FOUNDATION – YEAR 2
There is something special about learning that extends beyond the classroom. Incursions and excursions enable our young learners to experience, explore, cooperate with each other and enjoy their learning in meaningful and memorable ways.
These organised events spark curiosity, build confidence, promote socialisation and allow students to connect what they learn at school with the world around them.
Our Foundation students were immersed in a world of imagination and storytelling when they attended Fairytale Fiasco! Dressed in wonderful costumes, they embraced the experience wholeheartedly while playing various roles and enjoying two costume changes!
It was a delightful opportunity for them to develop their creativity, confidence, teamwork and expressive skills while having plenty of fun along the way.
Our Year 1 students recently stepped back in time during their visit to the museum. The excursion allowed them to explore what life was like in the past and discover how people lived and worked in different times.
Watching and experiencing history firsthand helped bring their learning to life and encouraged them to ask questions and make comparisons with life today.
Our Year 2 students were equally excited to welcome author Idan Ben-Barak to school for a fantastic incursion. Idan combined science, storytelling, expression and humour to engage and impress the audience. Meeting an author is a wonderful experience for young students because it helps bring the world of books and storytelling to life.
Seeing and hearing them speak helps students to understand that books are created by real people with curiosity and imagination. It can inspire students to become more enthusiastic readers, ask questions and do their own research to spark their creativity as writers and storytellers.
Whether our students are becoming fairytale characters, stepping into a museum or meeting an author who brings science to life, these experiences provide learning opportunities that students remember.
Incursions and excursions have enriched our classroom learning and encouraged our young people to learn through doing, seeing, thinking and experiencing. These are the moments that help make learning meaningful and, of course, lots of fun.
Deanne Williams
Foundation – Year 2 Coordinator
In Foundation, we have been learning about fairytales and participating in the Fairytale Fiasco! incursion with much excitement. Students worked collaboratively, taking on the roles of different fairytale characters through acting and wearing costumes, while helping to solve the mixed-up fairytale problem.
We also enjoyed a terrific Father’s Day Breakfast with our dads and special people. We treated ourselves to delicious muffins, buttered lots of toast for each other, created a special keyring together, and most importantly, shared some very special time with the people we love.
Our Year 1A students have been learning all about multiplication and division. They practised sharing collections into equal groups using a range of materials and took their lessons outdoors, using chalk to create and sort themselves into equal groups.
Students have also been using Numicon to explore and solve multiplication problems in a fun and practical way.
In Writing, we have focussed on procedural writing. Students loved learning how to write clear step-by-step instructions, and what better way to practise than by cooking! We enjoyed making delicious recipes and writing them down to create our very own Year 1 cookbook.
We also enjoyed an exciting adventure at the Melbourne Museum as part of our History unit, Changes Over Time. Year 1 students enjoyed stepping into the past and exploring how life has changed over the years.
Highlights included discovering an olden-day cottage and learning about entertainment from the past, including roller coasters and cinemas. It was a fantastic experience that brought our classroom learning to life.
In Year 1B, we have enjoyed exploring different writing genres, with a focus on procedural writing. Students have learnt how to provide clear, step-by-step instructions for a range of familiar and engaging activities.
These have included how to unpack their school bag, borrow a book from the library, create their own spinner toy, and, a definite favourite, make delicious face biscuits! This was enjoyed by all, especially when students were able to eat their creations afterwards.
We also visited Melbourne Museum’s historical displays as part of our history unit, Changes Over Time. The students learned about the past and how different things were to modern times.
They loved hearing about how people used to live and what they did in their spare time before the mobile phone age. Being immersed in the old days enabled them to experience what it was like first-hand, which enhanced their learning.
Multiplication has challenged and enthralled our Year 2A students. We have explored how multiplication can be represented using arrays, helping them to see equal groups in a clear and visual way. To put our learning into action, students designed and created their own Array Cities.
Each building in their city represented a multiplication fact, with students carefully arranging windows, doors and other features into equal rows and columns. It was amazing to see their creativity come to life, while demonstrating their growing understanding of Maths.
Our Year 2B students were thrilled to meet Idan Ben-Barak, an author who combines science, storytelling and humour to make learning fun and engaging. Idan shared fascinating science facts with the students and encouraged them to be curious about the world around them.
The students loved listening to his stories and were kept entertained by his great sense of humour, with lots of laughs throughout the session. It was a fabulous opportunity for our students to meet an author and discover how exciting science and books can be.
YEARS 3 – 6
Another term of learning and fun is almost over for our Years 3–6 students. One of my favourite aspects of my role is visiting their classrooms and admiring the wonderful artwork displayed on the walls. It is an incredible reflection of the hard work, patience, creativity and learning that all students have put into their work.
The Year 3 students have cleverly combined their Mathematics and Geography skills to create city skyscrapers decorated with windows arranged in arrays to model multiplication facts. It has been brilliant to see their mathematical understanding brought to life through these innovative designs.
In Year 4, students have been investigating early European visitors and settlements. They created some excellent paintings of the Enterprize tall ship, which they visited earlier in the term. The students proudly displayed their finely detailed drawings of the Banksia plant, named after Sir Joseph Banks, who was a member of the original expedition to Australia.
Our Year 5 students continue to soar into the atmosphere, displaying beautiful Northern and Southern Lights-inspired artworks. They also worked collaboratively to create model planets representing our solar system, using the ever popular – and ever messy – papier-mâché!
In Year 6, we’ve been learning about two-point perspective and discovering the importance of drawing these images with rulers and very sharp pencils. The students had to take painstaking care to create images using two different vanishing points, ensuring that every line was drawn in the correct direction.
Their finished pieces are a superb demonstration of their developing artistic skills and attention to detail.
Greg Newham
Year 3-6 Coordinator
Year 3A students have enjoyed the beautiful and heartwarming story of Charlotte’s Web as our class novel. Through the story of Wilbur and Charlotte, they explored the importance of friendship, kindness, loyalty and caring for others.
To celebrate finishing the book, students experienced a special afternoon at the 3A Cinema, where they watched the movie together with plenty of popcorn! It was such a fun afternoon and a lovely way to celebrate all the reading we have done together.
Year 3B students have been learning about the differences between map, satellite, aerial and street views. Using Google Earth, they explored familiar locations and observed how places can look different from each perspective.
They then applied their learning by drawing Clyde Grammar from all four views. It was a fun and engaging way to build their mapping and geography skills.
To enhance their understanding of bullying and how to deal with it, our Year 4 students recently participated in an online webinar run by Kids Helpline. Students learnt how to identify bullying behaviour, strategies for managing bullying situations, and when to seek help from a trusted adult.
Importantly, they also explored how to safely advocate for others, stand up for their peers, and promote kindness.
An exciting adventure aboard the Enterprize tall ship provided a welcome change for our Year 4 students. While exploring the ship they helped raise the sails, took turns at the helm and entered its downstairs saloon.
Students discovered what life was like aboard a tall ship and learnt to tie traditional maritime knots. This real-life experience brought history to life while deepening their understanding of Melbourne’s early settlement and trading history.
Getting creative in spelling while putting their skills to the test was the order of the day for students in Year 5A. They used large letter dice to work with a partner and wider team to spell out their words of the week, combining their spelling knowledge, teamwork and problem-solving skills to create a fun and engaging learning experience.
It was fantastic to see students working together, thinking strategically, demonstrating persistence and supporting one another while strengthening their spelling skills.
Year 5B students have thoroughly enjoyed our class novel, Holes, by Louis Sachar, and we have reached the halfway point. As we have read, students have made predictions about what they think the boys are really digging for at Camp Green Lake, creating imaginative drawings of what might be hidden beneath the ground.
They have also selected and illustrated their favourite character, adding their traits to show what they have learned about them so far. We are looking forward to discovering whether our predictions are correct as the mystery continues to unfold!
This practical activity has helped strengthen our understanding of factors, prime numbers and multiplication, while adding a little colour to our Maths learning.
In Year 6B, we’ve been learning about our Pacific neighbours. As well as exploring the physical and human geography of these countries, students have learned about their cultural heritage. Some have even managed to plan ‘secretive spy missions’ to steal or protect priceless cultural artefacts!