Grade 6 students have had a great start to the school year, settling into their new classroom routines and continuing to build on their strong connections with their peers. Over the past four weeks, they have engaged in a variety of tasks including establishing class and learning expectations and how we will use the school values to promote a positive, collaborative and inclusive learning environment.

One of the key highlights so far has been the students’ leadership speeches. Each student wrote and presented their speech to the Grade 3-6 students, demonstrating courage, responsibility, and self-expression. We were incredibly proud of how they conducted themselves throughout this process, speaking with confidence, enthusiasm and respect. It was inspiring to see their passion and willingness to step into leadership roles within the school community.

In English, students have been making excellent progress across all areas. Students have enjoyed reading the opening chapters of ‘Skellig’ by David Almond, using this text to explore key literary techniques such as summarising, making inferences, and character development. Students have been engaging in discussions about the themes of the novel and applying their learning to their own writing. They have also been developing their comprehension skills through various activities that encourage critical thinking and deeper analysis of the text.

In Maths, we have reviewed our knowledge of positive and negative integers and introduced students to terminology such as profit, loss, income and expenses. This ensures that students have a strong foundational knowledge for more complex mathematical concepts and are able to make mathematical connections into everyday life activities or tasks. They have been using mathematical operations to solve both simple equations and worded problems, strengthening their problem-solving skills and reasoning abilities. More recently, we have begun looking at prime, composite, triangular and square numbers. Additionally, students have been using their laptops during the fluency component at the beginning of each lesson to access an interactive digital learning tool, Times Tables Rock Stars, to further develop their mathematical skills and build automaticity and recall of multiplication facts.

Our Inquiry unit has focused on what it means to be our best selves and how we can support others in becoming the best versions of themselves. Through discussions, reflections, and activities, students have been considering the values and qualities that contribute to personal growth, wellbeing and goal setting. They have explored the importance of empathy, resilience, and goal-setting in striving for success both academically and personally.

In Respectful Relationships, we have placed a strong emphasis on how we interact with those around us. A key focus has been the role of body language in communication and the impact it has on the way we relate to others. Students have engaged in activities that help them become more aware of non-verbal cues and develop positive and respectful interactions within the school community.

Overall, it has been a wonderful start to the year, with students displaying enthusiasm, curiosity, and a strong commitment to their learning. We are excited to see their continued growth and development in the months ahead!

- Mr Connor