Junior School Newsletter - Term 4, Week 7

 

 Term 4, Week 7

After an AMAZING and colourful Sunday, students returned to school with highlights in their hair, and smiles on their faces! Thank you so much to all the parents and families who came and made the day so special, every little contribution makes a difference and we are very excited about the science and technology upgrades that MPPS will enjoy as a result of this fundraising effort! We are looking forward to our excursion to Braeside Park next week, parents and siblings are welcome to meet us at the park. If you are able to travel with us on the bus and assist with supervision, please let your child's teacher know.
 

Election Day BBQ: Saturday 24th November (11:30am-3:00pm) 
Excursion to Braeside Park: Friday 30th November (parents needed)
Whole School Sports Day: Friday 7th December (volunteers needed - please let your classroom teacher know)




In READING this week, we are learning to identify homophones and homographs in the books we read. Last week, we focused on predicting and inferring to help us comprehend the stories we are reading.

During WRITING this week, we are working on written responses to Mystery Doug and our classmates.

Our latest topics in MATHS have been Addition and Subtraction, focusing on our individual goals to improve our skills and strategies.

This week we continued our INQUIRY topic, 'Location, Location, Location!' focusing on weather and features of the land that are important to certain cultures. We will be working on weather and forecasts over the next week.

* Please return the 2019 Payment Summary Sheets to the office or the classroom as soon as possible. 

* Every year we collect gifts at Christmas for families and children.We are now collecting new toys for the children and food items for families. (Dixon House has requested no soft toys and please check food items are in date) PLEASE place your donations in the Christmas boxes near the office before Monday December 3 2018. 

* Please ensure that all students wear helmets if they are riding or scooting to school. If students are not wearing a helmet, they risk serious injury in the event of a crash. 

* We always welcome parent/family helpers in the classroom. If you are interested, please ensure you provide a copy of your Working With Children Check to the office. More information can be found at: http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/   

* If there are any parents/families that would be able to help us out with covering our 150 brand new Take Home Books, please see your child's teacher - we need all the help we can get. You can come in, or take some home, any help is appreciated! 

* Term 4 is a SunSmart term - please ensure your child has a MPPS wide brim hat for recess and lunchtimes. Students without hats will be asked to play in the shaded areas.

* Have you finished logging all your donations for the Colour Run? See FlexiBuzz for more information.

Foundation Newsletter - Term 4 - Week 7

Foundation Newsletter - Term 4 - Week 7

Connecting with the Preps
 

Thank goodness the sun shone for us on Wednesday! The children had a fabulous time connecting with the 2019 Preppies in our annual Transition Sports Session. (Is it really a year since the current preps were the little ones starting school??) Under the guidance of the current Grade 5 students, next year's Prep buddies, the prep children and pre-schoolers used 'wombats'(?) to catch bean bags, played with and hid under a rather large parachute, weaved balls in and out of cones with 'real' hockey sticks, jumped in sacks, caught bean bags with a hand held net, kicked soccer goals and threw balls at a rebound net - and more!!

The session was finished with delicious sausage sizzle - cooked lovingly by Lisa, Andrew and Cam (huge thank you 'chefs extraordinaire') - and icy poles.

ALL the children did themselves proud!

 Language

The children have been further exploring the creative narrative genre. They have also been very enthusiastic writers during 'Big Write' sessions. It is fabulous to have families on board, chatting about the proposed topics, sharing ideas and encouraging the children. This certainly helps the children with forming ideas and gives them greater confidence.

The children have been thinking about WOW words - adjectives - to help make their writing more engaging and interesting. They are also thinking more about the content of their writing. The preppies are continuing to learn to reread and edit their work - have they missed any words, are the sentences too long, are the high frequency words spelt correctly, have they used punctuation?                                   

Maths

This week we conclude our two week unit on Sharing. The students have enjoyed sharing 'lollies', counters and teddies while discovering what is a fair or unfair share. The students have enjoyed making up sharing stories and identifying the key words in word problems. Next week we will begin to investigate 2D and 3D shapes.

 

Colour Run

It was wonderful to see and feel such a fabulous community spirit at the Kingston Community Fun Run held last Sunday. It was so much fun to be part of this Colour Run - although for us it should have perhaps been called a Colour Walk or a Colour Stroll in the Park!

We would like to say a huge thank you to every member of the school community who played a part in organising this amazing event. The PFA, led by Amber and Kate, deserve a special mention. WOW - what a team!

 

Reminders

The time has come....this term the children will be encouraged to walk into the classroom and organise their belongings independently.

• Could we please remind all parents and grandparents that students are to remain outside of the building until the bell goes at 8:50 unless an arrangement has been made in advance with a member of staff.
• Our Library day is Thursday.
• We continue to encourage the students to practise their MIOOW words at home and to put them into the tub when they are ready to show us their hard work!
• Could Reading Journals be signed each night and black pockets be at school each day. Thank you
• Term 4 is a SunSmart term - please ensure your child has a MPPS wide brim hat for recess and lunchtimes. Students without hats will be asked to play in the shaded areas.
• Could we please ask that all belongings be clearly named? Thank you.

Dates to Remember!

Walk to School: 7th - 30th November - We encourage all students to walk, ride or scoot to and from school! Even if you live further away you could always walk, ride or scoot part of the way to and from school!
 

Braeside Park Excursion: Friday 30th November (parents needed)

Whole School Sports Day: Friday 7th December (volunteers needed - please let your classroom teacher know)

Christmas Carols: 11th December

Parent Helpers' Morning Tea: 12th December

Stay tuned for more dates for exciting happenings in the Junior School

 

Junior School Newsletter, Term 4 - Week 5

 

 Term 4, Week 5

After a relaxing weekend and busy Melbourne Cup Day, students have returned excited and energetic for their short week. On Monday afternoon, students participated in horse racing, after a horse-themed day which included Melbourne Cup themed Math problems, creative animal drawing, fine-motor skill activities and fun games! Last week, we were lucky enough to have a visit from the Senior School who brought their wonderful picture story books down to us to share. It was lovely to see the year levels mixing and sharing their work. Our visit to the Duck Park was a success, with students learning about the history and geographical significance of the Mentone Racecourse Reserve. We were blessed with wonderful weather, and the students showed respect for their local environment which was great to see. Our Maths Groups for 'Time' and 'Addition' continued to support students in a more targeted manner, and their skills improved throughout the units. We started learning about Remembrance Day and the importance it has in our Australian history. The Remembrance Day Ceremony that is hosted every year at the Mentone RSL will be held on Sunday this year, because it is commemorating the centenary of armistice. We hope families will be able to attend their local ceremony so that our students have the chance to reflect on the sacrifice and courage of the men and women who have bravely fought for our country. Lest We Forget.

Walk to School: 7th - 30th October
Excursion to Braeside Park: Friday 30th November (parents needed)
Whole School Sports Day: Friday 7th December (volunteers needed - please let your classroom teacher know)






In READING this week, we are learning about using clues in the text to predict what will happen next.

During WRITING this week, we are working on narrative writing that includes a beginning, middle and end.

Our latest topic in MATHS is Time and we are working in Maths Groups across the year level to focus on specific skills on a more individual basis. Our next topics focus on revisiting Addition and Subtraction strategies.

This week we continued our INQUIRY topic, 'Location, Location, Location!' focusing on maps and the geographical features of our local area. We walked to the Duck Park and learned about the history of the Racecourse Reserve and how to use maps of the park.

• Please ensure that all students wear helmets if they are riding or scooting to school. If students are not wearing a helmet, they risk serious injury in the event of a crash.
• We always welcome parent/family helpers in the classroom. If you are interested, please ensure you provide a copy of your Working With Children Check to the office. More information can be found at: http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/   
• If there are any parents/families that would be able to help us out with covering our 150 brand new Take Home Books, please see your child's teacher - we need all the help we can get. You can come in, or take some home, any help is appreciated!
• Term 4 is a SunSmart term - please ensure your child has a MPPS wide brim hat for recess and lunchtimes. Students without hats will be asked to play in the shaded areas.
• Have you signed up for the Colour Run? It's happening on November 18 and we are super excited! See FlexiBuzz for more information.

Please take every opportunity to walk, ride or scoot to school over the next two weeks - each class is recording their data to see how many students can walk/ride/scoot all or part of the way to school! Even parking at the end of the street and walking a small distance is good for your health!