CONNECT WITH GRADE 3 and 4
Learning and Teaching
After the holiday break the Year 3 & 4 students will start brand new units of work. We Are Learning To....
READING: determine importance. In narrative genres, determining importance requires the reader to identify main ideas and infer themes of the story. In nonfiction, however, determining importance is more about retaining important information and learning from the text; readers must be able to sift through information and decide what is most important.
WRITING: identify the features of persuasive texts and focus on the language of persuasive writing. The students will continue their unit on persuasive writing, focusing on, amongst other things, using different planning tools and graphic organisers to develop ideas.
V.C.O.P. (Vocabulary Connectives Openers Punctuation): continue to upgrade our writing pieces through the V.C.O.P. process. The Middle School students are now all familiar with the V.C.O.P. process and are developing their ability upgrade their written work.
MATHS: explore the concepts of fractions and decimal fractions. The students will represent common fractions, locate fractions on a number line, investigate equivalent fractions and make links back to our place value system. The learning within the unit will be supported by hands-on materials and a range of learning experiences and games for the students!
UNIT OF STUDY (Biological Science - 'Among the Gum Trees'): understand that living things have life cycles and living things, including plants and animals, depend on each other and the environment to survive. The Middle School students begin their studies into biological science in our Among the Gum Trees unit. This hands-on science unit will develop the students' scientific understanding, inquiry skills and ability to see science as a human endeavour.
SPELLING: use SMART spelling strategies including breaking words into sounds and syllables, identifying the 'tricky' parts of the words and writing the words and sentences from a dictation passage. Emphasis will also be placed on understanding the meaning of the words with students encouraged to include the words in their writing and oral language.
eLEARNING: use the iPads and Netbooks to support and extend learning through Mathletics and Reading Eggs and for research and publishing purposes.
READING: determine importance. In narrative genres, determining importance requires the reader to identify main ideas and infer themes of the story. In nonfiction, however, determining importance is more about retaining important information and learning from the text; readers must be able to sift through information and decide what is most important.
WRITING: identify the features of persuasive texts and focus on the language of persuasive writing. The students will continue their unit on persuasive writing, focusing on, amongst other things, using different planning tools and graphic organisers to develop ideas.
V.C.O.P. (Vocabulary Connectives Openers Punctuation): continue to upgrade our writing pieces through the V.C.O.P. process. The Middle School students are now all familiar with the V.C.O.P. process and are developing their ability upgrade their written work.
MATHS: explore the concepts of fractions and decimal fractions. The students will represent common fractions, locate fractions on a number line, investigate equivalent fractions and make links back to our place value system. The learning within the unit will be supported by hands-on materials and a range of learning experiences and games for the students!
UNIT OF STUDY (Biological Science - 'Among the Gum Trees'): understand that living things have life cycles and living things, including plants and animals, depend on each other and the environment to survive. The Middle School students begin their studies into biological science in our Among the Gum Trees unit. This hands-on science unit will develop the students' scientific understanding, inquiry skills and ability to see science as a human endeavour.
SPELLING: use SMART spelling strategies including breaking words into sounds and syllables, identifying the 'tricky' parts of the words and writing the words and sentences from a dictation passage. Emphasis will also be placed on understanding the meaning of the words with students encouraged to include the words in their writing and oral language.
eLEARNING: use the iPads and Netbooks to support and extend learning through Mathletics and Reading Eggs and for research and publishing purposes.
Term 2 Calendar Dates
Monday 11th of April: Curriculum Day
Tuesday 12th of April: Term 2 commences
Friday 15th April: Wellbeing presentation
Friday 22nd April: Year 3-6 Cross Country Trials
Monday 25th of April: ANZAC Day Public Holiday
Tuesday 10th - Thursday 12th May - NAPLAN (Year 3 & 5)
Wednesday 1st June - Division Cross Country
Tuesday 14th June - Regional Cross Country
Current notices
Homework:
Homework in the Middle School is sent home on a Friday and due back the following Thursday. The homework consists of reading (minimum of 4 nights), Mathletics activities and SMART spelling-look, say, sound, spell, write, check.
We would appreciate if parents could record and sign in the student diary when students complete their homework tasks.
Reading Eggs and Mathletics:
All students have individual passwords to access both of these programs. In Term One we encourage students to explore activities to revise and extend their learning. These programs are online tools which students use to enhance their learning.
Students are given set Mathletics tasks to be completed for homework. This week the focus is on Numeration and Place Value.
Sun Smart:
As a Sun Smart school students are required to wear a hat when they are outdoors. Sunscreen and keeping hydrated are also encouraged. We are fortunate to have lots of shade around the school for the comfort of the students. Please remind your child that we do not lend hats or encourage sharing of hats. If a child is without a hat, they are required to play in the shaded area.
Homework:
Homework in the Middle School is sent home on a Friday and due back the following Thursday. The homework consists of reading (minimum of 4 nights), Mathletics activities and SMART spelling-look, say, sound, spell, write, check.
We would appreciate if parents could record and sign in the student diary when students complete their homework tasks.
Reading Eggs and Mathletics:
All students have individual passwords to access both of these programs. In Term One we encourage students to explore activities to revise and extend their learning. These programs are online tools which students use to enhance their learning.
Students are given set Mathletics tasks to be completed for homework. This week the focus is on Numeration and Place Value.
Sun Smart:
As a Sun Smart school students are required to wear a hat when they are outdoors. Sunscreen and keeping hydrated are also encouraged. We are fortunate to have lots of shade around the school for the comfort of the students. Please remind your child that we do not lend hats or encourage sharing of hats. If a child is without a hat, they are required to play in the shaded area.
Making News
Achievement Awards from Week 8 and 9:
3B
Kate Ovenden for expressing strong view points in persuasive writing and discussion.
3G
Giaan Pike for writing a powerful persuasive opening paragraph.
Harper Shepherd for putting a lot of effort into her homework and doing great maths work.
4H
John Katsoulakis for showing persistence and resilience while writing a persuasive argument about 'why we should have video games in class'.
Olivia Price for her outstanding efforts towards completing her visualising mobile about Harry Potter.
4W
Maddie Wilson for successfully demonstrating her knowledge of multiplication through arrays.
Darcy Russell for her ability to structure convincing and logical arguments during persuasive writing lessons.
Maddie Wilson for successfully demonstrating her knowledge of multiplication through arrays.
Darcy Russell for her ability to structure convincing and logical arguments during persuasive writing lessons.
_____________________________
Celebrating our Learning
Satellite Club
Year 3
Anton Zois
Mia Lafasanidis
Kate Ovenden
Oscar Carter
Chloe Penson-Noble
Year 4
Victoria Chen
Billy Jackson
Euan Walker
Indie-Mai Carter
Olivia Price
Ana Botsioulis
Sarah Whitehead
Ethan Nancarrow
People Power
Last Thursday 17th March, the Middle School students were visited by Sergeant Ken Hardie as part of their People Power Unit. Earlier in the week the students drafted questions to ask Sergeant Hardie, to find out more about rules, laws and the police force in general.
Sergeant Hardie spoke to the students about a range of topics and even allowed one lucky student the opportunity to wear a police uniform. By the way, for those of you who haven't worked this out yet, Sergeant Hardie is also Mr Hardie's dad!! Thanks for the fun and informative visit Sergeant Hardie!
Celebrating our Learning
Satellite Club
We
are pleased to announce that the Satellite Club will continue in 2016 beginning
in Term 2 for selected Year 3 to 6 students. The Satellite Club is Mentone Park’s Extension
and Enrichment in-school program which has been developed to extend our high
achieving students through explicitly teaching thinking skills and presenting
activities which promote higher order thinking.
Students
have been selected to participate in this program based on teacher observation
and their results from the Assessment of General Ability test which they
completed in Term 1.
Our aim is to develop intrepid
learners - learners who embrace challenges and are adventurous thinkers. Students will be provided with opportunities
to think deeply and comprehensively across a range of tasks. In Term 2 our
focus will be on developing:
· critical and creative thinking, understanding of thinking
processes and an ability to manage and apply these intentionally
· skills and learning dispositions that support logical, strategic,
flexible and adventurous thinking
· confidence in evaluating thinking and thinking processes across a
range of familiar and unfamiliar contexts
Mrs
Grisdale is continuing to coordinate the program in 2016 and for Term 2, we are
excited to announce that Mr Wilton will be leading the weekly Satellite Club
sessions with the students.
Congratulations to...
Anton Zois
Mia Lafasanidis
Kate Ovenden
Oscar Carter
Chloe Penson-Noble
Year 4
Victoria Chen
Billy Jackson
Euan Walker
Indie-Mai Carter
Olivia Price
Ana Botsioulis
Sarah Whitehead
Ethan Nancarrow
People Power
Last Thursday 17th March, the Middle School students were visited by Sergeant Ken Hardie as part of their People Power Unit. Earlier in the week the students drafted questions to ask Sergeant Hardie, to find out more about rules, laws and the police force in general.
Sergeant Hardie spoke to the students about a range of topics and even allowed one lucky student the opportunity to wear a police uniform. By the way, for those of you who haven't worked this out yet, Sergeant Hardie is also Mr Hardie's dad!! Thanks for the fun and informative visit Sergeant Hardie!
