Level 3 Newsetter - Week 10

CONNECT WITH YEAR 3/4
Another busy week with lots of exciting learning.

Learning and Teaching

In Year 3/4 We Are Learning To....

READING: revise and practise the reading strategies we have studied this semester including knowing how words work, synthesising, questioning, developing importance, visualising, making connections and inferring and predicting.

WRITING: review the writing we have completed this semester; analyse our writing goals and find evidence of our attempts at mastering the skill. 

MATHS: apply our mathematical skills to complete problem solving tasks and continue to develop addition and subtraction skills.

INQUIRY: present our machines and portfolios based on Our Wonderful Creations.  Our presentations will allow us to showcase the learning and thinking.  We will score our presentations across the areas of Science Understandings, Written Presentation, Oral Presentation and Group Work Skills.

eLEARNING: use the iPads and Netbooks to support and extend learning through Mathletics and Reading Eggs, and to publish writing.

BULLY PREVENTION: share strategies to promote safe behaviour when using ICT.

Calendar Dates
Monday 22nd - Science Celebration Morning
Monday 22nd - PFA Sausage Sizzle
Wednesday 24th - Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences

Current notices

 

Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences: We will be having these Conferences on Wednesday 24th July.  This will be an opportunity for students to share their learning, including the opportunity for self reflection, goal setting and a celebration of their achievements. Remember to book an appointment time on the on-line booking system.  Interviews are allocated in ten minute blocks.  If you are unable to attend on that day please contact your child's teacher to schedule an alternative time.

 

Student Reports: Student reports will be sent home on Monday 22nd June. 

 

School Camp: Our first Grade 3 and Grade 4 camp is happening next term from the 26-28th August.  Notices have been sent home this week to confirm the students who will be attending camp.  For organisation purposes it is important that all students return this form by Friday 26th June.  More details about camp will be sent out next term.  

Passionate Pursuits: Students have enjoyed the opportunity to participate in extra curricular activities as part of the Passionate Pursuit program.  Did you know that there are also extra curricular activities outside class time such as the Glee Club, Art Antics, Gardening Club and the Running and Circuit groups which run either before school or at lunchtimes.

 

Chook Shed: Because we have given them so much love and care, our 10 chooks are busy laying eggs! If you have any empty egg cartons at home that can be recycled, please pass them on to Miss Oates in 3/4O.



End of Term: Have you been looking for your child's windcheater? Are you missing lunchboxes or drink bottles?  We have a collection of student items including clothing and lunchboxes in our Lost Property collection near the Prep rooms. Remind your child to check there for any items they may be missing.  End of term is also a good time to clean out class tubs and take home the art smock for a wash.

Holiday Fun: With the holidays around the corner what activities will you be planning to do?  There are many activities in the community.  Visit your library, look on tourism websites.  Most of all, enjoy time to unwind and recharge your batteries!

Next Term: The teachers are busy planning learning activities for next term.  Our Inquiry unit is From the Past to the Present which has a History focus. 

 

Making News

Achievement Award Recipients:

3/4H- Thomas - For his fantastic efforts to design and create his science project.  We can't wait to see when it is finished!!

3/4S- Indie - For working efficiently on Maths tasks and showing your reasoning.
34S- Darcy - For being organised and focused during Inquiry project time.

3/4G- Georgia - For completing her homework to a high standard.

 

Showcase

           SHARE OUR LEARNING JOURNEY

It's hard to believe that we are almost at the end of Term 2.  We have had a wonderful first half of the year with many engaging activities. Some of the activities this term have included Scientists in Schools, the John Monash Science in-visit, sport clinics, Passionate Pursuits, Open Mornings - Maths and Science, Life Education, ANZAC Day ceremony, Cross Country and Student Forums.

Here are some strategies and facts about our learning this term:
I am proud of the subtraction problems I have been doing this term.  Always put the largest number first and take away the smallest number from it. Dylan
Subtraction is easier when you know how to trade.  For example 53-28= 40 and 13 - 28  Andjelka
The number on the right side is smaller than one and the number on the left is greater than one.  Victoria
An easy way to do 5 times tables: for example 5 x 7.  A half of 7 is 3.5.  You take away the decimal point and then the answer is 35. Eden

It's good to add interesting words- looking in dictionaries and a thesaurus can help you.  When you read different books you can also learn new words. Kosta
Explanation reports explain why or how about something.  Jack 

I have improved in my comprehension because now I look back at the text to find information.  Dylan
I am reading well.  I concentrate on the words and what they mean.  Edward

When you mix dry ice with water it creates fog. Amarlie
Dry ice is so cold it can burn you.  Holly
Science is everywhere!  Declan




Wishing all our Level Three families an enjoyable holiday.  Thank you for your support and encouragement this semester.  Working together strengthens our aims of igniting a passion for learning and preparing our students for the future.

 

Level 3 Newsletter Term 2 Week 8 - 4/6/15

CONNECT WITH YEAR 3/4
Another busy week with lots of exciting learning.

Learning and Teaching

In Year 3/4 We Are Learning To....

READING: use our knowledge of words to read and make meaning of texts. We will use clues from the text to assist in finding out what a word means and interpret figurative language.

WRITING: explain how something works or why something happens. This is done in a sequential order using scientific/technical terms and paragraphs to support our writing. 

MATHS: solve addition and subtraction problems using a range of efficient mental and written strategies.

INQUIRY: apply our knowledge of force, movement and simple machines to create our own useful machine out of recycled materials.

eLEARNING: use the iPads and Netbooks as tools for inquiry to record and research experiments. The devices are also used to support and extend learning with programs such as Mathletics and Reading Eggs, and to publish writing.

BULLY PREVENTION: seek support by talking to an adult or trusted friend. Students will discuss how the support of an adult demonstrates positive and productive strategies to effectively solve an issue.

Calendar Dates
Friday 5th June - Science In Schools with Ivan
Monday 8th June - Queens Birthday Public Holiday (No School)
Friday 12th June - Science In Schools with Ivan
Monday 15th June - Science In Schools with Ivan
Monday 22nd - Science Celebration Morning

Current notices

Queen's Birthday: Don't forget this Monday the 8th is the Queen's Birthday Public Holiday.

Chook Shed: Because we have given them so much love and care, our 10 chooks are busy laying eggs! If you have any empty egg cartons at home that can be recycled, please pass them on to Miss Oates in 3/4O.

Homework and Online Programs: Remember that in addition to your spelling task and reading, part of the homework is also to log onto Mathletics accounts to complete set tasks as part of the homework. If there are any issues, please contact your child's teacher.

Passionate Pursuits: Passionate Pursuits continues to engage the students in areas outside the traditional curriculum.  It offers students the opportunity to work in multi age groups and develop friendships through the bond of shared interests. 

Some activities require students to bring things from home, things to be donated (if possible) and parent helpers. Please feel free to contact the teachers if you would like to share their passion and get involved. 

Don't forget to ask your child what activity they have undertaken this term.  You may be surprised at the new interests they are developing.



Reading Comprehension and Decoding: We often have concerns from parents that their child is not reading Take Home Books that reflect their ability. Please be aware that reading levels are not solely determined by their ability to decode words and teacher judgement but also calculated by a precise formula that takes all areas of reading into consideration. This ensures that your child develops all the essential skills they need to be a successful reader.

Many students are able to read competently and while this is a beneficial skill it is only one part of the reading process. When reading or listening to texts it is essential students develop the skills to question and analyse the author’s viewpoint, position, or purpose. 

In this age of readily accessible information it is imperative that students do not simply accept what is presented to them, and have the skills to analyse information both literally and inferentially. Students need to be aware that all texts are written from a perspective and that it is important to examine the texts (including words, diagrams, photos,
graphs, and charts) for issues of bias, stereotyping, and social justice.
When sharing your child’s Take Home Book it would be valuable for you to discuss the text in depth to further develop their comprehension skills. Please understand that your child’s reading level is calculated not only by their fluency and decoding skills but also their ability to comprehend the meaning within the text. Students must be confident and competent with all reading strategies before they progress.
It is our aim to equip students with the skill to succeed in this ever changing world and reading and comprehension is a vital component to their future success.  

Health: Just a reminder, for the health of all students, please keep your child home if they are unwell. Head lice is also a concern at the moment so please be vigilant in checking your child's hair.

Making News

Achievement Award Recipients:

3/4H- Ana - For her fantastic efforts towards investigating mass in the classroom. Keep it up!

3/4O- Mitchell - For writing an incredibly descriptive, thoughtful and well structured narrative about 'The Box'. Amazing work!

3/4S- Amelia - For your excellent recount of the science Incursion and explaining your science understanding. Congratulations!

3/4G- Tanner - For writing a detailed science report about the Smartie experiment.

Maths Olympiad:

On Wednesday 20^th May, Mentone Park’s Maths Olympians participated in this year’s first of five Maths Olympiads. The students from years 4,5 and 6 used their problem solving skills to tackle five tricky maths problems, and their results will be compared to other competing schools. The students have been practising at home and at school in the lead up to each Olympiad and have been supported by Mr Wilton and Mrs Drummond. The next Olympiad is Wednesday 10^th June.

Congratulations to the following Maths Olympians:

Amy

Hugo

Nat 

Sonia 

Daniel 

Adam 

Daisy 

Taite 

Rory 

Nathan 

George 

Zach 

Dan 

Aaron 

Jake 

Kanan 

Tristan 

George 

Showcase

           >MATHS MORNING & SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS<    

Maths Morning - Measurement
During Education Week, there was a whole lot of maths madness happening in Level 3! Parents were invited to attend an open morning and participate in their child's maths lesson to see how hands on, open ended and exciting we make our maths at Mentone Park PS! 

1. Warm Up - Multiplication Array Roll
What you need: 2 dice, sheet of graph paper, ruler and pencil
In pairs, take turns to roll the dice then record as an array using your ruler. The person who has the most squares, wins! Note: You can't overlap your array.

2. Hook - We looked at pictures to prompt discussion about what maths we might be exploring. Discussions led to measurement and units of.

 3. Launch - After discussion of different units of measurement, students searched magazines and newspapers for picture examples of things that would be measured in mm, cm, m and km.

4. Explore/Investigate - Students began exploring the same problem. Find something in the classroom that is half your height. Different tools and approaches were used to problem solve this and then students were extended with questions such as: how many of you would be needed to line the perimeter of the classroom? Or the school?

5. Reflection - Fire and Ice Chart
Students drew a scale and at one end wrote something new they learnt, understood or did really well (on fire). At the other end students wrote something they found difficult or would like to improve on (icy).


Science In Schools

Ivan from CSIRO joined us last Friday and will return again to teach us about another aspect of science. Chemical science is a change of state between solid and liquid that can be caused by adding or removing heat. Ivan demonstrated and had us experiment. Read about it below.

By Fiona 3/4S

                                                                  By Ethan 3/4 S