Middle School Newsletter 2017 - Volume 4

Middle School Newsletter: Volume 4
Weeks 8-9

What has been happening in the Middle School?

With the fete over and nearing the end of a busy, yet wonderful term 1, the students have been reflecting individually and collaboratively about term 1. Throughout the term we have adapted to the new flexible and open learning space, along with new furniture and new teachers. From reflection, the Middle School (students and teachers) have had interesting feedback that we will adapt so that our transition into term 2 is both seamless and smooth. 
Feedback included:
> variety of flexible furniture provided comfort for different learners and allowed the workings of 1:1, small groups, large groups, year levels or the entire Middle School
> Play Is The Way is helping us work towards being responsible for our own actions - including the way we treat others, the new area and the control of our noise levels
> together we are working on the same things at the same time to make sure there is consistency among the Middle School and depending on what we are working on, our noise level is appropriate to that situation

We look forward to an excellent term 2 where we will be exploring chemical science and our Play Is The Way values in greater detail. Additionally we'll be starting and reviewing new and old topics in reading, writing and maths. 

From the entire Middle School Team, we wish everyone a happy and safe holiday and would like to thank everyone for their support throughout a busy term!

Learning and Teaching

We Are Learning To (WALT)....

READING: Create pictures in our head to help understand what is happening in the story
WRITING/V.C.O.P.: Understand the structure of a persuasive piece

MATHS: Use different different strategies to solve addition problems
SPELLING: 
Year 3: The graph /y/ making the sound “i” as in pyramid
Year 4: The graph /y/ making the sound “i” as in pyramid
UNIT OF STUDY: Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Soul

PLAY IS THE WAY: Have reasons for the things that you say and do (blue rule) and it takes great strength to be sensible (yellow rule)

YOGA: Being peaceful and grateful

Term 1&2 Calendar Dates

Friday 31st March: Last Day of Term 1 (2:30 Finish)
Tuesday 18th April: First Day of Term 2
Friday 21st April: ANZAC Day Assembly
Tuesday 25th April: ANZAC Day Public Holiday
Tuesday 9th May- Thursday 11th May: NAPLAN testing

Current Notices

Last Day

Assembly will be held at 1:30pm (location of hall or basketball courts is weather dependent). It is our final assembly for the term and sure to be a big one with the Easter Raffle being drawn. School will be dismissed at 2:30pm.

bCyberwise - Life Education Van

Throughout the week each class has visited Harold in the Life Education Van to participate in the bCyberwise Program. It was really interesting to see that in this digital age, the vast knowledge students have of operating and navigating online social media. What was most surprising was the amount of students who are underage, yet have access to another persons or their own account. Most children are unaware of the digital footprint they leave every time they post online and the harmful effects it can have on themselves, or on others. Similar to regular discussions we have with the students encouraging them when interacting face to face, the same applies online.
Always T.H.I.N.K.
T- is it TRUE?
H- is it HELPFUL?
I- is it INSPIRING?
N- is it NECESSARY?
K- is it KIND?

To read more about the program your child participated in please visit this link: bCyberwise
Or download the bCyberwise Monster Family App: Monster Family App

Making News

To help raise funds for the Royal Children's Hospital, we had some superstar Middle School students who were brave enough to shave. Well done to Leeroy, Ben, Georgios, Lambros and Kade.

Middle School Newsletter 2017 - Volume 3

Middle School Newsletter: Volume 3
Weeks 6-7

What has been happening in the Middle School?

It has been another busy couple of weeks in the Middle School! From the exciting arrival of our new furniture, to a visit from the Life Ed Van on cybersafety, to yoga sessions and our involvement in the Footsteps 'Social and Emotional Learning' program there hasn't been a dull moment!

We say thank you to Mr Kenny Horn for his work setting up the year in the Middle School, while welcoming Miss Jessica McDonald. Miss McDonald has already settled into her role, forming bonds with the students and staff at MPPS. We wish her all the best for a great year!

Learning and Teaching

We Are Learning To (WALT)....

READING: Use information in texts to visualise what we read. We are learning to use descriptive language to make visual images in our mind.

WRITING/V.C.O.P.: Understand the structure of a persuasive text. We are looking at how to set out a persuasive piece of writing and how to structure arguments.

MATHS: Design surveys, collect data and represent this data accurately on appropriate graphs. The students will then make observations about the information they have collected.

SPELLING: 
Year 3: The digraph /or/ making the sound ‘er’ as in worm (week 6). 
The graph /l/ making the sound ‘eh’ and the graph /e/ making the ‘l’ sound as in table (week 7).
Year 4: The digraph /tt/ making the sound 't' as in letter (week 6).
The digraph /gg/ making the sound 'g' as in egg.

UNIT OF STUDY: Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Soul

PLAY IS THE WAY: Have reasons for the things you say and do.

YOGA: Be active listeners.

Term 1 Calendar Dates

Monday 20th March: Free Dress Day

Tuesday 21st March: Meet the Teacher Sessions (Miss Oates & Miss McDonald)

Saturday 25th March: MPPS School Fete

Friday 31st March: Last Day of Term 1

Current Notices

FETE HELP!!!

Our school Fete is slowly creeping up with only 2 weeks to go! Our grades are very excited to have been placed in charge of the following stalls...

Middle H - Sausage Sizzle

Middle O/B- Plant Stall

Middle M - Soapy Throw Game

Middle W- Silent Auction

The children are busy creating flyers and decorations for the stalls, but they need your help to run it on the day. If you can help out by coordinating a roster, taking a shift on the stall or contributing something for the stall (or any other stall) please let us know asap! Lists are up just before you enter the glass doors of the Middle Area for parents/helpers to sign up.

It would be great if you could contribute an item towards this hamper (or any other hamper) or to the Weekly Challenges leading up to the Fete.
Continuing Challenges:
- Groceries
- Bottle of wine
- Block of chocolate and wrapped bag of lollies
Upcoming Challenges:
- Lucky dip
- Plants and seedlings
- Cake

If there is any other way in which you could help with the Fete, please be sure to see us so we can pass on your details to the Fete Committee! 

Homework

Dear Middle School Families,

What a fantastic start to 2017 it has been in our brand new classrooms. All children have settled in quickly. We have had a few questions this past week about homework, how it will be administered?… what types of homework there will be?... when will it start? etc.

The homework for Middle School Students in 2017 will include the following:

-          Reading: minimum 4 nights per week, signed off in diary by an adult.

                What book was read?

                How long did they read for?

                Signed.

-          Spelling: weekly spelling word practice to be completed each night.

Additionally, students can choose to do extra spelling tasks from the spelling grid in their homework books as well as the online maths program Mathletics and literacy program Reading Eggs. Please note that none of these additional options are compulsory and are student/family choice.

Homework will be handed out on a Monday (starting 20/02/17) and the expectation is that it is handed in on Friday morning.

Kind regards,

Nick Wilton, Matt Hardie, Maddie Oates, Jess McDonald and Sue Beer

The Middle School Teachers

Big Write

Our Big Write occurs fortnightly, and Friday 3rd is our second session (Big Write will usually occur on Thursday, however this week it is on Friday). Below is our topic this week which will be sent home on the Wednesday night. This is a valuable opportunity to assist your child in generating and expanding their writing ideas.

bCyberwise - Life Education Van

Throughout the week each class has visited Harold in the Life Education Van to participate in the bCyberwise Program. It was really interesting to see that in this digital age, the vast knowledge students have of operating and navigating online social media. What was most surprising was the amount of students who are underage, yet have access to another persons or their own account. Most children are unaware of the digital footprint they leave every time they post online and the harmful effects it can have on themselves, or on others. Similar to regular discussions we have with the students encouraging them when interacting face to face, the same applies online.
Always T.H.I.N.K.
T- is it TRUE?
H- is it HELPFUL?
I- is it INSPIRING?
N- is it NECESSARY?
K- is it KIND?

To read more about the program your child participated in please visit this link: bCyberwise
Or download the bCyberwise Monster Family App: Monster Family App

Sun Smart

As we are a Sun Smart school we request that students wear hats when outside in Term 1.  Those students without hats are asked to be in the shaded eating area. We have provided students with sunscreen and encourage them to apply the sunscreen before going out. If you wish to provide your own sunscreen we require a Material Data Sheet before it is brought to school.

Making News

Yesterday afternoon, the Middle School opened their doors and invited their parents in for an open afternoon. The parents were able to see first hand the students working in their new open learning centre using the fantastic new furniture. The students were preparing for their upcoming Big Write session, using a cartoon booklet style graphic organiser to plan their ideas. A big thank you to all the parents (and grandparents) who came to visit!

Middle School Newsletter- 2017 Volume 1

Middle School Newsletter: Volume 1
Weeks 1-3

What has been happening in the Middle School?

What a great start to 2017 we have had! 

New area, new classes and new and exciting experiences with more to come.

Learning and Teaching

We Are Learning To (WALT)....

READING: make connections from the books that we are reading and ourselves- T2S, other texts (including movies)- T2T, and the world around us- T2W.

WRITING/V.C.O.P.: understand and use the correct structures of a narrative piece of writing.

MATHS: understand the different components of place value, up to and including tens of thousands.

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 being encouraged to include the words in their writing and oral language. 

UNIT OF STUDY: Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Soul

PLAY IS THE WAY: Treat others as you would like them to treat you
                           Be brave- participate to progress

 Term 1 Calendar Dates

Friday 17th February: MPPS 3-6 Swimming Carnival

Monday 20th February: Yoga begins

Wednesday 22nd February: Parent/ Teacher Get to Know You Evening

Friday 24th February: Life Ed Van at MPPS

Monday 13th March: Labour Day Public Holiday

Monday 20th March: Free Dress Day

Saturday 25th March: MPPS School Fete

Friday 31st March: Last Day of Term 1

Current Notices

FETE HELP!!!

Our school Fete is coming up – on the 25^th March, from 10am – 3pm! Our grades are very excited to have been placed in charge of the...

Middle MH- Sausage Sizzle

Middle O/B- Reptile House

Middle KH- Soapy Throw Game

Middle W- Silent Auction

The children are busy creating flyers and decorations for the stall, but they need your help to run it on the day. If you can help out by coordinating a roster, taking a shift on the stall or contributing something for the stall (or any other stall) please let us know asap!  

Each class is also in charge of putting together a hamper of goodies for auctioning off. The hamper our classes are making up is a...

Middle MH- Pet Dog Hamper

Middle O/B- Pet Cat Hamper

Middle KH- Relaxation and Pamper Hamper

Middle W- Quirky Hamper

 It would be great if you could contribute an item towards this hamper (or any other hamper)!

If there is any other way in which you could help with the Fete, please be sure to see us so we can pass on your details to the Fete Committee! 

Homework

Dear Middle School Families,

What a fantastic start to 2017 it has been in our brand new classrooms. All children have settled in quickly. We have had a few questions this past week about homework, how it will be administered?… what types of homework there will be?... when will it start? etc.

The homework for Middle School Students in 2017 will include the following:

-          Reading: minimum 4 nights per week, signed off in diary by an adult

                What book was read?

                How long did they read for?

                Signed.

-          Spelling: weekly spelling word practice to be completed each night.

Additionally, students can choose to do extra spelling tasks from the spelling grid in their homework books as well as the online maths program Mathletics and literacy program Reading Eggs. Please note that none of these additional options are compulsory and are student/family choice.

Homework will be handed out on a Monday (starting 20/02/17) and the expectation is that it is handed in on Friday morning.

Kind regards,

Nick Wilton, Matt Hardie, Maddie Oates, Kenny Horn and Sue Beer

The Middle School Teachers

Big Write

A notice that looked like the one below came home on Wednesday after school. In the Middle School we will be doing fortnightly Big Write Sessions on Thursdays where students will be given a topic to write about. On the Wednesday night when this notice comes home, could families have discussions about the topic to help students with ideas for their Big Write the next day.

Sun Smart

As we are a Sun Smart school we request that students wear hats when outside in Term 1.  Those students without hats are asked to be in the shaded eating area. We have provided students with sunscreen and encourage them to apply the sunscreen before going out. If you wish to provide your own sunscreen we require a Material Data Sheet before it is brought to school.

Making News

Play is The Way:

Our focuses over the last 2 weeks have been...

-Treat others as you would like them to treat you... 

If someone is unlike you, seek to undertstand them.

and

-Be brave, participate to progress...

School is about stepping bravely into the unknown. The unknown is often uncomfortable. The braver you are, the more you learn.

   

Here are some photos from the games that we have been playing linked to PITW...

The entire Middle School playing a game of "Island"

Chloe, Harshil and Jake working together to help the team succeed.

Middle School Newsletter Week 9 Term 4

Middle School Newsletter: Term 4 Week 9

CONNECT WITH GRADE 3 and 4

Learning and Teaching

We Are Learning To....

READING: make inferences about the books that we are reading, using clues and the information from the different texts to come to a conclusion.

WRITING/V.C.O.P.: reflect upon our semester's learning. We are thinking about our achievements and what we can improve on next year. We are also looking at using a variety of openers to improve our writing.

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 being encouraged to include the words in their writing and oral language. 

MATHS: make models of three-dimensional objects and describe the key features and geometric properties of the shapes, as well discovering the area of regular and irregular shapes. 

UNIT OF STUDY: (We are One, We are Many/History): learn about the history of Australia.

eLEARNING: use the iPads and Netbooks to support and extend learning through Mathletics and Reading Eggs and for research and publishing purposes.

 Term 4 Calendar Dates



Friday 2nd December - Carols Night
Tuesday 6th December - Up Day
Friday 10th December - Whole School Sports Day
Tuesday 13th December - Up Day Meet the Teacher

Current Notices

 Satellite Club

The Satellite Club is a program offered to extend and enrich selected students. Our aim is to present new and exciting challenges for the Satellite Club team. This year they have been working on logical thinking and reasoning skills.

In Term Four students will be developing business plans and creating their own businesses using ICT skills.

The students will work with our new CSIRO ICT in Schools partner, Ms Vikki Morris, Regional Manager, Cisco Systems Australia and Mrs Grisdale.

More information about our new program will be in the newsletter over the coming weeks. Both parents and students have been asking about the program - it's good to hear you are as excited about the program as we are!!
If you have any questions, please speak to Mrs Grisdale.

Grade 3 and 4 Sport

In term 4 will be running Middle School sport on Fridays at 12:00.  The students will be participating in mixed grade groups practising and playing games offered for Interschool sport. The sports include rounders, cricket, tennis and newcombe. Don't forget your runners!

Sun Smart

As we are a Sun Smart school we request that students wear hats when outside in Term 4.  Those students without hats are asked to be in the shaded eating area. We have provided students with sunscreen and encourage them to apply the sunscreen before going out. If you wish to provide your own sunscreen we require a Material Data Sheet before it is brought to school.

Making News

Achievement Awards for Weeks 7 and 8 of Term 4
3S

Maya - for her amazing diagram of what life was like for Aboriginals before and after European settlement. Stunning work!
Antonios - using his understanding of vertical and horizontal symmetry to create a cool symmetrical flag.  Good work!

3G
Mia - writing a detailed procedure to help the hippo find the ghost in the haunted house!
Harper - showing a great work ethic by practising her handwriting and doing extra work.

4H
Sam- designing a maze and then writing a procedure to get a blindfolded person out of his maze (and also getting his pen licence during this process). 
Tikki- using her knowledge of shapes to design a symmetrical flag for a new country.

4W
Sarah - her ability to successfully make informed predictions when reading. 
Maddie - her developing ability to write clear and concise instructions when writing procedural texts.


Carols Night

Don't forget that Mentone Park Primary School's Carols Night is on this Friday the 2nd of December. It will start at 6pm and run until 8pm. The Grade 3 and 4 students have been working really hard on their singing skills. Students will be performing a couple of classic Christmas songs with a twist. They are looking forward to performing for you all!

Olympic-a-thon!

The A-Thon was a big success! Thank you for your generous donations. We raised over $4,000.00! 

Middle School Week 7 Term 4

Middle School Newsletter: Term 4 Week 7

CONNECT WITH GRADE 3 and 4

Learning and Teaching

We Are Learning To....

READING: make predictions and inferences about the books that we are reading, using clues and the information for the different texts.

WRITING/V.C.O.P.: write a sequenced set of instructions focusing on the vocabulary that we are using. We are aiming to create clear instructions that readers will be able to follow with ease.

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 being encouraged to include the words in their writing and oral language. 

MATHS: solve financial maths problems involving purchases and the giving / receiving of change.

UNIT OF STUDY: (We are One, We are Many/History): learn about the history of Australia. We are starting our inquiry unit by developing an understanding of Indigenous culture and lifestyles.

eLEARNING: use the iPads and Netbooks to support and extend learning through Mathletics and Reading Eggs and for research and publishing purposes.

 Term 4 Calendar Dates


8th, 15th, 22nd, 28th and 29th November - STOMP Dance
Friday 25th November - Twilight Working Bee
Friday 2nd December - Carols Night
Friday 10th December - Whole School Sports Day

Current notices

 Satellite Club

The Satellite Club is a program offered to extend and enrich selected students. Our aim is to present new and exciting challenges for the Satellite Club team. This year they have been working on logical thinking and reasoning skills.

In Term Four students will be developing business plans and creating their own businesses using ICT skills.

The students will work with our new CSIRO ICT in Schools partner, Ms Vikki Morris, Regional Manager, Cisco Systems Australia and Mrs Grisdale.

More information about our new program will be in the newsletter over the coming weeks. Both parents and students have been asking about the program - it's good to hear you are as excited about the program as we are!!

If you have any questions, please see Mrs Grisdale.

Grade 3 and 4 Sport

In term 4 will be running Middle School sport on Fridays at 12:00.  The students will be participating in mixed grade groups practising and playing games offered for Interschool sport. The sports include rounders, cricket, tennis and newcombe. Don't forget your runners!

Sun Smart

As we are a Sun Smart school we request that students wear hats when outside in Term 4.  Those students without hats are asked to be in the shaded eating area.

Making News

Achievement Awards for Weeks 5 and 6 of Term 4
3S

Carla - for her interesting Dreamtime story about how the cockatoo got it's feathers. Well done Carla!  

Amy - for using her growth mindset when tacking challenging money problems in class this week. Well done!

3G
Sarah - for writing an interesting haiku about lizards
Olivia - for writing an interesting Dreamtime story which included a glossary
4H

Anna - for the images she created in readers minds when writing her Dreamtime Story "Uju the Peacock".
John - for using his knowledge of shopping to help him solve money related problems.

4W
Billy - for his well written and entertaining Dreamtime story, 'How the Echidna Was Created'
Darcy - for successfully writing about the settlement of Melbourne from the perspectives of both the Europeans and Indigenous Australians.


STOMP Dance Program

The year 3 and 4 students are loving the new Stomp Dance Program each Tuesday! For the next three weeks the students will be learning new dances in preparation for the Christmas Concert on December 2nd. Ask them to rehearse one of them for you!

Middle School Term 4 Week 5

Middle School Newsletter: Term 4 Week 5

CONNECT WITH GRADE 3 and 4


WOW... The end of week 5 already. How time flies!!!

Learning and Teaching

We Are Learning To....

READING: ask questions before we read, while we are reading and after we read. Asking questions helps us to further understand the text.

WRITING/V.C.O.P.: plan, draft and edit a creative story in about how a particular Australian animal came to be, based on our knowledge of Dreamtime stories.

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 being encouraged to include the words in their writing and oral language. 

MATHS: tell the time on digital and analogue clocks, convert between units of time, use am and pm and solve time problems.

UNIT OF STUDY: (We are One, We are Many/History): learn about the history of Australia. We are starting our inquiry unit by developing an understanding of Indigenous culture and lifestyles.

eLEARNING: use the iPads and Netbooks to support and extend learning through Mathletics and Reading Eggs and for research and publishing purposes.

 Term 4 Calendar Dates


Friday 4th November - PFA Free Dress Day (Gold Coin Donation)
8th, 15th, 22nd, 28th and 29th November - STOMP Dance
Wednesday 16th November - Whole School A-Thon
Wednesday 16th November - PFA Disco
Friday 25th November - Twilight Working Bee
Friday 2nd December - Carols Night
Friday 10th December - Whole School Sports Day

Current notices

 Satellite Club

The Satellite Club is a program offered to extend and enrich selected students. Our aim is to present new and exciting challenges for the Satellite Club team. This year they have been working on logical thinking and reasoning skills.

In Term Four students will be developing business plans and creating their own businesses using ICT skills.

The students will work with our new CSIRO ICT in Schools partner, Ms Vikki Morris, Regional Manager, Cisco Systems Australia and Mrs Grisdale.

More information about our new program will be in the newsletter over the coming weeks. Both parents and students have been asking about the program - it's good to hear you are as excited about the program as we are!!

If you have any questions, please see Mrs Grisdale.

Grade 3 and 4 Sport

In term 4 will be running Middle School sport on Fridays at 12:00.  The students will be participating in mixed grade groups practising and playing games offered for Interschool sport. The sports include rounders, cricket, tennis and newcombe. Don't forget your runners!

Sun Smart

As we are a Sun Smart school we request that students wear hats when outside in Term 4.  Those students without hats are asked to be in the shaded eating area.

Making News

Achievement Awards for Weeks 3 and 4 of Term 4
3S

Angelo- for applying himself fully in maths and having a growth mindset when tackling multiplication problems. Great work!
Ben- for his brilliant Dreamtime story about how the rainbow lorikeet became colourful. Great work Ben!

3G

Josh - for sharing insightful comments related to early settlement and the inhabitants of Australia.  Well done.

4H

Faye- writing an interesting Haiku poem about Doritoes.
Tyler- always using his Growth Mindset and giving everything a go.

4W

Andjelka - for developing her ability to solve complicated division problems in maths lessons.
Dylan - enthusiastically learning how to tell the time by using an analogue clock.





MIDDLE SCHOOL POETRY
In the Middle School we have been writing different types of poetry, including Limericks, Haikus and Found Poems...

LIMERICKS

There once was a very old man,
Who loved to play in his band,

He fell off the stage,

And broke his rib cage,

The man was unable to stand.

There once was a girl called Faye,

She liked to eat pate,

She ate it lots and lots,

While driving her yachts,

She did it every day.

There once was a boy called Luke,

He liked to eat all the fruit,

The oranges at half time,

He ate his and ate mine,

If I got one it was a fluke.

HAIKUS

Witches are ready,

Scary skeletons are here,

It is Halloween.

Lovely soft icing,

On light fluffy cupcakes,

Better eat them up.