Year 6 Fundraising - Hot Chocolate Day this Friday!

Week 3 already over??!!

This Term is just flying by.  We have had three action packed weeks with events including the Lion King rehearsals, Open Day, PISA Sport training, Mother's Day stall and Leadership training days, just to name a few.  Throughout this time the students have been continually learning, not only their classroom curriculum, but also how to be flexible, to take risks in their learning, to persevere and to operate in all situations with empathy and listening. 

We have been continuing with our mathematical investigations of perimeter and area, focusing on the area of a triangle this week.  See if your child can tell you how we calculate that, and why that particular way works.

We have been making great progress in unpacking our novel study - Wonder, by R.J. Palacio.  This week we read about Mr Browne and his 'precepts' - rules about important things/rules to live by.  This month's precept was;

"WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING RIGHT OR BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND." 

The students then responded on Canvas to some reflection questions on the precept.  Ask your child to show you their responses and read over the discussion that happened on our Canvas platform, to show you our thinking about the concepts in the novel.  We discussed how this precept could change the world.

In HSIE we are continuing to investigate History and Governance.  This week we are completing our Google Slides on the significance of Democracy and how the Magna Carta was a major step toward change in governance.

Don't forget next week is another action packed week of learning, both in and out of the classroom.  Monday is the Athletics Carnival, be sure to be at school on time wearing sports uniform with your coloured house shirt.  Tuesday and Wednesday are our Lion King rehearsal days - no lunch orders on either day.  Thursday several Year 6 students are involved in the Da Vinci Decathlon, and Friday is our Hot Chocolate fundraiser morning.  We will be promoting it all week.

Looking forward to another full week of learning.

Assessment

I have spent the last two weeks assessing all the Kinders and most of the Years 1 and 2.  

This is what we will do with the information:

Analyse individual strengths and needs

Strategically plan for each learner to improve and excel

Set new objectives

Explore abilities

Supply assistance and appropriate materials

Stress growth

Monitor for intervention

Empower with self-directed assessment strategies

Nurture and support efforts

Translate needs and strengths into active learning

Touch Typing Term 2

Kewala Typequick
Learn to Touchtype for free at school using a fun, individualised Australian program!
Who:    Year 3-6 (max 20 children)
When:  Monday afternoons 2.50-3.45
Start:    Week 2, Mon 7 May
Where: Computer Mezzanine
Cost:     Free
MUST bring headphones.
Please email:   Darine Groch at bayviewoffice@stlukes.nsw.edu.au to confirm a spot.

Book Club

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Book Club for Term 2.

Thank you for all the support you have given the children and the school with Book Club in Term 1.

The LOOP purchase process is working well and deliveries seem efficient.  Thanks also to the behind-the-scenes Mums who happily assist with distribution. 

Book orders close Sunday 13 May.

Happy browsing.

Darine Groch

Welcome to Term 2!

Welcome back to school! I trust everyone had a wonderful holiday break.

We have dived straight into our learning for Term 2 this week.  For your interest and so you can best support the learning happening in the classroom, here is a summary of the units we are covering this term:

Maths will continue to build on foundations of number understanding as we delve into fractions, decimals and percentages and perform operations with them. This week, Maths lessons have focused on length and perimeter and across the term we will cover other forms of measurement including area, volume, capacity, mass and temperature. Students will also learn how to collect and analyse and create data displays using excel as well as perform chance experiments.  Students will make connections to the real world through open-ended problem solving with money and multiple operations.

In English this term we are focusing on the power of persuasion. In this unit of work students develop their skills in interpreting the language of persuasion in parliamentary propaganda and their ability to identify and use a range of persuasive techniques.  Focus areas are advertising, debating (including parliamentary debates), discussion papers and review writing.  It is important that students are aware of persuasive techniques and that they are able to recognise some of their purposes and effects.  This awareness will enable them make more informed choices about how they respond to such techniques when engaging with persuasive texts in the real world and about how they select and implement persuasive techniques in their own texts. Students will refine their development of an informed opinion through conducting extensive research.  They will learn to provide supporting evidence, differentiate between fact and opinion and recognise bias.   They will learn to explore, appreciate and value others’ opinions.  In doing so, they learn about how this may inform their own stance on a topic or issue. 

Students will develop their skills in questioning, clarifying, predicting, summarising and interpreting through thinking critically and inferentially in a guided novel study of Wonder by R.J Palacio. Wonder is a fictional story of August Pullman, a 10-year-old with a very different-looking face—the result of a chromosomal abnormality and an illness—and his journey from the nest of home-schooling to the wilds of middle school.  It is a story about family relationships, friendship, identity and kindness. Students will be guided by questions like

Why is it important to “choose kind”?

How does the way we treat people affect them throughout their lives?

How do the parallel stories help the reader understand the plot events better?

How does our time in school affect our lives outside of school?

Through our HSIE unit, Australian History & Governance, Students will identify the significance of various individuals, groups and events to the development of Australia as a nation. They will investigate the origins and features of democracy and key people and events in the development of the Australian democratic system of government.  Students will engage with a variety of primary and secondary sources when investigating the present Australian system of government. They will define what it means to be an Australian citizen today. Through Information Services, students will continue to develop and refine their research skills and they learn about other government forms such as theocracies, dictatorships, and totalitarianism governments investigating  how they promote or deny human rights.

If you, or someone close to the family, have skills, expertise or experiences that could potentially be of assistance with the units we are covering this term I would love to hear from you!

Key Dates for Term 2

Week 1: Anglican Schools Corporation Young Leaders Day Thursday 3rd May

Week 2: The Mother’s Day Stall, Wednesday 9th May 

Week 3: PISA sport will commence, Mothers and friends breakfast (at Dee Why campus - all welcome)

Week 4: Athletics Carnival Monday 21st May, Year 6 Fundraiser 25th May

Week 5: Lion King performances

Week 7: Monday 11th June: Queen's Birthday Holiday

             Wednesday 13th May - school photos

             Friday 15th June the first stage of the Graduation Diploma is due for submission 

             – please refer to the Graduation Diploma Handbook for more information.

Week 8: Thursday 21st June - Year 6 Fundraiser and evening Mathematics Workshop for parents.

Bayview is having an Open Day!