Wednesday 25 October 2017

Senior School Term 4 Weeks 1,2 & 3

Senior School Term 4 Weeks 1,2 & 3

CONNECT WITH
THE SENIOR SCHOOL



Reminders:
Nude Food Week is next week!Next week, students are encouraged to bring nude food (food without packaging) and these students will go into a raffle for a prize. We will be learning about the importance of healthy eating and also minimising our waste throughout the week. A notice has been sent home explaining the necessary information.

Next Friday 3rd of November- Morning TeaAs part of Nude Food Week, each class will be sharing a morning tea. It would be great if the students could bring some cut up fruit and vegetables to share with their grade.

Grade 6 Graduation Photo & Whole School PhotoHeld on Friday the 3rd of October

Cup Day- 7th of November



 Learning and Teaching 
 
ENGLISH


Writing- To begin the term, students wrote recounts about their holidays. For the past 2 weeks, students have been using their creativity to write captivating narratives. It has been wonderful listening to the students talk about how much they have improved with their creative writing. We have been exploring different methods of beginning and ending a story. 


Reading- Students have been learning how to create a new understanding through combining their prior knowledge with the information from the text. They have been exploring this notion through guided reading and independent activities.
MATHS: 

We wrapped up the unit on Fractions, Decimals and Percentages in week 1 with our groups. It was great to see students become confident with such a challenging topic.
We have moved onto Time as our next focus. This includes reading an analogue clock to the minute, converting between 12 hour and 24 hour time, calculating elapsed time, investigating time zones and interpreting timetables. 



INQUIRY 

Design and Technology is our focus for Inquiry this term. Since the beginning of term, students have discussed the role of an engineer and researched famous engineers. Last week, Mrs Windley discussed the design process with the support of her VCE Design & Tech folios.

Students, working either individually or in pairs, started to discuss problems they encounter in their lives which could be solved with a new design or product.

It's important to note that we will be taking the students step by step through the design process every Friday. Students will begin to research existing designs and starting to sketch their ideas this week. 

Wednesday 13 September 2017

Senior School Term 3 Weeks 8 & 9

Senior School Term 3 Weeks 8 & 9

CONNECT WITH
THE SENIOR SCHOOL



Reminders:
Teachers vs. Students Basketball Match- This Friday 15th of September
A Sausage Sizzle will be on Friday as a fundraiser for the grade 6 graduation.
Sausages in bread are $1.50. Students who wish to have a sausage are to bring cash on the day. (No QKR payments)

Curriculum Day- Monday 18th of September


Footy Day- Wednesday 20th of September
All parents are welcome to come along and enjoy the day with us.

STEM & Inquiry Parent Gala Day in the Senior Building
 Friday 22nd of September
Senior students will be showcasing their inquiry and STEM projects in the Atrium. All parents welcome to view their work from 9- 10 am.

Last Day of TermFriday 22nd of September
Early Finish- 2:30pm



 Learning and Teaching 
 
ENGLISH

Students have been learning how to identify the main idea in a text and the key information. They have been practising this skill using News for Kids articles and their own novels.

Reviews and Informative Texts have been the focus in our writing sessions. Students reviewed an ABC series called 'Little Lunch' which the students absolutely loved. Now we've just got to find a way of getting the opening song out of our heads!


Image result for little lunch opening

They have also written information reports on an event during the Colonial times. Many students are decided to include these texts in their Inquiry projects. 
MATHS: 

We began our unit of Fractions, Decimals and Percentages last week where students have explored a variety of concepts in their maths groups, some of which include equivalent fractions and fractions of whole numbers. We will continue this unit at the start of Term 4.


STEM & Inquiry 

As we are approaching the Parent Gala Day, the students are excitedly putting their STEM and Inquiry presentations together. We look forward to seeing you on Friday the 22nd of September to celebrate their hard work!




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Wednesday 30 August 2017

Senior School Term 3 Weeks 6 & 7

Senior School Term 3 Weeks 6 & 7

CONNECT WITH
THE SENIOR SCHOOL



Reminders:
District Athletics Day- Monday 4th of September at Dolamore Oval
(for those who made the team)
STEM Parent Gala Day- a day to be determined in the last week of Term 3
Footy Day- Wednesday 20th of September



 Learning and Teaching 
 
ENGLISH
 
Students have been learning about the different types of questioning and using these appropriately with their text. This week our focus has been on Summarising, using the main ideas and key points from particular texts. They have been using connective words and have identified story elements within the texts.

During bookweek, senior students teamed up with students from the 1/2 area and discussed and read their favourite books; why it was their favourite, when did they receive the book, who bought it for them etc.
Students from the senior school supported the book fair with great enthusiasm, many books were purchased. Happy reading for us all!!
 

MATHS: 

Students have worked successfully in groups to complete their unit on Area and Perimeter. We have now begun to look at Fractions, Decimals and Percentages which will enable us to cover the real aspects of these in our daily lives. It will be a great help if students could bring in catalogues or pamphlets of any kind so we can use them as the unit unfolds over the next few weeks.


STEM:  

Students continue to tackle our challenging STEM tasks both in groups and individually. As students undertake each task they work through a 6-step process in order to achieve the activity's goal: challenge, research, ideas, design, outcome and evaluation. The students have developed a greater understanding of design and testing their creations. We are looking forward to the finished products over the next few weeks.


INQUIRY: 

It's been fantastic to see how interested students have become in the history of Australia. We are working our way through a fascinating unit on the colonisation of our nation and the students are now focused on what they hope to investigate and include in their individual projects. Students have had the opportunity to research using the focus questions they have been given.

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Thursday 17 August 2017

Senior School Term 3 Weeks 4 & 5

Senior School Term 3 Weeks 4 & 5

CONNECT WITH
THE SENIOR SCHOOL



Reminders:
Book Week- Monday 21st- Friday 25th of August
Father's Day Stall- Tuesday 29th of August
District Athletics Day- Monday 4th of September at Dolamore Oval
STEM Parent Gala Day- a day to be determined in the last week of Term 3
Footy Day- Wednesday 20th of September



 Learning and Teaching 
 
ENGLISH
 
Students have been applying their new understanding of Figurative Language and have composed engaging narratives on 'The Fugitive.' We have seen great examples of Metaphors, Similes, Idioms, Oxymorons, Onomatopoeia, Hyperbole and Personification.  


Students have also begun to learn about biographies and how we can tell a story of someone's life. We have seen plenty of research and interviews taking place as students' discover the life stories of their peers, family members and important individuals. This will come in handy as we continue learning about the colonisation of Australia in Inquiry.


MATHS: 

Students have worked successfully in groups to complete their unit on Multiplication and Division. We have now begun to look at Perimeter and Area which will enable us to cover the appropriate use of units of measurement, measurement in our daily lives, the algorithms for finding the perimeter and area of objects, as well as designing our dream homes. 


STEM:  

Students continue to tackle our challenging STEM tasks both in groups and individually. As students undertake each task they work through a 6-step process in order to achieve the activity's goal: challenge, research, ideas, design, outcome and evaluation. We have already seen some great innovation as students design, test and then make necessary changes to their spinning tops, marble courses and bridges. 


INQUIRY: 

It's been fantastic to see how interested students have become in the history of Australia. We are working our way through a fascinating unit on the colonisation of our nation and soon students' will begin to apply their understanding of biographies to the men and women who shaped Australia. Students have been given their project outlines today, on which they will be completing at school over the coming weeks. There is no expectation that the students complete their projects at home, however if they would like to conduct more research, they are most welcome to. 


SPORT 

Students have rotated through all 10 of our athletics events with students running, jumping and throwing each Friday. We will now put together a team to represent MPPS at Dolamore Oval on Monday 4th September.




Wednesday 2 August 2017

Senior School Term 3 Weeks 2&3

Senior School Term 3 Weeks 2&3

CONNECT WITH
THE SENIOR SCHOOL



Welcome Back to Term 3:
We welcome all families of senior students back to a jam-packed Term 3. We have many exciting programs running this term and can see that the students are refreshed and re-energised from such a hectic ending to Term 2.

Reminders:
Trivia Night- Saturday August 5th
Parent/Teacher Interviews- Tuesday August 8th
Book Week- Monday 21st- Friday 25th August
District Athletics Day- Monday 4th September at Dolamore Oval
STEM Parent Gala Day- a day to be determined in the last week of Term 3


 Learning and Teaching 
 
ENGLISH
Students will be learning about Figurative Language and how it helps in engaging the reader over the next 3-5 weeks. Metaphors, Similes, Idioms, Oxymorons, Onomatopoeia, Hyperbole and Personification are all examples of Figurative Language and will be studied in detail in order to improve meaning and understanding of the author's purpose. 


We are learning to write Limericks. A Limerick is a five-lined poem used for humour and entertainment. We have been very entertained by the creative poetry the students have produced. Below is a selection of students' work:

The Queen is so old and bossy
It's weird her dog's name is Rossy
She picks her nose
With a prickly rose
She should try being an Aussie- John Senior R

There was a grade called Senior R
One day their door stood ajar
Their teacher was out
Chaos was about
The kids even stole Alison's car!- Gigi Senior R

There once was a guy called Dan
His whole life he'd lived inside a van
The town cried 'hooray'
When the van rolled away
Because Dan was a selfish man! -Eden, Senior W

MATHS
Students are working through a Multiplication and Division unit over the next 3 weeks. We will be working in groups to provide targeted teaching for progress and growth, work through common misunderstandings and apply the learning through activities such as; student-led game developments, speed maths and classwork.



STEM: Students will work their way through a range of challenging tasks both individually and in groups. Students follow a 6-step process in order to achieve the activity's goal: challenge, research, ideas, design, outcome and evaluation. This term's challenges are Spin, Spin, Spin! Marble Run and Build a Bridge ending in a Parent Gala at a date to be determined in the last week of this term. 

SPORT: Term 3 is an Athletics term. Each Friday we will be rotating through 10 events (100m, 200m, 800m, 1500m, hurdles, shot put, discus, long jump, triple jump and high jump) where we put together a team to represent MPPS at Dolamore on Monday 4th September. Our sessions will be held every Friday from 11.45- 1pm. If any parents have any expertise or simply wish to help out with recording, timing etc, please come and see Cameron Riley. Please also note that no oranges are required!! 

CAMP: What an amazing time we had at camp! We cannot speak highly enough of the students' behaviour and how they upheld the school values at all times. Watching the students approach each activity with enthusiasm, excitement, courage and enjoyment made us very proud as teachers. So much so, we would be happy to take your children away anytime (cough, wink, cough)!!! Enjoy the photo gallery below.




 

Wednesday 7 June 2017

Senior School Term 2 Weeks 7 & 8

Senior School Term 2 Weeks 7 & 8

CONNECT WITH
THE SENIOR SCHOOL




Reminders:
Queen's Birthday, Monday 12th June- NO SCHOOL!!
Camp- Please note that final payment is to be made by Monday 12th June and all medical forms must be brought back and given to the class teacher ASAP.
Interschool Sport- Friday 9th June, MPPS Vs Kingswood B at home. Please bring an orange. Members of the football team will be given a jumper to take home and wash as they are getting smelly!!
 Learning and Teaching 
 
ENGLISH
Students have written some amazing Haiku Poems this week. Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines. The first and last lines of a Haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. The lines rarely rhyme. We thoroughly enjoyed reading their Big Writes where students represented their gratitude following this process.
 

MATHS
Students are working hard on their Statistics and Probability projects. They have had to choose a topic, design a questionnaire, survey peers, collect data, draw 2-3 different types of graphs and provide a data analysis statement in order to present their findings to the class. 
 


STEM: Following on from our Catapult and Fidget Spinners, this time, our challenge is to construct an apparatus that can transport as many marbles as possible across a 3m span. Students are given a list of suggested materials, some will be provided at school, but students are able to bring suitable materials from home if they wish.




EDUCATION WEEK OPEN NIGHT:
Thanks to those families who attended and celebrated our Science and STEM open night in the Senior Building. It was great to see so many students, parents and siblings getting involved in the teaching and learning of our Inquiry topics.




 

Monday 22 May 2017

Senior School Term 2 Weeks 5 & 6

Senior School Term 2 Weeks 5 & 6

CONNECT WITH
THE SENIOR SCHOOL




Reminders:
School Payments and Wellbeing Incursion
Students participated in a wellbeing incursion called 'Show Some Respect' on Monday the 22nd of May. The students were fully engaged as shown by listening intently and asking thoughtful questions. Just a friendly reminder to check you have paid $7 to cover the cost of this worthwhile incursion.

Another friendly reminder to check your school statements, as there are many outstanding payments for the following events:
- Beach Swimming
- Yoga
- District Cross Country 

- Wellbeing incursion

Statements are being sent home this week, please have a look and check, this will be greatly appreciated, before we can plan any future events.

Open Night
During our open night on Thursday the 25th of May, 6-7pm, we will be showcasing how we are fostering curious learners in the senior school through science experiments and our recent STEM projects. All parents and students welcome. 
Interschool Sport 
 This week we take on St. Brigid's at home and all games commence at 9.30am. We would love to see some parents come down for support. Could all students please bring an orange.


Learning and Teaching 
 
ENGLISH
Students have written two explanation texts where they 
logically described the stages in a process and why it is important. In reading, we have been focussing on the strategy- connecting where students have been challenged to form deeper connections to a text, whether it be connecting it to a personal experience or world event. 


MATHS

Students worked through various concepts relating to extended addition
 and subtraction, including 3 and 4-digit carrying, worded problems, solving missing addends and trading.
We look forward to commencing our unit on Statistics next week, where students will be gathering data and producing a project. 



Wednesday 26 April 2017

Senior School Term 2 Weeks 3 & 4

Senior School Term 2 Weeks 3 & 4

CONNECT WITH
THE SENIOR SCHOOL




Last week we started our Inquiry Unit on chemical and physical science. Students brainstormed their ideas on both topics and then undertook an activity where they had to categorise examples into either the physical strand or chemical strand: an egg breaking, mowing grass, shredding paper, burning toast, popping popcorn and crushing a can. We then learnt how to write up a scientific report using the headings; Question, Prediction/Hypothesis, Materials, Method, Table of Results and Findings.  

Our experiment was to find out how many half teaspoons of salt can dissolve in 50ml of water. Fair to say the findings did not match our predictions!!! We also discussed the many variables that could have affected the outcomes. Stirring Vs non-stirring, fork Vs spoon, length of time to wait for the salt to dissolve and whether each cup was measured to exactly 50ml were all examples of variables.
We are looking forward to immersing the students in 4 new science experiments this Friday!
Pictures of this experiment can be viewed below.

Reminders:
 Art- Students will need their art smocks during Term 2 classes.
Camp forms and $100 deposit is due Friday 12th May. Camp packs with relevant information will be sent home in the coming weeks.
Year 7 2018 transition forms due Friday 12th May.
 
Interschool Sport
We started Winter Interschool sport last week against St. John Vianney's with excellent feedback of sportsmanship from all teams. This week we take on St. Mark's at home (football at Southern Rd Oval) and all games commence at 9.30am. We would love to see some parents come down for support. Could all students please bring an orange.

District Cross Country

Wednesday 17th May at Karkarook Park with the first race commencing at 10am.


NAPLAN
Congratulations to all the Grade 5 students who completed this year's NAPLAN. We would like to commend their willingness to give everything a go and put all the strategies that they had learnt into practice. Results will be released late in Term 3.

Learning and Teaching 
 
ENGLISHStudents have devised and completed their own persuasive texts. They were given the opportunity to write about a topic that they were passionate about and then present their arguments through persuading an audience using facts, figures and emotions. In reading, we have been focussing on the strategy- synthesising where students combine ideas from the text with what they already know to create new ideas.
 


MATHS
We have been completing a detailed program of revising all areas of the curriculum in readiness for NAPLAN. Areas highlighted and flagged for high importance were; Area and Perimeter, Sequencing and 3-Dimensional shapes. Upcoming topics include- extended Addition and Subtraction and Statistics and Probability.
 


Captured moments


Science Experiment- How many half teaspoons of salt can be dissolved in 50ml of water?
 

    







 Green Gang visited Carrum Primary School to research sustainable practices
 







 

 

 


Thursday 30 March 2017

Senior School Weeks 8 & 9


Senior School Weeks 8 & 9

CONNECT WITH
THE SENIOR SCHOOL




We began the week with a very engaging and thought provoking incursion, 'Just Like Me', which enabled the students to interact with the day-to-day tasks a child in a third world country experiences. Many valuable discussions have been happening and a more empathetic understanding is becoming prevalent.
Mordialloc College representatives came and spoke to all of our students on Wednesday 15th March. It was most informative and engaging, students who are interested were able to take a bag home with relevant information. Most of the neighbouring secondary colleges come and talk to our students as well as providing dates for open nights at their schools.
Reminders:
First day of Term 2 is Tuesday 18th April
Art smocks are required for classes during Term 2

 
Learning and Teaching 
 
ENGLISH:

Our Big Write prompts have added excitement to the start of each week! The students walked into the atrium space and were confronted with a 'Crime Scene' in which they became the detectives. Lots of rich discussions and suppositions have been taking place, so we are looking forward to their Big Writes with anticipation.
 
MATHSOver the past couple of weeks we have been exploring Angles and Lines and most recently our unit on Prime, Composite and Negative numbers. Students have experienced an assessment this week using the Plickers app. Ask your child how it works!



SOME CAPTURED HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WEEKS!
Just Like Me Workshop

 
 
 


Wellbeing Program





Yoga


 



Marine Ambassadors Workshop with the Preps