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Year

5/6 Newsletter Term 1 2017


Dear Parents and Friends,

Welcome back to all our students for a terrific year in 2017. This is a very important year
for both our Year 5 & 6 students. Year 6 will of course be completing their final year at
Marulan Public School and participating in many leadership opportunities and orientations
in preparation for their transition to high school. Students in Year 5 will be very busy
preparing for their NAPLAN Assessment in May. Year 5 and 6 students will continue to
refine and build on the skills taught in all Key Learning Areas in previous years. For Year 6
this year will particularly be in readiness for their transition into high school.

As you may already be aware your childs class is being shared. Miss Jago will be teaching
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Mr Picker will be teaching Thursday and Friday. We are
very excited to bring authentic project based learning to our classroom environment this
year. Students will be encouraged to develop skills in relation to our five pillars of learning
including collaboration, creativity and innovation co-operation, critical thinking and
curiosity. We hope to challenge students in every aspect of their schooling and assist them
to foster critical thinking and collaborative skills that they will require for their future
success in learning. We are both very excited and will be working closely to achieve a
challenging and cohesive learning environment for your child.

Please find below information regarding this terms classroom program.

Literacy

Every morning students will develop skills in the key learning area of Literacy between 9.10
am - 11.10am. We will assist students to build on their reading and comprehension skills
during Accelerated Literacy and Guided Reading sessions. This term students will be
working on several short texts including 68 teeth by James Moloney, Yinti by Pat Lowe and
A Good Tip for Ghosts by Paul Jennings. Students will also study the book The Barrumbi
Kids by Leonie Norrington and explore Aboriginal perspectives and culture through this
text. The Accelerated Literacy Program also focuses on developing skills in the areas of
spelling, writing, grammar and punctuation. Students will continue to have the opportunity
to develop their writing skills through both the Accelerated Literacy Program, and guided
and individual writing tasks.
Each week students will be given a set spelling list relating to the text we are reading in
Accelerated Literacy, which they will also practise as a part of their homework. There will
usually be a grammar focus which will be taught in conjunction with spelling and writing
activities. Through regular spelling tasks each day, students will become familiar with a
variety of Stage Three spelling and grammatical rules.

We will continue to focus on students writing for purpose. Students will have the
opportunity to write in a variety of genre and text types. This term we are working on
descriptive and narrative style text types. Students will also have the opportunity to
develop their note taking skills and apply this to report writing and comprehension
activities in conjunction with weekly Behind the News (BTN). Students will also be working
hard to develop their Handwriting in NSW Foundation Style and to improve their letter
formation and cursive writing. They will also continue to develop their skills in producing
digital texts.

Speaking and listening forms an important part of our Literacy program in Stage 3 and
students will be given many opportunities to speak in front of the class and at assemblies in
both a formal and more informal manner. There will also be extra-curricular opportunities
for students to develop their public speaking and debating this year.

MATHEMATICS:

This term Mr Picker will focus on the areas of Space/Geometry and Measurement. Students
will develop their specific skills in measuring length, area, mass, volume and capacity,
making vital connections with their knowledge of two- and three- dimensional space.
Measuring angles and converting between units of measurement are a particular focus this
term.

Miss Jago will focus on the strand of Numeracy. Throughout this term, topics to be covered
will include place value, addition and subtraction using trading and number patterns
including counting up to millions.

Students will also be encouraged to undertake more open-ended mathematical


investigations, learning to work mathematically while they develop specific skills. Students
will utilise the Maths Online program on a regular basis each week to assist them to
develop their skills in a range of Numeracy concepts.

HISTORY

This term Mr Picker will be teaching the key learning area of History: The Australian
Colonies. This topic provides a study of colonial Australia in the 1800s. Students look at the
founding of British colonies and the development of a colony. They learn about what life
was like for different groups in the colonial period. They examine significant events and
people, political and economic developments, social structures and settlement patterns.

SCIENCE:

Mr Picker will be taking Science and Technology this term and students will be using the
computer as a tool to develop their skills in coding. Students will develop their ability to use
the coding program Scratch. They will in turn use these coding skills to assist them in
developing machinery and other projects in Robotics. In the second part of the semester
students will study the unit Desert Survivors. It provides an opportunity for students to
explore some of the structural features and adaptations of desert plants and animals and to
compare them with plants and animals that live in other environments. Through hands-on
activities, students will investigate how the structural features of desert plants and animals
help them to survive in their own natural environment.

PDHPE:

In PE year 5/6 will combine with the rest of the primary classes (Year 3-6) and participate in
combined skills and sport each Friday (children must wear sports uniforms). This term
students will be developing a variety of skills needed for the athletics carnival. In daily
fitness they will also be practising their skills for the athletics carnival held in March.

In Personal Development (PD), we will be working on the Bounce Back program. This
program largely relates to assisting students to develop a stronger sense of wellbeing and
to be more resilient, confident and successful. Also this year in PD, students will be focusing
on the topics of Healthy Choices, Decision Making, Drug Education and Child Protection.
Students will be involved as leaders to deliver our Peer Support Program this year as well as
taking part in our Kindergarten mentor/buddy program.

CAPA:

In CAPA students will have the opportunity to further their skills in the areas of Music and
Visual Arts. Students will be developing both practical and performance skills in each of
these areas. Throughout the year 5/6 students will learn to enjoy a basic introduction to
playing the guitar/ukulele. Students will also be developing their understanding of musical
theory and appreciation. In the Visual Arts, students will analyse a variety of different art
pieces and develop their skills in this artistic appreciation. Students will begin by studying
modern graffiti art and street art this term. They will also complete a unit on Aboriginal
artist Wamund Namok from the unit Inside Out (Operation Art) . Students will have the
opportunity to further develop their skills in both drama and dance as a part of our
Goulburn Community of Schools Concert which will take place in Term 3 and also our whole
school Wakakirri performance. We look forward to working with all students for these
school performances.

All students in Years 3-6 are involved in the Senior Choir which rehearses every Tuesday
afternoon at 2.15pm with Miss Jago, Ms Powles and Mr Picker. Students in the Senior Choir
will have the opportunity to perform as a part of the mass choir in the Goulburn
Community of Schools Concert in Term 3.


Please see attached timetable for a more detailed
outline of our weekly routinesJ
Things to Remember:

Monday Homework to be handed in.
Tuesday Homework to go home.
Wednesday Children will need to remember their library bag.
Friday Children are expected to wear their sports uniform.

Homework
The purpose of homework is to support learning and re-inforce classroom learning.
Homework helps students to build on what they have already studied in the classroom and
prepares them for the next stage in their learning. Homework can take many forms, e.g.
home reading, projects or worksheets. Homework helps to bridge the gap between home
and school. It can be a vital part of the home/school relationship which supports young
people while they learn. Homework is set regularly to help develop the habit of setting
aside a short period of time each evening to develop a study routine.

Children will be provided with set homework to complete during the week. It will be
handed out on Tuesday and will need to be returned by the following Monday. Homework
will include each students spelling list for the week. Children will be expected to revise and
write out their words each day. Children will also be provided with some Maths activities
and as the term progresses further work projects relating to our Literacy and
History/Science units may be assigned.

Completion of homework will contribute towards children obtaining their Bronze, Silver or
Gold award. Homework will be marked by Tuesday giving students the opportunity to ask
questions if they do not understand a concept. We hope to provide students with the
opportunity to access and complete their homework via our school website throughout this
year.

HOME READING PROGRAM:

Once again this year students in Year 5/6 are asked to set aside some time each night for
home reading. We ask that all students read each night either by themselves or with an
adult. It can give your child great confidence reading aloud, even if it is only for a short
period throughout the week. Students have been supplied with a home reading diary. They
will need to record the books that they read each night in the diary and then bring their
home reading folder in once a week to be checked by the teacher and to change books as
needed. In Year 5/6 we no longer provide students with a set book to read each night, and
encourage students to read a text of their choice, such as a library book or other that they
have at home.

We hope that this letter provides you with a better understanding of what your child does
here at school. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us. We are more than
happy to meet with you and discuss your childs needs. We thank you for your continued
support and assistance and look forward to both a productive and enjoyable term.

Kind Regards

Miss Penny Jago & Mr Andrew Picker

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