What a busy, fun and exciting term it has been in 4/5 so far. Students have really relished and taken advantage all the learning opportunities provided to them. With a busy specialist timetable including the introduction of STEAM and Indonesian, the students have relished the extra experiences that are taking place.

This term students participated in Polwarth sports. While coming home with the trophy is an added bonus, the main focus of the day was for students to display their personal best and represent our school well. It's wonderful to know that when our students leave the school grounds, they are mindful of our school values. House Sports will be taking place on Thursday the 27^th of March, another exciting day to look forward to for our 4/5 students.

Our Grade 5 students have just taken part in NAPLAN testing. As students’ progress through their school years, it’s important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress. Over the start of this term the students have been prepared, supporting them to familiarise themselves with the format of the tests and the platform. Well done to the students in the way that they participated in NAPLAN, we are very proud of them.

In Reading, students continue to practice various strategies to enhance their understanding of the material they read. These strategies include identifying the sequence of events, recognising cause and effect, determining word meaning in context, and interpreting the author’s purpose. Additionally, students record their thinking processes and work on building their reading stamina. Students have enjoyed our class novel, Kensuke’s Kingdom, engaging in related activities.

In Writing, students continue to revise and practice a range of text types. They participate in regular, explicit Sounds-Write lessons, handwriting practice, and writing activities based on our class novel and associated supplementary material.

In Maths, students continue to focus on consolidating and extending their number skills. They engage with problems that challenge their thinking and encourage them to explore multiple solutions, fostering independent work habits and critical thinking. This term, students have explored various topics, including time, place value, length, mass, and capacity, as well as the products of natural numbers and financial mathematics.

In Inquiry, students have been exploring the Zones of Regulation. From identifying emotions to developing effective coping strategies, they’re examining the art of self-awareness and emotional control. They’ve focused on managing how they think about their feelings and internal states. We have also explored concepts related to ‘Clean Up Australia Day’ and ‘Harmony Week’, acknowledging these important events on our calendar.

I’m looking forward to a wonderful end to Term One, as the 4/5 class has started the year with a bang!

- Mr Burrell & Mrs Welsh