Nirimba State Primary School Newsletter Issue 1 2023

Principal's Message - Mr. Moore

Dear Parents, carers and members of the community,

It has been a great start to the school year with classes engaging in a variety of teaching and learning. Its been lovely to visit classes to see students engaged in their learning. A very special welcome to all of the new students and their families who have started at our school. I sincerely hope that you and your family have a great time being a part of the Nirimba State Primary School community.

This year we have narrowed our strategic focus as a school to focus on two main areas of schooling: (1) Inclusive Education and (2) Pedagogy (the way teachers teach and engage students in their learning). There has already been a significant amount of work that has been started in these two domains and this year we continue to build upon the great foundations that were laid in 2022. A copy of our Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) and Explicit Improvement Agenda (EIA) is located as a link in this newsletter.

Our motto: Embracing Opportunities of Today. Inspiring Futures of Tomorrow is what drives us to create a great school for the young people of the community. A school that provides students with a range of learning experiences and extra-curricular activities and opportunities. I am very proud of the numerous opportunities that we are able to provide our students from the array of lunchtime clubs, a musical artistic endeavours and partnerships with external sporting clubs. As we continue to grow as a school we look forward to adding more opportunities for students in different areas in the future. If parents and carers have any suggestions or ideas for the future of the school they are more than welcome to email at smoor124@eq.edu.au.

Next term, our stage 2 build will commence – which is very exciting! The new buildings will include an additional 12 classrooms for Year 5 & 6, a Dance and Drama studio and an amenities block located near the school oval. I look forward to sharing the plans with the school community in the near future. Closer to the commencement of the build, there will be some safety messages that will be communicated to students and parents.

A reminder to all parents and carers that the P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM) is being held on Monday the 6^th of March at 6pm in the Administration Building. P&C committee positions are completely voluntary and members work incredibly hard to support fundraising for the school. It saddened me recently to learn that some parents have provided unsolicited negative feedback aimed at the P&C committee members. To avoid this in the future, any feedback must be tabled for P&C meetings under the agenda ‘correspondence in’. Please forward any correspondence to nirimbapandc@outlook.com if you wish provide feedback or suggestions for the P&C committee to consider and respond to where necessary.

In addition to the new staff who have joined us at the start of the year, I would also like to welcome two new permanent members to the team. Mrs MacMillan joins us as an Inclusion teacher on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and will be working with the Prep and Year 1 students and teachers. Mr Wallace joins us as a teacher aide working Monday to Thursday across Year 1 – 5.

NAPLAN is earlier this year and is just around the corner! The NAPLAN testing window is the 15^th to the 27^th of March. Wishing all students in Year 3 and 5 all the best with the upcoming assessments!

Enjoy the rest of term 1!

Yours in education

Steven Moore

Parent and Carer Code of Conduct (Communication)

We are more than happy to assist you with inquiries and concerns you may have and we aim to do so in a timely manner, however all parents and carers are reminded of appropriate conduct. Please refer to the Parent, Carer and Community Code of Conduct below. 

A reminder to all parents and carers about appropriate conduct when interacting with staff at the school. There have been a few incidents this year of parents and carers acting aggressively with  unreasonable demands towards office staff and members of the team. 

Book a meeting in advance. Please don't expect to be seen straight away when you present at the office. Someone may not always be available to see you straight away. If no one is available to see you, you will be asked if you want to book in an appointment to meet with someone. Please refrain from being rude and aggressive with staff at the front office in this instance. 

Deputy Principal - Mrs. Maguire

Welcome to our very first newsletter of 2023. What a busy start to the year we have had, welcoming all of our new students, families and staff. Everyone has settled in beautifully to Nirimba State Primary School and it’s lovely to see so many students making new friends. 

I have had the privilege of working with all of our teaching staff to effectively plan for teaching and learning this term. The professional conversations we have had around engaging teaching practices have been very impressive. Every student will have so many opportunities for learning at Nirimba! 

We also enjoyed our very first P&C school event – the school disco. What a fun evening for all of the students who attended. A very big thank you has to go to our P&C executive, particularly Luisa Schutt and Cas Dillon for planning, organising and catering the entire event. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped out, particularly in the canteen, to ensure everyone had a great time and everyone was fed.  

Without our committed P&C we wouldn’t be able to fundraise by hosting events such as school discos to subsidise costs of school activities to parents. Everyone on the P&C are volunteers and the time they give to our school community is extremely valued. Many hands make light work so if you are able to support our P&C by coming to meetings or volunteering at events or in the canteen, it would be very much appreciated. 

All of our students were engaged with our Artist in Residence this year and a big thank you to Ms. Davis for organising this opportunity. I am looking forward to all of our planned events and activities over the coming weeks such as Life Education, Sporting events and the Prep Teddy Bear’s Picnic.  

Yours in Education, 

Elise Maguire 

Guidance Officer's Messages - Ms. Sinclair

Hello Nirimba Families, 

Welcome back! I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday and had the opportunity to spend some quality time with family and friends. Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity meet some of our new students and families to the school this year and connect with returning parents, teachers and support staff. 

As the Guidance Officer, my role is to advocate for the best educational outcomes for all students, to enable them to access the necessary supports and adjustments they need to succeed at school. I work in consultation with teachers and parents and collaborate with external stakeholders to build a shared vision and clear goals for each student based on their individual needs. I am available to assist families with a range of home and school concerns and provide referrals and links to support services in the local community as required.  

Triple P – Free Positive Parenting Programs 

Stay calm under pressure. Strengthen your relationship, resolve issues before they become real problems, and positively influence your child’s skills and development. 

Triple P is one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs in the world, supported by more than 35 years of research. Triple P provides parents with simple and practical strategies to help them build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behaviour and help to raise happy and healthy children. 

Triple P currently offer two free online courses for parents of children aged 6-12 years, Triple P – Positive Parenting and Fear-Less Triple P. Parents can access the courses on their phone, computer or tablet whenever it's convenient. Modules are delivered using videos and interactive learning.  Triple P – Positive Parenting Online consists of 8 modules. Each module takes 30mins-1hr to complete. All modules can be completed at your own pace. 

The course helps parents to: 

• Develop positive relationships with your children 
• Effectively set family routines and rules 

• Create a positive environment at home 
• Manage problem behaviour and support positive behaviour 
• Develop new skills and help with emotional regulation 
• Raise well-adjusted and resilient children 
• Strengthen the relationship with your child 

https://www.triplep-parenting.net.au/qld-en/free-parenting-courses/triple-p-online-under-12/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIttWdvp2q_QIVzZlmAh3_WARGEAAYASAAEgK3fPD_BwE#au-parents-register-now 

Triple P – Fear-Less Triple P Online 

The Fear-Less Triple P Program is specifically for families of children who have anxious children with big and little worries. The program helps with developing a toolbox of strategies, skills and knowledge to mange anxious feelings and unnecessary worrying. 

Fear-Less Triple P Online has 6 modules and supports parents to develop an understanding of anxiety and support their child to develop a toolkit of coping skills. It is an Australian Program developed by Child Psychologists. 

The course helps parents to: 

• Develop an understanding of anxiety and fear 
• Learn how to support your child when they are anxious or upset 
• Break the cycle of anxiety and avoidance, in a safe and supportive way 
• Develop a range of tools and strategies on evidence-based principles 

• Improve your relationship with your child 

https://www.triplep-parenting.net.au/qld-en/free-parenting-courses/fear-less-triple-p-online/ 

I look forward to getting to know the students and families at Nirimba Primary School this year, if you would like to get in contact or make an appointment, I am at the school every second Tuesday and weekly on a Wednesday and Thursday. Alternatively please email me at msinc25@eq.edu.au. 

Take care, 

Michelle 

Guidance Officer - Protective Behaviours - Mrs. Black

My name is Bronwen Black and I am a Guidance Officer who is currently working in the Personal Safety/Protective Behaviours domain to support children and families in the Caloundra region. If you would like to chat with me, or would like me to see your child/ren, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email on bjbla2@eq.edu.au to make an appointment.

Talking to our kids about personal safety can be daunting and a little confronting.

So, how do I go about it? Start early (the younger the better), talk about it often, and be clear. The more often you talk about personal safety and protective behaviours, the more natural it becomes, and the easier it gets.

But, what do I say? Listen to what your child is telling you first. Have they felt uncomfortable in a situation? Has their body felt different in certain situations? How? Where? Listen and learn from them. Help them to understand these body sensations and what they might be telling them.

Remind your child that their body belongs to them. Help them to identify safe grownups they can trust to go to for help. Always use the correct anatomical names for body parts as research shows that using slang, or pet names for body parts puts children at risk.

Where can I find more information? Contact Bronwen at bjbla2@eq.edu.au or go to https://danielmorcombe.com.au/keeping-kids-safe-resources/ for more information.

P & C

Hello from the P&C Executive Commitee, 

A big thank you to everyone that came along to the disco, hope everyone had a great time. Also, a VERY big thank you to all the parent volunteers that we had on the night. 

The tuckshop has certainly been very popular this year and we are looking for volunteers to help for a few hours. Without volunteers the tuckshop can't run. 

Keep an eye out for the Easter Raffle coming up - tickets will be available from the tuckshop. 

We have the AGM coming up on Monday 6^th March at 6pm in the Admin building, if you are available, it would be great to see some new faces. 

Thanks

Cas, Lu and Holly 

Finance

2023 Finance News

Just a friendly reminder that the $75 per SRS deposit is due by the end of Term One. Invoices for the Student Resource Schemes – Classroom resources and iPad’s were issued to all families on Friday 27^th January 2023.

Payment for excursions/incursions and camps cannot be made after Term One unless we have received the $75 deposit towards the Student Resource Scheme’s.

If you wish to set up a payment plan please contact the Business Manager on 5413 7777 or email at kmcin102@eq.edu.au

There are number of activities on at the moment, please ensure that these are paid for by the due date.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

Welcome to our first newsletter update from the PBL team. Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is a whole-school framework that promotes positive behaviour across a whole school and this is the framework we are following here at Nirimba State Primary School.  This process helps the school to develop safe and supporting learning environments for all students.  Our students receive regular PBL lessons to teach and model the expectations of being on the Nirimba team and following the school rules.   

Throughout the year, students will have many opportunities to shine and model to their peers, the ‘Nirimba way’ for being a learner, being respectful and being safe. By having this approach, students can be celebrated and consequently may receive awards for displaying positive behaviour and also excellent attendance. We have a suite of rewards on offer to all of our students such as certificates, postcards and ‘burra bucks’ to give the students recognition for their contributions to our school rules. Please take the time to chat with your children about ways that they may have been safe, respectful or an awesome learner. 

This year we would also like to share with you all our Whole School Attendance Goal for 2023.  We would love to see students at school and learning every day!  We know that this is not always possible due to many family reasons and, therefore, our goal is to have a minimum of 95% attendance right across the school. Did you know, that if a student is absent 1 day per week, this equates to 2.5 years in total of missed schooling ☹ Currently, our whole school attendance is only at 91.9% and we would love to see all of our awesome students at school and learning each and every day. If you have any concerns with getting your child to school, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher or our inclusion teacher, Mrs Ogden. 

We look forward to another stellar year at Nirimba State Primary School!

Arts News

Last week, our students had the opportunity to travel through Polynesian culture, learning traditional Native American Indian, Hawaiian, New Zealand and Samoan dances. What a powerful presence Bernard Mangakahia has! His passion for sharing his culture through dance, song and action was truly spiritual. The students and staff were entirely captivated by his generosity and talent. The underlying messages of connection with community, family ties and roots; accepting and striving through life’s challenges; and following your passion, all was very important for our students at Nirimba State Primary. Thoroughly captivating and engaging – even our year 5 and 6 boys, created a dance performance with traditional costumes, Mauri Art and dance, and the students were absolutely spellbound from start to finish!

Coding and Robotics

A new year of robotics is underway and it is fantastic to see many new faces. Our clubs this year are going to focus more heavily on coding. We are very lucky to have a variety of robots and devices to explore this year.  

In our robotics clubs, we have been hard at work, constructing our Lego Spike Prime robots. Students are working collaboratively to design their robot, either for a sumo wrestling challenge or to follow a path on a map. As the year progresses we will explore the competition rules for the RoboRave challenge. 

It has been fantastic to see the creativity and problem-solving skills already on show so early in the year. Well done everyone!  

Sustainability Club

Our Prep to Year 6 students have been coming along to our club days and showing off their green thumbs. They have been very busy pulling out all the weeds in all the garden beds and turning soil over with our mini shovels. What a massive job! We also helped trim back the tomato bushes, basil, parsley and chives so that they can regerminate and continue to grow. Our garden beds have had some love with new soil mixed into the old soil which has allowed our students to plant some new seedlings: capsicum, cherry tomatoes and parsley, so far they are doing well. Our fruit trees are growing, even with the hot conditions we have had lately. Our club days consist of lots of watering with the hose and the watering cans and everybody loves working as a team to ensure we all get a turn. Our next few weeks will consist of planting some more vegetables and maintaining our crop we already have established so that we can start to harvest in the cooler months.  

Japanese Club

On a Wednesday and Friday at first break, students have been enjoying the various activities of Japanese Club. 

Some students enjoy making origami while others are improving their drawing skills by creating manga character drawings. Many students like colouring all things Japanese or playing Japanese games, both traditional as well as language focussed. 

Japanese Club is open to all students at Nirimba and we would love to see you come and join the fun! 

Sports News

District Swimming 

In just the 2nd week of school for 2023, 26 students from Years 3 - 6 headed to Little Mountain Aquatic Centre to participate in swimming time trials which would make them eligible to represent our school at the Glasshouse District Swimming Carnival. From those trials, 10 students registered times which made them a member of our first ever Nirimba Swimming Team. 

On the 17th of February, those 10 students headed to Beerwah Swimming Centre to compete at the Glasshouse District Swimming Carnival. It was a fantastic day and the students represented themselves and the school in outstanding fashion. We placed 7th overall as a school and had some wonderful individual achievements with Rylie (3A) and Kye (3A) both finishing as runners up in their age championships. Bradley (4A) also placed in the top 3 finishers for his freestyle race. All of the students deserve to be very proud of their achievements and one final congratulations goes to Kye (3A), Rylie (3A), Sienna (3A), Tahli (3/4A), Bradley (4A), Evie (5A), Jordie (5A), Finn (5B), Matteo (6A) and Sophia (6A). 

 Cross Country 

On Wednesday the 29th March, which is the last week of school before the Easter holidays, Nirimba SPS’s Cross Country is being held. Due to the school’s increasing enrolments, the format will look a little different this year. The day will run as follows: 

• 5 – 8 year olds will run in the morning session between 9:15 and 10:30 
• 9 – 12 year olds will run in the middle session between 11:30 – 1:00 
• Presentations will be at 1:45pm 

Students will begin Cross Country training in their PE lessons in this week and more information around the day will be sent home closer to the day. Keep an eye out for a letter coming home and the school’s Facebook page. 

*Before school fitness/Cross Country training is commencing in week 7. This training will take place on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning from 8:10am - 8:40am with Mr C on the oval. This training is for all students who may wish to attend. Keep an eye out for a note coming home about this in the near future* 

 Interschool Sport 

Interschool Sport is again taking place this year and Term 1 is all about Softball. Nirimba is sending four teams this year, two girls and two boys teams, to play six games over two Fridays (weeks 5 and 6) against a number of other schools from our sporting district. The teams are made up of our year 5 and 6 students and they have all been training really hard in the lead up to Interschool Sport. This will be a great experience and learning opportunity for our students as the majority of the students playing have never played Softball before. I look forward to sharing how the teams go once Interschool Sport for Term 1 comes to an end. All the best TEAM NIRIMBA! 

District Sports 

A number of Year 5 and Year 6 students have participated in district sport trials over the first weeks of Term 1. A big congratulations goes to Hunter who was selected in the Glasshouse District Basketball team to compete at the Sunshine Coast Regional Carnival later on in the Term. All the best, Hunter. 

Discovery Centre

The Discovery Centre has been a buzz of activity during playtime, as the students are keen to build their Lego masterpieces on the Lego wall or at the Lego tables. Team work is displayed as students work together to create a Lego city or space world. The students proudly display their Lego builds around the library.

This term, we celebrated Love Your Library Week. Students and staff enjoyed participating in library activities. Activities included a Love Your Library photo booth frame.

My New Gallery

Arts

What an absolute smash hit our production of Moana Jnr was in November! The entire cast and crew did an exceptional job, both in rehearsals leading up to the show and with their two dazzling performances. Huge thank you has to go to the co-directors, Ms. Murphy and Mrs Williams, along with the Backstage coordinator, Ogawa Sensei for their tireless efforts getting the cast performance ready. Congratulations to all involved on a successful production.

My New Gallery

Coding and Robotics

The Senior Robotics Club at Nirimba has been a hive of innovation and creativity this term, showcasing the vast potential of our diverse range of robots on campus. Students have delved into the world of robotics, unveiling remarkable feats across various spectrums.

Some of our talented students have embarked on unconventional paths, employing Dash Bots not only in the realm of technology but also in the dramatic arts. Witnessing these bots in captivating performances has been a sight to behold. Additionally, others have engaged in high-octane battles, transforming these robots into exhilarating racers.

However, the allure of coding has beckoned to a different group of students, sparking an intense fascination with the intricacies of complex codes. Their dedication to refining their coding skills within the robotics domain has been commendable and inspiring.

Meanwhile, the Junior Robotics enthusiasts have been immersed in the rudiments of engineering using Lego robotics kits. Their creative prowess has been on display as they craft mini machines, demonstrating their budding expertise in this field.

Beyond the regular curriculum, our after-school Robotics Club has ventured into the realm of Makey Makey, utilizing it to program a game. Furthermore, they've ingeniously fashioned custom controllers for their game in our MakerSpace, fostering a hands-on approach to learning and innovation.

This year has been nothing short of exhilarating for Robotics at Nirimba in 2023. As we eagerly anticipate the future, we extend a warm invitation to all prospective members to join us in the fascinating world of Robotics in 2024. Together, let's continue to push the boundaries of innovation and exploration.

Prep

Our Prep students have settled into their first year of fun and learning at Nirimba with much enthusiasm! The nerves of starting their new adventure at school have been replaced with familiar daily routines, smiles, fun and friends. The children have enjoyed meeting all of their specialist teachers and beginning their learning in all curriculum areas.  

In English we have been learning about the joy of narrative stories. The children have explored characters, settings and events in many exciting stories through reading, role-play, puppets, art and craft. They are learning to focus on what they like and dislike about a story and explain why they feel this way. We are encouraging the use of story vocabulary, reasoning and focusing on the details when sharing thoughts and feelings about stories. 

Year 1

On Thursday, 23rd February, 1A, 1B and 1C attended their first excursion to Sealife Mooloolaba. This linked in with our Science unit where students are exploring habitats of living things. During our excursion we enjoyed the seal show and learned about a number of ocean animals, their needs and habitats.  We had a great time! 

Year 1/2A & 2A

In 1/2A & 2A we have been exploring place value and different ways we can represent numbers. Children have engaged in a range of learning experiences, with opportunities to build their confidence working collaboratively with peers. Children represented numbers from 0-1,000 in standard, word, expanded and base ten form through a variety of hands-on activities and games. Our learners have used their fantastic problem-solving skills throughout the entire unit. Well done everyone! 

Year 3

WOW! What a busy few weeks we have already had in Year 3. 

In Maths we have been counting to and from 10 000, sequencing 4 digit numbers and learning standard and non-standard partitioning. Data and graphing has also been a focus with us looking at surveying peers to collect information and then graphing this data either with column, bar or picture graphs. Our Maths rotations have been FUN as we grasp these concepts and learn through hands on activities. English has consisted of us using our imagination to write narratives with descriptive and engaging language to entertain our audience. We have understood that a narrative must consist of a Beginning, Middle and an End with a range of simple and compound sentences. We too have enjoyed reading the novel “Matty Forever”.  

What about Science? Year 3’s are currently busy learning about weathering and erosion and investigating how it happens in our everyday environment. We have taken a walk around the school grounds and learnt that after our last downpour of rain, the sustainability garden area had erosion. Now we have to think how we can stop this from happening again. In HASS we are beginning to discuss different Celebrations and Commemorations and share how we take part in them within our family and the wider community. 

Year 3/4 and 4

Year 3/4 and 4 Newsletter Issue 1 2023 

Wow! What a fantastic start to the year it has been for Year 3/ 4A and Year 4A. 

In English we hit the ground running, reading Roald Dahl’s classic novel, The Twits. Students have been focussing how author’s use noun groups, verb groups and a range of language features to make writing more interesting. Students then applied these strategies to their own writing, by creating a whole new chapter about The Twits playing a prank on each other. 

This term in Mathematics, students have been exploring numbers and place value. Students in Year 3 have been working with number from 0 – 10,000, and students in Year 4 have been working with numbers from 0 – 100,000! Students have enjoyed using our wonderful, new Math resources, such as the MAB blocks, number cards, dice and iPads to explore this concept in an authentic and engaging way. Next week we move onto our new unit, data representation and interpretation. Students will conduct data investigations by creating and conducting surveys, collecting data using frequency tables, format data into multiple graph displays, including digital displays, and analyse the results to determine outcomes! 

In Science students have been looking at how changes can occur to the Earth’s surface, including by weathering and erosion. Both classes have been on learning walks around our school to investigate soil: how it’s used and what changes have occurred, due to both human and natural causes. Students will then use all their knowledge to determine how different types of ground are affected differently by erosion. 

In HASS, students in Year 3/4A will be exploring the role of rules and how democratic decisions are made in the school and community. We will also be investigating the significance of commemoration events in the community, such as ANZAC Day.  

4A is learning all about Australia before, during and after European settlement in HASS this semester. Students will be focussing on Indigenous perspectives, James Cook’s first journey and how life changed for the convicts on the First Fleet. 

During Term 1 in Japanese, students will learn how to express going somewhere. They will be able to include when, where, the mode of transport and who they are going with. Using this language, they will learn the polite way to invite someone, and also how to decline an invitation. 

We look forward to a wonderful year ahead! 

My New Gallery

Year 5

It has been an exciting start to 2023 for the grade 5 students. Across both classrooms we are seeing engaged and passionate learners beginning to develop. It is exciting to see the new friendships which have formed so early in the year. Without a doubt, the most engaging lessons this term are coming from Science. Students are participating in inquiry-based learning to explore our Solar System and research how space-based discoveries have impacted and assisted our day to day lives. In HASS we are exploring democratic processes and the impact of democracy on Australia as we know it today.

News from Ogawa Sensei: This term students will explore traditional folk tales from Japan. They will learn how to create more complex sentences expressing verbs and adjectives. They will then use this knowledge to create their own picture book written in Japanese.

In 5A, we have been focussing on mapping during our Maths lessons. As a fun way to put our knowledge to test, we integrated a STEAM component to our learning. The students were tasked with programming a Blue-Bot to reach a given destination on a map before their peers. It was great to see the students working together to put their understandings to the test and ‘travel the world’ from right here in our classroom.

Finally, 5A students have spent Friday afternoons getting to know our buddies in Prep B. It is wonderful to see how the students have already formed meaningful relationships with their prep buddies. This experience not only helps the preppies in their transition to big school, it is also a great opportunity for our students to demonstrate their understandings from our Respectful Relationships program.

This term, 5B have also engaged in STEAM focused Maths lessons involving mapping and Blue-Bots. Students began with a problem that needed to be solved (locate and get to Mexico), they worked in groups to plan how to get there from a starting point including programming the Bots. Then tested it out (sent them on their robotic journey). During reflection, each group presented step by step explanations to the class using directional language. Finally, they communicated their understanding of how they were successful against the criteria or how they could make improvements next time.

For English, 5B have enjoyed exploring characterisation, including how great writers use a variety of strategies to provide detailed descriptions to the audience. Week 4 focused on how figurative language can be used to enhance descriptions and help the reader create a detailed image of specific characters, settings and events. We completed a variety of activities individually, in pairs, in small groups and even a whole class collaboration involving character traits for an evil character.

My New Gallery

Year 6

Welcome to our first 6A newsletter for 2023. What a busy start to the year we have had with the student leader’s investiture, senior shirt design and inter-school sport. After a lengthy design and evaluation process, the winning shirt design for 2023 was created by our very own School Captain – Noah Joyce. Congratulations Noah on a job well done! Please keep an eye out for order forms soon.

This term in English we have been looking at short stories that have an element of conflict within. We have read many versions from author Maurice Gleitzman and some choose your own adventure short texts. In Maths, we have completed our first unit on all things data and are now working through fractions, decimals and percentages. The term will finish off with mapping and cartesian planes.

Science has been filled with living things, especially mould. The class has loved exploring different coloured mould, mould hazards and bacteria. We have researched, investigated and are now safely growing mould to answer our investigation questions. Our HASS unit is looking at Australia’s government system, voting and elections. As a result of this rich learning, we now have some students possibly interested in working in a career of politics

6A also has a very big focus on self-regulation strategies this term, with many lessons in social emotional learning, positive behaviour for learning and Zones of Regulation. We regularly talk about situations that may lead to us not feeling great and the strategies in which we can try to support overcoming these feelings, challenges and emotions. Mindfulness is also a regular practice in our classroom and the students of 6A would no doubt be able to share a variety of ways in which they can implement mindfulness into daily practices.

Such an awesome start to Year 6 and we look forward to an exciting year ahead.

Mrs McKenna

My New Gallery