Dear Parents and Carers of Year 5,

Can you believe how quickly this term is flying by? Year 5 is deep into their learning journey, and it's been an exciting and productive time in the classroom.

In English and Geography, we’ve been exploring the fascinating world of extreme weather events. The students have been captivated by Jackie French’s gripping stories, which vividly portray natural disasters across Australia. We’ve used these texts to strengthen our comprehension and summarising skills, while also building a strong vocabulary to support the writing of our own fake news articles centered around dramatic weather events.

Our Geography lessons have taken us into the heart of the Australian bush. We've been learning about traditional Indigenous fire management practices like backburning, which help maintain healthy ecosystems. We’ve also examined flood-prone areas around Australia and the different types of floods that can impact communities.

In Mathematics, we’ve been tackling a range of topics: converting between 12- and 24-hour time formats, interpreting and comparing line graphs, ordering and representing decimal numbers, and more recently, working with fractions—adding and subtracting those with the same or similar denominators.

Our Design and Technology focus has been on sustainable living. Students are learning about the design process in preparation for an exciting challenge—designing a sustainable hydroponics garden for our school. While we may not get to build it, the process of designing something so purposeful has sparked some enthusiasm.

In Science, we’ve blasted off into space! The students are learning about our Solar System—how planets orbit the sun and the vital role the sun plays in supporting life on Earth. Soon, we’ll be constructing models to demonstrate our understanding.

We've also had some energetic visits from NRL and AFL development programs, and the students have absolutely loved them. They return to the classroom full of energy and enthusiasm—who knows, we might be nurturing future sports stars!

A few reminders as we head into the second half of the term:

• Learning units are beginning to wrap up, and students will be demonstrating what they’ve learned. Please support your child by encouraging a positive mindset—they are capable of amazing things when they believe in themselves!
  
  
• Don’t forget to return homework folders and library books each Monday. I’ve noticed many are still outstanding.
  
  
• For our keen readers, Sora is available at home on personal devices. All students should know their login details and are encouraged to use it if they’ve finished their current books.
  
  

Thank you for your continued support. We’re looking forward to a strong finish to the term with lots more learning and growth to come!

Warm regards,
Lyndsey Fielding