HASS & NAIDOC celebrations

HASS

We begin our term with NAIDOC celebrations. The children have loved making boomerangs and learning some Aboriginal names for animals and places around our school. We have closely studied 3 dreamtime stories. After summarizing each story into a comic strip, the children produced an art piece to compliment the story using techniques such as chalk drawing, blending, silhouettes, finger painting and directed drawing. 

I’m sure you heard all about the day we made damper! We wrote a procedure of how to make damper while we waited for it to cook. Please enjoy these photos of the experience.

 Paige - "I liked sifting the flour. It tasted like a scone."

 Tessa - " I liked mixing the damper. It was warm and soft when it came out of the oven."

 Danny - "I liked rolling it into a ball."

 Christian -"I liked eating it. It tasted yummy."

We will continue our history study in a unit on ‘Technology Then and Now’. In this unit we will look at how technology has changed in household appliances, transport, communication and games. We have some great activities planned so look forward to the updates for those.

Studyladder

Studyladder

Don’t forget to utilize the free online program, Studyladder. I know many of the children are enjoying using this consolidation tool on a regular basis. All children can successfully log onto their Studyladder accounts independently.

Developing Independence

Just a reminder about our whole school approach to develop independence in our students. This article was in the school newsletter at the end of last term.

Developing Independence

At Wattle Grove Primary School, we aim to provide a learning environment that encourages the opportunity for all students to achieve their personal best. There are a number of ways that families can support their child in these areas.

1. Commit to your child going to school every day on time.

One of the most important things you can do to ensure your child has a bright future is to make sure he or she goes to school every day – and gets there on time.

2. Make sure your child gets enough sleep.

A good night’s sleep consolidates learning, as well as assists future learning. Children need between 10-12 hours of sleep each day. Help kids get sufficient sleep by having a regular bed-time and get-up time each day.

3. Establish work & study habits.
The most successful students are those that develop regular study habits that suit their lifestyle, their study style and their school’s expectations.

4. Develop self-organisational skills.

Successful students are often well-organised, self-directed and self-motivated. Such skills as packing school bags and organising morning routines can be great lessons that impact on how kids perform at school.

Throughout the year, we encourage students to develop their independence by completing their classroom morning routines by themselves. Research has shown that a structured and organised morning routine is conducive to successful student learning. Our focus is on developing this classroom environment, particularly in all Year 2-6 classes. Children are encouraged to enter the classroom prepared to independently organise themselves for the school day ahead.  We look forward to working with parents to ensure the success of this whole school approach.