What a wonderful start to Term 4 we have had! We have certainly hit the ground running, with lots of exciting learning experiences happening across Grade 5/6!

In Exploring Texts, we have been reading the novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio. After each reading session, we have been stopping to discuss the characters, settings, language choices and the way the author has structured particular sentences. It has been wonderful to hear the thoughtful discussions taking place as students explore the deeper messages within the text and share their different perspectives.

“It’s actually a good model for inclusion for children that have disabilities” – Matthew

“I like how it swaps from different character perspectives because then you get to see the different characters side to the story.” -Levi

In Maths, we have been revisiting data! We began by exploring how to calculate the mean, median, mode and range of a set of data. We have now moved on to interpreting different ways of presenting data and discussing what the information is telling us. Students have been developing their skills in reading, analysing and drawing conclusions from different data displays.

Last Friday, we ventured down to Lilydale Lake to participate in the Water Safety Program, developed by Paddle Victoria. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather! Students had the opportunity to participate in a range of fun and engaging water safety activities, including kayaking, swimming while wearing life jackets, practising how to rescue someone using a rope and participating in other water safety games.

“Kayaking was the most fun because I flipped over twice but it was okay because I had a life jacket on.” – Anya

“It was just fun going in the water and learning about water safety.” – Wolfgang

“I liked spending time with my friends. I liked the stand-up kayaking, I fell off a few times but we had to get ourselves back on, it felt as though I was doing 1000 pullups.” – Vedra

While one class participated in the water safety program, the other groups enjoyed a picnic in the sunshine or some time playing on the playground. We were incredibly proud to hear the feedback from Paddle Victoria, who shared that our students were AMAZING and did a wonderful job throughout the program. What a fantastic day!

Our Shark Tank unit has certainly been a crowd favourite so far! Students have been introduced to their final project, which involves designing an enrichment program for our echidnas. However, before we get into the exciting part of planning and creating our projects, we have some important business skills to explore! To kick off the unit, we watched some young inventors pitch their creative ideas to potential investors. This sparked some fantastic conversations about what makes a successful presentation, including making eye contact, showing passion for your product and, most importantly, knowing your stuff!

We then moved on to exploring the difference between needs and wants, with students putting their budgeting skills to the test! Working in pairs, students were given an imaginary family, along with information about their family circumstances and a weekly budget. Using Excel, they were challenged to create a spreadsheet to manage their family’s expenses, carefully considering what they needed, what they wanted and whether they could afford it all! It has been wonderful to see students thinking critically, making decisions and having some very interesting conversations about the cost of everyday living!

This week, we also began the first of our three Sex Education sessions. These sessions provide students with opportunities to develop their understanding of growing up, personal development and the changes that occur during puberty in a safe, respectful and supportive learning environment.

What a busy and exciting start to the term! We are looking forward to all the wonderful learning experiences still to come!

From a VERY proud 5/6 team!