Day: March 13, 2020

Term 1 learning fun in Grade 5/6!

We have had a great start to Term 1 in 5/6 with all of the students settling into their new classrooms and routines well.

In literacy students have been building on their skills and abilities. In Reading, the students are focusing on making connections such as connections to problems in society and to themselves. In Writing, we are working on creating Narrative texts and ensuring we Show, Don’t Tell! 

During Maths, the students have been completing problem solving activities related to real life situations. We have also been working on using appropriate mental strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems. Our Inquiry unit exploring ‘A Wild World’ has seen us learning about adaptations of animals and plants and why they have these adaptations.

‘Learning is a constant process of discovery – a process without end’ – Bruce Lee

Term 1 Literacy in Year 4

The Year Four students have had a fantastic start to their learning this year! 

In Year 4, we have reviewed strategies and skills to support fluent reading and practised a range of strategies to find meaning in new or difficult words when reading. Students have also been exploring the different ways we can make and support accurate predictions when we read. These skills, are supporting the achievement of their personal learning goals in Reading.

The students have also planned, written, edited and published some amazing narratives this term. They have created a number of books and texts with great ideas and they’ve shown their growing understanding of using different language and punctuation to help their stories make sense and engage readers.


On Wednesday 11th March, students participated in activities for Multicultural Day. They saw a performance of dances from countries around the world, had a gelato snack break and watched a comedy show performed in Italian. Some grades also had opportunities to complete some activities with their Year 2 buddy grade.

Grade 3 Maths!

This Term, the Grade 3 students have been developing their understanding on place value of 4 digit numbers. They have been completing problem solving tasks that require them to apply place value to model, partition, rearrange and regroup numbers.

The Grade 3’s created place value flowers, that they used to add and subtract from using a 4 digit number. They utilised a range of mental math strategies while completing their task. The students have also been creating number expanders and using place value arrows and MAB to rename 4 digit numbers.

Below are some pictures of the students’ learning tasks.

Year 2 Melbourne Museum Excursion!

On Thursday the 5th of March the Year 2’s set off on a very exciting trip to… the Melbourne Museum! Leading up to our excursion, we have been working hard in class during Inquiry learning all about toys from around the world! We have studied various toys from the past and compared them to toys of the present. 

On the day of the excursion, we participated in an educational program and listened to a story about toys kept through several generations of a family, titled ‘My Grandmother’s Toy Box’. We also visited the Mini Mega Model exhibition, Melbourne Story gallery and Bugs Alive.

We made loads of interesting observations and discoveries! A few things we learnt…

  • Clues to identify toys from different periods of time such as, materials used, colours and patterns in clothing, advancements in the way toys operate etc.
  • Marn Grook is a traditional Aboriginal ball made long ago from possum skin!
  • A small cork model of the Colosseum in Rome, made by Richard Du Bourg around 1775, is the oldest model in the Mini Mega Model Museum. 

Interesting fact: Cork was a suitable material for capturing the decayed character of classical architecture!

  • Two steam train models were made of different materials- one wooden and the other metal. Some of us made connections to experiencing the historic Puffing Billy.
  • We even got to use some of our senses whilst exploring the creepy-crawlies in Bugs Alive! We thoroughly enjoyed seeing, hearing and smelling the world of insects, spiders, snails and other invertebrates.

We had a marvelous time at the Melbourne Museum, and did some fantastic creative writing about it the next day at school!

Clean Up Strathmore PS!

It has been a wonderful start to the year! 

Last week, the whole school took part in ‘Clean up the Yard’, where students and teachers worked together to help clean up the school’s outdoor spaces. Students learned the positives aspects about picking up rubbish on their school environment as well as hygiene when doing so. This event will become a common occurrence at Strathmore PS with the promotion of our ‘Waste Warrior’ program. 

On behalf of the Environment Team and the Waste Warriors, we would like to thank the great number of parents who support such programs as ‘Gardening Club’ and the ‘Waste Warrior’ program. Without such help we would be unable to keep this going!

Health and Physical Education in Term 1

During Term 1 in Health and Physical Education, the students have had many experiences learning new skills and consolidating already learnt skills.   

The Foundation to Grade 2 students have played with a variety of balls and have been consolidating bouncing and throwing.  They are learning the fundamentals of running, skipping, jogging and galloping. The Grade 3 and 4 students have been focusing on a netball unit where they have been learning the rules and skills associated with netball. The Grade 5 and 6 students have been learning the skills of basketball and will be beginning a unit on AFL shortly.

The Health component is also a major element of the Program. This includes discussing the health benefits of physical activity and mental health wellbeing.  This term we have discussed safety when playing sport, the importance of hydration and best practice in the hot weather.

It is a requirement that the students have a hat during Terms 1 and 4 for outdoor HPE activities.  During the year, it is beneficial for them to wear appropriate shoes on their HPE day and also have a drink bottle.

ART News!

Students are continuing to work on their Drawing units this term.

Foundation students have been drawing and painting their self portraits and are about to create the background using lots of coloured paint!  This time, they will be painting without using a paint brush! How crazy is that??!! Students have been creating textures in their painted backgrounds using different utensils to carve into the paint. I can’t wait to see their portraits once they are assembled!

Grade One and Two students are continuing to work on their koala faces. Some are painting backgrounds with leaves and branches, some are creating collages using the painted paper  created in previous lessons, and some will make 3D koala heads attached to a 3D branch with gum leaves.

Grade Three and Four students have been experimenting with chalk pastels to create a drawing of a koala in its habitat. The results have been absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for you to see them! Meanwhile here is a sneaky peek…! (refer to photos)

Grade Five and Six students continue to study Australian Flora and Fauna. After a few weeks of experimenting with oil pastels, drawing still life and learning about tertiary colours, students will begin to create their masterpieces inspired by Margaret Preston and Nicola Woodcock.

Also…..don’t forget to try to visit the NGV for the Haring/Basquait exhibition!!