Nirimba state primary school Issue 1 2025
Principal

Dear Parents, carers and members of the community,
It has been a busy but wonderful start to the 2025 school year as we welcome many new and existing families back for another great year of learning. I would like to make special mention of our Preppies for doing such a great job, settling in beautifully to ‘big school’. We are now a school of 650 students with new students joining Nirimba SPS weekly. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our lovely new students and their families.
We have an ambitious strategic plan this year that will lay very strong foundations for the quality teaching, learning and student support over the next couple of years. In the teaching and learning space we are working on the Implementation of Version 9 English, a new approach to teaching reading and spelling, data literacy and Universal Design for Learning. In Student Services and support, we are implementing The Resilience Project, enhancing PBL and making and fostering connections with external agencies. As part of the Aura State School Alliance, we will continue to work with Baringa SPS and Baringa SSC to provide great learning opportunities across our three schools with our first project commencing on Monday with the Coding and Robotics emersion day.
As a school, we are always looking for ways to improve to ensure we are delivering the best educational service to the Nirimba school community. As part of the next steps as a school, we will be working with Mrs Michelle D’Netto from the Education Futures Institute this semester to identify and respond to opportunities for further improvement as a school. During Mrs D’Netto’s time with us she will be speaking with staff, students and parents to identify what is working well and what the school can work on moving forward. She will be visiting our school next week Tuesday and she is hoping to speak with parents before and after school. If you have someone strike up a conversation with you next Tuesday at pick up and drop off it is Michelle wanting to speak with you about your thoughts, ideas and feedback.
Have you seen all of the amazing clubs that we on offer during lunch times? We are very proud to be able to offer such a diverse range of clubs to our students this year. In addition to the clubs such as Japanese, sustainability, dance, choir, makerspace, coding and robotics, visual arts and arts and crafts, we have added clubs such as Auslan, Technology, basketball and football clubs. There are so many awesome new things for students to explore and discover this year.
I am very excited about 2025. Your children have already done such a great job settling in and embracing their learning opportunities so far this year. There is so much to look forward to and I look forward to joining in and celebrating your children’s achievements throughout the year.
Enjoy the rest of the term!
Mr Steven Moore
Deputy Principal

Welcome to our very first newsletter of 2025. There will be lots of updates to follow throughout this newsletter and it is always a wonderful way for the school to communicate the excellent teaching and learning that is occurring across all classes and specialist areas. It has been wonderful to welcome all of our new students, their families and school staff to our growing school. All of our students have settled in beautifully to Nirimba State Primary School and it’s lovely to see so many students making new friends and making the most of all the opportunities available to them at lunch breaks.
Our experienced team of educators have been working together to ensure effective and engaging curriculum is being delivered in all learning areas. A priority focus area for us this year is the implementation of Reading, through our updated curriculum. I have enjoyed working with our leadership and teaching team to plan for explicit teaching of Reading to occur this year in all of our 29 classrooms. The professional conversations we have had around engaging teaching practices have been very impressive and our students have been very engaged in their phonics, reading and spelling lessons.
Next week, both Mrs McKenna and I have the privilege of accompanying our female student leaders to an International Women’s Day event at Baringa State Secondary College. This annual event is a celebration and this year includes hearing from guest speakers from Deliciously Clean Eats. It is a wonderful opportunity for students and staff within the Aura Alliance of State Schools to come together.
It was wonderful to see so many parents attend our Parent Information Night in Week 3. This is always a wonderful opportunity for teachers and parents to discuss the learning that will be happening in each classroom. Thank you to everyone who attended. To our new families, I encourage you to consider joining our dedicated P&C committee. Without our committed P&C we wouldn’t be able to fundraise 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.
I look forward to seeing everyone’s smiling faces around the school.
Yours in Education,
Elise Maguire
Deputy Principal
Business Manager

Time flies and we’re already well into Term 1 with activities happening left and right – swimming is underway for lower school, incursions are coming for many year levels, and invoicing for 2025 Student Resource Scheme has gone out to all parents and carers. Your 2025 Student Resource Scheme invoices have a due date at the end of Term 3 in September, however as your students utilise resources including their iPads and software subscriptions through the year, you’ll notice a note on the invoice requesting that at least 50% be paid by the end of Term 1 (Friday 4 April 2025).
If anyone has any queries on what is included in the 2025 SRS please don’t hesitate to contact me and I can send a detailed pricing breakdown.
Some families also have outstanding 2024 fees, which will remain on your account until paid.
As always, if anyone would like to discuss their fees or arrange a payment plan please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at rodon65@eq.edu.au, 5413 7777, or dropping into the office. I’m also more than happy to discuss anything regarding our facilities, including hire.
Cheers,
Ryan O’Donnell
Inclusion

This year, we kicked off with an exciting start by welcoming the incredible Dr. Justin Coulson to our school during our student-free days. Dr. Coulson, a co-host and parenting expert on Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance, as well as the founder of happyfamilies.com.au, holds a PhD in Psychology and is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading parenting experts.
During his visit, Dr. Coulson enriched our professional learning on neurodivergence in the classroom, offering valuable insights into the supports we can implement to ensure every student has equitable access to the curriculum while promoting positive social and emotional well-being.
I had the privilege of speaking personally with Dr. Coulson about our school, as well as the unique challenges and successes we experience at Nirimba. He was able to tailor his presentation specifically to our needs, providing invaluable support for our ongoing journey toward more inclusive practices.
Building on our strong start to the year, we were excited to welcome the incredible Dr. Matt Capp, a leading expert in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), who delivered expert professional development on UDL and the effective use of the Australian Curriculum to our Inclusion Team in week 4.
Dr. Matt Capp (EdD) is the Director of CAPITALISE Education and one of the world’s foremost inclusive learning designers, specializing in Universal Design for Learning. With over 23 years of experience across primary and secondary schools, as well as universities, Dr. Capp has dedicated his career to supporting students with disabilities and diverse learning needs. As someone on the autism spectrum who also lives with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a hearing impairment, Dr. Capp brings a wealth of lived experience to his work, emphasizing personalized learning strategies for all learners, both adults and children.
At Nirimba, we are committed to continually enhancing our professional development, embracing best practices, and incorporating the latest evidence-based strategies to inform our teaching. As an inclusive school, this professional learning permeates every classroom, ensuring that every student remains at the centre of our decisions.
The UDL framework offers a proactive approach to supporting students with disabilities and diverse learning needs, enabling them to access the approved curriculum. It focuses on eliminating barriers and is grounded in principles that empower all learners to take ownership of their education. UDL encourages educators and students to set clear goals, anticipate environmental obstacles, create meaningful choices, and fully embrace human diversity.
As the Inclusion Team at Nirimba, we are excited about the year ahead, eager to maintain and strengthen our positive relationships with families and the community, and continue our journey of growth and inclusivity
Leonie Botha (Head of Inclusion)
Janelle Clarke (Prep Inclusion Teacher)
Lisa Montgomery (Year 1 Inclusion Teacher)
Corey Ridden (Year 2 Inclusion Teacher)
Hayley Krause (Year 3 Inclusion Teacher)
Lis Macmillan (Year 4 Inclusion Teacher)
Daniel Witt (Year 5 & 6 Inclusion Teacher)
Guidance Officer

Hello, Nirimba State Primary School community. I hope everyone has had a good start to the year and has settled back into the daily school routine. My name is Michelle Sinclair and I am the Guidance Officer at our wonderful school. 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. Over the past five weeks, I have had the pleasure of connecting with many of our teachers, students, parents, and carers. I've also made connections with a variety of support services and allied health professionals in our local community.
Guidance Officers advocate, provide counselling, psychoeducational assessment and individual student support, recommendations and provide advice to teachers and families in relation to academic progress, social-emotional wellbeing, mental health and family issues. I also work closely with the leadership team, teachers and parents, whilst also consulting and collaborating with external stakeholders to create a shared vision and clear goals tailored to each student’s unique needs. I am here to assist families with a range of concerns, at home or school, and can assist with referrals to external services support agencies as required.
If you would like to discuss your child’s need or have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am based at the school Monday – Friday and can be contacted on 5413 7777 or via email at msinc25@eq.edu.au to arrange an appointment. I look forward to working with our staff and families to support our students from Prep to Year 6 this year.
Student Services

Welcome to the 2025 school year and this year we have some new members to the Student Services Team. We welcome Mr Justin Perrin as the Teacher of Engagement & Wellbeing and Mrs Fiona Wilson as a behaviour support teacher aide. Mrs McKenna will continue in the HOD Student Services role supported by Michelle Sinclair as Guidance Officer and Steven Moore, Principal. The Student Services Team play a vital role in ensuring all students feel supported, safe and empowered to reach their full potential. This dedicated team work together to provide support in:
- Behaviour
- Engagement & Attendance
- Student well-being
- Parent & Community Partnerships
- Intervention and guidance for self-regulation
- Social Emotional support
The team are looking forward to working together to support our Nirimba students and families in 2025. To kick off the year in the social emotional space, we are excited to be launching “The Resilience Project” which will focus on building resilience through gratitude, empathy and mindfulness. Students will have weekly lessons that will be integrated with our Health curriculum this year. Keep an eye out for more information for parents and carers soon! For further information please go to: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/
Japanese
あけましておめでとうございます。
Happy New Year! 2025 is the year of the snake in the Japanese 12 year zodiac. Prep, Year 4 and Year 6 students participated in New Year activities with the Year 4 and 6 students completing a えま which is a traditional board people write their wishes on for the coming year. Students wrote a wish on the back of their えまexpressing their goal or wish for this year.
During February in Japan there are a number of festivals includingゆきまつり.Year 5 and Year 2 students created their own ‘snow art’ for the ゆきまつり. Other year levels will be celebrating different festivals later in the term.
We have been really excited to hear of so many Nirimba students recently telling us that they have been, or are going to 日本. With the Australian dollar so strong against the Japanese yen and it being a country with such rich culture, 日本 is quickly becoming one of the most popular holiday destinations for Australians. We would love to showcase some of our Nirimba family’s favourite places or things in 日本 and create a 日本 travel wall in the Japanese classrooms. If you have or are visiting 日本, we would love you to share 1 or 2 photos with us for our 日本 travel wall. Could you please email us any jpg file photos to the Japanese teachers at Nirimba: dchat19@eq.edu.au, ksoga1@eq.edu.au or ajack309@eq.edu.au.
Phrases for this newsletter:
あけましておめでとうございます (akemashiteomedetougozaimasu) Happy New Year!
えま (ema) wooden board used for wishes
ゆきまつり (yukimatsuri) Snow Festival
日本 (nihon) Japan
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Coding and Robotics
Our Coding and Robotics club has been off to an amazing start! Students in Years 3-6 have been working on building their own Sumo Robots for an interschool competition. Students will be competing against each other during week 10! They have been using ultrasonic sensors, light sensors and motors to build out their Lego creations. During Week 5, students have been honing in their coding skills, looking at word block stacks, conditional statements and variables! Looking forward to seeing all the students battle it out at the end of the term!
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Sport
It’s great to be back and 2025 promises to be an even bigger year in sport for Nirimba students. For all the new families to Nirimba, my name is Mr C and I am the PE & Sport Coordinator here at Nirimba. Due to the growing number of students enrolling at our fantastic school, Mrs Tara Williams has jumped over to the PE department two days a week this year. Mrs Williams is another one of our foundation staff members who also teaches in Year 2 on a Thursday and Friday. Mrs Williams will teach PE on a Monday and Tuesday in 2025. Welcome Mrs Williams!
District Swimming
On Monday (24th February), 12 students headed to the Caloundra Aquatic Centre to represent Nirimba SPS at the Glasshouse District Swimming Carnival. It was a fantastic day and the students represented themselves and the school in outstanding fashion.
We placed 4th overall as a school and had some wonderful individual achievements with a large number of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes throughout the day. We also had Marlowe (4A) and Rory (6A) finishing the day as Age Champions and Sienna (5A) finished as Runner Up Age Champion. Marlowe, Rory and Sienna were also selected in the Glasshouse District team that will head to the Sunshine Coast Regional Carnival at a later date. Sienna also broke a record on the day and is the new record holder for 11 Years Girls 100m Breaststroke.
All of the students deserve to be very proud of their achievements and one final congratulations goes to Kiki (3B), Louis (3/4A), Marlowe (4A), Alani (4A), Lewis (4/5A), Sienna (5A), Eva (5B), Chloe (5A), Kye (5C), Tahli (6A), Rory (6A) and Suniska (6B)
Cross Country
On Wednesday the 2nd April, which is the last week of school before the Easter holidays, Nirimba SPS’s Cross Country is being held. The format will be similar to last year and the day will run as follows:
- 5 – 8 year olds will run in the morning session between 9:15am and 10:30am
- 9 – 12 year olds will run in the middle session between 11:30am – 1:00pm
- Presentations will be at 1:45pm
Some students have already commenced training in PE lessons and other students will begin Cross Country training in their PE lessons in week. More information around the day will be sent home closer to the date. Keep an eye out for a letter coming home and the school’s Facebook page.
**Before school fitness/Cross Country training is back this year and will also begin in week 8. This training will take place on a Tuesday and Thursday 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 hoping to send five teams this year, three girls and two boys teams, to play a number of games over two Fridays (weeks 6 and 9) 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 began to train during lunch times 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!
Rugby League Tag Gala Day
Friday of week 6 will also see two teams head to Beerwah Bulldogs Rugby League Club to participate in the Hinterland Rugby League Tag Gala Day. There are students from years 3 – 6 participating and for many of them, this is there first taste of representing Nirimba in a school competition. We wish both teams all the best and we’re sure they will have a great day.
District Sports
A number of Year 5 and Year 6 students have participated in district sporting trials over the first weeks of Term 1. A big congratulations goes to Sav (6A) who was selected in the Glasshouse District Netball team. Sav will compete at the Sunshine Coast Regional Carnival later on in the year. We also have a number of other students trialling for teams in different sports over the next few weeks and we wish them all the best!
Sports at Nirimba
A number of sports (AFL, Tennis, Soccer, Cricket, Rugby League, Basketball etc.) run programs using the school’s facilities outside of school hours at different times throughout the year. Students will bring home flyers every now and then with information about how to register to be a part of one of those sporting programs. If you have any questions about when particular sports will offer their programs throughout the year, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with myself or the office.
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Arts

All clubs for the musical have started with a great hit. Our students have already begun to show dedication and determination when it comes to learning their lines, dances and songs. In the photo below, we have white seagulls hip hop team beginning to learn their dance for the ‘Little Mermaid Musical’ sung by our Scuttles - Belle Brannen and Hugh McNamara.
If you would like to be involved in the musical, we are desperately seeking parent helpers to volunteer with making props/set and costuming/sewing. If you are interested in making our school musical a great performance for our little ones, please contact Savanah Murphy: semur1@eq.edu.au
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Clubs -Ridescore
Name: RideScore Active Schools
- Do you live close to school?
- Does your child have a bike or scooter?
- Would you like your child to get an active, healthy and fun start to the day?
- Would you like more time in your day, and avoid the traffic queue at the school drop-off and pick-up?
- Would you like to receive confirmation that your child has arrived or departed school safely?
If you answered YES to these questions, then RideScore is for you!
We are one of 11 Sunshine Coast schools that are enjoying RideScore Active Schools Program funded by councils Transport Levy.
What is RideScore?
RideScore is an incentive-based program delivered by Sunshine Coast Council and We Ride Australia to increase active travel to and from school. The program is open to students who are able to ride a bicycle or scooter to school.
Participating students receive a beacon to attach to their bicycle or scooter. The school bicycle storage facility has a Bluetooth reader that detects the signal from the beacon and sends a notification to the nominated contact, via the RideScore app, to inform them that the student has arrived at/or departed the school.
Each trip is recorded by the RideScore app, providing incentives when the students reach their milestones. Students are able to earn great prizes at the following milestones:
- 20 Trips – Mystery prize
- 70 Trips – Movie ticket
- 120 Trips – Bli Bli Aqua Park voucher.
Activities will be planned throughout the school year to promote and encourage riding and scooting, including fun events and bicycle skills classes for all year 4 students.
How do I register?
Step 1 - Download the app (search ‘RideScore’), complete your registration.
Step 2 – Receive your starter pack (posted within one week) that will include:
- Your child’s beacon & instructions on how to pair and fit
- A scorecard for the fridge (your app will also keep a live score)
Step 3 – Start riding and scooting!
Visit the RideScore website for more information, great resources and safety tips.
RideScore is proudly funded by Sunshine Coast Council’s Transport Levy
Clubs - Sustainability
Welcome back! Since our return we’ve been busy preparing our garden beds with fresh, nutrient-rich soil to give our plants the best start. The children have been loving every moment—using their mini garden shovels to turn the soil, carefully watering with their little watering cans and proudly wearing their gardening gloves as they help care for our plants. Keeping our fruit trees thriving has also been a top priority, with plenty of watering and care to ensure they continue to flourish.
This season, we’ve just planted silverbeet, spring onions, spinach, and bok choy and we’re excited to watch them sprout and grow. It’s always a joy to see tiny seeds transform into strong, healthy seedlings and we can’t wait to share the journey with the children.
Our Garden Club is now running Tuesday through to Friday, with one special day dedicated just to Ms. Mortimer and the Preppies. We can’t wait to see all the wonderful things our young gardeners will achieve this term!
Stay tuned for more updates as our garden comes to life! 🌱
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Clubs - Visual Arts
This year, Visual Art Club has taken on a new structure, with sessions divided by year levels to better cater to different skill levels and artistic concepts. Year 1-2 meet on Tuesdays, Year 3-4 on Wednesdays, and Year 5-6 on Thursdays. The first few weeks have been all about oil pastels, with younger students exploring blending techniques, middle year students experimenting with contrasting warm and cool tones, and the older students creating stunning cityscapes using a limited colour palette. In the coming weeks, we’ll dive into watercolour painting, focusing on blending, mixing colours, and exploring tonal variations. We can’t wait to see the creativity unfold!
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Prep
Our new Preppies have had a busy and joyful start to their first year at school. The children are settling into their daily routines and learning the school expectations of Be Safe, Be Respectful and Be a Learner. The children are engaging in all areas of the curriculum and have had fun meeting their specialist teachers as well. It has been wonderful to see everyone making new friends, trying new things and exploring different areas within the school. Here are some photos of the children having fun while doing their learning at Prep.
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Year 1
This term in Science, Year 1 students are studying animals and their habitats. They have been exploring how habitats meet the needs of animals and how their external features can be classified into different groups. In Visual Art, students have been using and experimenting with various materials, techniques, technologies, and processes to create their own unique artworks, including watercolour, oil pastel, and crepe paper. This creative work is also in preparation for their upcoming incursion with Ocean Life. Great work, Year 1!
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Year 2
A warm welcome to Year 2 for all students and families!
It has been an amazing start to the year so far, with our incredible students eager to take on new and exciting learning opportunities!
- In English, students have been practising their speaking and listening skills by expressing and explaining their preferences about characters and events in a story.
- During Mathematics, students have loved collecting and graphing data in fun and creative ways! From favourite fruits to class birthdays, they’ve turned information into picture and column graphs. They are really enjoying discovering fun facts about their classmates along the way!
- For Science, students have loved exploring the school to discover what natural resources can be found in our environment and planting their very own seeds to determine which soil type is best for growing plants.
- Students are enjoying exploring health and emotional literacy through The Resilience Project. Students have engaged with learning resources and fun, interactive activities to identify and discuss their emotions.
- Year 2 students have been working really hard on their bookwork and are seeing improvements, with some super neat work!
Homework:
Students have received a booklet with an English and a Mathematics worksheet for each week. Each booklet will include up to four weeks of activities, with homework running from Week 2 - Week 9 each term. These activities reflect the content taught in class during the week, along with literacy and numeracy fluency activities, allowing students to practise these skills independently or with your support. Homework starts on Monday and must be returned to school each Friday to be sighted. As part of the Australian Curriculum, students receive an effort grade on their report card for homework completion; they are not assessed or marked on correct answers.
Home Readers:
Students have also received Home Readers and a Home Reader Tracker Sheet. Home reading texts are for enjoyment and practice of fluency and expression. Therefore, your child’s home reading texts will not be challenging and will not require them to struggle with new sounds, words, or high-frequency words. The purpose of home reading is for you to enjoy hearing your child read, share their reading progress, encourage expression, and explore vocabulary. If your child would like to read other books as well as their home readers, they are welcome to. This includes books they bring home from the library or books they have at home. You can include these on your Home Reader Log if you would like. Please ensure these books are cared for while at home and are returned each week to be renewed.
Inclusion Support Teacher:
We are excited to introduce Mr Corey Ridden as this year’s Inclusion Support Teacher across the Year 2 cohort! In this role, Mr Ridden will:
- Support students during whole-class co-teaching sessions,
- Facilitate targeted intervention activities,
- Foster student learning and engagement,
- Support students’ social and emotional well-being while at school,
- Supervise transitions, and
- Work closely with the Inclusion Team to provide further support strategies that allow for inclusive practices across the wider school so all learners can access the curriculum and find success.
Swimming:
Swimming commenced in Week 5. Please remember to have your child’s swimming bag packed with the required items on their day of swimming. Compulsory items: Swimmers, towel, swimming cap (for students with long hair), and a swimming bag. Preferable items: Goggles, thongs (to wear to and from the pool only). As previously communicated, the office staff will not be contacting parents to chase up missing items that may have been forgotten on swimming days.
Please keep an eye on the Nirimba State Primary School Facebook Page for day-to-day updates and further classroom highlights.
The Year 2 Teaching Team 😊
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Year 3
Five Weeks of Fun and Learning in Year 3!
What an exciting start to Year 3! It’s been a joy getting to know each student and engaging in learning. From sharing opinions on books to classifying living things and mapping imaginary worlds in art, we’ve had an amazing start. Here’s what we’ve been up to!
English – Sharing Our Opinions
Students have explored how to express and justify their opinions about texts through engaging multimodal presentations. We’ve analysed characters, themes, and messages, learning to structure arguments using persuasive language. With a mix of writing, speech, and digital elements, students confidently shared their thoughts while strengthening comprehension and communication skills.
Mathematics – Mapping Our World
This term, we explored place value, number patterns, and mental strategies for addition and subtraction, but our biggest focus was on mapping! Students learned how to interpret and create maps, using grid references, legends, and scales. Hands-on activities included designing treasure maps and navigating obstacle courses using directional language.
HASS – Understanding Our Place
In HASS, we explored how significant events are remembered through celebrations and commemorations. Students investigated national and cultural events like ANZAC Day and NAIDOC Week, learning why they are important. We created personal and historical timelines, placing key events in chronological order to understand how the past connects to the present.
Science – Classifying Living Things
We’ve been exploring the fascinating world of living and non-living things! Students learned to classify animals into groups based on their features, sorting them into mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, and more. Through observations, research, and hands-on activities, we explored habitats, life cycles, and the characteristics that make each species unique.
The Arts – Tiny Worlds and Mapping
Our creativity took shape through the Tiny Worlds unit in visual arts! Students designed detailed miniature landscapes, using mapping skills to add landforms, roads, and symbols. We experimented with perspective, texture, and mixed media to bring these imaginary worlds to life. The process encouraged creativity, problem-solving, and spatial awareness.
It’s been an incredible start to the year, and we can’t wait for more hands-on learning, creativity, and fun ahead!
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Year 4
We are almost at the halfway point of Term 1 in 4/5A and it is great to see students demonstrating their learning so far. We have developed a positive classroom community where everyone is valued and recognised for their unique talents. All students now have iPads and are becoming familiar with our Seesaw learning app and school expectations.
In Mathematics, our focus has been on symmetries and transformations of shape, and mapping. We’ve worked collaboratively to follow sequences of instructions to transform shapes, and made connections between shapes and symmetry. We have also been learning how to read and use grid coordinates to locate and move positions. Students have read and answered questions by reading coordinates and have even designed their own maps of places!
In English we’re getting ready for radio reviews! As part of our unit, the students have been viewing and analysing literary texts and short films, learning how to give a structured review including their opinions and justifications for their opinions. Students will now work towards communicating these ideas in a fun and engaging radio review, so keep an ear out!
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Year 5
Welcome to Year 5! We’ve started the year off with a bang and we're excited to share some of the fantastic learning experiences we've had so far. It's been a busy and engaging term, filled with hands-on activities that have sparked curiosity and excitement in our classrooms.
Exploring the Solar System: This term in science, we’ve been undertaking a space exploration journey. We’ve conducted research into the key details of the planets in our solar system and learned how scientific developments have affected people's lives and solved problems. The students have been very busy communicating their ideas using many different methods, including hands on arts activities and a Minecraft Education challenge. It’s been wonderful to see their excitement as they discover more about the realm beyond Earth.
People and our environment: HASS lessons this term have seen us venture into the environment! We have investigated how people and environments influence each other. Through research we have identified characteristics of places and how different climates can impact this.
Space and Mapping: In Mathematics, our focus has been on transformations of shape and mapping. Students have been translating, reflecting and rotating all different kinds of shapes using hands on methods like playdough and blocks. We’ve worked collaboratively to follow sequences of instructions to transform shapes, and make connections between shapes and symmetry. We have also been learning how to read and use grid coordinates to locate and move positions. Students have read and answered questions by reading coordinates and have even designed their own maps of places. We’ve also taken a moment to have some fun with some friendly games of battleships!
Podcasting Professionals: In English, we’re getting on the mic and recording! We’ve been captivated by numerous texts and developed our own opinions and reasons that we will share in a podcast episode. As part of our unit, the students have been analysing the themes, contexts and language used in various texts and forming conclusions about whether they would recommend them to others. This has inspired our critical thinking, and given us a space to practice our speaking and listening skills. Students will now work towards communicating these ideas in a fun and engaging podcast episode, so keep an ear out!
It’s been a fantastic start to 2025, filled with hands-on learning, critical thinking, and teamwork. We’re looking forward to continuing this journey and building on this knowledge with even more exciting events for the remainder of the term.
Thank you for your support!
Mrs Dodd, Miss Orr, Mr Spencer, & Miss Shaw
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Year 6
A Fantastic Start to Year 6!
It has been a wonderful start to the year in Year 6, with students diving enthusiastically into their learning and leadership roles. We are so proud of their engagement and commitment to their studies and the wider school community.
In English, students have been exploring the themes in a range of texts, including The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan and We Are All Wonders by RJ Palacio. Through these texts, they have been identifying and analysing the text structure, language features, and literary devices that enhance meaning and develop themes. In addition to their reading and writing skills, students have also been working on their speaking and listening abilities, focusing on tone, volume, pitch, and pace to improve their communication and interaction with others.
In Mathematics, students have been developing their spatial reasoning by locating and representing points on number lines and ordered pairs on the Cartesian plane. They have also been enjoying the challenge of creating tessellating patterns using transformations, demonstrating their creativity and problem-solving skills.
In Science, students have been looking beyond our planet, exploring the solar system and investigating the unique features of different planets. They have been developing their inquiry skills by researching and presenting information about the vast and fascinating world beyond Earth.
A particular highlight of the term has been our participation in The Resilience Project. Students have been focusing on spreading joy and practising kindness and empathy in their everyday interactions. Through a variety of fun activities, they are learning how gratitude, mindfulness, and empathy can positively impact their well-being and the well-being of those around them.
We are also thrilled to see so many students actively engaging with their homework each week. Completing homework is a fantastic way for students to consolidate their learning and build confidence in their skills. Well done to everyone who has been making a great effort!
With such a strong and positive start to the year, we are looking forward to seeing our Year 6 leaders continue to grow, learn and support one another throughout the term—let’s make this an amazing year together!
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