Welcome to Term 3!

I hope everyone enjoyed the break! Term 3 has got off to an exciting start with the commencement of our Swimming program. Students in JST and JSB are enjoying going each Wednesday to participate in swimming lessons. Thank you to our wonderful parent helpers who have assisted at the pool, as well as with hair drying back at school.

Our timetable has changed slightly this term, with Library now on a Monday, and Art has finished with Music lessons now on a Friday.

In Maths, we have begun learning about 2D and 3D shapes. Students enjoyed going on a Shape Hunt and recording what shapes they could find around the school.

We also explored what a tessellation is and how to make our own.

Our Inquiry topic 'May the force be with you' has begun, with students very excited and engaged with the topic. Students have also been asked to bring in some toys that use force for Show and Tell this term. Here are some great items that have been shared:

Mikhayla brought in her Mum's special childhood clock and explained to us how it works.

Harrison brought in some paper aeroplanes and demonstrated how to use them.

A friendly reminder that students need to complete their home reading each night, and practise their weekly spelling words at least 3 times a week. Another great website for practising weekly words is Word Safari - http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/Safari/safari.htm

End of term!

We are getting close to the end of term and JST are working very hard to get all their wonderful work finished. For Writing this term, we have studied narratives and learnt how to plan, draft and publish our own stories. Below are two 'works in progress' by Amy and Harrison.

We can't wait until are stories are finished and then we can share them with everyone.

Last week we began our new Inquiry topic "May the force be with you'. On Friday all of Junior School enjoyed an excursion to CSIRO to learn about forces and movement.

A great website for children to look at is www.edheads.org and go to 'Simple machines' for more information about forces.

In Maths this week we have started learning about Symmetry. We have discussed how an object is symmetrical when one half is the mirror image of the other half. Here are some of the activities we have enjoyed:

Using paint to make symmetrical butterflies and ladybugs.

Using a mirror to see the other side of our shapes.

Finally a big thank you to all the parents and friends that came to see our wonderful Inquiry presentations. The children were very proud of their efforts and thank you for all the positive comments written about their work.

On Sunday 25th April it was Anzac Day. To commemorate this special day, we learnt about the history of Anzac biscuits. Students followed the recipe and had lots of fun cooking and tasting the biscuits. Yum!!

Mrs Bird also read a special story called 'Simpson and his donkey' by Mark Greenwood to JSB and JST.

In Maths we have been learning about Patterns. We have decided that a pattern must repeat itself and have enjoyed experimenting with shape, colour, size and number patterns. Here is Sarah making a pattern:

Students have also been making good progress with their weekly spelling words. Please make sure your child is having at least 3 practises of their words each week. It makes a big difference on our Friday spelling tests!!

Super spelling by Holly!

In our Inquiry unit 'I am, you are, we are Australian', students have begun answering their 'wonderings' about our topic. Here are a few of our clever questions:
- What are the special features of an echidna? (By Bailey)
- What patterns are on the Australian and Aboriginal flag? (By Alex)
- Why do people from other countries come to live in Australia? (By Natasha)

Keep up the good work JST!!

Welcome to Term 2!

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and are ready for a busy Term 2! This week we have worked hard to plan, draft, edit and publish a piece of writing about our holidays. Students are just putting the finishing touches on their work and then it will be collated as a book for the class to enjoy!


Some examples of our holiday writing by Callum, Grace and Tiah.

In Maths we have continued our Addition and Subtraction unit, and have focused on subtraction strategies this week. The students are getting very good at explaining how they have worked out their answers.

Aiden's work - using a number line to work out subtraction problems.

Spelling homework will begin this Term and students will be bringing home their Spelling booklet on Monday 19/4/10.

Lastly, a big thankyou to the parents who have offered to help with our Literacy program this term!

Another busy week in JST!

This week in Maths we have continued developing our understanding of Place Value. We have used unifix blocks and icy pole sticks to learn about ones, tens and hundreds.














We also made 'No bullying' badges as part of our Foundations program. The students have been very patient with me while Mrs. Bird taught me how to use the badge making machine!! The badges are now ready for children to wear with pride.





















Lastly, we would like to introduce our class mascot Max. Finn was kind enough to bring him in to share with JST. We decided that Max is fun, friendly and likes to learn new tricks. Just like everyone in JST! Max will be presented at next Monday's Indoor Assembly and then go home with a different student for a weekend. Also, don't forget to come in and visit our room!

Welcome to JST!

I hope you enjoyed your holidays! My name is Miss Temple and I am very excited about teaching Junior School this year. I taught Grade 3/4 at Yarrambat P.S for three years and have been teaching overseas in London for the past two years.

First week of school

We have had a great first week in Junior School. The children and I have enjoyed getting to know each other and settling back into the routine of school. This week we have used our Foundations program to discuss important school values and build positive relationships. We have been very busy making welcome signs, writing about our holidays and designing an 'All about me' t-shirt. Parents are welcome to come and visit our classroom at any time!