Harmony Day at MPS

Today our school celebrated Harmony Day. In 34F, the children pretended they were newspaper reporters and interviewed another classmate about their culture. They wrote their newspaper article and drew a picture of something relating to that culture. Here are some examples.

 

Friday Science - Magnet Play

Today, during science, the students played with magnets! Their first task was to explore a range of magnets and write down their observations. Their second task was to find objects that were magnetic and make conclusions about what objects (eg. metals) magnets stick to. Finally, they had to make a paper clip float in mid air (known as the Indian Rope Trick). Those that achieved that were then challenged to get two pieces of string floating horizontally in the air without any support. Here are some photos of our magnet science!

 

Student of the Week (Week 8)

Congratulations to Praneel for being out student of the week last week. Praneel showed that he can work hard and achieve good things when he focusses on his work. Well done Praneel. Who will it be next?

What's on This Week...? (Term 1, Week 10)

We have arrived at the last week of term already. It's hard to believe how quickly the term has gone. This week in Maths, we will be looking at area and mapping. In English, we will revising some of the things we have learnt this term and completing unfinished work. Our Celebrations topic ends this week and we will finish off learning about Chinese New Year celebrations, by completing our lanterns and adding ribbons to them which describe what Chinese New Year is. In ICT, we conclude our term with George where we learnt about Cyber Safety. Hopefully all the children will receive all their wings in the Cyber Academy. They have all done really well. Cross country will be held on Wednesday at 11:15am, so the children need to come with appropriate clothes and shoes to run in. On Thursday, we turn our attention to Easter and make amazing eggs. Friday is the last day of term. This means an early finish for the children. Please check Mitchat for the finishing time. Enjoy the last week.

Lots of forms due back...

Hi All,

There are currently a lot of forms that are due back now or soon. These are:

- Camp deposit form ($50) - Due before the last day of term.
- CRE form - due back by the end of term (even if your child is not/will no be participating in CRE).
- Cultural Infusion School Visit ($10) - This will be held next week, so please hand this back in by the end of this week or early next week.
- Special lunch form - If your child would like to have a special lunch next week, please return the form by 1st April.

Thanks in advance.

Mr.Fraser

Going Green With Dr.Deane

Today, Deane Hutton (from the Curiosity Show) presented his science show 'Going Green With Dr.Deane'. He explained that to protect the Earth, we need to be looking after the air, earth, water and fire. The kids had a wonderful time, learnt a lot and observed and participated in lots of experiments! Here are some pictures.

What's on next week (Term 1, Week 9)

We are getting close to the end of term with only two weeks left. Week 9 is planning week, so there are some changes to the timetable (see below). This week all the specialist classes will be held on Monday so the 3/4 teachers can plan amazing things for the children next term. Library has also changed to Tuesday this week. In maths we will be focussing on money. In literacy we will focus on speech marks and complete some NAPLAN practice tests. We also continue looking at international celebrations, focusing on Chinese New Year. In LAB, the children continue to complete the tasks in the Cyber Academy as they strive to earn their wings. Friday is harmony day, so please remember to come dressed in your national costume or wear something orange. We will be doing a harmony day activity as well. Finally, we will explore the wonders of magnets in science. Another jam packed week. Enjoy it!

Week 9 Timetable

Monday
PE
Indonesian
Music
Art
Assembly

Tuesday
Library
LAB

Thursday
LAB - George

2D and 3D shapes

This week, 3/4F have been learning about 2D and 3D shapes. Here is a link to a web site that the children can use to learn more.

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/3d/index.htm

What's on this week...? (Term 1, Week 8)

We are heading towards the end of the term - It's hard to believe! In Maths this week we will be focussing on shape (2D and 3D). In English, we complete our exposition writing and begin writing narratives. Our grammar focus is similes and metaphors. In LAB we continue working our way through the Cyber Academy in EduPLEX. On Friday we will be attending the 'Going Green With Dr.Deane' Science Show. As a part of our celebrations topic, we focus on international celebrations such as Greek Independence Day and Bastille Day in France. The children will also receive a research project for homework related to the celebrations unit. Enjoy the week.

New 3/4F Blog Voki

Hi Guys,

Visit the 3/4F Blog Spot to check out the new Voki on the front page (http://34fmps.blogspot.com.au/).

Mr.Fraser

Homework

As Monday is a public holiday, homework is due on Tuesday 11th March.

Spelling Practise

Today we practised our spelling words in all sorts of ways. Here are some examples of how the children like to learn their words:

Skipping and bouncing

 

Playdough

Handwriting them on a whiteboard

Painting them with water

 

Friday Fraction Fun

The last two weeks, we have been developing our knowledge of fractions. Today we played some fraction games. Here are some pictures:

Student of the Week (week 5)

Congratulations to Phoebe for earning this week's student of the week. She has consistently worked hard on all her tasks and has strived to produce her best work. Well done Phoebe. Who will it be next week...?

What's on this week...? (Term 1, Week 7)

This week is a short week as Monday is the Labour Day public holiday (no school) and Wednesday is our all day grade 3-6 athletics carnival. We will continue to work on our expositions (persuasive writing) and our ANZAC Day letters. In maths, we will look at data and graphs using boxes of smarties. We will write our goals, meet with our buddies on Thursday and do some more classroom science on Friday. Have a great week.

Making Crystal Snowflakes

Today in science, we grew our own crystal snowflakes. The children were able to watch them grow throughout the day. It was heaps of fun and the children really enjoyed it! They were also good scientists and wrote explanations about what occurred. Here are some of the results:

What's on this week...? (Term 1, Week 6)

This week in English, we continue our look at exposition (persuasive) writing as well our focus on adjectives. In maths we continue to work on fractions. We are well and truly into our unit on celebrations. This week we look at Research the Australian Coat of Arms, floral and fauna emblem and local, state and national flags and discuss why flags are often flown at half mast. We will also be surveying the class on our favourite celebrations and making bar graphs. In ICT, the children continue to work in the Cyber Academy as they try to achieve their cadet rookie wings (some already have) and move to the next level in the Cyber Academy. Another fun week!!

Student of the Week (Week 4)

Congratulations to Jordy, who was awarded this week's student of the week. Jordy has been a very enthusiastic, organised and helpful member of the class. She has shown all the signs of what it is to be a good class mate. Well done Jordy!

What's on This Week (Term 1, Week 5)

It's hard to believe we are already half way through the term. We have done so much already! This week, we begin literacy rotations. In literacy, we continue to focus on exposition (persuasive) writing and the use of adjectives to make our writing more interesting. In Maths, we tackle fractions. We are also going to meet our buddies (from 1/2L) and have a picnic lunch with them to get to know them. We begin our second topic for the term which is called 'Celebrations' and we will to look at what a celebration is and what is mean to celebrate. In LAB we begin our work with the Cyber Academy. Students will be aiming to get their Rookie wings this week. We will also complete a science activity at the end of the week (something that we will aim to do every fortnight). Remember homework is due in on Monday morning. Another really busy week, but filled with lots of fun activities.  Have a great week!

34F Autobiographies

Over the last few weeks, students in our class have been learning how to write an autobiography. Each student wrote about themselves (when and where they were born), their family, the exciting things that have happened in their lives and what they want to do in the future. Here are some of the results.

Chocolate Box Arrays

This week, 34F has been learning about multiplication. One of the activities we completed was making chocolate box arrays. Arrays help us work out our multiplication facts. What flavour is your multiplication fact?

Meet Our Class Pets

Meet our class pets Ninja, Gilbert, Princess and Banana. We love our class pets and they have fun in our class.

Student of the Week (week 3)

Congratulations to Kyan for a wonderful effort this week and earning himself student of the week. Kyan never gave up this week and worked incredibly hard. Keep it up.

Samuel's Table!

We all got a surprise this morning when Samuel brought in his own desk. Samuel spent 2 weeks in the holidays making this master piece. He even used it to do his work on today! Thanks for sharing Samuel! Well done.

Student of the Week (Week 2)

This week's student of the week was Jok. He has worked hard in maths to learn his number facts and has improved his reading. Keep it up. Who will be next...?

What's On This Week...? (Term 1, week 4)

This week, the students will be focussing on multiplication and division in Maths. Our autobiographies have been drafted and they will be finished early this week. So in English, we will begin to focus on exposition (or persuasive) writing as we start to practise for NAPLAN. Our grammar focus is on adjectives and we will be making a RIP chart for 'boring' words, replacing them with alternative and interesting words to use in their place. In LAB, we will complete an online test which will define the student's preferred learning styles. We also continue with George in our second LAB session where we will develop our Eduplex walls. On Monday, we begin planting the garden outside our classroom with winter crops, which will be ready to harvest later in term 2 or early term 3. Finally, the student's will begin homework on Wednesday. Another busy week! Enjoy it!

3/4F Timetable

Hi All,

The 3/4F timetable is available on the Blog Spot (on the left hand side of the page). Here is a summary of the timetable.

Monday

Music

 

Tuesday

PE

 

Wednesday

LAB

Art

 

Thursday

LAB - George

Indonesian

Library

 

Friday

Grade 3/4 Sport

What's on this week...? (Term 1, week 3)

Hi All,

Each week, I will be providing you with a sneak peek at what is happening next week so you know what the children will be learning and doing. Next week, we will continue to focus on place value and counting in maths. We also will begin to look at addition and subtraction and some strategies to work out these sums. In English, we will complete our autobiographies, focussing on sentence types. We will finish our introductory inquiry unit (Learning to Learn) and complete our first of many science activities. Have a great week!

3/4F Junior School Councillors Announced

Congratulations to Jordy and Daniel who today were elected as the Junior School Councillors to represent 3/4F in 2014. We know you will do a wonderful job.

Welcome to 3/4F in 2014

Welcome to grade 3 and 4! It's hard to believe that the holidays are over and we have already begun another year! I am looking forward to working with you this year and helping you learn and develop both academically and as a person.

This year will be lots of fun, and there is so much to do and learn. I hope you enjoy the year.

 

Mr.Fraser

Final Day Arrangements

Hi All,

Tomorrow (Friday) is the last day of the school year. Final assembly will begin just after 1pm and the final bell will go at 1.30pm tomorrow. Please remember to come early to pick up your children.

This will be the last post for this year. Hopefully the blog has been useful and provided you with updates and information about our class. If you have subscribed to receive emails you may wish to unsubscribe via the link on the bottom of the email.

I want to thank each of the families for your support throughout the year and wish you all a happy Christmas and a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Regards,
Mr.Fraser

Interview with the Stars of 34F

Here is the final instalment of the Interview with the Stars. Thank you Ryan for interviewing the students. I hope you enjoyed getting to know a bit more about the children of 34F.

Suriya
Favourite movie: Jobs
Who do you barrack for? No one.
What is your nickname? Puri
Do you have a pet? No
What game do you like? Pokémon X
Favourite Food? Butter chicken.
Best subject at school? Art
Best friend? Erick

Lachlan B
Favourite movie? Worst Case Scenario
Who do you barrack for? Collingwood
What is your nick name? Lachi
Do you have a pet? No
What game do you like? X Plane 10
Favourite Food? KFC
Best subject at school? PE
Best friend? Lachlan C

Daniel B
Favourite movie? Despicable Me
Who do you barrack for? Tigers
What is your nick name? Dan
Do you have a pet? Yes.
What game do you like? Minecraft.
Favourite Food? Ice Cream
Best subject at school? PE
Best friend? Suriya

Ryan (Interviewer)
Favourite movie? White House Down
Who do you barrack for? Sydney
What is your nick name? Rino
Do you have a pet? Yes.
What game do you like? Clash of Clans.
Favourite Food? Lollies
Best subject at school? PE
Best friend? 

34F MOSCARS Winners

I am very proud to announce that Kate, Kealeigh, Montannah and Megan were the winners of the MOSCARS teachers awards titled 'The Maths Hero'. Congratulations girls! Here are the girls, and two of the judges, collecting their prize.

Please bring in this week...

Please ensure that your children bring the following items to school this week:

UMPCs - All students need to bring in their UMPCs this week.
Overdue library books - Please check home if you have any overdue library books and bring them in.

What's on this week...? (Term 4, Week 11)

Well, we have finally come to the last week of school. It's hard to believe how quickly the year has gone. This week, we again have an amended timetable (see below). On Monday we watch the MOSCARS finalists to see who has won! We have our end of year class party on Tuesday at 12pm. Subway will be delivering lunch to those that ordered it. If you did not order Subway, please bring your lunch from home as normal. We begin to pack up the classroom and students will start to take their books home - please bring extra bags this week so the children can carry their books home. They will also receive their 2014 school books early this year. On Thursday we will look back at the year that was and on Friday the students will find out their 2014 class and teacher. School finishes early on Friday - check the school's newsletter for times. There is no homework this week. It is going to be hot this week, so please send your children to school with sun screen, their hat and plenty of water. Have a great final week!

Week 11 Timetable:

Monday
PE
Indonesian

Wednesday
LAB
Art

Music - TBC

Week 10 Timetable

Week 10 is planning week. So the teachers can plan for 2014, the specialist timetable has been changed. This is 3/4F's timetable this week:

Monday
LAB

Wednesday
PE
Indonesian
Music
Art

Friday
Grade 3/4 Sport

Interview with the stars of 3/4F

Here is this week's instalment of interview with the stars of 3/4F...

Sophie

Favourite movie: Matilda
Who do you barrack for? Kangaroos
What is your nickname? Soph
Do you have a pet? Yes
What game do you like? The Game of Life
Favourite Food? Sushi
Best subject at school? PE
Best friend? Bianca

Patrick
Favourite movie? Don't have one.
Who do you barrack for? Tigers
What is your nick name? Patty
Do you have a pet? Yes.
What game do you like? Minecraft.
Favourite Food? Pizza.
Best subject at school? PE
Best friend? Bradley

What's on this week...? (Term 4, Week 10)

This week, we head into the second last week of term. It will be a busy week as we make final preparations for the Community Evening on Wednesday and finish off our treasure maps and set up our Christmas Treasure Hunt for our 1/2L buddies. This week is also planning week, so the timetable will be change and all the specialists will be on one day. I will update you with the new timetable. If your child wants Subway for lunch at our end of year celebration, please return the form and correct money by Thursday 12th of December. If they would like to participate in the Kris Kringle, then please bring a wrapped gift to school with the words 'boy' or 'girl' on it by Wednesday 18th of December. It is hard to believe that we only two weeks to go!!! Have a great week!

End of Year Class Party

Children in 3/4D, 3/4F and 4/5JD will be having their class party on Tuesday 17^th December 2013 at 12.00pm. The children may bring their own lunch or may order a special lunch.  If you would like your child to have a special lunch, please complete the order form from Subway (the children have received one of these) and return it with the correct money to school by Thursday 12th December 2013. The special lunch will be delivered from Subway in Mitcham. Please note that children are not permitted to bring food to share at school due to food allergies.

Kris Kringle

As part of our Christmas celebrations this year we will be having a class Kris Kringle. Please note that participation in this is completely optional. If your child would like to participate they will need to bring a $5 present to school on or before Wednesday 18^th December. If your child is a boy they will need to bring a present that is suitable for a boy, and if your child is a girl they will need to bring a present suitable for a girl. The present will need to be wrapped and labelled with either girl or boy. The children will bring a note home about this.

What's on This Week...? (Term 4, Week 9)

This week, the focus will be rehearsal for the community evening. In Maths, we will be making a treasure hunt map with coordinates and directions and cards for our buddy class to use in week 10. The students will finish off their self evaluations this week. We are into our third week of class rotations and the kids are enjoying them. We will do some cooking on Wednesday as well. Three weeks to go...!!!

Community Evenings Song Word List

Here are the words to the Horrible Histories song we are learning:

In Britain's Georgian times
There were so many crimes
No time to hang each crook guilty of a felony
Cos there's no room to jail you
They'd send you to Australia
To live in our new-fangled penal colony
Think that sounds like heaven?
In 1787, it wasn't that kind of once in a lifetime trip
First fleet took the journey
Months at sea so churny
Over 40 died while they were on the ship

Those that lived were plucky
Plucky, plucky, plucky
Crammed on board with rats and vermin, cockroaches in bed
Stench inside was sicky
Yucky, yucky, icky
Lice not very nice, can't get them out of my head

Landed Bay of Botany
Convicts' life was rotteny
Needed food and shelter but everything failed
Trees too strong for felling
Stagnant water smelling
A real step back in time in New South Wales
Soil too poor for budding
Huts washed up by flooding
Plans for building houses came to sticky ends
The best of all their labours
Attacked by local neighbours
And that is when your neighbours don't become good friends

Situation tricky
Tricky, tricky, tricky
Then a second fleet of ships was due aground
Some thought this was lucky
But illness had strucky
Half were dead or ill
Fever was spinning around

After seven years
Convict record clears
Just one catch
You got to pay your own way back
No wages meant no money
No choice, but what's funny
Many stayed, became farmers and made a stack
Original arrivers
Proved hardy survivors
Sydney turned into a place you'd choose to go
Think that they'd be fairer
To convicts who were sent there?
No way they built prisons even more remote

Port Arthur was one of the jails
Where every escape attempt fails
Was one man who nearly got through
Billy Hunt dressed as a kangaroo

Inmate's life still sucky
Sucky, sucky, sucky
Life behind bars was not very nice
Hideous and messy
Who would ever guessy
This hellhole would become a
Holiday paradise?

Homework (Term 4, Week 8)

Reading
Focus: Reading 4 times a week (15-20 mins).
Task: Make sure your parents/adult signs your diary.

Literacy
Focus: Famous Scientist Project.
Task: Choose a famous scientist. Begin researching your famous scientist and make a presentation to present to the class. Follow the instructions on the sheet. Your presentation is due on Wednesday 11^th of December.

Music
Focus: Community Evening Performance.
Task: Practice the First Fleet song and learn the words. View the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joG38F2kAbw. Use your word sheet or read the words on the 3/4F BlogSpot (see a separate post).

Weekly Spelling Words
Task: Learn your 10 spelling words. Practice them by any of the spelling activity we have learnt this year.

Interview With the Stars of 3/4F...

Sorry to miss last week's 'Interview with the Stars of 3/4F'. Here is this week's and last week's instalment...

Kate

Favourite movie: Pitch Perfect
Who do you barrack for? Essendon
What is your nickname? Kat
Do you have a pet? Guinea Pig
What game do you like? Cluedo
Favourite Food? Meat Pie
Best subject at school? PE
Best friend? Montannah

Bradley
Favourite movie? The Internship.
Who do you barrack for? Tigers.
What is your nick name? Brad.
Do you have a pet? Yes.
What game do you like? Minecraft.
Favourite Food? Tandoori Chicken.
Best subject at school?  ICT
Best friend? Daniel B

Matthew
Favourite movie? Planes.
Who do you barrack for? Richmond.
What is your nick name? Matt
Do you have a pet? Yes.
What game do you like? Minecraft.
Favourite Food? Pizza.
Best subject at school? PE
Best friend? Oliver.

Oliver
Favourite movie? UMC.
Who do you barrack for? Carlton.
What is your nick name? Big Bull.
Do you have a pet? Yes.
What game do you like? Minecraft.
Favourite Food? Pizza.
Best subject at school? PE
Best friend? Matthew

Week 7 Homework

Reading
Focus: Reading 4 times a week (15-20 mins).
Task: Make sure your parents/adult signs your diary.

Weekly Spelling Words
Task: Learn your 10 spelling words. Practice them by any of the spelling activity we have learnt this year.

Literacy
Focus: Forces.
Task: This week we explored magnetic forces. Visit this web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/magnets_springs.shtml. Explore the web page and complete the quizzes. Write five things that you learnt in your homework book.

Maths

Focus:  Number.

Task: Design a zoo that has 100 pairs of legs. Draw the zoo which includes your animals in your homework book. Include at least 4 different animals. Show your working out.

What's on this week...? (Term 4, Week 8)

Only four weeks to go!!! Wow! This year has gone by so quickly. On Monday we will be harvesting the winter vegetables with our buddy class, and planting the summer crops. This week in Maths, we will revisit fractions using some game based activities. In English, we will finish our self evaluations and begin write narratives. Our grammar focus is speech, so we will incorporate this into our narratives. The students have completed their first rotation of activities with other teachers. They continue again this week. We will look at air resistance this week as part of our Fabulous Forces unit. Another exciting week. Have fun.

What's on this week...? (Term 4, Week 7)

This week the children continue working on their self evaluations that will form part of their report. We continue to look at graphing in maths, concentrating on line graphs. We will look at some magnet magic and helicopter forces as part of our Fabulous Forces topic. We will also be breaking up into 4 groups and attending other classes as the 2/3, 3/4 and 4/5 teachers begin a four week rotation of activities including slowmation video, robotics, digital art and science/technology. Each week the students will attend a different session with different students from the other classes. This will be great! Five weeks of the year left! Wow!

Billy Cart Workshop

Today's Billycart workshop was a great success with the kids really enjoying the activities. There were four activities:

1. Design a billy cart.
2. 'Free design' in the workshop.
3. Make a billy cart race.
4. Ride a billy cart.

The team work, especially for the 'Make a billycart race' was exceptional. They all learnt a lot about the forces that are required to make a billy cart, but also about how to out one together. Here are some pictures: