Dear Parents and Carers of Grades 3/4

Welcome to Term 2!

Our students have all settled in well and have returned ready for learning. We have a busy term with an exciting and fun filled camp to look forward to in week  4, from May the 13^th to the 15^th of May. This term, families will be receiving their child’s progress report.

Staff in the Grade 3/4 area:

Room 15: Miss Penny Koullinos (Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri) and Ms Milly Taylor (Mon)

Room 18: Miss Kiara Galea

Teaching and Learning

Literacy:

This term in reading we are exploring the reading strategies of Inferencing, Making Connections, Compare and Contrast and Summarising. Students will participate in daily reading rotations which includes Guided Reading, Reading Eggs and a focus on grammar. We use Soundwaves to learn about Phonics which assists us with reading.

For writing the students will be learning to write a persuasive piece, an information report and a biography.

Maths:

During term 2, there is a focus on addition and subtraction, time, angles, shape and perimeter.

Children will be engaged in various activities to further their understanding of these mathematical concepts. They will explore through hands on experiences and activities.

Inquiry:

This term, our Inquiry unit is about Australia’s early settlement and the  importance of Country/Place to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples who belong to a local area.

Specialist Classes

Students will continue to participate in weekly specialist classes of Music, Physical Education, Art and STEM with Specialist Teachers.

Rights and Responsibilities

At Thomastown West we have developed the following ‘Rights’.

• At this school everyone has the right to feel comfortable and safe.
• At this school everyone has the right to work and

All classrooms are using these rights to establish class and playground standards of behavior.

Values

At Thomastown West we focus strongly on Responsibility, Respect, Resilience, Empathy and Striving to be our Best. 

We teach the children that:

• Values guide the way we think, speak and behave.
• Values help us to decide what is right and what is wrong.

You can help your child develop these values by discussing them at home and encouraging them to make good choices.

GENERAL REMINDERS:

• WHOLE SCHOOL PHOTOS: Tuesday 26th May
• All children are expected to be in full school uniform every day.
• Mobile Phones: All children are required to leave mobile phones at the office each morning and these may be collected after school.
• Brain Food: Each class allows ‘Brain Food’ time in between morning sessions. Students may bring some fruit or vegetables to eat during this time.  

Punctuality: 

School begins at 8.45 am. Please ensure your child is at school on time. Remember, ‘Arrive on time, ready to learn, at quarter to nine!’ Late children disrupt the learning of other children and also miss important instructions. Often late children become upset and take longer to settle into school. Please ensure that your children go to bed at a time that allows for enough sleep to assist with morning wake up, so they are ready to learn when they arrive to school each morning. We suggest 8:30am as a suitable time to arrive at school.

Absences: School attendance is compulsory; however, we do not encourage sick students to come to school. If your child is absent, please provide the classroom teacher with a note for the absence or call the school on 9465 4317. Alternatively, you can log the absence onto Compass. Lessons taught in the classroom are sequential and often when a child is absent, they will have gaps in their learning. Many absences may mean huge gaps in a child’s education.

Homework:

This term, the students began doing their homework. Each week, the students are given their homework grid every Monday. Students are expected to choose up to 3 activities to complete neatly in their homework book. The book is returned on Friday.

Home Readers: 

Children will borrow take home readers daily and complete home reading every night.

Class Dojo

Class Dojo is another platform we use to communicate with parents. We post important reminders and events on our class page. We also use Class Dojo to send private messages to communicate with families. Please ensure you are connected to Class Dojo to keep up to date with the latest news from your child’s grade.

At Thomastown West Primary School, we believe that education is a partnership between teachers, families and the wider community. We work together to ensure all students experience success. When sharing the responsibility of improving children’s learning, effective communication is vital for teachers, parents, and carers at TWPS to work in a positive and productive partnership. Our school utilises a range of multimodal communications with all key stakeholders within and beyond our school community.

Our fortnightly newsletter is shared with you via Compass, Class Dojo and Facebook every week and it can always be accessed on our school website:

https://www.thomwestps.vic.edu.au/enews/ 

We hope you all have an enjoyable term and thank you for your continued support.

Kind Regards,

Penny Koullinos, Kiara Galea and Milly Taylor

Important Dates