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- Principal's Report
- 3/4A Can Jump
- Term 3 in 3/4 B
- POD 2 in Term 3
- Book Week
- Tree planting and Somerset historical inquiry
- Grade 6 Newsletter Editors
- Values certificate recipients
- Sanitary products
- Student Assistance Scheme
- Dental Health Week 2021
- Qkr
- How to Install SZapp
- Dates to remember
- Community news
Inquiry Priority
During 2020 and 2021 we have continued our focus on an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning to improve student engagement. One aspect of this was the development of 6 learning assets, with thinking being one of them.
As a teaching staff we have been inquiring into ways that we can make thinking more visible in our classroom and how we can develop students’ awareness of strategies to direct their own learning and become more independent and metacognitive.
If you consider just verbs, the Oxford English Dictionary rates the word think as the 12th most used verb in the English Language. However, for all this usage, how well do we understand what it actually means to think? We decided to find out by asking all our students K-6:
- What is thinking?
- When you tell someone you are thinking, what kind of things might actually be going on in your head?
It was very interesting to read their responses:
- The majority of the responses (70.8%) included examples of what they were thinking about (e.g. I’m going to have nuggets for tea tonight; I’m thinking about going to swimming practice after school).
- Around 7% of the responses were based on regulation strategies (e.g. I think better when I sit by myself; I tap my pencil to help me think)
- Around 11% of the responses were specific strategies to assist with thinking (e.g. I break the problem into smaller parts; I make connections with something I already know; visualise in my head).
To improve students’ awareness of thinking strategies and build independence as learners we will:
- demystify the processes and strategies of thinking by unpacking our THINKING ASSET
- be more specific in the language we use
- focus more on the types of thinking that are involved in a lesson
- model the thinking process.
- developing thinking ‘grit’ or persistence.
- develop a bank of school wide thinking routines to support and scaffold student’s thinking
We are looking forward to surveying the students again in 4th Term to see growth in their awareness of thinking strategies for learning.
We enjoyed our recent inquiry on jumping lengths. All students developed their skills in measuring metres and centimetres, as well as an appreciation for distance as they made estimates and compiled/compared data from their Olympics inspired experiments. Students also explored and applied understanding of the concept of 'times as many' and converting units of measurement.
- If Milla (height =150cm) could jump like a flea (200 times their body length), she would land 30,000cm=300M from her starting point!
Her actual jump was 3.42M, the longest in our class. Even the shortest of jumpers loved this inquiry and did some deep thinking around the big ideas in measurement!
We also welcome two kind and clever young ladies to our class family. It’s been lovely getting to know Peyton and Harmony.
We have had a great start to Term 3 in 3/4 B! Our main learning journey for Chemical and Physical Science has been about how solids and liquids can change when heat is applied, how heat can be produced and how heat can move from one object to another. We have been brainstorming our ideas, conducting short investigations and participating in engaging conversations. Our Science learning has linked really well with our writing as we have been learning about procedural texts. It has also linked well with our measurement learning in Mathematics about length, mass and capacity. We really enjoyed watching the Magic School Bus: In the Arctic as it talks about different heat sources and what the characters use to keep warm. Next, we are going to look at different materials and how their physical properties influence their use.
This term our school is focussing on our Value: To Believe – accepting challenges and embracing opportunities. Our teachers also focus on our school value. Below are short interviews with some of the staff from pod 2 showing their focus on To Believe.
Name: Miss Burgess in 3/4D
Tell us about a challenge at school that came your way?
Our school has a focus on writing this year. I wanted to create a writing community where all my students felt safe to take risks, be creative and share their writing. How could I excite students in my classroom to write?
What opportunities occurred because of this?
By giving students a choice in what they write, I have been able to foster student engagement and excitement. Our writing community has developed through our teacher and peer conferences which have allowed students to have the opportunity to listen to other people’s writing, read their own writing to others and improve their writing skills. This process has allowed students to take ownership of their own writing and become true authors.
Name: Mrs Gale in 3/4C
Tell us about a challenge at school that came your way?
I wanted to support students to make connections between learning areas and to provide better contextual understanding so that the skills they learn at school are transferrable outside of school. I did this by combining Maths (measurement), English (procedure writing) and Science (changes in state of matter) into one inquiry unit where students investigated these concepts simultaneously.
What opportunities occurred because of this?
Not only were they able to develop an understanding of the metric system of measurement, how to create and follow a procedural text and the properties of solids, liquids and gases, they could see why it was important to know these things. And of course, they experienced first-hand how the concepts interconnect.
Name: Miss Richardson in 3/4B
Tell us about a challenge at school that came your way?
With our whole school inquiry approach to teaching and learning at Somerset Primary School, it has been inspiring to see students become more engaged and interested in their education. One area which I felt I could improve my inquiry teaching this year was during our Mathematics lessons. How was I going to make this happen and ensure that I would still see each student during each Mathematics lesson?
What opportunities occurred because of this?
To incorporate an inquiry approach into my Mathematics lessons, I place students into small rotational groups and ensure that at least one rotation activity is hands-on or based around a question or problem which students need to solve. By incorporating different inquiry activities into my teaching and learning program, there is a real ‘buzz’ of enjoyment in my classroom (and sometimes my students don’t even realise they are learning!).
Name: Mrs Lloyd – Pod 2 Leader/Assistant Principal
Tell us about a challenge at school that came your way?
I had to work out a way to ensure I could fit two Reading Groups into my week, with each Reading Group reading with me three times a week. This is really hard as I knew that my timetable was already full and I could really only do one group a week, but I knew these two groups really needed to read with me too. How was I going to ensure these students got their dedicated reading time 3 times per week?
What opportunities occurred because of this?
I thought through an alternate way of doing reading groups. I use alternate days eg Monday Thursday for one group, Tuesday Friday for the other, then I plan the work for their third day for each group and they independently complete it ready to go straight back to work on their second day. So far the strategy has been successful. The students I’m working with are keen to try and do their best, their thinking (comprehension) is improving already this term and we’re working hard.
Dress up day!
Our Book Week dress up day is fast approaching. As in previous years we invite all students to dress up as their favourite book character.
Costumes do not need to be purchased or extravagant. Something homemade or reused is wonderful. Children are welcome to dress up but do not have to. We will have a brief sharing assembly on the 1st September.
Tree planting and Somerset historical inquiry
Our Grade 2 and 2/3 class were very lucky to enjoy some wonderful weather last Friday on their excursion. We travelled through Somerset exploring some signs and artefacts of early settlement as tuning in for our HASS inquiry. We were then lucky enough to create our very own forest habitat for native animals. This was a wonderful chance to demonstrate our Contributor Asset as we took an active role in making positive change in our community. Planting 150 trees for the bees was a rewarding and authentic opportunity to contribute our learning from our Science inquiry from last term. Thanks to Sarah and Tom from New Gen Environmental Services for facilitating this National Tree Day event and Edna and Michael Frost for inviting us to their property to explore, learn and help out.
5/6 Sport’s Expo
On August the 5th the Grade 5 and 6's went to a sports expedition where people from Wynyard to Penguin came together to play different sports. There was a variety of options that we could choose from, however, the Somerset students attended one of the following: soccer, tennis, netball, basketball or football. Whatever sport they chose, everyone came back with smiles on their faces, and if an outdoor sport, a lot of mud on them.
It was a good opportunity for students to meet different people that they will possibly be going to high school with.
At netball it was a good day and students played each school once. Soccer was a blast with Somerset winning 3/5 games, having loads of fun, gathering half the pitch on themselves and scoring lots of goals. Tennis was a great time and students were involved in skills and 2 vs 2 games - some intense matches! Football was a long and tiring day for both the boys and girls. The girls did skills and the boys played games. The boys didn’t get a win unfortunately but there were lots of plovers going around the field. So overall it was a good day at the sports expo and everyone had a blast!
By The Grade 6 Newsletter Editors
Here are our Pod Values certificate recipients for this fortnight. Congratulations to all.
Prep and POD 1
POD 2
POD 3
In line with the Department of Education initiative all schools, including Somerset Primary will have sanitary products available for students when necessary.
As a parent/carer of a child in grades 3-6 we would like you to remind your child if they need to access these products they can ask an adult they feel comfortable with, to access the product if/when needed.
Sanitary products (pads) for students are available in an emergency or an ongoing basis if required. These products are available through the class teachers, office or senior staff team. For further support and information, please contact Amanda Lloyd – Assistant Principal.
The Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) is available for families who hold a Centrelink Health Care Card, Low Income Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or Veterans Affairs Pension Card to assist with school levies.
Applications close on September 7th for 2021. If you would like to apply, follow the link below or call into the office to collect a form.
Dental Health Week is here again with some positive reminders:
- Brush teeth twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste
- Clean in-between teeth (with floss or interdental brushes) once a day: Brushing without cleaning in between teeth may be leaving behind a lot of plaque and bacteria.
- Eat a healthy balanced diet and limit sugar intake: Regularly eating sugary foods and drinks can increase the risk of developing tooth decay.
- Regularly visit the dentist for check-ups and preventive treatment
Please call Oral Health Services on 1300 011 013 for your child’s free dental health check-up.
This is an easy no fuss, way to order and pay for uniform or your childs school levies. There is no service fee to pay when using this app.