Primary School Newsletter Issue No. 5 27 April 2017

Dear Parents and Friends

Alamanda College participated in The Brook and Geelong Football Club 2017 Community Partnership Grant process. We are happy to announce that we were one of the successful applicants. On Wednesday 26th April, we attended a function at The Brook to be presented with a cheque for $5000 by two of the Geelong Cats players, Zac Smith and Jordan Murdoch.

We will be using the $5000 to do some landscaping along the mound at the bottom of the school oval. We will plant

120 plus native bushes which over time will become a windbreak and shade for the students. So, keep an eye out over the next two months as we prepare the ground and get the trees planted.

I’d like to thank The Brook and the Geelong Football Club for the grant and the support of the Building and Grounds Committee in the processing of the grant.

Jason RoweSchool Council President

IMPORTANT DATES

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1 May Curriculum Day (students not required at school)

2-12 MayYear 2 Swimming

8-9 MayMother Day’s Stall

9-11 MayYears 3, 5, 7 and 9 NAPLAN

23 May 3:00PM ICAS Digital Technologies

For those students registered for ICAS Digital Technologies (Years 3-9 only), the test will be held on Tuesday the 23rd of May at 3.00pm.

If you would like further information on ICAS please refer to their website on www.eaa.unsw.edu.au Pick up will be at 3.45pm from the great space. Note: Registration has now closed. A reminder will go out closer to the date.

31 May - 2 JuneYear 3 Camp (3A, 3B, 3G)

5-7 JuneYear 3 Camp (3C, 3D, 3J)

7-9 JUNEYear 3 Camp (3E, 3F, 3I)Year 5 Camp

Alamanda Chess Tournament

Alamanda hosted the interschool zonal Chess tournament on Thursday the 27th of April. Our 45 strong team were divided into three groups. Team A came through placing 1st in the tournament. We will now have our top five players entered into the State finals in October. Congratulations to Aadav Vijaykumar (6E) who was the overall gold medal tournament winner. Takshil Kamneni (6C) bagged the silver medal while Lang Jing (3J) took home the bronze medal. Congratulations to all of our Alamanda Chess team, a lot of intense moments but a fantastic effort!

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News from Prep

During our two weeks back from break the Prep cohort have been extremely busy gearing up to being principled students whilst attending assembly. We will be having assembly on Friday mornings straight after morning drop off. The students were successful in showing respect, by listening and observing throughout the ANZAC service. There was a lot of interest from the students in the making of the classroom wreaths. This created an awareness of the national holiday that is undertaken in Australia and the reason why we observe it.

Throughout literacy we have been concentrating on the reading and sounding out of our high frequency words (HFW). We have new words each week which we look for in our reading books. We are placing these words into sentences and are working towards adding more detail in our sentences. The interest in reading is evident in our classroom library. We are utilising our word books and alphabet books which have increased the students’ writing capacity. In spelling we are focusing on exploring dependable rimes (‘at’ in cat, sat, mat) using mentor texts and nursery rhymes.

During mathematics we have been reinforcing number concepts and looking at how numbers can be represented in different ways. Students have been exploring two-dimensional shape. During our mathematics sessions students have been very hands on in representing this. We have gained a greater understanding of position using words such as beside, next to, up, down and how we use this language to get around.

We have started our new inquiry and the students are very excited starting to bring in artefacts to support this. Our Unit of Inquiry is ‘How We

Organise Ourselves’ in which we have been using provocations to start our

thinking around communities and their dependence on people and different roles.

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PREP ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S SUMMARY

Alamanda College

Welcome

A warm welcome to all as we begin a new term of learning. I hope your Term 1 break was enjoyable and invigorating.

I would like to express a warm and friendly welcome to all our new families that have started at

Alamanda K-9 College in Term Two. I wish you all the very best as you begin your learning journey with us.

Welcome to our two new teachers, Joanne Foster and Lillian Lafleur who have joined the prep teaching team. Lillian and Joanne will be taking the two new prep classes where they have been spending some time setting up ready to begin shortly. As you would be aware the class sizes at this year level are large and continue to increase so it is inevitable that we create new prep classes to alleviate the pressure off our existing classes.

Congratulations to all the prep students for their enthusiastic and hard work they eagerly demonstrated throughout Term one and look forward to sharing their learning journey in Term Two. The students have come back looking all grown up, refreshed and ready for more learning.

During Term Two the students will continue to build on their knowledge of the Primary Years Programme (PYP), as they develop their understanding of themselves and the world they live in. We will be encouraging students to develop not only their academic skills and knowledge, but also their kindness to others and themselves through the Learner Profile attributes.

Inquiry Two: How We Organise OurselvesWe have already begun our second inquiry into the Transdisciplinary Theme: How We Organise Ourselves, with a particular focus on the key concepts of Responsibility (What is our responsibility?) and Function (How do it work?).Through this inquiry students will develop the enduring understanding (Central Idea) that ‘Communities depend on people taking on different roles’’. We will be exploring the way people impact communities and the function of the different roles of people.

To guide this inquiry and facilitate deeper thinking the students will exploring the following lines of inquiry:

• We are inquiring into the roles of people in our local community

• We are inquiring into the roles of people in our school community

• We are inquiring into the responsibilities of people in our community

In this inquiry we are encouraging students to become involved in our community by asking how can we make

a difference in the lives of others. We will be focusing on encouraging students to take action that is driven by their own understandings of our inquiry. Teachers will be assisting students to take action in this early stage of their PYP journey.

Prep AssemblyThe prep assembly will take place Friday morning at 9:00am in the great space. The weekly assembly will entail student achievement awards, student related information and a class presentation. It is a great opportunity to celebrate the student’s achievements together as a Prep Team. Parents are most welcome to attend.

School UniformWith the cold weather approaching, students need to be wearing their Winter Uniform. The girls uniform consists of the Alamanda school tunic, white long sleeved shirt with the Alamanda logo, tie, Alamanda woollen jumper and navy blue tights. The boys uniform consists of the Alamanda long navy blue pants and long sleeved striped shirt with navy blue socks and the Alamanda woollen jumper. The uniform is displayed in the foyer of the school for your reference.

All students are required to wear appropriate school uniform everyday. Non-school uniform items should not be worn to school. It is school policy for students to be wearing the correct uniform. Students are allowed to wear their full sports uniform on the day that they have Physical Education and on Friday.

On Monday 24th of April, the prep children participated in an ANZAC Day commemoration ceremony focusing on the time to remember the people who have died in wars. The ceremony consisted of a visit by WO1(Warrant Officer Class 1) Paul Gibbs, CSM (Ret’d) who spoke to the children about his role and the significance of his uniform. He displayed the development of uniform and the reasons behind the colours, for camouflage purposes. The children listened to the story ‘My Grandad Marches on ANZAC DAY’. It was a wonderful experience to have Elijal from Prep I and Sehaj from Prep H to read ‘The Ode’. What an extraordinary performance displayed by our two prep students. All the prep grades made a wreath from various craft techniques which are now displayed in the Prep areas. Please take the time to appreciate this display.

I would like to thank all parents for their valued contributions and for being an active member of our learning community. I look forward to maintaining a close partnership with you and your child.

Partners in Education,

Carmen Sacco Assistant Principal Prep Learning Community

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News from Year 1

The students in year 1 have been enthusiastically tuning into their new Inquiry, ‘Water is essential to life and a limited resource to many people’. They have inquired into where water comes from, how water is made and what causes people to have limited water. Students participated in a provocation where they were asked to carry containers around the oval from the perspective of people who do not have easy access to clean drinking water. Students described how they felt, saying they were sad, thirsty and upset that some people had to walk so far before being able to access water.

Students have developed an understanding and vocabulary associated with the stages that water passes through during the water cycle. Students have viewed a map of the world and discussed how much of the Earth’s water is actually drinkable. Students have developed an appreciation for their living conditions and have been curiously inquiring into how they can help people who do not have access to clean drinking water.

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ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S SUMMARY

Alamanda College

Welcome back to all our Year One students and their families! We hope that everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable break! The Year One students have quickly settled back into their school routine, greeting their friends and teachers with enthusiasm and a smile! Students

have enjoyed recounting their holiday adventures with their class and listening to each other’s stories.

Students often feel a little anxious returning to school and changing their daily routines after the holiday break. However, this is another opportunity for students to build on their resilience by being a risk-taker!

Three of our Year One teachers will be attending three days of ‘Classroom Instruction That Works’ professional learning on the 5th May, 2nd and 23rd of June. Once completed, this will mean that every teacher in the Year One mini-school will be trained in ‘CITW’. ‘Classroom Instruction That Works’ is based on research, by McREL, into the nine High Yield Strategies that have the strongest positive effect on student learning. The Nine High Yield Strategies provide a framework for all teachers at Alamanda K-9 College, ensuring positive teaching and learning.

The Term Two Curriculum Overview is currently being published and will be distributed shortly. The teachers have introduced the second inquiry, ‘Water is essential to life and a limited resource for many people’, and have used provocations, such as a ‘water walk’ and pictures of how other children around the world access water, to tune students in to the new inquiry. During the term break,

new resources were purchased to support activities that will be running during Term Two. Teachers have also been exploring apps and digital resources that will support students learning throughout the new inquiry. The Year One students are encouraged to think about our Central Idea and to begin bringing their artefacts in to be shared with their peers.

On Monday, the Year One students participated in the Alamanda K-9 College ANZAC Day ceremony. Olivia and Aarya represented the Year One’s and honoured the ANZACs by laying a wreath at the ceremony. Students learnt about the meaning of ANZAC Day within their classroom and shared their understandings with their peers.

During Term Two students are to wear their winter school uniform, and hats are not required.

Monday, 1st May is a curriculum day at Alamanda K-9 College. Please be aware that students are not required at school on this day.

We would like to welcome Breanna, Lucy, Samarth, Aviroop, Ruby and their families to Alamanda K-9 College and the Year One mini-school.

Regards,

Helen WelshAssistant PrincipalYear One Mini-School

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News from Year 2

Hello and welcome back to term 2! The year 2s have been very busy already taking action for their Inquiry. The year 2s have been making posters and spreading the world that we are collecting cans to support Article 27 from the Rights of a Child. The children have been learning about Children Rights and how every child has the right to have clean water and food. As a cohort, we found out that 2.5 million people in Australia do not have enough money to buy food. ¼ of those who are hungry are children. We are encouraging the school to donate cans of food that can be delivered to the Great Space by the 19th of May. They will be donated to the Salvation Army to help those in need.

Last term, the year 2s participated in the long and anticipated, Sleep Over. Children had a wonderful time playing a variety of tabloid sports from Supreme Incursions. Then they shared a BBQ meal for dinner followed by a screening of The Secret Life of Pets.

In literacy we have been learning about Poetry and its features. We used the mentor text ‘If Kids Ran the World’ and wrote a repetition poem linking it to our Inquiry.

If I ruled the world I would make sure people and animals were never in danger.The doves would bring peace, happiness and love.Every child would be safe. Nothing would hurt.No bullying.-Zara 2J

We are looking forward to the events ahead!

From the Year 2 Team

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News from Year 3

In the last week of term Grade 3 students attended the incursion ‘The Magic Words’. The performance was a fun way to encourage students to be respectful. Students wrote reflections on the show. For example Jahan from 3D wrote “My favourite part was when Rolf said thank you in different languages.”

Currently in Grade 3 we have started working on our new inquiry ‘Population growth affects sustainability’. So far students have been tuning in to the different lines of inquiry using stories such as The Lorax by Dr Seuss. For example students have started by recording what they know about sustainability and what they want to find out through this inquiry.

For another stimulus, students were amazed when they compared aerial photos of Point Cook from 2009 and 2017. They then recorded their wonderings on how land can be used for different purposes such as housing, parkland or schools.

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Alamanda College

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S SUMMARY

Welcome back to Term Two. We trust you all had a relaxing holiday and enjoyed the break from the routine of school drop-offs and pick-ups. Students in the Grade 2/3 Mini School have begun Term Two with great enthusiasm and have well and truly hit the ground running. We have a big term ahead, with lots of exciting events coming up, including:

Monday 1st May: Curriculum Day (students not required at school)Tuesday 2nd May to Friday 12th May: Grade Two SwimmingTuesday 9th to Thursday 11th May: NAPLAN (for Grade 3 students)Wednesday 31st May to Friday 2nd June: Grade 3 Camp A (3A, 3B, 3G)Monday 5th to Wednesday 7th June: Grade 3 Camp B (3C. 3D, 3J)Wednesday 7th to Friday 9th June: Grade 3 Camp C (3E, 3F, 3H and 3I)

Grade 2 Sleepover - a success!The Grade 2’s had a wonderful sleepover experience on the last Thursday of Term One. It was fantastic to see all the Grade 2’s having a fun time, while demonstrating independence and taking risks with new experiences. Students were excited to participate in a tabloid sports incursion, have a barbeque for dinner and settle in for a movie before heading off to bed. Teachers were very impressed with the principled decisions made by students both at night and in the morning. Well done Grade 2’s!

Taking Action - Grade Two Can DriveThe Grade 2’s are winding up our first Unit of Inquiry for the year ‘Many factors influence our safety’. Taking action is an integral conclusion to the learning that incorporates students making connections to what they have learned, applying a variety of real life skills, demonstrating an enduring understanding through concepts and reflecting on the attributes of the learner profile and attitudes. Action is best grounded in the students’ own concrete experiences and it can be a small thing that

arises from a genuine concern and commitment. It is also noteworthy to understand that as action happens, it may not be witnessed by the teacher, frequently after a unit of inquiry has been completed and often takes place beyond the classroom. The Grade 2’s spent many hours unpacking the United Nations Document ‘The Rights Of The Child’ which developed their understanding of the world around them and how sadly, some children around the world do not have or meet these basic rights. With guidance from teachers, the students reflected on the document with the thought of ‘taking action’ in their minds. Students unpacked an element of the document which explained that all children have the right to food and water, which has lead to our whole school ‘Can Drive’. At assembly next week, the Grade 2’s will be presenting video clips to the entire school to promote the action. Any canned foods can be donated and will be passed onto the Salvation Army to support children who do not have enough food to eat. Please drop cans off to the back Great Space where there will be boxes and signage. Every donation helps and is greatly appreciated.

Grade 3 Camp Oasis is Almost HereThe Grade 3 students have paid their deposits, and the next stage of notes are being prepared to go out next week - it’s almost here! We will be making an Essential Agreement with the students over the next few days to ensure we all enjoy our time at Camp Oasis in Mt Evelyn and know what the expectations are. This is a very exciting time as it is most students first camp and extended time away from home, making it a great opportunity for students to develop independence. Stay tuned for more information…

Dare to be Wise,

Georgia Bell, Jaymee Stigwood and Suzi KoneskiActing Leading Teacherson behalf of the Grade 2/3 Mini School

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News from Year 4

Wow! Term 2 is upon us! What an exciting start we have had in Grade 4!

We have begun our second Unit of Inquiry for the year exploring the Central Idea of ‘Natural phenomena affects the earth and those living on it’. We have gathered our wonderings and questions about what we want to find out in this inquiry and to further build our excitement for this unit, we went on an excursion to the IMAX theatre on Monday to view our provocation. A documentary titled ‘Forces of Nature’ and as the name suggests, it took us on an adventure and experience with humble amazement the extraordinary, destructive power of nature’s fury.

We explored a place called Montserrat, a Caribbean island, where unpredictable active volcanoes live and have been erupting for nearly a

decade, to Izmit in Turkey, where large, disastrous earthquakes frequently occur and then to Tornado Alley in Oklahoma, USA, where destructive tornadoes demolish whatever is in their path. We followed on their quest to understand how their origins and how natural phenomena are triggered. It was incredibly loud and up close in the theatre which made it feel as if you were there. At the end of the documentary, everyone was very excited, including the teachers, to see what this inquiry has in store for us! We are all looking forward to also becoming scientists and investigating to find out more about natural phenomena.

Here are what some students have to say about our excursion:

Emma O’Dea 4E – I really enjoyed

the movie because it was really educational and we are lucky here that we don’t have as many natural disasters.

Ishaan Potay 4E – I really liked watching the tornadoes and how they track them.

Harsh Patel 4E – It was interesting watching the volcano erupt, the earthquakes happening and the tornadoes gathering in the clouds.

Shreya Janumpally 4E – It was interesting watching the volcano and how they start erupting.

Makayla Stonier 4E – I enjoyed watching the volcano erupt and how they start erupting deep down in the earth’s crust.

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News from Year 5

This week in Numeracy students continued working on their personal learning goals for 2017. The students, with the support of their teachers, highlight goals from the chosen maths topic continuum, they identify which areas they are confident in and what areas they need to work on. Students pick four Numeracy goals to work on and rule up their Numeracy books so that they are organised for the upcoming weeks. Students first define what their goal means and then identify the steps needed to successfully achieve their goal. Students then come up with practice questions to consolidate their learning and write a reflection on how they felt they went with their goal. Students participate in teacher-led focus groups which help them to gain a richer and deeper understanding about their specific goal. Throughout the week, Chantelle Nedelkovski runs a small focus group in Numeracy to support students who need extra guidance with their goals. Students are setting high standards in Numeracy and are achieving them through their hard work and dedication. Thank you, Year 5 Teachers

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News from Year 6

Dear Parents,

We hope you and your children had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday and we welcome you back for the beginning of a very busy Term 2.

The term commenced with all year 6 staff members unpacking our second unit of inquiry ‘Sharing the Planet’. Over the holidays students were asked to do some pre-research into the central idea ‘ The future of our world is determined by the social decisions of now’, by investigating into the line of inquiry which are as follows:

• The challenges of the world running on finite resources.

• The connections between social, environmental, political and economic decisions.

• Social responsibility for issues at a personal, local and global level.

• A global commitment to innovative thinking and design.

This week students were handed their summative assessment which has curriculum links to Numeracy and Literacy. Students will be required to create a realistic, liveable city where they will be given certain specifications that are unique to their city. Students will be required to draw on their Inquiry, Literacy and Numeracy knowledge and skills in order to create their city, and think

flexibly about the best decisions for their city now and in the future.

Linking in with our transdisciplinary theme of ‘Sharing the Planet’, our Literacy and Numeracy workshops will consist of the follow items:

Reading – SOLO TaxonomyDuring these sessions we expect our students to UNDERSTAND that reading comprehension can be further developed by thinking critically about different texts. We want our students to KNOW how SOLO Taxonomy is connected with Blooms Higher Order Thinking. What multi-structural, relational and extended abstract questions are, and how to answer questions in full sentences. Finally, students should BE ABLE TO critically respond to a range of mentor texts by answering SOLO Taxonomy questions in full sentences and develop a deeper understanding of texts by applying a range of higher order thinking skills.

Writing – Persuasive Writing

During these sessions we expect our students to UNDERSTAND that persuasive writing is written for the purpose of convincing an audience to agree or disagree with a particular point of view. We want our students to KNOW the correct structure for a persuasive paragraph (T.E.E.L), the difference between fact and opinion,

the different persuasive language features and how to use them effectively and correct research strategies for gathering evidence to support arguments. Finally, students should BE ABLE TO construct a well-reasoned persuasive piece following the T.E.E.L structure including a range of language features and specific research.

Maths-Fractions, Decimals and Percentages During these sessions we expect our students to UNDERSTAND that fractions, decimals and percentages are connected as they all represent a part of a whole. We want our students to KNOW how to order fractions and decimals using a number line, the process for simplifying fractions to find equivalents and strategies for using the four operations with fractions, decimals and percentages. Finally, students should BE ABLE TO place fractions in order on a number line, simplify fractions and identify equivalents, make connections, and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with fractions, decimals and percentages.

ANZAC Day On the 24th of April, all primary school students were involved in a commemorative service remembering the soldiers who had fought for our country. It was a beautiful service and the Year 6 students spoke with clarity and precision as they took charge and led the precedings.

Year 6/7 Transition Process A letter and application for 2018 secondary placement went home to every Year 6 student last week. You have until May 12th to return these forms to the school. Families will be advised about the outcome of their application on 15th August. Thank you,

Michael Nicolaides, Leisa Hockley, Matt Dean, Patrick Nelson and Connie Vakaloudis.

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ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S SUMMARY

INQUIRY TERM 2Our Year 4, 5 and 6 children have all well and truly launched into their second inquiry units, investigating their new lines of inquiry and wonderings. The Year 6 cohort are delving into ‘Sharing the Planet’, and how the future of our world depends on the decisions we make now. ‘How we Express Ourselves’ is the Transdisciplinary Theme that the Year 5 children are looking into, specifically, how art has been influenced by major events in the past and present. Finally, our Year 4 children are examining ‘How the World Works’, looking at the impact of natural phenomena on the world and its inhabitants. We were very excited to have had the opportunity to visit IMAX Theatre this week to view the film ‘Forces of Nature’, which was a great provocation for their inquiry.

NAPLANWith NAPLAN occurring soon, our Year 5 team has been working hard to prepare our children, but to also ensure that this does not become a source of anxiety for them - we aim to build confidence so that they approach it with a ‘can do’ attitude. Some important strategies that we are reinforcing include:

- Read the questions carefully so that you understand what it is asking, and attend to the key words

- Eliminate answers that are obviously incorrect first- Keep track of the answer question bubbles – make

sure that you are filling in the answers in the right place

- Stay calm and focused- Have a go - even if you are not sure!

CAMPSAs well as NAPLAN preparations, our teachers have also been knee deep in preparations for upcoming camps! Year 4 camp is the Melbourne city adventure in August, for which we are now just finalising numbers. This will be a valuable learning experience that ties in with the inquiry into ‘Where we are in Place and Time’. Students will be visiting the immigration museum, as well as enjoying some of the many activities our beautiful city has to offer, such as ice skating and a ride on the Melbourne Star.

The Year 5 team are eagerly looking forward to their outdoor adventure camp, happening on June 7-9! Notes have just gone out for final payments and medical form requests, and the packing lists will be sent out shortly. Remember, even if you have indicated that your child will not be attending, if you have reconsidered, it is not too late! Just speak to your classroom teacher as soon as possible please.

Finally, out Year 6 children have their Tasmania camp scheduled for either August or September. This camp

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to Term 2, we hope that your holidays were restful and that your children have returned ready for another exciting term. It has been a chaotic beginning with the Easter and ANZAC public holidays, and with the Curriculum day on the upcoming Monday, but despite this, everyone has settled in extremely well.

ANZAC DAYFirst and foremost, congratulations should be awarded to all of our children for the impeccable way that they continue to represent our College, and, indeed, our community. We are incredibly proud of the Year 6 House Leaders who (along with the Secondary Leaders) represented Alamanda at the ANZAC ceremony hosted by Legacy on Friday. Furthermore, all of our Year 6 leaders should be commended for the way that they organised and ran our College ANZAC assembly on Monday – time and time again, our leaders show us that they are capable of not only meeting our high expectations, but exceeding them.

“On Friday, I attended an ANZAC Day ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, with my fellow House Leaders and leaders from the secondary school. I was very honoured to attend this ceremony and be a part of such a significant moment in our Nation’s history. Upon arrival, we were all presented with a sprig of Rosemary to pin to the left side of our jackets. This is a symbolic gesture, as wild rosemary was found to be growing on the Gallipoli Peninsula at the time when thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers courageously landed for battle in 1915. Rosemary is also believed to have many powerful properties, and is often associated with its ability to aid memory. As I sat through the ceremony on Friday, I could smell the rosemary as I listened to the many addresses from different dignitaries, as I watched countless students from schools all around Melbourne lay wreaths as a sign of respect and remembrance, and as I joined in singing ‘I am Australian’ with everyone else around me. The smell of that rosemary lingers in my mind as I stand here today and think about the Spirit of ANZAC, with its qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, and how this has truly shaped our Nation’s identity. As we meet here today, we remember the courage, mateship and sacrifice that so many Australian and New Zealand soldiers displayed on that fateful day in 1915 and beyond, and we vow to keep the Spirit of ANZAC alive as we, as a Nation, grow towards building our future together. We will remember them. And we will remember that we are one, but we are many. And from all the lands on earth we come, we share a dream and sing with one voice; I am, you are, we are Australian.” – Hannah Kim (6E)

Alamanda College

Specialist Subjects

LOTE NewsWelcome back to LOTE in Term Two. We’ve prepared a range of fun and interactive learning activities for students to acquire the knowledge of Chinese culture and to obtain Chinese language skills.

Preps are learning to name family members in Chinese. They shared the idea of what family means to them and talked about who they are living with. Introduced to 9 family members, they drew a picture to illustrate a fun moment when they were playing or staying with their family. Students will practise writing by tracing the Chinese pinyin and practise listening as they will be exposed to Chinese songs introducing family members.

Grade One will apply their knowledge of farm animals into the learning of the Chinese Zodiac Animals. We did shared reading with them introducing the Zodiac Race and the 12 zodiac animals in Chinese. Students were very excited to find out their zodiac animal by looking at the year they were born in.

Grade Two students are inquiring into pet animals. They worked in groups of four or five, categorising animals into pets, wild animals and farm animals. Each of them had a role in their group and through the group work, they successfully selected seven common pet animals.

Grade Three will focus on Chinese Inventions in Term Two. We will provide a list of websites where they can gain lots of important information of Chinese inventions. Apart from that, they will be exposed to a series of “Hello China” videos that help deepen their understanding of different Chinese inventions, such as gunpowder, paper, and compass.

Grade Four are learning about Countries Around the World. They shared their culture background and the experiences of travelling to different countries with the class

by posting on Padlet. From the information provided by them, we selected fourteen countries as our focused country vocab, including Australia, China, United States of America, and so on.

After a term focusing on language, Grade Five are now investigating China as a cultural topic. From the video “China from Above”, they noted down interesting facts and features of some famous places in China. Four major cities (Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Xi’an) will be introduced to them, helping them to understand Chinese culture and history from different perspectives.

Grade Six are preparing for their future visit to China by learning about prices and shopping in Chinese. Leading up to it, students reviewed counting numbers from zero to ten in Chinese and gradually extended to two-digit numbers. They discovered number patterns that can apply to the numbers from 11 to 19, and 20 to 99.

We believe all students will use their full potential to achieve their learning goals in LOTE and we look forward to updating their learning experiences with you.

also focuses on the inquiry theme of ‘Where we are in Place and Time’ with a trip to former convict settlement of Port Arthur. We are also providing the opportunity for parents to reconsider if you have previously declined this camp, so the option to place a deposit is still very much open.

Camps are an amazing experience, not only from an educational standpoint, but also for the invaluable life experiences and social development they can bring. We hope to see as many children there as possible!

BOOK CLUBS“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss.

As my final note, I am extremely excited to have had the opportunity to work alongside the Year 4, 5 and 6 team this year in providing Literacy and Numeracy support. One of my biggest passions is the written word, and, as such, I have been working tirelessly since the end of Term 1 to launch our Year 4, 5 and 6 book clubs. We have purchased hundreds of amazing books for our children to lose themselves in, and I sincerely hope that we can foster in them, the same love that I have for books.

Dare to be wise!

Chantelle NedelkovskiLiteracy and Numeracy Support(On behalf of Jackie Daniali)Assistant Principal for Years 4, 5 & 6