Term 4 and we are off! JS1 will have a busy term with Book Week to kick it off in Week 3. We have been reading ‘The bat and the crocodile’, an Aboriginal Dreaming story that explains why bats hide in caves. We created some texts about where we live using symbols similar to those used by the Gubbi Gubbi people. We have another text from the same series about an echidna for week 3. The Book Week theme is ‘Curious creatures, wild minds,’ so we thought echidnas are probably one of the most curious creatures on earth.

We have a new favourite game, Word Bingo. The students are identifying and saying the words throughout the game and we are a competitive lot!

At the end of Term 3, we had ‘Dress like a Pirate Day.’ Our learning revolved around a pirate theme with treasure map construction, a pirate text to read, numeracy with a pirate influence and a treasure hunt to finish the day. Each student was given a clue and had to work out where to go for the next student to find a clue. Lots of fun and a found treasure chest was the end result.

Maths is still a favourite. The students are becoming more independent in working through their maths tasks. We continue to play number games using physical movement, giant claws and throwing to reach particular numbers. The learners are very focussed during maths and strive to achieve their individual goals.

In Science we have been sequencing the lifecycles of animals. We have the most amazing animals in the world. We are also investigating the lifecycles of plants and what they require to survive. We have found many great YouTube clips that show lifecycles to help us to understand the progression. What did we do before Google?

Playtime continues to be an active session of structured play in the quad at first break with set games while second play gives the students opportunities to play tag, swing or maybe kick a footy. We have noticed new friendships springing up and new skills being demonstrated as they choose their playtime fun.

Kind regards,

Karen, Bree, Debbie, Dana and Deb.