Welcome to Week 6.

In English, we have been learning about how words can change their meaning. We explored the suffix –ly, which we add to describing words to show how something is done, such as “quick” becoming “quickly.” We also reviewed what we have already learned about making and breaking words apart to understand them better. Then we learned about contractions, where two words are put together to make a shorter word, like “do not” becoming “don’t.” Students practised reading, writing, and using these in their sentences.

In Poetry, students explored how alliteration and onomatopoeia create sound effects in poems by experimenting with making their own examples using suggested sounds, topics, and prompts. They worked in pairs and small groups to create and share their ideas with the class. Students also learned how to navigate a poetry website and explored the poem Crash! Bang! Boom! by listening, reading together, and discussing the characters, setting and events. They identified sound features such as repetition, rhyme, alliteration and onomatopoeia before choosing lines they liked to rewrite and illustrate in their poetry journals.

In Maths, students explored directional language and practised giving clear instructions to guide people and objects from one place to another. They learned how to use terms like ‘left,’ ‘right,’ ‘forwards,’ and ‘backwards’ to write accurate directions. By the end of the lesson, students were able to explain the steps needed to get from our classroom to the hall using precise directional language.

In Religion, we learned that the Church celebrates Advent, a special season of preparing our hearts for Christmas. We watched a video and talked about how Advent is celebrated in the Catholic Church, including the Advent wreath and its four candles, which represent hope, faith, joy and peace. Students shared and wrote about different ways they can prepare for Christmas by showing these values in their words and actions.

In Technologies, we explored how digital systems use software—step-by-step coded instructions called algorithms—to complete different tasks. Students learned that algorithms must be very specific, and they practised designing their own using loops to show repetition and patterns. Through hands-on activities, they also discovered how instructions, symbols, and numbers work together to represent data such as images, sounds, and text.

In Science, We investigated how forces make a balloon rocket move during our science lesson. We learned that when the air rushes out of the balloon, it pushes the balloon rocket forward in the opposite direction, creating a force called thrust. We also recorded and labelled all the equipment we used, including the balloon, string, straw, and tape, and identified the pushing force that made the rocket travel along the line. This experiment helped us understand how forces can change the motion of an object.

In Hass, students have been learning to describe how local places have changed over time. They explored photos to compare natural spaces with areas that have been built or cared for by people. The children also discussed different ways we can look after the land, including how First Nations Australians care for Country by protecting plants, animals, and the environment. Through these activities, students are beginning to explain how places change and how we can all help keep them healthy.

Congratulations to Oliver for reading 125 nights!

Congratulations to Raymond for reading 75 nights!

Welcome to Week 5.

In English, we have explored how adding suffixes can change the meaning of words. We learnt that adding ‘y’ to nouns can make adjectives, such as sun → sunny and fun → funny. We also practised reading and writing words with the vowel patterns ‘ow’, ‘aw’, ‘au’, ‘-y’, ‘ey’, ‘oy’, and ‘oi’, such as cow, saw, autumn, monkey, toy, and coin. More recently, we learnt how to add the suffix ‘ly’ to make adverbs, for example quick → quickly and happy → happily, which help describe how something is done.

In writing, we have begun to explore poetry, learning that poems are creative texts that can be written, read, or performed aloud. We discovered that poems often use rhyming words, repetition, and sound patterns to make them fun and expressive. We have also listened to and discussed poems together, identifying how they look, sound, and make us feel.

In Maths, we continued exploring positional language. The children enjoyed using words like in front of, behind, next to, and between to describe where objects and people were positioned. They had fun practising these terms through games and hands-on activities!

In Religion, we have been learning about the liturgical seasons of the Church and how each season has a special meaning. We discovered that Advent is a time of preparation and waiting for the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. We talked about how during Advent, people prepare their hearts and homes by praying, being kind to others, and helping those in need. We also learnt that just like we get ready for special events,  such as a birthday party or school concert, we can prepare for Christmas in special ways. This understanding helped us think about what it means to get ready, both practically and spiritually. In our task, we connected this idea to our own lives by choosing an event to plan and listing everything needed to prepare for it, just as we prepare during Advent.

In Technologies, we have been learning all about systems and how they work. We discovered that a system is made up of different parts, called components, that work together to do a job or achieve a purpose. We explored examples of systems in our everyday lives, such as a classroom routine, a traffic light system, and a computer system. We learnt that digital systems include both hardware (the physical parts we can touch, like a keyboard, mouse, or screen) and software (the programs or apps that tell the computer what to do). We practised identifying and drawing these parts and explaining how we use digital systems at school, for learning, creating, and communicating. This helped us understand that systems make work easier and help things run smoothly when all their parts work together.

In Health, we have been learning all about our emotions and feelings and how they can change in different situations. We discovered that everyone experiences many emotions, such as happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and surprise, and that these feelings can be shown through facial expressions and body language. We practised looking at pictures of people to identify how they might be feeling and talked about why they might feel that way. We also shared our own experiences to explain how our emotions can affect what we do and how we respond to others. Through class discussions, role play, and picture activities, we learnt that understanding our emotions helps us make good choices, show empathy, and build positive relationships with others.

Congratulations to Jason for reading 200 nights!

GooGoo Animations

Welcome to Week 4.

In English, the students have been learning about key spelling patterns, including the doubling rule for words ending in f, l, or s, and the ‘ck’ rule for the /k/ sound at the end of a word. They have also focused on procedural writing, which requires them to write clear, step-by-step instructions. The students are now using a checklist to edit their own procedures, ensuring their writing is well-structured and easy to follow. This revision process helps them solidify their understanding of writing conventions.

In Technologies, This week, students have been exploring digital systems and their components. They are learning to identify how digital devices use input and output data such as images, sounds, and text. Students are also developing an understanding of hardware (the external parts of a device) and software (the apps and programs we use every day).

In Maths, the students have been continuing their exploration of 3D shapes. This week our confidence grew in naming 3D shapes and their attributes including faces, edges and vertices. We have also been exploring how 3D shapes have nets and created our. very own 3D shapes!

In Religion, the students have been learning that the Holy Spirit is God’s constant presence with all people and the world.

In Science, students have been learning about push and pull forces and how these forces can make objects move or change shape. They have explored different examples of pushes and pulls in everyday life and sorted pictures to show each type of force. Students are developing their ability to explain how a force works and the effect it can have on an object.

In Health, students have been learning to describe how emotional responses affect feelings. After reading the story “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” they discussed how Alexander felt and what caused his emotions. Students also practised recognising emotions in pictures and explaining how different situations can make people feel in various ways.

In Art, we continued our exploration of Media Arts. We learn’t about long shots, mid shots and close up shots and had a go at taking our own.

Welcome to Week 2.

In Literacy, students reviewed split digraphs (bossy ‘e’) by identifying how the final ‘e’ changes the vowel sound in words such as make, time, and home. They practised reading and spelling these words through guided activities and interactive games. During procedural writing, students explored the features of a procedure by brainstorming action words, playing charades to act out verbs, and highlighting verbs in a model text. They then applied this understanding by writing their own short procedures with three clear steps, such as How to sharpen a pencil or How to wash your hands. Students also examined the structure of a full procedure through a PowerPoint about How to Make a Pizza, identifying materials and sequenced steps to consolidate their learning.

Mathematics

Science

CELEBRATING DIWALI

1EJ Assembly 

Welcome to Week 1. We hope that you all enjoyed your holiday break. The children have returned all refreshed and ready to learn!

In English,we learned the ‘ow’ (cow) and ‘ou’ (cloud) sounds and explored past tense verbs ending in ‘ed’. We also began procedural writing, identifying features, language, and examples of procedures. Students followed and created procedures for ‘How to Make Fairy Bread’ and ‘How to Make a Jam Sandwich’ using pictures and written steps. Eating the fairy bread was definitely the highlight!

This week, we began an exciting new topic all about shapes. We have been focusing on naming, drawing, and identifying 2D shapes. The children discovered that shapes are everywhere and had a great time going on a shape hunt both inside and outside our classroom. We also explored how shapes have different attributes and can be classified into groups based on size, number of sides, corners, or even their colour.

In Religion, students learned that the Holy Spirit is God’s constant presence with people and the world. They watched the stories of Jesus’ Baptism and Pentecost, discussed where they have heard about the Holy Spirit before, and identified two symbols of the Holy Spirit. Students then completed the sentence “The Holy Spirit can help me…” and illustrated their response with a coloured picture.

In Science, we began exploring how different amounts of force affect how far a toy car moves. The children learned to describe what happens when they push a toy car softly versus harder, and recorded their results. We measured the distance that the cars traveled and discussed forces like wind, water, and gravity.

In the Arts, students worked collaboratively with a partner to create and share a visual artwork inspired by a shared story. Together, they discussed and agreed on a story they both enjoyed, such as a favourite TV show, movie, or picture book. Using iPads, students drew their favourite part of the story, showing the main characters, their emotions, and what was happening in the scene. They demonstrated their understanding of how images can communicate feelings and ideas.

In HASS, we have been learning about how to care for our local places. We explored the topic of pollution and discussed ways we can help prevent pollution in our environment.

Congratulations to Jason for reading 175 nights! 

Welcome to Week 9.

LANTERN MAKING

We made lanterns in preparation for the Moon Light Festival Assembly on Friday in Week 10. Both 1IA and 3EV will be hosting it. Families are welcomed to attend.

In Literacy, we practised reading and spelling words with split digraphs a_e, i_e, o_e, e_e, and u_e, learning how the bossy ‘e’ makes the vowel say its name in words like cake, bike, bone, eve, and tube. We also planned our own persuasive texts by brainstorming ideas with a planning sheet and then drafted our writing using opinions, reasons, endings, and “because” to make our ideas stronger.

In Maths,  students continued exploring the concept of measurement, with a particular focus on length. They practised accurately measuring and ordering a variety of objects, using comparative language such as shorter than and longer than to describe their findings. We also began a new topic on measuring time, where students are learning to understand the concept of duration through ordering the days of the week as well as units of time.

In Religion, we learned that our families are safe and loving places where we are nurtured and supported. We listened to stories like When God Made You and We’re All Wonders to reflect on our own special gifts and why it is important to treat everyone with kindness. We then created an artwork to celebrate our uniqueness and titled it in a way that shows we are wonderfully made.

In Health, we learned about telling the truth and how tricks can hurt others. We read The Boy Who Cried Wolf, talked about what happened in the story, and wrote about the importance of being honest and making safe choices.

In Science, we learned about the two forces push and pull. We looked around our classroom to find one object we can push and one object we can pull. We drew the objects and described how we use them with a push or a pull.

In Religion, his week, students explored the idea that family is a special place where children are nurtured and begin to learn how to be part of the wider community. As part of our learning, we discussed how each person is unique and special. Students reflected on what makes them who they are and created beautiful artworks to celebrate their individuality. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to share and appreciate what makes themselves and others special.

In Hass, the students used the map keys they created last week to design their own maps of a city. They explored the different places in their cities, identifying whether each was natural, managed, or constructed. We also introduced positional language to help the children give clear directions from one place to another.

Welcome to Week 7. We wish all of our fathers a very Happy Father’s Day!

Father’s Day Crafts

In English, we have been learning about base words and suffixes, as well as different spelling patterns for the /er/ sound. Students explored ‘ir’ (stir), ‘ur’ (surf), ‘er’ (fern), and practiced reading two-syllable words with ‘er’.

In writing, we have been focusing on the features of persuasive texts. Students used the word “because” to support their opinions (e.g., “I think we should have a class pet because…”). They practiced this through sentence building, partner talk, and journal writing with drawings. We also explored strong and emotive words (like fun, safe, best). Students helped with shared writing, highlighted strong words in examples, and improved their persuasive sentences by adding adjectives before rewriting their class pet opinions with drawings.

In Maths, we are exploring the concept of length by learning to order objects from shortest to longest. The children have been observing things around the school that are narrow, wide, short, and long, and practicing using everyday language to describe and compare lengths. We have also been ordering caterpillar models based on their length to support their understanding.

In Religion, students have been learning that Christians are people who believe in Jesus and follow his example. They showed their understanding by creating posters to share what they know about Christianity.

In Technologies, students have been generating and communicating ideas through making. This week, they built their bridges from the designs they created last week, using the materials they had planned. They even tested their bridges with a troll to check how high and strong they needed to be!

In Health, students have been learning about protective behaviours to keep themselves and others safe. They discussed what violence means and learned that everyone has the right to feel safe. After listening to This is Our House by Michael Rosen, students talked about safe ways to manage anger and created strategies they can use to help others when they are feeling angry.

Welcome to Week 6.

In Literacy, students explored the ‘or’ sound in words like fork and snore, and practised adding suffixes ‘s’ and ‘ing’ to verbs to use them in sentences. In writing, we continued our learning about persuasive texts. Students read a model text, identified opinions and reasons, and wrote their own piece titled We Should Have More Play Time at School, complete with illustrations. They also practised writing short persuasive messages to different audiences such as parents, teachers, and the principal.

This week in Maths, the children have been exploring measurement, with a focus on capacity. They used informal units to measure various containers, then ordered them from smallest to largest. Using language like “more” and “less,” they explained their findings and compared the capacities with growing confidence.

In Religion, we learned that Christians are people who believe in Jesus and follow his example. We watched a short video about Christianity, discussed what it means, and explored the significance of different Christian symbols such as the cross and the fish. Students then drew some of these symbols and wrote about what they represent in the Christian faith.

In Technologies, Year 1 students used the story The Three Billy Goats Gruff as inspiration for their design challenge. They were asked to create a bridge strong enough to hold the goats and tall enough for the troll to fit underneath. Working in pairs, students drew and labelled their bridge designs on A4 paper, ready to build them in next week’s lesson.

In Health, we learned about protective behaviours and basic needs that help keep them safe and happy. After reading Mutt Dog, we discussed how pets and children feel when their needs are not met, and whose responsibility it is to provide care. Students shared ideas about what children need to feel safe, such as food, water, shelter, love, and friendship, before writing and illustrating their own lists of basic needs.

In The Arts, we practised the Waka Waka dance, focusing on showing confidence and respect while performing. We also learned about audience etiquette by watching, listening, and encouraging others respectfully during performances.

In HASS, we are learning to identify natural features of local places by exploring stories from First Nations Australians. The children watched the story of ‘The Rainbow Serpent’ and were looking for the natural places mentioned. We also had a go at reading map symbols for natural features and then used these symbols to create our own maps.

Working with our Buddies

This week, 1IA and 3EV enjoyed a fun afternoon together exploring art inspired by the full moon. We are getting excited as we prepare for our Moon Lantern Festival Assembly, which we will be hosting on Friday in Week 10.

Welcome to Week 5!

Bookweek Photos

We learned to add ‘s’ to words to make them mean more than one, and we learned the ‘ar’ sound like in the word star. We also learned that persuasive writing is used to convince others, and we learned to use persuasive words like “I think” and “You should.” We wrote a persuasive text on ‘Pick up your Rubbish’ in our learning journals and added a picture.

In Religion, we learned that Christians are people who believe in Jesus and follow his example. We listened to Gospel stories and shared how Jesus showed love to others. We watched the video “Jesus loves everyone” and wrote a sentence using “Jesus showed love when he…”. We also illustrated our sentences in our learning journals to show why we should follow Jesus’ example.

This week in Maths, we have been learning about capacity. The students have been using informal units like sand, blocks, and water to measure and compare how much different containers can hold. They enjoyed ordering the containers from smallest to largest capacity through hands-on activities!

In Technologies, we tested our boats to see if they could float with the Gingerbread Man inside for one minute. We learned which boats were strong and could stay floating. We were very excited to discover that all of our boats floated!

Welcome to Week 4.

In English,  we learnt the ‘ue’ sound like in glue and the ‘ew’ sound like in grew. We also practised editing our writing and creating a final recount about a familiar class event, with 1EJ and 1IA writing about their own Assembly.

In Maths, we continued exploring the concept of mass. Students discovered that bigger objects aren’t always heavier and enjoyed hands-on activities such as hefting, using balance scales, and comparing the weights of different items. We also began exploring capacity, learning how we can measure containers by how much they hold through fun, practical investigations.

Last week in Technologies, we designed a boat for the Gingerbread Man to cross the river, drawing and labelling the materials we would need. This week we made our boats according to our designs. Next week, we will test them to see if they will float for one minute and hold the Gingerbread Man safely.

In Health, we learnt about protective behaviours and how to keep ourselves and others safe. We talked about what safe touch is, what not safe touch is, and why it is important to respect others, then drew pictures to show each scenario and shared our ideas about how to speak up and tell a trusted adult.

In Science, we continued our learning about living things, focusing especially on animals. We visited Mudla, the fish farm, and the billabongs, and had a special talk from Mr McCarthy, who cares for the animals at our school. We got to touch, see, and listen to important information about these animals, helping us understand how they live and how to look after them.