st peters anglican primary school issue 4 · st peters anglican primary school issue 4 10 ... or...

ST PETERS ANGLICAN PRIMARY SCHOOL Issue 4

10 NOVEMBER 2014 – TERM 4

What a year of learning we have had here at St Peter’s Anglican Primary School. It has been wonderful to read through each of the grade overviews contained in this newsletter and see a clear snapshot of this term in particular. When combined with the previous three editions of this teaching and learning newsletter, I’m sure you’d agree that there has been a variety of rich and authentic learning occurring in every one of our classrooms. Learning is however never just about what happens in our classrooms. The real experiences that our students enjoy in a variety of environments is meaningful and purposeful. Whether on excursions, school camps or in the playground, our students are learning skills, attitudes and values that make a difference. They make a difference in the way a student responds to life situations. They make a difference in the way that students interact with people in their community. Learning is far more than content. It is far more than dates and figures. We often remember snippets of our own schooling. It is rarely a particular lesson or fact that was learned that sticks in our minds. More often than not, it is relationships, or a value or attitude that is remembered.

These often are taught through authentic learning experiences, when a student is in relationship with their teacher and their classmates. To aide this purposeful and authentic learning, we need facilitators and people who will guide this learning. I’m sure you’d agree that the teaching staff we have here at St Peter’s are simply some of the best available. Our teachers thoroughly plan, resource and deliver purposeful learning experiences that allow our students to grow, develop and improve. I am grateful for the amazing learning that our students have enjoyed at the hands of our exceptional teaching staff. Be it Maths, English, Science, PE, Art, Music or HSIE, all of our learning here at St Peter’s is underpinned by a Christian worldview. When we learn, we ask about the how we see things through the lens of the Bible. Being a Christian school is a privilege that only enhances our learning. Our staff not only teach a set Scripture lesson each week, but also teach all lessons through an understanding of the Bible. The teaching of the Bible cannot be dualistic or simply a set subject area that isn’t discussed or thought about outside of that period of time.

More and more we see a trans-disciplinary approach to learning, where our subject areas are impacted and influenced by one another. Allowing real questioning, discussion and thinking in this manner, is wonderful. Please enjoy this final edition of our Teaching and Learning newsletter for 2014. As always, if you have queries or questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher. Our Celebration of Learning will occur on Friday, 21 November. We would love to see you throughout the day as we join in celebrating the amazing learning that has occurred at St Peter’s Anglican Primary School in 2014.

Celebrating our Learning by Brendan Gorman

TEACHING & LEARNING

NEWSLETTER

ST PETERS ANGLICAN PRIMARY SCHOOL | TEACHING AND LEARNING 2

We are now well into our last term of the year, and what a busy term it is! We have had class photos taken, had our eyes checked, joined in with the older children for the Junior Primary Sports Carnival and Move-a-thon Day, and watched as the machinery has begun work on our new playground. We had a wonderful time at the Kindergarten Orientation day last week. We would like to thank the Kindergarten children and teachers for making our time there so much fun! The children are all looking forward to starting "Big School" after the Christmas holidays. We began the term exploring and investigating "Creepy Crawlies" in our classroom and playground. The children are recalling many of the facts we have learnt about different insects, spiders and worms. We have learned so much from our Silk Worm project as we have closely observed their entire Life Cycle in our classroom – from egg, to hatching, to spinning cocoons, and now emerging as moths.

We started with some eggs.

Little silkworm caterpillars hatched from the eggs.

The caterpillars ate lots of mulberry leaves and grew quickly.

The caterpillars spun silk cocoons around themselves.

We waited for a few weeks to see what would come out of the cocoons.

From the silk cocoons, silkworm moths emerged.

Each of the moths found a mate.

The moths have laid thousands of eggs, ready for more little silkworms to hatch.

Our “Creepy Crawly” unit of work has led on to some gardening and water activities. Now we are looking at the life cycle of a plant and watching as our seeds begin to grow. As we begin practicing for our presentation at the Celebration of Learning, we are learning about the very first Christmas when Jesus came to the earth as a baby. We are looking forward to presenting our item for you on that day. We are also anticipating a fun time of Christmas craft in our room as we look at the way we celebrate Christmas here in Australia compared to the way people in other lands celebrate Jesus’ birth. We are also looking forward to our Christmas party which will be on the last day of term for each group – Wednesday 3rd December, Friday 5th December and Tuesday 9th December. Children may wear suitable party clothes to Prep. on this day. By way of reminder, we are awaiting the return of Portfolio/assessment folders for some children. We are keen to have these returned so that they can be updated ready for the end of the year.

Prep


Term 4 is always an exciting time to reflect on the learning that takes place throughout the school year. There is, however, something particularly special about sharing in the amazing development that can be witnessed in a student’s very first year of schooling. The Kindergarten teachers would like to take this opportunity congratulate all of our students for their dedication to learning and achievements this year. It is hard to believe that in a short space in time, children have acquired so many new skills that they will continue to develop as they embark on their journey as lifelong learners. It is our joy to celebrate all of our students’ achievement and learning during 2014.

English Kindergarten children have continued to develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening across all areas of their learning. Phonics has been an ongoing focus this term, and children are extending their ability to apply their knowledge of sounds when reading and writing imaginative and informative texts. Students have continued to investigate long vowel sounds, which is supported by the introduction of actions and jingles that assist them in remembering these sounds. During shared reading tasks, children have investigated the basic features of Bible narratives and are beginning to discuss features such as the characters, setting, problems and resolutions within familiar bible stories. They have similarly engaged with multiple ways for sharing these bible stories through picture books, audio stories, youtube, music, animation and by creating their own texts. It has been wonderful to see our students challenging themselves in all areas of their literacy development.

Mathematics During this term children will practise measuring the area of a range of everyday items and selecting appropriate items to assist them to measure this informally. Children are going to begin learning about the basics of multiplication and division and further their addition and subtraction skills. Children are continuing to practise representing data in graph form and practise answering a range of questions based on the data collected.

Science Throughout this term students have been learning about what communication is and exploring different methods for sending and receiving messages. Students investigated local and global opportunities for communication and discovered how the internet makes global communication more available.

HSIE In HSIE this term students have been learning about different natural environments that they interact with on a regular basis and how they meet their needs. The students have shown great awareness and care as they have learned about threats to these natural environments and talked with each other about how they can care for and protect them.

Music The unit of work for this term was structured so that the ongoing skills of listening, responding, expressing and performance were developed. In lessons, all students have been involved in either singing or playing a part at an appropriate standard relevant to their experience. Their knowledge and understanding of a range of acoustic instruments has been consolidated and reinforced.

Scripture The children have continued to learn and share about God through Scripture lessons, Chapel times and class devotions. They are growing in their understanding of God's love for His people demonstrated in Jesus Christ, and of His sovereign power and authority. As we move towards Christmas, a time of great excitement beckons. The children (and teachers!) are eagerly looking forward to our Christmas craft program and the many fun activities that we will enjoy together as we contemplate and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Chapel, in particular, is a source of great enjoyment as we approach Christmas-time. Parents and caregivers are always very welcome to join us. PE Children have continued to develop their gross motor skills over this term. Children enjoyed their first Athletics carnival at school which has provided opportunities for them to develop their running skills further.

Health The children are investigating the theme of safety this term, and are learning ways to keep themselves safe in various situations. The topic includes identification of hazards and ways to minimise the risk of harm. A particular focus later in the term will be water, bike and sun safety, all which involve situations that pose significant risk to children as summer approaches.

Visual Arts Over the term, children have observed a variety of art works and continued to reflect on qualities of these. Children will complete several projects, utilising a variety of techniques and mediums.

French During this term students have been learning to state their opinions in French. We have been using the phrase J’aime…. (I like) and Je n’aime pas….. (I don’t like). Many of our opinions are based on animals and we have focused on the Australian animals we like which introduces students to the names of these animals in French.

Kindergarten


As we reflect on all that has been achieved this year, each and every student can be proud of the progress they have made. Year 1 has continued to work productively this term, engaging in many exciting learning activities.

English Listening for information and working in a group are important life skills which we have been developing this term. Students have enjoyed working in groups to complete a number of hands-on games. They particularly enjoyed the challenge of working together to build the tallest tower possible using only drinking straws and blu tac. Students have developed their ability to generate ideas and structure their writing in accordance with the intended purpose and audience. Punctuation has continued to be a focus, as has building the complexity of their sentences. An Aboriginal perspective has been explored through a variety of literature which highlights the unique Indigenous culture.

Mathematics Money, money, money! Students have embraced the opportunity to learn about our Australian currency and are beginning to understand the value of each coin. Students have been adding amounts and calculating change and were keen shop assistants and customers at our class breakfast bars. We have continued to build on our addition and subtraction skills and explored some of the other mathematical operations.

Music The programme this term enabled all students to extend upon their skills in all descriptors for music at this key stage. Whilst musical performance has been emphasised, the class continued to adopt more substantial concepts of musical notation as well as responded to musical excerpts through movement. Classroom learning has been linked to either a broader appreciation and perception of music, or other areas of the curriculum.

Information Technology Have you heard of Skoolbo? Skoolbo is an exciting new resource that allows students to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. During our weekly visit to the computer lab Year 1 have used the Little Bird Tales online tool to design and create their own digital stories. Students were excited to have the opportunity to record a voiceover for their story.

Celebrations Celebrate good times, come on! Term 4 has seen the commencement of our integrated unit. Students have gained a global perspective as they explored international celebrations such as Diwali, Chinese New Year and Christmas in Germany. Aspects of these celebrations have been depicted during Visual Arts with the creation of German Advent Wreaths and lanterns. During our HSIE and Science lessons, students have conducted an experiment to determine the difference between processed and fresh foods by observing a cheeseburger and banana over time. They have also enjoyed learning about the process of chocolate making.

Scripture We have been meeting the different people from the Bible who followed Jesus and the implications for our lives today. Faith is a cornerstone of Christianity and means trusting that God will never let you down. Through the story of Philip (Acts Chapter 8) we see how the Holy Spirit helps believers understand God’s word and share it with others.

German As well as learning about German celebrations (Martinstag, Advent, Weihnachten), we will also be learning how to name members of our families. Children will create a toy family, and write a story about it. This will be published using Little Bird Tales in their computer time. We are looking forward to sharing more of what we have learned this term at the Celebration of Learning morning on Friday 21st November.

It’s hard to believe that we are already more than half way through Term 3. The children are to be commended for their growing maturity, focus and behaviour. We have so far participated in many engaging activities, both for our grade and within the whole school community, and we continue to look forward to our final weeks ahead.

Year 1


It is hard to believe that our time with your child is almost over! We have been truly blessed in getting to know each and every one of them, and it has been a great pleasure getting to know you as well. The growth of each child has been commendable. The following information outlines our learning for this term. We hope that this information may help you have meaningful conversations as a family, and allow you a small glimpse of what is happening within our classrooms.

English This term we prepared an English program which integrated the multiple strands associated with literacy skills within one thematic unit. Our focus is on developing characters using an author as an inspiration. Children are learning to apply their understanding of adjectives to create interesting characters of their own and will delve into using comic strips and speech bubbles to effectively create dialogue for use in imaginative texts. 2B, 2C and 2S are using the authors Anna and Barbara Fienberg with the Tashi series. 2R are studying Dick King-Smith using a variety of texts he has written.

Mathematics We are learning to identify fractions of a collection of objects using concrete materials, looking at the particular terms of halves, quarters and eighths. We are exploring the difference between the terms volume and capacity using hands-on experiences to estimate, measure and record. We are manipulating 3D objects to record their properties and are relating these objects to real world situations. We are also continuing to develop our skills when using the four operations, working towards applying these to 3 digit numbers.

HSIE In HSIE this term, we are focussing on transport systems. The children are making connections with their prior knowledge regarding how and why we use transport, and how these systems provide for our everyday needs and wants. Looking for a fun family outing? Why not head to your local station and participate in the Family Funday Sunday program run by Transport NSW and see how many transport systems you can use in one day!

You could even ask your child to in planning for the day, using the timetables provided online.

Science Drip, drop, splash, wonderful water! The children have already participated in activities getting them to describe and compare clear liquids to identify water. We will continue looking at how we use water in our daily lives, where water actually comes from and why we need it. This unit links nicely with our HSIE unit in Term 3, exploring natural environments and the elements. We will be able to discuss the appropriate use of water and consider the impact of water wastage for future generations.

Creative Arts In Visual Arts, we are studying Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein as we learn about ‘Pop Art’. The children will learn some information about the artist’s life, their inspirations and the elements they use to create art. We have begun to create artworks using repeated images, similar to Andy Warhol. In Drama, each class is preparing their presentation for the Celebration of Learning concert. Students are busy learning poems, songs and scripts and preparing props for this event. Each class will be presenting an item based on a literature unit studied over the course of the year. In Music, the children are continuing to develop their skills in playing recorder with focus on producing quality sound! Closer to the end of the term, they will begin to work in small groups to present a piece of music with a variety of instruments.

PDHPE Students will be learning to play simple playground games in PE and will then work in small groups to create a game of their own. This will focus on skills such as group cooperation as well as identifying the fitness purpose of their created game. In Health we are preparing for keeping safe during the summer holidays. We are looking at three main issues: pedestrian, passenger and bike safety.

French This term students will be learning about school life in France. This will include making comparisons to our school life in Australia, identifying and recording similarities and differences in the school day, holidays, activities, and lunches.

Students will learn to say the days of the week and months of the year in French through this topic and use this new knowledge to develop the ability to pose and answer questions that relate to their birthday and continue to add to our conversational skills. Upcoming Dates Please mark the following events in your diary:

2B and 2S will combine to present the Week 6 Junior Primary Assembly (Thursday 13 November)

The Celebration of Learning Concert and Picnic Day will be held on Friday 21 November (Week 7)

o Year Two Showcase time is 11:00 - 11:30am

Junior Primary Presentation night will be held on Thursday 4 December (Week 9)

Year 2


Year 3 are focussing on Compassion as a theme in Term 4. This integrates English, HSIE, Creative Arts and PDH. Students are looking at compassion in both a local and broader context. When students understand and value others, they enjoy more stable and satisfying interpersonal relationships. They are also more tolerant and caring members of the community who value difference and respond to others as individuals.

Mathematics This term in Mathematics we have started by looking at maps, directions and symmetry. We combined these in an investigation which required the students to understand grid references, giving directions and where a line of symmetry could be found. We will then move on to exploring division facts, multiplication and how they are connected with calculations involving mass. Our last topic for investigation for this year will be based around recording time and distance as the students develop some PE skills activities and score cards to record and track their improvement.

English As part of our unit on Compassion this term, our English focus will be based around writing and comprehending texts for information. The students will be participating in discussion groups and developing collaborative skills, writing formal information texts and focusing on the grammar and language conventions that are particular to this style of writing. In particular we will be focusing on present tense, third person writing and developing coherent paragraphs. The students will be reading and viewing texts around the theme of Compassion and exploring how meaning is conveyed through images, language and voice. The culmination of this learning will be developing a website around the research they are doing with Mrs Busutel about the needs in our community and which organisations help. We look forward to sharing these websites with you.

HSIE In HSIE and research this term we are working on our integrated unit Compassion. We have looked at the sorts of people in the world and our community that need our help and have researched the services that are provided to support those people in need. Different students have researched a variety of organisations and learnt to ask open-ended questions that lead to deeper learning. This research has been discussed and the students are working in groups to come up with concrete ways that we can show compassion on those in need in our community.

Creative Arts During Creative Arts lessons students are creating a slowmation so that they can tell a story which presents the theme of Compassion. As part of this, students will be collaborating together to draw a storyboard from which they can develop a scene, characters and various movements. The students are thrilled about using so many different forms of technology in order to portray and present their scene. We are also excited about a whole school Art Day in Week 6 where we will be creating a Year 3 show piece. We look forward to sharing our collaborative work with you. In Music, we progressed further in our basic musicianship skills by responding to many opportunities to create and perform music during the course of this semester. The Kodaly-approach in Music Education continuously developed skills in singing and performing with attention to meaning, diction and awareness of phrase. All members of the class extended upon their reasoning skills in discussing and sharing ideas with others.

PDHPE PE this semester is gymnastics and dance. 3B and 3T have enjoyed their gymnastics program and are now looking at Fad Dancing. They will be looking at telling a story through dance later in the term. 3H are excited about participating in the external gymnastic program this term. PDH lessons are being integrated into our unit on Compassion and are focusing on positive and productive ways of participating and collaborating within a group. Students are learning to take responsibility for their role.

Science Students are exploring what causes night and day, what shadows are and how time can be determined using the sun. They are analysing the difference that the position of the sun makes to the size and shape of shadows.

Dates for Term 4

Cybersafety Information Evening: Monday 10 November

Art Day: Friday 14 November

Celebration of Learning o Friday 21 November

(Term 4 Week 7) o Year 3 showcase time:

11.30am - 12.00 noon

Primary Presentation Night: Monday 8 December (Week 1

Year 3


This term we have been exploring the concept of Primary Industries through a variety of media and technology. This concept has been a central focus of English, HSIE, Creative Arts, Research and ICT lessons. It has been very pleasing to see students working both independently and in groups to research, compose, create and present their understanding of one of Australia’s primary industries.

English During English lessons students have been responding to and composing persuasive texts, allowing them to learn about these in a wide variety of relevant contexts. They have constructed expositions and explored the power and value of the English language for communication, knowledge and persuasion. Students have engaged with and explored Behind the News footage on Australian primary industry topics and identified the purpose and perspectives presented. 4J and 4V have been delving into Charlotte’s Web, analysing characters and settings, and comparing different representations of the narrative. 4D have been investigating how the theme of Hope is explored in Morris Gleitzman’s Boy Overboard and other novels.

Mathematics It is always exciting to hear students eagerly anticipating their next Maths lesson. This term students have manipulated 3D objects, learned to read and utilise train timetables and completed problem solving questions regarding calendars. Children have represented information in tables and graphs, analysing the difference and choosing appropriate methods of displaying their data. They are learning to convert between fractions, decimals and percentages and use them in real life situations. Students have been keen to complete practical activities to determine the capacity or volume of everyday objects.

HSIE Students have questioned, assessed, challenged and reformulated information to identify aspects of primary industries in Australia, the challenges they face and the impact they have on the environment.

We are looking forward to presenting our findings to the school community on Tuesday 25th November (Week 8). Everyone is invited to come and see what they have discovered. Please check the times below carefully for which time is most convenient.

Science This term, Year 4 have been carefully examining soil and rocks from our local environment. They have discovered interesting particles like mud and sand in their soil solutions and have used magnifying glasses to help them identify features of rocks they brought in from home.

Creative Arts During Visual Art lessons this term students have been challenged to present a 10 second stop motion video. This process involves them designing, creating, filming and editing in pairs. This task is integrated into the Information and Communication Technology program. We have been impressed with the creativity the students have displayed. Inspired by viewing Behind the News footage, students have composed their own short news item requiring them to adopt the role of a news reporter and communicate with clarity their topic of choice. In Music we are continuing to explore the structure of music through activities based on “The Nutcracker”. We have heard the story of the Ballet and seen some excerpts. We have discussed the contributions of German traditions to our Christmas traditions. As we listened to each movement, we identified the instruments we heard, what type of response the music evoked in us, and the images we could imagine. We will compose percussion responses to the music and hope to share some with you at our Celebration of Learning.

PDHPE 4V and 4D are currently enjoying participating in the FlexiKids Gymnastics program this term. 4J have been continuing to develop their locomotor and non-locomotor skills through a series of modified games. In Personal Development and Health lessons students have been discovering more about their own personalities and how to work with others through role playing scenarios. We will be exploring how we grow and change and how to show empathy to all.

Upcoming Dates Celebration of Learning - Friday 21st November (Week 7)

12.00 noon Ag. View (Agricultural Viewing) - Friday 28th November (Week 8)

9.30a.m. - 10.15a.m.

11.30a.m. - 12:15p.m. Primary Presentation Night - Monday 8th December (Week 10)

Year 4


Year 5 are currently focusing on the theme of Identity across the learning areas of English, HSIE, Research, PDH and Creative Arts. This includes the formation of personal identity and national identity. Students are exploring how identity is formed and the events and influences that shape who they are.

English Students have been watching a DVD about 11 year olds around the world and identifying similarities and differences in the lifestyles, thoughts and opinions of children their age. After our exciting camp in week 1, Year 5 are in the process of writing two accounts of their experience, showing both the general timeline of events, as well as a detailed reflection on their favourite activity and the insights they have gained.

HSIE/Research Students are tracing the events that led to Australia’s Federation in 1901 and investigating the people who were influential in this process. They are learning about democracy and how it shapes the Australian identity.

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Each student will be creating a timeline of significant events in their life and discuss how these have impacted their identity. They will design a shield that represents the identity of their family. In PE students will design a circuit involving a number of fitness activities including aerobics, ball games, skipping, relays and obstacle courses. Creative Arts In Visual Arts in Week 4 students participated in a puppetry presentation and workshop in preparation for designing and making their own puppet that reflects their personal identity. The focus of our unit is puppetry around the world, including types such as marionettes, hand puppets, body puppets and shadow puppets. In Music, Indonesian Gamelan will be studied as it often accompanies shadow puppet displays.

Mathematics Year 5 are currently undertaking an investigation to hypothetically renovate a bedroom using geometric patterns, utilising flip, slide and turn tiling combinations. This also requires students to demonstrate an understanding of perimeter, area and multiplication. The next investigation focuses on the maths concept of probability as students design a game of chance and control the number of winning turns.

Year 5


English This term in Year 6 students are investigating literature which comments and reflects on society and history through a variety of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including magazines, picture books and poetry. They will be thinking imaginatively and critically as they engage with and produce a variety of texts using technology to enhance and present their work. In today’s ever-changing society, there is an importance for children to be able to understand multimodal texts, such advertisements, websites and images. In response to this increasing need, we are exposing students to a range visual literacy techniques to allow them to determine meaning and critically evaluate how images may compare and contrast the meaning portrayed in the written word. This will be put into practise as students combine their works into a grade magazine centred on the HSIE unit ‘Global Perspectives.’

HSIE Did you know that of all the water on the earth, humans can only use about three tenths of a percent of this water? We all need water for life. It is a basic necessity for survival, yet many people around the world are experiencing water vulnerability and this can impact on many other aspects of their life, such as health, education and child mortality rates. With these social issues facing our world today, Year 6 are focusing on the unit ‘Global Perspectives: Water for Life.’ Students will be engaging with the way in which water is used in our society and the factors that impact on accessibility to water in other countries. The overarching idea in this unit is to discover how to become a ‘globally responsible’ citizen.

Science Energy and energy production is the focus of Science in Term 4. Students will explore different types of energy, how it is produced and how humans have harnessed it to produce electricity. Students had the opportunity to experience this first hand when they participated in an incursion in week 4 which was run by Sciencenza Viva.

Year 6 engaged in a number of station activities wherein they used a variety of devices, from water wheels to solar panels, to experience how it can be powered through the wind, sun and kinetic energy.

Creative Arts Visual Arts is a creative outlet for many cultures and is practised and appreciated in a range of exciting ways throughout the world. This term Year 6 will be exploring the role of artistic expression in different cultures and experimenting with various artistic styles, such as Japanese inspired water-colour paintings, symmetry in African masks and colour in Tibetan mandalas. Likewise, in Drama, students will be using and analysing body and movement in traditional cultural performances to explore the role of symbolism to portray beliefs, customs and cultural values.

PDH / PE Year 6 are involved in the gymnastics program this term. They are learning specific gymnastic skills in a fun and safe environment. In PDH we are exploring Change. We are discussing issues and questions in response to the significant amount of changes that students will be experiencing over the next couple of years. The topics will include physical/bodily change, emotional, environmental and social changes and how to deal with these changes as they arise. This will be particularly explored through the ever-present nature of technology and social media. In doing so, it is hoped that students will become more socially aware of how to interact with each other in a face-to-face and online environment.

Mathematics In Mathematics students will be completing content and concepts in all strands. The teachers will use assessment data to ensure that targeted revision can be provided to students before the conclusion of the year. We are focusing on integrated, hands-on tasks that have some meaningful connection with students.Some of these activities include measuring and comparing volume and surface area of a variety of rectangular prisms, finding the link between mL and cm cubed by experimenting with water and team games which require students to utilise and strengthen their understanding of mathematical concepts taught throughout the year.

Year 6

st peters anglican primary school issue 4 · st peters anglican primary school issue 4 10 ... or...

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