Term 1, 2016 5/6F
Dear Parent/Caregiver,
Welcome back to stage three! We have already started the year with the introduction of classroom routines as well as testing the children’s knowledge in the areas of numeracy and literacy.
This term HSIE, Science, CAPA (creative and practical arts) and sport will be taught to children through rotating groups. History and Geography will be taught by Mr Lorenc, Mr Lewis and Mrs Hilder will be teaching PD/H/PE, Mr Groves and Mrs Dodt will be teaching Science and Miss Webeck will be teaching CAPA. Miss Webeck will cover Art in term 1, Music in term 2, Drama in term 3 to assist with the lead up to the play and Dance in term 4 to organise each grades musical number. Please see attached timetable for your child’s rotation.
Stage 3 students will join stage 2 students for sport on a Friday morning. Sport will also be delivered using the group rotation as well. The children will be participating in range of sports as the year progresses.
Literacy: Literacy will be delivered in the first two hours of every morning and students will be covering writing, reading and spelling during this time. We are beginning the year with a unit focused on Imagery as well as sentence and paragraph creation and structure.
Maths: This year we are implementing the new Maths Syllabus as well as a more structured sequence of learning. This will continue to expand on the concepts covered last year, however children will be revising more complex whole number and algebra topics as well as working on the measurement topics of length, area, position and time. Maths homework will be a review of work covered throughout the term. I strongly urge parents to use tasks set on studyladder.com. Your child’s studyladder username is:______and password ______(please keep this information in a safe place).
History and Geography: In HSIE we will begin this term with a focus on the discovery of gold in Australia. As the new History syllabus will be implemented this year, there will be a strong emphasis on historical matters. The students will need to be able to locate and compare information from a range of sources.
Science: In science we are studying a unit called “What’s the Matter?”, a unit, about chemical sciences studying solids, liquids and gases.
Art: In creative arts, students will be participating in a unit of work focused on their own identity. Students will be creating a number of art works covering self-portraits, screen prints and print making techniques
PDHPE: Gymnastics will happen again this term. The 8 week program commences on Wednesday and we are encouraging all students to participate. This term will be a busy one with the Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals all planned. Finally in You Can Do It we will be focusing on “Getting Along” and our PD/H/PE unit will be ‘You, Me & Us’
Homework: The class will continue to get weekly homework in weeks 4-10. It will comprise of the weekly spelling words and various other activities to complete. Students will work in small groups to choose their spelling words each Monday. Students are expected to complete homework every week. Remember it may be hard to get them to do homework now but it will be even harder in high school; get them into good habits now. If you are having trouble with setting a good routine please contact me. It is also recommended that students read each night and complete a home reader sheet. Students in year 5 and 6 are expected to choose their own reading materials and read for pleasure each night, again a good habit.
Library: Mrs Archer will take the students on a Thursday. The students will have time to borrow books (home readers maybe?).
The major excursion for Years 5 and 6 is to Mogo and we are heading off NEXT WEEK. All students who are attending will need to return their medical note asap. Remember. No medical note, no go!
We have talked about their goals for the year and it would be beneficial if you could spend some time talking to your child about what they would like to achieve. Examples: Being more confident in talking in front of the class or improving my writing etc. We will discuss these goals further when we meet at the Three-Way Conferences that are coming up very soon.
As a class, we have worked on and published a Code of Conduct that all students are required to following. All of 5/6F should now be fully aware of both the positive and negative consequences of their actions. I have attached our Code in the hope that you will be able to discuss with your child what is expected of them at school.
Finally a couple of things you can do to help us out at school. Uniform (including shoes) and hats quickly become an issue in the senior classes. Although it sounds repetitive, a good habit now will make it easier for future years. Those that have students in high school will know what I mean.
I am including a list of requirements that your child will need during the year. Could you please ensure that these items are regularly updated. During the year the children will need: lead pencils, eraser, sharpener, blue pens, red pens, a glue stick, highlighters, coloured pencils, textas, and a ruler. A small pencil case is also a good idea to keep essential equipment neatly organised on his/her desk.
As students become older they have more control over their eating habits. Try and make sure they are having breakfast and for those that get their own lunch, make sure they are choosing healthy foods.
I have included a brief parent interview for you to fill out. These will not be shared with your child, so feel free to express any areas of concern. It is important that we work together in helping your child become their best.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact me either in person, a note, phone call or email . I find email the easiest way to reach a large audience so please include your email address only if you wish to be on the 5/6F mailing list.
Sincerely,
Anna-Lee Fuller
Parent Questionnaire
Child’s name: ______
Parent(s): ______
Is there anything important that I need to know about your child? ______
Does your child have any brothers or sisters? ______
Does your child help around the house?______
What is the thing that you want most for your child? ______
______
Are they involved in activities outside of school? ______
Details:______
______
What are the three most important things in your child’s life?(eg toys, sports, play equipment, people)______
Do you have an email address that we can communicate via (this will be put on the 5/6WF mailing list)?
______
What would be the best way for me to contact you?
______
Signed ______