Junior School: action-packed days
Term 1 in the Junior School has been action-packed and filled with opportunities and achievements.
Each day, our Kindergarten students learn new skills and build foundations that will serve them well. Walking past the Kindy classroom, we hear the joy of young voices playing maths games, making friends of ten, singing phonics songs, and learning how to segment words. Some are learning how to write everyday words in a simple sentence with the aid of word banks, while others refine their skills and use punctuation. Visual Arts has been a stimulating unit for the students, and they have enjoyed mixing and blending primary colours and experimenting with warm and cool colours in their artwork.
In Year 1 and Year 2, there has been a focus on insects and mini-beasts. Students have been excitedly embarking on bug hunts at school and home, advancing their scientific observation skills. The pinboards outside their classroom are adorned with colourful collage artworks inspired by Eric Carle, the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. They have been enjoying their morning fitness routine, including a short jog around the playground to activate attention and energy for the day’s learning. Fortnightly, they have one-on-one time with their Year 6 buddy, which makes them feel connected.
Years 3 and 4 have been studying the names of the different parts of the brain and how we make and store memories. They have learnt how important sleep is for moving memories into long-term memories. Students have discovered the benefits of mindfulness and relaxation strategies in calming our emotions and improving concentration and focus. They will also investigate people’s physical and mental activities to improve or maintain their health, well-being and fitness.
‘Dream big, work hard!’ is a mantra for our Year 5 students. The classroom is awash with examples of their quality work and the engaged learning that makes them strive to be their best selves. Our Year 5 students are also exploring the notion of spreading kindness; it is wonderful to watch as students look beyond themselves to improve the lives of others. From Desert Survivors to Maths Tangrams, the Year 5 classroom oozes learning.
Year 6 (in some ways) becomes a year of ‘lasts’ as the students navigate through each Junior School calendar event one last time. A couple of weeks ago, Year 6 visited the Life Education Van for the last time. It was great to hear them talk of previous visits and relate the skills learnt over the years from each program. Science in Year 6 is an excellent opportunity for hands-on experiences and experiments. At the first Year 6-hosted assembly, the class enjoyed producing toroidal vortices (smoke rings) using a smoke machine, bucket, and balloon, as well as explaining the function and creation of the vortex to the audience.
Many Junior School students joined in one of our after-school activities. From playing chess or learning circus skills to ball games and even producing animation clips, our students revel in opportunities and the chance to be creative and learn new skills.
