Wow! Week 10 already. Who can believe that another year is nearly over? Not us! There is only 7 school days left, and so much to fit in.

Reading & Writing:
With the Christmas and school holidays fast approaching don’t forget to catch up on your reading and keep notes for writing ideas in 2017.
Reading practise at home is a great way to start the new school year with a bang. Perhaps you might get a book from Santa or a family member, and reading to an adult, brother or sister is a terrific way to rehearse those reading out load skills and strategies.
With your writing ideas, as Roald Dahl says, “When an idea pops into my head I have to write it down straight away, otherwise I may lose it forever”. Great advice from a great author. Try it over the holidays and best wishes for literacy new year.  

Maths:
We are looking at 'time' in maths at the moment. Why not practice at home, especially with reading analogue clocks. The following is a link to a great interactive clock. Practice setting a time and getting your child to answer it! Copy and paste it into your browser to open in.
http://www.visnos.com/demos/clock  

Class Parties:
Class Parties will be occuring on Monday 19th December from 12.10-1.00pm. Please note they were originally scheduled for Friday 16th but due to a clash with the final special lunch order day they have been changed. Please see the invite that outlines further information regarding what food to bring. We can't wait to celebrate what has been an amazing year with our fabulous student's. They all very much deserve it.

Clifton Springs Showcase:
Due to some horrible wind and rain our Clifton Springs Showcase had to be postponed. Fingers crossed for beautiful weather next week for the students (and the teachers) who are excited to share their talent! The showcase will now be Thursday December 16th, with a BBQ from 5.30pm and the performance showcase to start at 6pm. We look forward to seeing families and loved ones there.

2017 classes:
Students were finally able to meet their new teacher and class for 2017 this week and the teachers were all so excited to meet their new classes. We welcome Mr Hanson to Year 3/4 next year, making us a team of four which is super exciting. On transition day we completed some ice breaker and 'get to know you' activities as well as an 'All About Me' banner to display around the room to make students feel comfortable with their new class and get to know their new classmates. We are not 100% sure which rooms we will be in yet but will let students know as soon as we do.

We wish you all the best for christmas and the new year and thank you for all your continued support througout this year.

The 3/4 Team,
Katie Palmer, Brad Beales and Esther Costa.

Wow! We cannot believe how quickly this term has gone. There has been so much fabulous learning happening in the 3/4 area and so much more to do before the term is over.

Maths:
From Division to Mapping
After a pre and post-test in division, it was wonderful to see terrific growth from students based on the strategies used throughout these lessons. This has also been reflected in recent PAT maths assessments which is already showing improvement in the area of number.
This week the students have been learning how to investigate and explore maps, scales and networks which is proving to be a popular topic. With one more week to go exploring this area, students have already demonstrated a firm grasp of the concepts covered so far.

Writing:
Procedures a plenty
With such a wide and diverse selection of ideas and entries to choose from, students have published a kaleidoscope of procedural texts laced with important information and steps for making, doing and constructing. Proof that ‘Blokes Disease’ is well and truly out of our procedural vocabulary. Well done for your amazing effort students! 
This week we have started to look at letter writing and invitations. Students have been engaged so far and are excited to start drafting their letters in a couple of weeks.

Reading:

Students have done a fabulous job this semester with consolidating their understanding of reading comprehension strategies. We have finished working on using the important parts and key information to summarise a text and have begun to bring all the strategies together to synthesise. We are specifically focussing on questioning and predicting to gain a deeper understanding of what we read.

Inquiry:

Students have worked hard to complete their inquiry on ‘The Earth is a Complex Geological Structure that can be Compromised by Human Wants and Needs’. Models and presentations should be completed by next week ready to showcase to the other year levels in the school. We are so impressed with the level of engagement and quality of information on these projects and can't wait to share them.

ICT day:

Miss Palmer and 10 of our ICT leaders were lucky enough to attend a ‘Make a Difference’ day at the Geelong Regional Library last Wednesday. Students were able to explore and use exciting new technologies to enhance learning. After the morning of exploring students were assigned to a group and were set the challenge to design an activity that children in remote areas could use. Students created amazing projects that included a dolls house using electrical circuits, a puzzle using a 3D printer, a maze using a Makey Makey, an activity using Virtual Reality Goggles and more. The ICT leaders were amazing and demonstrated all of our school values on the day, especially Innovation. A huge thanks to Georgia Labbett and Tanya Bonney for helping by driving students to the event.

Wow! I think we have finally recovered from what was an amazing three days at Camp Sunnystones and we are straight back into our learning.

This term is all about consolidating ideas that we have learnt throughout the year and going deeper with concepts already covered. It is already proving to be quite a busy term.

Reading:
In Reader's Workshop we are re-visiting the reading comprehension strategy of inferring. When we infer we use the clues in the text and our prior knowledge to infer information that has been left out. Inferring helps us to understand what we are reading and think critically about texts. We have inferred short texts, short Pixar films and song lyrics.  

Writing:
In Writer's Workshop we have started to explore procedural texts. We have discovered that a procedural text gives you instructions or steps on how to do something or how to get somewhere. Examples of procedural texts that we have seen are recipes, craft books, you-tube tutorials, 'how to draw' books and directions. We will be looking more at the different parts of procedural texts next week so that have some great ideas and inspiration for when we write our own.

Maths:
We are looking at statistics and probability in maths and this week we have been looking specifically at chance experiments. We have discovered words associated with chance including likely, unlikely, possible, even chance, 50/50 and impossible. Some of the chance experiments we have looked at are investigating the likelihood of events happening in a school day, ordering events from least likely to most likely and using dice to see how many times each number is rolled. Next week we will be moving onto creating survey questions, collecting data and representing it using graphs. 

Inquiry:
We have started a new inquiry topic this week and have been inspired by the 5/6 expo so cannot wait to get into it. Our new big idea is 'The earth is a complex geological structure that may be compromised by human wants and needs'. Although this seems like a daunting concept and students may not be so sure what it all means just yet we have lots of immersion and fun activities planned to assist them in understanding it. So far we have broken down the big idea and discussed the words in it to gain a better understanding. We will be introducing students to the assessment in the next few weeks so will keep you posted.

Camp:
What a great three days we had at Camp Sunnystones. All students were so well behaved and appeared to have a fabulous time. It was so good to see so many students stepping up into leadership roles during activities. A big thanks to all the class teachers, aides and pre service teachers who attended camp. It is such a huge ask but it is very much appreciated. We can't wait for Sovereign Hill next year!

​
Alert! ‘Bloke’s Disease’ is on the rise.
Question: What is ‘Bloke’s Disease?’
Answer: Someone who cannot or will not read or follow instructions in a procedural text.
Do you have a family member with Bloke’s Disease?
- Do they try to build, make or do something without following the instructions?
- Do you have a wheelbarrow that looks like a bird bath, a bookcase that looks like Picasso’s Weeping Woman, or a three legged chair?
- Are there always left over nuts, bolts, screws and spare parts?
If so, then that person may be suffering from Bloke’s Disease.
What to do
Students, if you suspect that a family member is suffering from Bloke’s Disease, act now and teach them how to write and follow a procedural text.
It may just save your home from Do-it-yourself disasters.
A friendly (LOL) alert from Mr. Beales.

Let's hope this weather holds up for a fabulous weekend.


Miss Palmer, Mr Beales and Ms Costa.

Wow! How fast has term 3 gone? We cannot believe it is the end of another term, with only one to go!
Writer’s Workshop

School holidays are a great opportunity to collect terrific experiences for new writing ideas and entries.
Roald Dahl’s Writing Tips:
‘A story idea is liable to come flitting into the mind at any moment of the day, and if I don’t make a note of it at once, right then and there, it will be gone forever. So I must find a pencil, a pen, a crayon, a lipstick, anything that will right, and scribble a few words that will later on remind me of the idea. Then, as soon as I get the chance, I go straight to my hut and write the idea down in an old red-coloured school exercise book.'

Reader's Workshop 

We have been practicing our fluency when reading, focusing on expression, pace and using punctuation correctly.

Over the holidays could you please make sure your child is reading everyday. While they are reading why not ask them to read aloud to you to practice reading with fluency! 

Maths

We have been practicing using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to create and solve worded problems. This is developing our multiplicative thinking and gives us practice with using the Mathematician's Toolbox.
If you would like to practice over the holidays try applying these skills to real life situations, such as at the supermarket, petrol station etc.

Swimming

Our swimming program was a huge success. This would not of been possible without the help of the teachers in prep, year 1/2, 3/4 and all aides. The progress student's made over the eight days was amazing to see and all student's enjoyed themselves, especially on the last day when they were treated to a play on the waterslides!



The 3/4 team wishes you all a wonderful and safe school holiday. We look forward to seeing you back ready to go for an exciting term four.

Brad, Katie and Esther.

Reading:

We have been learning how to create meaningful questions about a text before, during and after reading. This skill assists students with comprehension and understanding of a text and encourages students to be inquisitive about the texts they read. Examples of questions you can ask your child/ren include 'what does the title tell you?', 'what questions do you have during reading?', 'is there anything you are wondering about right now?' and 'what questions to you have when you finish reading?'. Why not try asking some of these questions while you are reading at home.

Writing:

We are starting to explore some wonderful poetry drafts full of rich, vibrant word choices and exciting ideas pouring out through students own voices. By now students have been immersed in a range of poems and have strategies in place for creating insightful, stunning poetry. Students should have these published by the end of this term so we will upload them to SeeSaw for you to see.

Maths:

Students have been exploring decimals this fortnight and have made connections to real life situations such as money, measurement and time. Students have explored tenths, hundredths and thousandths in the place value system and how they build towards one whole number. 

Inquiry:

We have recently begun a new inquiry into 'Profit and Not for Profit Organisations and the effects they have on our community'. We look forward to the interesting wonderings students create throughout this topic and look forward to insightful presentations in the last week of Term 3.

District Athletics:

Congratulations to all students who competed in the District Athletics, proudly representing our school. For those who received a ribbon but were to young to qualify for the next level, we wish you luck next year. A great sign for the future!

Book Week:

Students had a great time dressing up for book week, with some outstanding book characters on display during our Book Week parade. It was great to see so many students and teachers involved. Thanks to the Grade 5/6 students who visited classes at lunchtime to read a book each day.

​Camp:

Final notes for camp have been sent out this week with students. Please return these by Wednesday September 7th so that we can finalise camp details. Final payment due by Monday October 3rd.

Welcome to our week 6 update. We can't believe we are over half way through the term already!

We have been doing some fabulous work once again in the 3/4 area, with lots of hands on work and building on skills we learnt earlier in the year.

Reading

In class we have been focussing on predicting when reading. This has included reading a text carefully and understanding the question, finding any information related to the question, finding important information, thinking about what an author is suggesting and considering all possible answers before making a decision. When students are reading to you at home they should now be able to use these terrific predicting strategies to further enhance their understanding of a text. 

Writing

This week we have started to explore poetry in our classes. We have a selection of poems in each classroom that students are looking at to inspire them for when it is time to draft and publish their own poetry pieces. One important thing that we have learnt so far is that not all poems rhyme! Students have worked hard to publish their information reports so keep an eye out on SeeSaw for these fabulous pieces.

Maths

We have been learning some exciting new concepts in maths. These include formal and informal units of measurement for volume, capacity and mass. Students have been challenged with hands on tasks that are linked to real world applications. Don't be surprised if your child asks you a question about this around the house! It has been amazing to see students knowledge and confidence grow in these areas over the fortnight. 
Year 4 students have begun their LAF Maths journey this fortnight to work on their multiplicative thinking skills. A letter will be sent home shortly explaining the process of these lessons. Year 3 students are lucky enough to be working with Mrs Driscoll and Mrs Corless on similar activities that will also enhance their multiplicative thinking.

Student Led Conferences

Student Led Conferences will be held on Tuesday 23rd August between 2.30pm and 6.30pm. This is a fantastic opportunity for you, a family member or friend to see the amazing work students have been doing this year. The students have picked their favourite work and are excited to share it. A reminder to book in using the code that has been sent home. If you are unable to attend and would like to make another time feel free to arrange with your student's teacher.

District Athletics

Good luck to the selected students who will compete in the District Athletics with Mrs Hales in week 7. We can't wait to see how you go and we wish you the all the best. Notes need to be returned ASAP if they have not been already.


We look forward to seeing you at our Student Led Conferences next week so you are able to see the work that the students have worked so hard to complete.
​

Mr Beales, Miss Palmer and Ms Costa

Welcome to the latest instalment of the 3/4 team blog.

A little belated message about our new rooms and how the students and teachers have been settling in.
With exciting new renovations underway, the entire 3/4 team has moved into other parts of the school. 3/4P being situated in the Library, 3/4C in the Music room and 3/4B in the Science portable.
Pleased to announce that all teachers and students have made the transition successfully and classes are running smoothly.

Olympic Ceremony at C.S.P.S

We are all excited about Monday's Olympic Opening Ceremony which will be followed by three rotations of olympic style activities. Each class was able to randomly select a country to represent at assembly and has been busy researching information about their countries olympic history. 3/4P will be representing Spain, 3/4C will be representing Germany and 3/4B will be representing Canada.
Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy this fabulous event. Full details are on the flyer that was sent home. 

The great C.S.P.S Spelling Bee

One student from each class will be selected as their class champion spelling bee. A spelling bee championship final will be held at each assembly starting with the 5/6 students on August 5th, 3/4 students on August 12th, 1/2 students on August 19th and Foundation level students on August 26th.
All level champions will have a special presentation at assembly on September 2nd.

Sunnystones Camp

The wheels are in motion for our Sunnystones camp to go ahead from October 5th-7th. Please make sure that notes have been returned as well as the deposit so that final numbers can be tallied.

Bike Ed and Road Safety

3/4 students started their Bike Ed and Road Safety courses on Thursday August 4th. All students were very excited for the journey ahead and the fun activities that have been planned.

Student Led Conferences

Personalised Student Led Conference invitations will be heading home soon, and the students are looking forward to showcasing all the wonderful work they have been doing throughout the year so far.

Another busy and fun filled term so far. We cannot believe it is already half way through!

From the 3/4 team.

Good afternoon 3/4 families and friends,

It has been another busy couple of weeks in the 3/4 team, with lots of exciting activities that have taken place.

Education Week:

Education week was such a huge success and we would like to thank each and every parent/family member that came to see the wonderful learning that was happening in 3/4 on Open Day. It was a little crazy during the middle block, with students having specialist classes so we could plan more great lessons for the following week, but the students were very excited to have the chance to showcase their learning from other areas. We hope that families got to see a snapshot of the fabulous work we are doing.

Athletics Day:

Another huge success was the 3-6 Athletics Day at Landy Field. The excitement on the grade 3's faces, with this being their first trip was great, and participation in all areas from both year levels was phenomenal despite the chilly weather! A big thanks to Ms Hales and Mrs Tolley who put a lot of effort in to oranise the day for us.

Environment Day:

A big thanks to Ms Costa for organising the 3/4 Environment Day at the Clifton Springs Boat Ramp. It was fabulous for the students to have the chance to interact with their local environment and to learn more about where they live. The students were engaged in all the activities, especially enjoying the tree planting! 

Maths:

In Maths we have been busy learning about area over the past few weeks. Students have been working hard to measure the area of regular and irregular shapes using formulas and supplying the answer in the formal measurements of cm2 and m2. Last week the students were set a challenge to work in teams to create a 'Granny's Rug' measuring exactly 1m2. They worked fantastic in their teams and it was fabulous to see the strategies they used to make their rug. 

​Reading:

In Reading, we have looked at how to summarise both fiction and non-fiction texts using the interesting and important parts of a text. Students learnt how to identify the who, what, when and where in a text in order to create a summary. The students were able to summarise song lyrics, poems, an information report and a play.

Writing:

We have been very excited during Writer's Workshop at the moment as we have been investigating the fantasy genre so that we can begin to write our own fantasy narratives. Students have been inspired by texts such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Witches, Matilda, Willy Wonka and Disney classics. Students have been writing entries about their fantasy characters, setting, plot and magic, and have just moved on to planning and drafting their writing.
We look forward to sharing the published pieces with you that capture the vast imaginations of the students!!

Inquiry:

Students have continued to work hard to complete their inquiry on 'The Availability of Food is Affected by Climate, Population and the Economy'. The students are presenting in a variety of ways such as video presentations, posters, dioramas, trioramas and booklets that are showcasing their creativity! We look forward to posting some photos of the finished products on here shortly!


Please feel free to let us know if there is information you would like to see form us on our 3/4 blog.

Well done to the students on another fantastic fortnight of learning!

Miss Palmer and the 3/4 Team.

We have been working hard in the 3/4 classrooms to get all students onto two exciting new apps that will add a change to the way we are able to complete tasks. The students have been eager to use their devices more for learning and have been very enthusiastic when completing must-do tasks this week! The two ICT leaders from each classroom will take the lead when learning more about these apps and will teach their peers with any new updates.

SHOWBIE
Showbie is an app where work can be completed digitally and submitted for the teachers to view and give feedback. This is already saving on photocopying and keeping students engaged. Students will also be getting their goals up and running on Showbie and will be able to digitally record the ways in which they are achieving them. This is a fantastic way to keep the students accountable of their goals and excited to achieve them.

SEESAW
SeeSaw is an app we will be using as a digital portfolio to record the work that students are proud of. This app will be especially helpful when 3 way conferences come around as students will have their work all in one spot ready to show parents instead of searching through all their workbooks (saving precious time). Students can upload photos, write comments and add voice recordings to view their work.

Both these apps are private to the students and all items need to be approved by the teacher before being added to the students account. This means that teachers see all work that passes through the app to ensure appropriate content. 

There is a parent apps for SeeSaw that we will ask you to join once we are a little more confident with using the app. This will create a great home/school connection and allow you to see the work that your student is completing throughout the year and allow you to comment on their progress.

The addition of these apps in the classroom means that devices are being used on a regular basis. This means that classroom teachers are cracking down on inappropriate behaviour with devices. Please have a chat to students about appropriate behaviour on ICT and look back over the agreement that was signed at the start of the year to ensure that these expectations are clear. Students will be warned but if they abuse this privilege there will be consequences to ensure cyber safe classrooms!

Students that are not part of the BYOD program will still have access to these apps.