Dear 4K Parents,
Here we are gathering speed well into the third term!
Firstly, thank you to all parents and students for supporting our fundraising effort for the Mission Markets. The donations were used to buy posca pens for our Year 4 pet rock which was a hit, as was the magnetic fishing game. There was a few Year 4 star fishermen/women who showed their prowess on the day too winning a huge amount of OLC Bucks! I was extremely proud and impressed by how caring the Year 4s were to their PP buddy, taking them around and ensuring the younger OLC kids were able to fully enjoy the mission markets day.
We have also been invited by Mrs Leahy to read to our PP buddy once a week first thing in the morning to help them with their budding reading skills, which is truly enjoyed by the Year 4 students and again I am also so proud to hear from Mrs Leahy what great buddies 4K have been each visit.
Homework
Just a reminder that our fortnightly homework set is due tomorrow (end of even weeks of each term) for Week 3 and 4. Please continue with regular reading on week nights and fill out the log. The students are still asked to complete the four Maths columns across the fortnight and we will be discussing some of the answers and strategies in class every second Friday. I have also started the BANQER online app as a reward, and those who have completed and brought in their homework will be rewarded tomorrow with an payment surprise in their new accounts!
Most parts of the mental maths questions are Year 3 and Year 4 review concepts. It would be appreciated if you can assist your child where needed for the more complex questions which may require some basic working out and review their answers before they hand it in. We have ensured that it is a small amount required to be completed over the fortnight and given a long timeline including a weekend between so that homework can fit in with the many activities and different family situations, however please feel free to email me if you have any issues at all with homework.
A Learning Snapshot...
We have just finished up our learning unit in mathematics on many things measurement: mass, capacity, volume and reviewing length. We have learnt how to read a graduated scale and convert some standard measurements.
Next week will see a focus on data and chance variables before we begin our focus on multiplication and division. Please ensure your child is practising their times table recall facts most nights up to 10x10. Fast recall will assist them to complete year 4 multiplication content which moves onto multiple digit problem solving. It is a big jump from Year 3 expectations so additional practise using verbal recall games, flash card flip, online games would greatly benefit students who are not yet able to state their times tables facts. Saying them in the car on the way to school or sport or preparing dinner is another great way to squeeze in extra maths facts each day.
We are midway through our novel study by Kate Dicamillo called "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane". We are loving the different emotions we are feeling as we read each chapter and the character development that is occurring as the story progresses. We spend time discussing the literary devices the author uses and are completing comprehension, vocabulary and summarizing tasks for our novel.
In writing, we are finishing writing our own procedural text that will train our chosen mythical creature to perform a trick or useful skill. We have followed the Talk4Writing approach and have been using our mentor text "How to Train a Dragon". Keep an eye out for another 'hot task' procedure text to be shared with parents on Seesaw over the next fortnight as we complete our procedure genre unit.
Lots of fun has been had so far in Design technology as we worked collaboratively with our peers to design, build and appraise a bridge for the Three Billy Goats Gruff. Our creative skills are now working on saving Rapunzel from her tower, so stay tuned... In Digital technology, we have nearing the end of our online safety unit and will be continuing with our technology focus on data information and programming. This term's artist focus is a WA's own Sarah Robey, and we are midway through creating our own pieces inspired by her work in visual arts.
We will also be focusing on protective behaviours this term in health, including topics such as relationships, right to privacy, trust and abuse. This will include some lessons using anatomical names for private parts. This follows the mandated Protective Behaviours unit by CEWA that is implemented in all primary school years. If you would like to discuss this or have any questions, please fee free to email me with any questions and I can forward you more information about this program.
In religion, we are completing our prayer unit, including learning about St Mary, the rosary and beginning our study on the confirmation sacrament.
- Please continue to charge laptops every night to ensure that they come to school 100% charged. The coloured lights on next to the plug in section of the laptop tell you if it is fully charged or needs charging, changing from an organge light to a white light. A great method is for kids to come home, put on charge and then place in bags fully charged after dinner so they are ready to go. It is also a great habit to encourage students to keep their laptops in their bags when they aren't being charged as they will notice the weight difference in their bags when picking them up in the morning and they won't be forgotten.
- Library bags are required on a Monday and the students are expected to borrow each week. We are encouraging students to try and include a variety of books each week to try out some new literary genres they may not normally choose.
Thank you for your continued support,
Penny and Gemma
