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Parents Information Night 2020

Parent Information Handout 2020

Term 1 Newsletter

Year 6 Term 1 Letter

 

Year 6, Term 1 Curriculum Newsletter

Welcome to Year 6, 2020.

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

 

Welcome to the 2020 School Year. I hope the first few weeks of life in the Year 6 class have been both enjoyable and stimulating for your child. It has been fantastic to see everyone back with such a positive attitude and displaying so many of the Kid in the Crest values right from the first day of the year. There have already been numerous examples in our classroom of students demonstrating that they can Think and Learn, Care for One Another and Act to Make a Difference in our World. The students have returned with great enthusiasm and it promises to be an exciting year ahead as we prove that we ‘Embrace the Challenges’. I am very much looking forward to the year.

 

We have already been busy establishing routines and expectations for the students, as well as making an industrious start on this year’s curriculum. Activities relating to all of the curriculum areas will be located on our Year 6 Blog,

 

Term 1 Units of Work

 

Religion

Students will explore Prophets of the Old Testament and analyse their key messages and the contexts in which they were written.

 

They will demonstrate their learning when they…

I know I am successful because:

Old Testament

Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding

  • I can understand that the key messages of Old Testament prophets are identified within their social, cultural and historical contexts.

Skills

  • I can use a range of Biblical tools to analyse the social, cultural and historical contexts of some Old Testament prophets including Samuel (1 Samuel 3: 1-4:1a).
  • I can communicate my understanding of some key messages of Old Testament prophets, taking into account their context.

 

Corporal Words of Mercy

I know I am success when I:

Moral Formation

Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding

  • I can explain my understanding of Jesus’ law of Love, grace and freedom.
  • I can connect moral and religious matters to Jesus’ law as a moral right for every human being.
  • I can explain my gift of wisdom from God that enables me to choose good over evil.

Skills

  • I can describe Jesus new law using examples from Matthew 5:17 and other the New Testament stories.
  • I can explain the significance of Jesus new law in moral decision making for all believers.
  • I can make connections between the New Law of Jesus and possible implications for my personal actions.
  • Mission and Justice

Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding

  • I can explain my understanding of Spiritual and Corporal words of mercy in connection to the Church’s teaching about the concern for the common good.
  • Skills
  • I can identify spiritual and corporal words of mercy.
  • I can make connections between the spiritual and corporal words of mercy and the direct scriptural foundations.
  • I can reflect on and express my personal response to the challenge to serve other through the words of mercy.

 

 

English

 

Students will participate in short cycle when planning English to ensure the most recent data from students learning will influence the planning and teaching of English.

 

Cohesive Writing & Spelling

Students will explore Immigration through the story of Refugee by Alan Gratz. The story of 3 children’s journey to a new land during three major historical points in recent history. This connects with our HASS work throughout Semester One.

 

Receptive

  • I am learning to compare information in different and complex texts.

Productive

  • I am learning to make considered vocabulary choices to enhance cohesion in my writing.
  • I am learning to use accurate spelling.

 

 

Mathematics

 

Number and Place Value

  • I can select and apply efficient mental and written strategies and appropriate digital technologies to solve problems including all four operations
  • I can identify and describe properties of prime, composite, square and triangular numbers.

Fractions

  • I can compare fractions with related denominators and locate and represent them on a number line.
  • I can solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fraction with the same or related denominators.
  • I can find simple fractions of a quantity where the result is a whole number, with and without digital technology.

 

Data representations and interpretation.

  • I can interpret and compare a range of data displays, including side-by-side column graphs for two categorical variables.

Fractions & Decimals

  • I can compare fractions with related denominators
  • I can locate and represent them on a number line.
  • I can solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions with the same or related denominators.
  • I can find a simple fraction of a quantity where the result is a whole number, with and without digital technologies.
  • I can add and subtract decimals, with and without digital technologies.
  • I can use estimation and rounding to check the reasonableness of answers.
  • I can make connections between equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages.

Money and financial mathematics

  • Investigate and calculate percentage discounts of 10%, 25% and 50% on sale items, with and without digital technologies.

Science

Physical Sciences – Energy

Students will be exploring how electricity is transferred and transformed from a range of sources. This will be a basis for a year-long class project of exploring and implementing practises with Our Lady of Dolours to reduce our energy usage.

 

I know I am successful when I:

  • I can explain how electrical energy can be transferred and transformed in electrical circuits and can be generated from a range of sources.

 

 

HASS

History

Inquiry Question: Why and how did Australia become a nation?

  • I can identify and communication key figures, events and ideas that led to Australia’s Federation and Constitution.

Inquiry Skills

  • I can present ideas, findings, viewpoints and conclusions in a range of texts and modes that incorporate source materials, digital and non-digital representations and discipline-specific terms and conventions.

 

Civics & Citizenship

Inquiry Question – What are the roles and responsibilities of the different levels of government in Australia?

 

Business and Economics

Purposes of Businesses

Inquiry Questions

  • Why are there trade-offs associated with making decisions?
  • What are the possible effects of my consumer and financial choices?
  • Why do businesses exist and what are the different ways they provide goods and services?

SC –

 

Media Arts

How do images share a story?

  • I can explore representations, characterisation and points of view of people in their community, including themselves, using setting, ideas, story principles and genre conventions in the images, sound and text.
  • I can develop skills with media technologies to shape space, time, movement and lighting within images, sound and text.
  • I can plan, produce and present media artworks for specific audiences and purposes using responsible media practises.

Health

Students will explore the developmental changes throughout puberty and develop an understanding that they are normal.

  • I can investigate developmental changes and transitions.
  • I can identify how valuing diversity positive influences the wellbeing of the community.
  • I can practise skills to establish and mange relationships.
  • I can examine the influence of emotional responses on behaviour and relationships.

 

Digital Technology

Terry Madden

This term, the students will build on their previous experience in block coding. They will use this knowledge and these skills to work in the more advanced Scratch environment which allows a greater scope for creative programming. Students will progress through a series of ‘how-to’ exercises to become familiar with Scratch and then follow their creativity into the unpacking of a range of techniques. They will develop a series of projects that will introduce them to different coding techniques. They will also have the opportunity to extend their coding skills through an online course.

 

Physical Education

Anthony Ebbage

Basketball

Propose and apply movement concepts and strategies in Basketball games with and without equipment

 

Music

Deanne Johnson

In music this Semester, we will to explore the diatonic scale and how that is represented on the staff. We will use tuned and untuned percussion instruments to compose, rehearse and perform our own compositions.  Students will explore form and dynamics and use these elements in their own composition and performances.

 

Special Dates

Parent / Canberra Information Evening –

Swimming – Week 3, 4, and 5

  • In Swim Bag – Swim Cap, Swim Shirts (Rashi), togs, Sunscreen, Towel, plastic bag and thongs. No cap or swim shirt and students will not be allowed to enter the pool. This is BCE policy.

Swimming Carnival  – Monday Week 6 at Everton Park State School

Canberra – Term 3 Week 3 Monday 27th July to Friday 31st July

 

Plastic Waste Reduction

Year 6 is an amazing opportunity for your children to demonstrate leadership at OLD. In Term 1, our RE focus will be on Corporal Works of Mercy, and as school leaders, it is our obligation to demonstrate this to the community. Part of our Corporal Works for Mercy focus will be continuing our whole school focus on our Laudato Si Ecological Conversion project, which is about care for our common home. One area of focus for the past three years is to reduce our impact upon our Earth by eliminating the lunch box wrapper usage in our school. As a year 6 group, we aim to have zero wrappers in our lunch box each day so we can lead our entire school to eliminate the use of single use plastics in our daily lives. It is estimated that over 8 million pieces of plastics finds its way to the ocean every day. We cannot stand by knowing the statistics and not make a stand today. Through the use of reusable plastic containers and the natural wrappers of fruit, we know that we can achieve this and make it part of our daily lives to reduce our footprint on our beautiful earth. There have been many articles in past newsletters and information presented at assemblies that have educated our community on practical ways to implement environmental sustainably habits. If you are unsure, I ask firstly, to ask your child what they know and how they think small changes can be made, and secondly, please do not hesitate to drop me an email for some tips.  We appreciate your support in helping us to be successful in our goal.

 

 

 

Homework

Homework will be sent home each Friday and returned to school the following Friday. This 7-day period provides ample time for students to complete the allotted tasks over the weekend if they commitments throughout the school week make this difficult. The purpose of homework is the revise concepts that are taught throughout the term, pre-reading for classroom learning as well as setting up good self-management skills required for them in high school. Students will be completing their homework digitally by saving the documents to OneDrive and editing it online. This is in support of our Laudato Si Ecological conversion project. If students attend OSHC, they should download the worksheets to OneDrive at school or at home as there is not internet for students at OSHC. All students are expected to read each night for at least 20 minutes. I encourage students to read wide so they can broaden their knowledge and understanding of their world as well as building their vocabulary.

 

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to come and see me or email me. kcole@bne.catholic.edu.au

 

I look forward to an enjoyable year with the students and hope it is a year where they flourish and feel ready for high school.

 

Kind Regards

Katherine Cole

Year 6 Teacher