Grade 3/4

Term Two is well underway, and our 3/4 community has made a strong and settled start to the term. Students have commenced our Friday swimming program and are engaging in a range of sporting opportunities, including school, Polwarth and Colac Cross Country for some of our students. We would also like to congratulate the students who represented our school so respectfully during our ANZAC Day service earlier in the term. They demonstrated excellent leadership and respect within our school community.

Our swimming program commenced in the first week back of Term 2 for the 3/4 class. The delivery of swimming and water safety education ensures all students have the opportunity to learn how to swim and develop lifelong skills in water safety, reducing their risk of drowning and injury. The swimming program is a key component of the Health and Physical Education Victorian Curriculum. Students attend Bluewater and participate in lessons between 1:00pm and 2:00pm.

In English, students are continuing to develop their comprehension and higher-order thinking skills by identifying themes, character development and key messages within texts. This term, students are undertaking a text study of Iron Man by Ted Hughes, exploring the characters, plot and themes throughout the novel. Using the text as inspiration, students are then researching and creating information reports about iron, including where it comes from, its properties and how it is used in everyday life. Throughout these learning experiences, students are continuing to build their sentence structure, vocabulary and editing skills while developing their understanding of informative writing.

In Mathematics, students are consolidating and extending their number knowledge throughout Term 2. Topics include:
• Place value, the four operations, fractions and decimals
• Measurement concepts including volume, capacity, elapsed time and timetables
• Location and transformation, including interpreting grid references and simple Cartesian planes
• Chance and data investigations involving collecting, representing and interpreting data.

During Inquiry learning this term, students are investigating the colonisation of Australia and its impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They are exploring what Australia was like prior to European settlement, the arrival of the First Fleet, and the changes colonisation brought to Indigenous communities, culture and Country. Students are also examining the lasting effects of colonisation and developing an understanding of the importance of reconciliation, respect and recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in Australia today.

Throughout our Respectful Relationships program, students have been exploring personal strengths and recognising the strengths of others within our classroom community. This term, they are continuing to develop positive coping strategies and learning how to respond respectfully when experiencing strong emotions or when supporting others.

We are looking forward to a rich and engaging term of learning, growth and collaboration across all areas of the curriculum, and we thank families for their ongoing support in helping students achieve their best.

- Mrs Welsh & Mr Burrell