Homework

The expectation has been explained to the students. I have explained they are to complete a minimum of 5 x 20 minutes blocks of reading across each week. I have permitted the flexibility to arrange their schedule and when they complete the reading (mornings, evenings, weekends).

Students who are avid readers and exceed these requirements can continue to read in a way that is comfortable and suits their style.

If meeting this homework becomes difficult for your child or... becomes something the parent ends up having to enforce! Let me know, and I can intervene from the school's perspective and support your child to meet expectations. I certainly do not want to promote negativity or stress around reading and will be keen to keep reading homework as positive an experience as possible.

Reading can involve any combination of reading texts, including graphic novels and follow-along audiobooks. Parent to child, child to parent and all manner of independent reading are warmly welcomed.

Units of Inquiry

Our first unit of inquiry of the year is an introduction to our year-long exploration into wellbeing. The goals of the unit include helping students understand what it means to have wellbeing, what factors contribute to it, and how to promote it in themselves and their community.

Students will learn about the different elements that make up wellbeing, such as physical, emotional, and social factors, and how they can impact it. They will also explore the importance of respect for self, others, and the environment in achieving and promoting wellbeing.

The unit will also cover skills and dispositions such as self-management, social skills, reflection, and resilience, with a focus on identifying choices that positively impact personal wellbeing and being reflective about those choices.

Overall, the goal is to help students develop informed actions that contribute to their own and others' wellbeing and to become responsible and caring members of their community.

As part of this unit of study, we are investigating the Growth Mindset and also how we can manage our emotions in difficult situations. In relation to the latter, a key catalyst for discussion has been the short story 'Take a Breath'.

Mathematics

We have commenced Year 3 with a range of mathematical activities designed to build confidence and competency in manipulating numbers. The number relationship between Place Value columns has been a key early focus and is a great lead into Addition and Subtraction. Developing a positive relationship with mathematics is incredibly important.

I will be encouraging the students to recognise that mathematics is an extensive subject that covers a range of topics and areas. It is not possible to be simply good or bad at the subject as it encompasses so many different branches.

We have also commenced our measurement unit around time, and you are encouraged to refer to time in discussions during this term using all the different terminology.

Examples:

• "How long do you have before gymnastics starts?"
• "Dinner will be at quarter past six tonight."
• "Set your alarm for 7 am"

English

Have you heard where the names of the days come from (Monday, Saturday)? Students have been investigating etymology as part of their understanding of how English words were formed and constructed. It is the beginning of our investigation into the construction of words and part of our deep dive into spelling. We recently learnt that 'i, j, q, u, v' are not meant to be at the end of words, and it is intriguing to see why there are exceptions to these rules (you, menu, rev). Students will have shared samples of their narrative writing as we examine the writing process and how to construct writing pieces using various planning techniques. A significant part of our English language learning occurs through our program of inquiry, as students learn through language, using language as a tool to think, listen, discuss and reflect on information, issues and ideas.

MKGE

Minimbah Kitchen Garden Explore has commenced, and the students have sampled the first round of activities.

As the term progresses, they will complete a 3-week unit in each part of the program. Here are some snapshots from their experiences so far.

Craig Kenner