Term 3 is Up and Running

Dear Students and Parents

Wow, we have started Term 3 with a hive of activity and new units of work. Some details are below:

• English
• Novel Study - The Invention of Hugo Cabret (a very thick book...with lots of pictures)
• Critical Reading Comprehension based on articles linked to our study on Human Rights.
• Spelling, Grammar and Vocabulary activities with an: Etymological Theme (Latin or Greek root words), Theme Words (linked to science, history or novel study) and Words in Context (linked to critical reading). The aim is to continue to build students vocabulary and understanding of word meaning in context in addition to spelling activities.
• Stage 3 Debating - Wednesday afternoons are dedicated to debating with students in mixed groups researching and writing their speeches one week and presenting their debates the following week.
• Mathematics
• Students will continue to build on their knowledge and skills in the Number, Measurement and Probability and Statistics strands.
• Science
• We are investigating inquiries into different types of energy transformations and how electricity can be used in a product or service linking to sustainability and renewable energy resources.
• History
• The first part of our unit is focused on inquiries into Human Rights and in particular investigating Australian Aboriginal Human Rights developments in the 20th Century. Last week we became familiar with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its 30 Articles. By understanding what these are helps us to make links when investigating human rights issues and their impact on groups of people.
• Health
• Our health focus for this term is the Power of Positivity, learning to recognise positive and negative feelings, thoughts, actions and their impact on others and ourselves. We also have Interrelate sessions scheduled for later in the term.

Guessing Jar Competition Fundraiser

The students have been very excited to finally be able to hold a fundraising activity. They decided to kick start this off with a Guessing Jar Competition. The winners were announced at Assembly this morning with prizes awarded to the closest guess for K-2, Y3-6 and Staff. We raised $143 and we are so grateful to the students and families who supported Year 6 in this event to raise awareness and funds for the Happy Days charity.

Class Committees

Another new initiative is the set up of Class Committees. Students have chosen to be part of either the:

• Fundraising Committee
• Compost/Recycling Committee
• Green Area Committee
• Classroom Management Committee

The first focus has been on the Fundraising Committee to get their first event up and running. I have been so impressed with the enthusiasm and skills that each member of the team has brought to promote and implement this very successful student run event. They have taken responsibility for designing a digital form to collect and record guesses, created an advertising poster, promoting the event on a daily basis, writing their speeches for Assembly, tallying the funds and wrapping the gifts.

This week the Compost/Recycling Committee have been busy working out how to encourage St Luke's Bayview students to compost suitable food scraps. They created a poster and visited classrooms to educate students and inform them of this new initiative. These Eco-Warriors are in charge of collecting, monitoring food waste and ensure that it is disposed of sustainably. Watch this space...

The Green Area Committee met with Mr Scott to discuss ideas for improving this wonderful learning space. They are collaborating diligently together to create a budget using a spreadsheet and researching items, costings and suppliers. They have also rearranged the furniture, plants and beanbags for a more effective learning space. Their job is also to water the plants and monitor their health. 

The Classroom Management Committee have been extremely helpful to keep our indoor learning spaces tidy and clean. In addition, they are keeping a stock of resources and equipment. They are also in charge of helping to create wall displays that reflect our learning in the different units of work. It is lovely to see their developing creativity and sense of responsibility for our learning environment.

PISA Sport

Despite the rain, we managed to play our first official PISA Soccer match today against John Colet. With a number of boys out with injuries and unable to play we were boosted with players from the Year 4 Boys talent pool. The boys were on the attack for much of the match.  It was an outstanding display of teamwork and perseverance. Lots of accuracy in their passing game led to many amazing crosses in the box in front of the goal. Harper D always seemed to be in the right spot and scored amazing goals. Charlie B was voted the player of the match with his strong defensive skills and solid clearing kicks. The girls also had a strong match against John Colet. A big shout out for Libby who showed tremendous resilience being the goal keeper in trying conditions. She persevered and decided to take on the challenge as the last line of defense (which can be daunting) showing courage to save goals being scored. Libby deservedly received the player of the match award. Annie did a great job coaching the girls as did Gus and Harper D for the boys. Remember to come to the Flying Fox Park for training on Friday morning at 7:30 am and to bring your soccer gear unless we advise you otherwise.