What's on this week...? (Term 2, Week 6)

We are now half way through the term now! Time is flying! This week is a short week as Monday is a curriculum day. We will continue our procedural writing by making our pet rocks using a procedure written by a friend. Please remind the children to bring their materials for their pet rock on Tuesday. We will also continue learning about homophones. In Maths, we continue to look at measurement, focusing on temperature and capacity. On Wednesday the children will attend a cyber smart presentation. We will also begin our class rotations where students will be completing a different activity with the other 3/4 teachers. Finally, we continue our melting moments science unit as well as the Mookii World activities on EduPLEX. Have a great week.

Reminders

Dear parents,

This is a busy term and there are lots of things going on at school. Here are a few reminders:

- Monday 26th May is a Curriculum Day and students are not required to come to school.
- School photos will be held on Tuesday 27th May. Please remind the students to wear correct school uniform, including black school shoes.
- Premier's Reading Challenge consent forms - Please return these ASAP.

Thanks for your help!

Mr.Fraser

Measuring length with paper planes

This week, we have been learning about measurement. After doing some informal measuring in the class, and learning about how to read and use a measuring instrument like a rule and a tape measure, we headed outside to test our skills. That's right we threw paper planes! Not just for fun of course, but to see whose plane could go the furthest. We measured the distance with measuring tapes and wrote our four attempts into our maths books. Next stop: graphing the data to see whose plane went the further. The unofficial MPS record now stands at just over 21m. FUN!

Pet Rock Procedures

Hi Everybody,

Just a reminder that your materials for your pet rock are due on Tuesday. As this weekend is a long weekend for the students, you will have plenty of time to collect what you need. Please collect an odd shape stone that looks like an animal. You also need to collect materials that will be used to decorate your stone to turn it into a pet (such as buttons for eyes, wool for hair, a matchbox for a bed etc). Have fun!

Mr. Fraser

Grandparent's/Special Friends Day

Thanks to all the grandparent's and special friends for attending today. The kids all enjoyed their time with you and making our spaghetti structures. Here are some of the pictures from the day.

What's on this week...? (Term 2, Week 5)

Firstly, well done to all the grade 3 students for completing NAPLAN. You all tried hard to complete the tests to your best ability and should be proud of yourselves.

This week, we return to a normal timetable. This week is also education week, and we kick it off with our open day on Saturday, followed by Grandparent's/special friends day on Monday and finally a working open day on Thursday. We also begin our new inquiry topic called 'Melting Moments' where students will develop an understanding of the properties of materials and how they change state under different conditions. In maths, we look at measurement (with a focus on length this week) and in Literacy (for the next two weeks) we begin looking at procedural writing, homophones and tense. In ICT, the students continue to make their way through the Mookii World, learning new computer skills along the way. Some of the students will also be doing the Robotics session on Friday. Another busy week. Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all those amazing mums out there! 3/4F hope you all have a great day.

What's on this week...? (Term 2, Week 4)

Welcome to NAPLAN week! This week, the focus for the grade 3 students is on the four NAPLAN tests (Language Conventions, Writing, Reading and Numeracy). As a result of NAPLAN, the timetable is different just for this week (see below). The grade 4 students will be at a specialist class while the grade 3s are completing their testing. Other than NAPLAN, the students will be presenting their Celebrations Research Projects and completing their fables. No homework will be allocated this week.

Grade 3 parents - To help your child perform their best:

• Get them to bed early the night before any tests.
• Eat a good breakfast the morning of he tests.
• Arrive at school before the bell on days of the tests to ensure they have a calm start to their day.
• Discuss any concerns your child may have and reassure them that all we want them to do is their best.
• Let them know you are proud of all their hard work at the end of the day.

More information about can be obtained at www.nap.edu.au.

Week 4 Timetable

Monday
Music
Indonesian

Tuesday
8:45am: NAPLAN - Language Conventions (Grade 4s to PE)
11:15am: NAPLAN - Writing (Grade 4s to Art)

Wednesday
8:45am: NAPLAN - Reading (Grade 4s to Indonesian in the Library)

Thursday
8:45am: NAPLAN - Numeracy (Grade 4s to Music)
Art
Library

Friday
Grade 3/4 Sport
LAB

Have a great week. Good luck to all the grade 3s!

Mother's Day Stall

The Mother's Day Stall is on tomorrow and Friday. Please remember to bring your money and a shopping bag if you want to buy something for mum!

Celebrations Research Project Due on Friday

Hi All,

Just a reminder that the Celebrations Research Project is due on Friday (9th May). Please remember to bring it to school with you on Friday morning.

Thanks.
Mr.Fraser

Hand Perimeters

This week in Maths, we are learning about area and perimeter. Today, to help learn about perimeter, we traced around our hands and used string to measure the perimeter of our hands. The largest hand perimeter was William's with 103cm. We also worked out the area inside the hand by counting the 1cm squares. Here are some of the results.

UMPC Reminder

Just a reminder that if your child takes their UMPC home it must be brought back to school every day with a fully charged battery. The UMPCs are used almost everyday, especially this week as i will be running some online tests, so it is important that students remember bring them. Thanks.

 

What's On This Week... (Term 2, Week 3)

This week, we will be preparing the grade 3 students for NAPLAN. We will complete some sample tests so the students know the format to expect. Our focus for maths is Area and Perimeter. In English, we will practise writing persuasive writing in preparation for Mother's Day (I can't way too much), and we will also complete a Mother's Day science experiment. We continue our MookiiWorld activities during LAB as well as grade 3/4 sport on Friday. Finally, CRE begins on Wednesday this week for those that are doing it. Have a great week!

Time Activity Web Link

This week we are looking at time. Some of the children played this time game on this link. It is a good one to play at home.

http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/clock/tell_time_all.htm

What's on this week...? (Term 2, Week 2)

For maths this week, we will be focussing on time. In English, we continue to write our fables and we also look at time connectives to help make our writing more interesting. We have our first lab session this week, and we will continue with EduPLEX. We will complete a science activity on Thursday and on Friday the students have grade 3/4 sport. Enjoy the week.

ANZAC Day in 3/4F

Today we celebrated ANZAC day ahead of tomorrow's ANZAC Day celebrations. We discussed what ANZAC Day means to us all and made poppies to remember all those that served in the war. Lest We Forget.

Pattern Quest

Today, in Maths, we were learning about patterns. The students enjoyed playing this pattern game and wanted the link posted onto the Blog Spot. So here it is:

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/pattern-quest/

ANZAC Day Holiday

Just a reminder that because this Friday is the ANZAC Day public holiday, there will be no school on Friday.

Term 2 Timetable

Here is the 3/4F timetable for term 2. It is also visible on the main page of this blog.

Monday

Music

Indonesian (fortnightly)

 

Tuesday

PE

 

Thursday

Art

Library

 

Friday

Indonesian (fortnightly)

LAB

Grade 3/4 Sport (TBC)

What's on this week? (Term 2, Week 1)

Welcome back 3/4F! I hope you've all had a wonderful break and are ready to begin term 2. This week, we begin looking at patterns in maths. In English, we focus on apostrophes of contraction possession. We also begin to write fables, which are short stories with a hidden meaning. Although we don't have George to help us with EduPLEX this term, we will continue the EduPLEX program during our LAB time. The children will work their way through 'Mookii World' which is lots of fun. Later this term (week 5) we begin our first major science topic called 'Melting Moments' (and yes it does involve chocolate!!!). But for the first 3 weeks, we extend last term's topic of celebrations to give the children a chance to complete a research project to present to the class. This will be handed out tomorrow and be completed at home as part of their homework. The children will receive a slightly revised homework format this term as well. Homework will begin tomorrow (Wednesday as normal) and will be handed in on Monday (as normal). So a big week, but lots of fun! Enjoy it!

Term 1 Done!

Well, we have come to the end of term already. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe break. I look forward to seeing you all again in Term two. School begins on Tuesday 22nd April. Remember that Friday 25th April is a public holiday (ANZAC Day) so there will be no school on that day.

Mr.Fraser

My Story My Content - Short Film Conest

Some of you may be interested in this. Click on the image to go the web site.

Chinese New Year

This term, 3/4F have been learning about celebrations (both local and international). This week, we finished off our Chinese New Year lanterns with Chinese messages (thanks to Reyna, William and Wenhao) and information about when and why it is celebrated and what it means to the Chinese. The children did a good job. You'll notice that most are red as this is the traditional colour of Chinese New Year.

Cross Country Results

Well done to the 3/4F super runners for completing the Cross Country. Congratulations especially to these students for finishing in the top 10 (I think I got them all and in the correct order):

Grade 3:
2nd - Belle (9 year olds)
4th - Reyna (9 year olds)
5th - Millie (9 year olds)
7th - Phoebe (9 year olds)
9th - Max (9 year olds)

Grade 4:
4th - Shafia (11 year olds)
6th - Callum (10 year olds)
7th - Daniel (10 year olds)
7th - Lily (10 year olds)

Here are some pictures from the big race! Well done everyone!

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: