned about traditional Aboriginal uses for native plants for food and medicine. They also discovered how Aboriginal people used natural materials to create shelters, coolamons, shields and canoes, demonstrating their deep connection to and respect for the environment.
Year 5 Camp
Our Year 5 students had an unforgettable experience at Mill Valley Ranch, enjoying a wonderful few days immersed in old town ranch vibes and beautiful weather.
The camp was packed with exciting activities including crate climbing and archery. A highlight for many was horse riding, where students focused on learning to ride, developing control and maneuvering skills, and progressing to trotting within the arena. A memorable night walk gave students the chance to spot wildlife such as deer, kangaroos and possums in their natural environment.
Alongside the adventure activities, students participated in a values program that encouraged teamwork and responsibility. Evenings were filled with laughter, delicious food and a lively disco, while the Amazing Race challenge had students exploring the grounds and working together to solve clues.
It was a fantastic camp full of growth and lasting memories for all involved!
I am so grateful to have this opportunity to join such a lovely class. The students have been so welcoming, and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them.
I’m looking forward to my last few weeks with them and already can’t wait to come back in August to complete my last ever placement!