Stage 3 2021 Mount Colah Public School

Dates for the Diary

April 28th– School Cross Country

April 29th– 30th– Check-In Assessment for Y6

May 7th—Winter PSSA Begins

May 11th—May 21st—NAPLAN

May 26th & 27th– Y5 CARES

June 3rd & 4th– School Photos

June 18th—Gymnastics program begins

End Term 4– Mini Fete

December 6th - 8th– Year 6 Camp

December 13th– Year 6 Farewell

* Canberra– To be advised

Expectations for Stage 3

In Stage 3, we encourage our stu-dents to :

Develop independence

Improve their organization skills

Take control of their learning

English Students in Stage 3 are continuing literature studies based on the books ‘Boy Overboard’ & ‘My

Place’ & ‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’. They will be responding to themes and

issues within texts, recognise point of view and justify interpretations by referring to their own

knowledge, values and experiences. They will identify, critically analyse and respond to tech-

niques, literary devices and language features used by writers to influence readers. Students

will continue the reading log and must be reading at least 5 times a week.

Stage 3 students will continue with the Soundwaves program for spelling and will soon begin

working on a poetry unit which supports their ability to write detailed descriptions in imagina-

tive texts. Through this they will learn to write with different literary devices such as simile,

metaphor, hyperbole and alliteration as well as expanding their vocabulary and growing

knowledge of grammatical patterns. Students have a multicultural speech they will be pre-

senting in Week 5 or 6.

Mathematics Students will be grouped across the stage for the number and algebra strand which allows

students to work at the level that best suits them and allows each child to progress according

to their ability. These groups are fluid and students may move between groups according to

their individual needs. There is a continued focus on mental strategies in Stage 3. It is highly

beneficial for students to learn all of their multiplication facts and automatic recall of other

important number facts.

Number and Algebra

Identify, continue and create number patterns

Rounding, inverse operations and negative numbers

Add and subtract mixed numerals and multiply fractions

Multiply and divide using mental and written strategies

Multiply and divide by 10, 100 & 1000

Add, subtract and round decimals

Measurement and Geometry

24 hour time, time zones and reading and interpreting timetables

Calculate the volume of a prism and choose the appropriate unit to measure volume

Understand the capacity of an object and its relationship to displacement

Select and use the different units of mass and measure objects mass using a scale

Find locations on maps using a grid reference and use compass points to follow directions

Statistics and probability

Collect and tabulate data and create a variety of graphs from the data

Understand and predict the probability of an event and represent this with words and numbers

The development of problem solving skills and working mathematically will also be a feature of the learning program.

Term 2 2021

Visible Learning

This year our school is collectively

working towards developing Visible

Learners. Visible Learning is a re-

searched based program developed

by John Hattie that has proven im-

pact on learning and student moti-

vation. A Visible Learner is someone

who knows what they need to learn,

how to learn it and how to evaluate

their own progress.

In 2021, we will be focusing on de-

veloping our student’s mindsets to

be ready to accept feedback, cele-

brate mistakes and see learning as

an extraordinary challenge. We will

also be training students on how to

use Learning Intentions and Success

Criteria in Literacy and Numeracy.

Science

Visual Arts, Music, Drama and Dance belong to the same Key Learning Area, which is

known as Creative Arts. Class activities are often linked to units of work in HSIE, Science

and English and develop a variety of skills in the Arts.

Science will be taught by Mr Morris. Stage 3 are learning about ‘Earth's Place in the Solar System’ and ‘Exploring Forces’ in Semester 1 and ‘Living off the land’ and ‘Matter matters’ in Semes-ter 2.

Digital technologies- Students will be attend-ing the Technology Centre for weekly lessons

as well as accessing computers as an integral part of the classroom learning program. Stu-dents will be using digital collaborative tools to share, explore, compose, present and view work. In Stage 3, students develop computa-tional thinking skills to collect data, design procedures and solve problems.

2

PDHPE

Creative and Practical Arts

This KLA involves the acquisition of skills and understandings that promote a healthy mind,

body and lifestyle. Emphasis is placed on enjoyment of active participation. Activities in-

clude: fitness, minor games, formal team games, gymnastics as well as PSSA competitions.

Students will be involved in a weekly sport program aimed at developing the fundamental

movement skills necessary for active participation in physical activities. During weekly

sport, game skills for major sports will also be taught (eg. hockey, netball, and cricket). The

physical education program will be enhanced by specialist teachers for dance, gymnastics

and other sports. The regular sport day is Friday. The Zones of Regulation and Growth

Mindset programs are a major focus in Personal Development and both help students de-

velop resilience and perseverance.

Communication with Parents

Class Dojo

School ENews

Newsletter

E: mtcolah-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Homework Weekly Homework may include: -

Daily reading for at least 20 minutes

Spelling activities

Online Maths activities

Learning multiplication facts

Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation (The Zones)

help us support students in managing

all the feelings they experience. Les-

sons and activities teach skills in the

area of self-regulation and emotional

control. Children will learn to identify

what zone they and others are in, and

learn to independently regulate their

emotions and become more resilient.

School Reward System Positive Behaviour for Learning

20 Mini Merits = Merit Award

100 Mini Merits = Principal Award

3 Principal Awards = Bronze Medal

5 Principal Awards = Silver Medal

7 Principal Awards = Gold medal

HSIE HSIE is divided into geography and history. One history unit and one geography unit are taught per year.

This semester, Stage 3 are focusing on ‘Australia as a Nation’ which looks at Austral-ia’s history from 1900 onwards covering top-

ics such as federation, immigration, govern-ment and aboriginal perspectives.

Next semester will be “A Diverse and Con-nected World” where students will learn about diversity and connections with other countries.