Friday 5th May 2017
5/6 Graeme Base
Term 2 Letter
Lydia Kepich & Heather Walker
Dear Year 5/6 Parents and Carers,
What a fantastic start to term 2 we’ve had. The weather changes have made for some wonderful
conversations and the class has begun investigating into the daily temperature fluctuations after one
student commented that the thermometer in our classroom must be broken as it never changes. We also
wrote and shared recounts of what we did over the school break and enjoyed learning about the history
and significance of ANZAC day.
In reflecting on term one, our 5/6 Camp to Cooba was a huge success and we had some very adventurous
students in our class taking on flying foxes, giant swings and survival courses. Camp also provided us with
a terrific opportunity to bond as a cohort. The three days away saw us learning new things and partaking
in a number of activities that required us to demonstrate different dispositions such as being good
communicators, collaborators, thinkers and self-managers. Camp was such a wonderful opportunity to
learn in a different environment and the children thrived!
Collaborators
empathic
compassionate
reliable
Communicators
confident
responsive
respectful
Learning Assets
Thinkers
open-minded
flexible
persistent
Researchers
curious
courageous
resourceful
Self Managers
resilient
responsible
reflective
The Senior Writing Awards were also a highlight and we were impressed by the calibre of the picture
books our students produced. It really was a terrific term and we are extremely excited to delve into the
exciting learning opportunities that term 2 will offer.
Your child may have mentioned the Rostrum Public Speaking Competition. Whilst the official Rostrum
competition requires that students present a 3 minute speech to their peers on a selected topic, our
students are working towards presenting a 1-3 minute speech to their classmates on a chosen topic. These
speeches will take place throughout week 3-4 in our classroom. Public speaking is not a task everyone
enjoys and many of our students feel out of their comfort zone. Please support your child with practising
their speech at home and encouraging them to ‘have a go’. The school final will take place on Wednesday
24 May at 9:30am in the school hall. All parents are welcome to attend.
Staffing Changes
Starting this term, Lydia will be on class four days a week (Mon-Wed and Fri) and Heather will be on class
one day a week (Thur). Also, as notified in Jo’s letter earlier this week, Lydia will be on leave in the United
States during weeks 3 and 4. While Lydia is away, Heather will be on class full time which should minimise
the disruption caused by these changes.
English
Our English program will reflect your child’s ILP goals. We will continue to develop our reading, writing,
speaking and listening skills through Reading and Writing Workshops, writers notebook, guided reading,
reading aloud, shared reading and reader’s theatre. Where needed, we will work on print concepts,
letter/sound relationships and comprehension skills. We will be placing increased emphasis this term on
building our vocabularies, reading fluency and skills to read informational and other non-fiction texts. The
students in our class will work in groups with the assistance of an adult to guide and encourage them to
complete their work to the best of their ability. Our aim is for the students to complete as much work as
independent learners as possible, with the support from an adult as needed.
We will also continue to build our oral language skills this term as these play an important role not only in
their academic success, but also in their ability to be independent, advocate for themselves, solve
problems, and develop and maintain positive relationships.
As always, we encourage students to write and read at home and to work towards reading books for the
Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge.
Maths
Our Maths program will also reflect your child’s ILP goals. This term our focus continues on number
concepts such as counting, reading, writing and ordering numbers as well as developing our
understanding of place value and mental calculation skills involving addition (including an introduction to
multiplication through the use of ‘groups of’) and subtraction. We will continue to develop our
understanding of time and money concepts and begin to explore measurement including distance, weight
and temperature as well as develop our algebraic thinking by working to recognise and analyse patterns.
During all Mathematics lessons we ensure that all content is relevant and engaging for all students. We
will be utilising negotiated maths goals, differentiated groupings, technology and a range of manipulatives
to ensure that every student is growing their mathematical knowledge and developing their number
sense.
Additionally, Turner will be hosting a numeracy workshop later this term. The workshop will take place
on Thursday 8th June from 9:00-10:30am and be repeated that evening from 7:00-8:30pm.
Inquiry
5/6 was lucky enough to have Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith and Rosalyn Brown come and speak to us
ahead of the 50 year commemoration of the 1967 Referendum. This was a great opportunity for our
students to engage with leaders of our community, ask questions and begin to develop their wonderings
whilst sparking their curiosity ahead of our Inquiry this term.
This term we will conduct both a Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) unit as well as two Science units
of inquiry:
Big Idea
HASS
How are the structures and rules
created by our Government
changed to suit the needs of our
community?
Science
The Earth is part of a system of
planets orbiting around a star
(the sun) within the universe
Science
Sudden geological changes or
extreme weather conditions can
affect Earth’s surface
An inquiry into...
The structure of the Australian
government and how it operates.
The evolution of our solar
system.
How major environmental and
geological events impact the Earth.
How laws and rules are changed
by our government.
How our sun produces energy
that sustains life on our planet.
The 1967 referendum and other
significant events in our
government’s history.
How matter occurs in a number
of different states within our
universe
Describing how people measure
significant geological events and
how we can assist in natural
disaster management.
As always, we encourage students to complete independent research and collect information in their own
time to share with their peers. If you have any expertise in this area or could offer any assistance please let
us know.
Strategic Thinking Time
On Tuesday mornings our students will continue to participate in ‘Strategic Thinking Time’. Students are
given the option to participate in chess with Jeff Suptut, engineering projects, computer coding and other
terrific investigations with the 5/6 teachers.
Performing Arts
On Monday from 12:00-12:45 students will continue to participate in Performing Arts Groups. Students
are given the option to elect an activity that will further develop their performing arts skills. This term’s
activities include Limelight Dance, percussion, drama and puppetry.
PE
We will have our cross-country coming up on Friday 12 May (week 3) and as such will having regular
training sessions to help build endurance to ensure students are able to perform at their peak on the day.
Cross Country Distances
10 yrs (born 2007) – 2 km
11 yrs (born 2006) – 3km
12 yrs (born 2005) – 3km
Throughout the term we will also focus on fundamental motor skills, modified games and sports specific
skills during class PE sessions. As well as this we will continue to run 5/6 sports groups on a Friday
afternoon.. Students have elected from the below mentioned activities and are currently participating in a
5 week program involving specialist lessons, external coaches and excursions with thanks to the
Australian Sporting Schools Program.
 Tennis
 Basketball
 Lawn Bowls
 Volleyball
 Soccer
As a part of these activities students may leave school grounds to access local facilities (eg Turner Tennis
Courts, Turner Bowls Club). Students will be required to wear appropriate sports clothing on Friday,
closed in sports shoes and a sun smart hat. We will continue to have regular fitness sessions to increase
muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness as well as class skills sessions during the week.
All students are benefiting from our weekly biking session on Wednesdays. These provide a great
opportunity to develop core stability and balance, visual and bilateral coordination skills, overall strength
and endurance as well as confidence. Some students will also benefit from hydrotherapy sessions which
will commence this term. These sessions provide opportunities for students to build strength, endurance,
range of motion, and balance.
On Monday from 12:00-12:45 students will continue to participate in Performing Arts Groups with their
mainstream peers. Students are given the option to elect an activity that will further develop their
performing arts skills. This term’s activities include Limelight Dance, percussion, drama and puppetry.
Music
Our term two music program continues to introduce the whole school repertoire of songs to the children,
including music and accompanying games from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students
will extend their understanding and use of aural skills as they sing and play independent parts on tuned
and un-tuned instruments, including the marimba and ukulele. They will collaborate with their peers to
communicate their ideas for composition, sourcing and arranging their ideas and making decisions to
perform and engage an audience. Compositions will be recorded and shared to allow for students to
respond and reflect on their artwork. (Julie Mayhew)
Choir
Senior choir will be held on Tuesday lunchtime, 11:15am in the Senior Hall. All students in years 3- 6 are
welcome to join this choral group. Students are asked to commit to the choir for the term as we will be
learning repertoire to perform at assemblies and celebratory gatherings. (Julie Mayhew)
Art
The focus in Visual Art this term will be increasing their understanding of the ‘The Elements and
Principles of Art’ with a particular focus on the element ‘Form’, as they develop their skills in sculptural
techniques, linking to Indonesian Art by creating an Indonesian clay mask. They will learn about an
Indonesian Artist called Sukron Ma’mun, and create artworks as a response to his. Sukron is a
photographer and set up his mystical photos with people in beautiful atmospheric landscapes. This term
the students will also be developing their drawing skills to draw still life objects that convey a sense of
Form. They will also continue to work on their understanding of the learning assets and dispositions in an
Art room context. They will continue with writing a picture book that has a focus on one disposition.
During the term the students will look at their portfolio works and use the language of art to discuss and
explain aspects of their individual style as they develop a sense of their identity as an artist. They will also
be practising ‘Visual Thinking Strategies’ (VTS) which will increase their ability to look beyond the surface
of an artwork. VTS is a teaching strategy which encourages the children to talk and respond to artworks in
a thoughtful calm and reflective way with each person getting the chance to express their opinions. (Sally
Visser-Marchant)
Library
Senior students will explore this year’s Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) 2017 shortlisted
book awards in library this term. Children will get to know all the books in each award category by
listening to them being read (except for Older Reader) and read them by themselves or in pairs. By the
end of term, children will decide for themselves which books they think should win and why. In week 10
we plan to have a CBCA judge speak about the awards and answer any questions the children may have.
(Norma Johns)
Artists’ and Writers’ Festival 2017
2017 is an Artists’ and Writers’ Festival year at Turner school and we are extremely excited about our
Festival that is taking place in August. The theme for this year’s Festival is “The Art of Books”. If you or
someone you know is able to assist with the Festival we would love to hear from you. The success of our
Festival in 2015 was due in large part to the incredible community involvement we saw.
Home learning
Home learning will go out on a fortnightly basis and will be available on the school website. More
information about Turner School’s homework policy can also be found there.
Fruit Breaks
Each morning around 10:00am, we have a short fruit break to help maintain energy levels in class. This
also encourages healthy eating. Raw vegetables are also accepted as a healthy snack in these sessions.
Please make sure fruit and vegetables are easy to eat and do not require cutting. We find that children
who participate in these breaks are able to focus on tasks for longer periods of time during the morning
block.
SunSmart Policy
Please remember the school SunSmart policy of wearing hats outside. Children need to wear a broad
brimmed hat or legionnaire style hat when on the playground. The months of June and July are when this
policy changes due to the weather. Children can choose to wear or not wear hats in these two months
only.
We had a fantastic time getting to know each child in our class last term and are looking forward to
continuing to build those relationships throughout term 2. Towards the end of the term you will receive
your child’s report, portfolio and electronic portfolio. These provide a wonderful window into the learning
your child has completed. At this time there will also be an opportunity for you to attend a formal parent
teacher interview but if you feel there is something you would like to discuss prior to that time, please
contact us or pop in for a visit.
Kind regards,
Lydia Kepich and Heather Walker
[email protected]
[email protected]