Dear Parents, Carers and Community Members,
The past fortnight has been extremely busy, with students completing their Semester 1 assessments. They have adapted very well to the changes in our usual routines and structured school day, demonstrating resilience, focus, and perseverance throughout the assessment period. We are very proud of the effort they have shown.
We are so close to the end of the term, and after two continuous weeks of assessment, we are beginning to feel ready for holidays. This week in our literacy block, we began new sounds write unit, learning about double letters making one sharp sound. We have been reading the aboriginal dreaming story “How the birds got their colours” and expanding sentences that use the question word ‘when’.
Students have been using a scaffold to assist with their writing and identifying which ‘when’ phrase to use at the beginning of their sentence when putting it all back together. In Numeracy we are learning about addition and area of shapes. Or knowledge lessons this week are all about understanding that Aboriginals believed that the world was created in the dreamtime.
Testing is over, and we enjoyed a great break over the long weekend.
This week, we have started learning about the First Fleet. We are reading about who the convicts were and how they survived on the ships.
Two of the ships were called Fishburn and Alexander. There were eleven ships altogether. It took more than eight months to sail to Australia - phew!
We have been very lucky to have Miss Thomas in our classroom. She is training to be a teacher, and we think she is going to be fantastic!
Only two weeks to go until the holidays!
Reading is a subject I don't often mention in the weekly newsletter but definitely deserves a shout out this week. During assessment students in Grade 2 showed some amazing progress in their overall reading and comprehension of unseen texts. Each morning students participate in sounds-write; a phonics-based program that helps students to read, spell and write words. Their ability to recognise various spellings of the sound /ar/ in different words such as sharp, raft and laugh is impressive.
This is such an important skill which the Grade 2's are able to apply when reading various texts in knowledge. I love seeing when students make connections like "Miss Eustice... The convicts had a master... master has the /ar/ sound in it!"
In the 3/4 room over the past few weeks, we’ve been learning about the journey of convicts and free settlers to Australia. We explored why people left Britain and what life was like during the long voyage across the ocean. As part of our studies, we read Billy Crocker's Journal, which helped us understand the experiences of a young convict travelling to Australia. Through Billy's story, we learned about the cramped conditions on board ships, the challenges of life at sea and the hopes and fears of those making the journey.
In addition to this, we have investigated what happened when convicts and free settlers first arrived in Australia. Early days were often difficult - with limited food, hard work and challenging surroundings. There were many challenges faced by Australia's first European arrivals; they showed much resilience in building a new life in an unfamiliar land.
Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
No! I strongly disagree that the voting age should be lowered to 16! Teenagers shouldn’t be trusted with political responsibilities, they should at least be able to drive a car by themselves, and they aren’t even at the end of high school (sometimes).
Teenagers can’t be trusted with political issues. You must believe me when I say they’re not responsible enough for political issues like voting. They can’t become a politician so why would they be able to vote for one? I don’t think they could be trusted as they haven’t fully matured and their brain is still developing. It’s honestly unbelievable to think that voting at 16 is a good idea.
They should at least be able to drive independently. If they can’t drive, then how would they get to the voting booth area? There would be no one available, and you would get fined. Voting at 16 is ridiculous and unreasonable, seriously!
Most of them aren’t even out of school yet. They should at least have aged to be almost finished at school, if they stayed, eighteen is the best age as it is the age you are at the end of school. Believe me when I say that you must finish school to start voting.
To conclude, the voting age shouldn’t be lowered to 16. They’re just not capable enough to vote. I strongly disagree that the voting age should be lowered to 16.
Written by Cyrus.
This term, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have been participating in the BADAC Education Liaison Program, facilitated by Kirstie Leon from Ballarat & District Aboriginal Co-operative (BADAC).
Throughout the term, students have had the opportunity to connect with and celebrate culture through a range of engaging activities including a smoking ceremony, storytelling, yarning circles, boomerang painting (junior students), emu egg painting (senior students), creating emu spirit strings, and most recently contributing to a collaborative artwork project while developing their own individual Acknowledgement of Country.
Students have been busy working on their masterpieces. Student work is currently displayed around the school so during parent teacher interviews why not ask your student to show you, their work.
All year levels have been exploring the signs for different foods and fruits.
Can you sign these?
It has been a busy and energetic term in Physical Education. Students in Years 3–6 wrapped up their soccer units with some lively games, showcasing the skills and teamwork they have developed.
Year 5–6 students are currently enjoying expert coaching sessions with Taylor from Hockey Victoria, while Year 3–4 students are building their skills and confidence through Sof-Crosse.
Our junior students have been having great fun in Gymfun sessions, developing their jumping, rolling and balancing skills. Foundation to Year 2 students have also completed their Term 2 Fundamental Motor Skills assessments, with reports on their progress to be sent home before the end of term.
Happy Birthday to all students who will celebrate their birthday in the coming days/ week.
