2019 Years 3 & 4 Parent Information Booklet · Welcome to another wonderful year of life and learning here in Years 3 & 4. ... iPads ICT Tips for home: ... an inquirer, both in the

2019 Years 3 & 4 

Parent Information Booklet 

Dear Parents,  Welcome to another wonderful year of life and learning here in Years 3 & 4.  This booklet contains information which is important to your child’s learning for the year. Please take the time to read it and feel free to ask any questions.  

The Years 3 & 4 Teaching Team

Shey O’Brien Steve Gammon

Matt Bird Melissa McSweeney

Steph McGorlick Ardan Johnston

Emma Jones Emily Burke

Amanda Trebilco  

PYP At Aspendale Primary School: We are now a fully authorised and accredited IB World School. Throughout the year, each year level will work through six units of inquiry.  See attached sheet for information   Student-Led Conferences: Student-Led Conferences will take place again in 2019. Students have already begun setting goals and reflecting upon their learning in preparation for them. Conferences are a valuable opportunity for your child to discuss and celebrate their learning with you and their teacher. Being aware of what they have learnt and what they need to learn next makes them powerful learners.   

E-mail communication with Parents/Staff Agreement: Each year level will send a fortnightly update with year level information, important dates, reminders and news. Parents are encouraged to utilise email as a means to communicate absences and, should a need arise, arrange to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss any questions or concerns in person. Emails from parents will be responded to within 48 hours, between 8am - 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Teachers who receive emails from parents over the weekend will endeavour to respond by 5.30pm Monday. More information about the communication protocol can be found at the end of this booklet.   Take in/Take out at APS: Schools are statistically mass producers of waste. In an effort to reduce our footprint, we strongly encourage Nude Food here at Aspendale Primary School. To support a litter-free environment, the Take in/Take out policy requires students to take any litter home that is brought to school in lunch boxes. Anything that can go through council recycle bins or can be composted, the school will dispose of.  Student Absences It is important for your child to be at school and on time.  Our learning time begins at 9:00am. If you are late, please sign your child in at the office There will of course be times when your child may be away due to illness or other reasons. We require a written explanation of any absence. This can be emailed from a parent’s email address, or sent to school as a note. If your child will be away for an extended absence of a week or more (eg. a holiday), please see your classroom teacher who can prepare a Student Absence Learning Plan  Essential Agreements Essential Agreements are a representation of the values, goals and ways in which the classroom or learning environment will function. Each class is making an essential agreement. Students also have opportunity to contribute to the creation of shared essential agreements for learning in year level spaces and specialist classes.  Student Learning Plans To assist with the Student-Led Conferences, every student is regularly setting goals and reflecting upon their achievements. This allows them and us to identify their individual needs and cater for them within the classroom. 

    Excursions 

All students are required to pay the excursion levy in order to attend any excursion or incursion. Excursions and/or incursions will be scheduled throughout the year.  

Please use QKR to complete payment and permission forms for excursions. Please see your child’s teacher or the office staff if you need to discuss this payment 

Homework 

The main purpose of homework is to put in place good study habits 

Homework will be handed out on a Wednesday and returned on a Monday 

Homework consists of: 

○ Daily reading ○ A maths task each week ○ An Inquiry-based task or project (which incorporates spelling and 

writing) 

Please see your child’s teacher if you have any queries with the homework. 

ICT 

Children are taught how to use ICT to enhance their learning through the explicit teaching of research skills. They are shown how to use search engines effectively and are given the opportunity to develop their design and presentation skills. 

We utilise ICT devices on most days, to accompany our learning. Cyber safety lessons are included in ICT sessions 

BYOT program runs in Year 4-6, with year 3 students having access to a bank of iPads  

ICT Tips for home: 

● Children’s use of technology is easy to monitor when they use it in shared areas. (lounge room, kitchen etc.) 

● It is important to have time without technology, especially close to sleep. ● Discuss what it means to be a good digital citizen with your child (see 

attachment) 

Camp 

Year 3 students go on camp to Gundiwindi Lodge, in week 7 of Term 3. The children stay there for two nights and three days (28th - 30th August)  

The Year 4 students go on camp to The Briars, in week 7 of Term 1. The children stay 

there for two nights and three days (13th - 15th March) 

Wellbeing 

We follow a weekly wellbeing schedule, focusing on social skills, self-regulation and life-skills, utilising the Government Mandated Respectful Relationships resource at the core of our wellbeing program We also incorporate regular circle time sessions, where students are able to speak and be heard on matters of importance to them and their class When necessary Restorative Circles are held to ensure that students and accountable for their actions and trust is restored when it has been broken  Zones of Regulation  

  How you can help at home with wellbeing 

● Everything is dramatic/or nothing is: Investigate, wait it out, talk it through. ● Emotions are flying - tears, tantrums and testosterone: ● Don’t underestimate the power of the hormones, be supportive and explain 

what is happening when they are calm ● Friends - she loves me/she loves me not: Tweens go through ups and downs, it 

is our job as adults to keep some perspective and help them to look at what is happening calmly 

● Responsibility - if it's your possession, problem, opinion then own it: The best gift you can give your child at this stage in their life is to help them own the responsibility they have for managing their belongings, workload, actions and opinions 

Our Wellbeing policy can be viewed via the Aspendale PS website or via this link:

https://www.aspendale.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/18.-2017wellbeing.pdf 

VIC Curriculum 

We follow the Victorian Curriculum which incorporates the Australian Curriculum and reflects Victorian priorities and standards. 

You can find out more about the Year 3 and 4 curriculum content here: http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/ 

Reading 

At Aspendale Primary School we believe that it is through the study of language that individuals learn to analyse, understand, communicate with, and build relationships with others and the world around them.

In our daily reading sessions, we focus on exploring, developing and utilising the strategies of a ‘Good Reader’. Reading sessions are guided by the Reader’s Workshop Model, which consists of the following elements:  

- Read Aloud, Shared or Modelled Reading with an explicit teaching focus - Independent Reading that involves reading texts that are ‘Just Right’  - Reflection/Discussion 

Purposeful learning experiences occur daily to build not only a love of reading, but fluency, stamina, accuracy, comprehension and expanding vocabulary. Comprehension is an integral part of all reading sessions, as without it, we are not really engaging deeply with a text.  

In Year 3&4, self-choice novels are of high significance as students learn to regulate their reading and monitor for meaning 

Reading daily is vital  

Writing Writing crosses all curriculum areas. Writing sessions are guided by the Writer’s Workshop Model, which consists of: 

● Mini Lesson incorporating Shared or Modelled Writing with an explicit teaching focus 

● Independent Writing time ● Reflection/Discussion.  

In Years 3 & 4, we aim to build our stamina as writers through weekly BIG WRITE sessions, where students use a prompt to develop a range of writing pieces (including narrative, persuasive, informative etc) We utilise the VCOP program to support students in editing and improving their writing. We also utilise the 7-Steps Program to help students understand the different elements and techniques that we can draw on when crafting a written piece (such as a Sizzling Start, Mix-Up, Fix-up etc)  Spelling and Word Study 

• Words Their Way Spelling inventory is used to assess the spelling capabilities of every child. 

• These capabilities are based on common misunderstandings or errors in student spelling. 

• The classroom spelling program will then be targeted at these capabilities. • This is a fluid program where students will be able to move between groups 

based on their spelling needs.  

   Maths At Aspendale Primary School we take a differentiated approach to Maths. This is because we know that in our classes there is such a wide range of abilities 

As a result of this, we apply a flexible grouping approach, aiming to allow each child to build upon their understanding of the weekly focus. We teach a mixture of pure and applied mathematics 

How is Maths different now to when I was at school? 

● Over the years, there has been a move towards a greater importance being put on mental strategies in mathematics. A study carried out by Allistair McIntosh in the 1990s found that the breakdown of calculations that adults needed to carry out each day was 84.6% mental, 11.1% written, 6.8% calculator and 19.6% other physical tools . In addition to this 60% of these calculations were estimations and 40% needed to be exact. The most common calculations were to do with time with shopping the next most common. 

● More time is now spent developing number sense. Number sense refers to a child’s fluidity and flexibility with numbers and what numbers mean as well as an ability to perform mental mathematics and to look at the world and make comparisons. Number sense develops gradually over time and at different rates, through exploring numbers, visualising them in a variety of contexts, and relating them in ways that are not limited by formal written methods. 

● A key stage from Years 3-6 is the development of multiplicative thinking. Multiplicative thinking is the capacity to work flexibly with the concepts, strategies and representations of multiplication (and division) as they occur in a wide range of contexts. Many children are able to solve single digit multiplication problems but experience difficulties or use inefficient strategies (additive strategies) in order to reach the correct answer. Children who don’t develop the concept of multiplicative thinking or struggle with it often experience difficulty at high school with algebra and fractions (Di Siemen). 

How you can help at home: 

● Adopt a growth mindset (see graphic) ● Talk about the strategies that your child has 

used to get to their answer: don’t worry about the actual result 

● Discuss mental maths strategies that you use when using maths in the real world 

 Interested in finding out more? Check out this TED Talk from Jo Boaler - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3icoSeGqQtY    

 International Baccalaureate – Primary Years Programme (PYP) 

‘Preparing students to be active participants in a lifelong journey of learning’   Aspendale Primary School is an accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) World                   School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve                     the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by                         delivering challenging, high quality programs of international education that share a                     powerful vision.   What is the IB Primary Years Programme? The Primary Years Program (PYP) focuses on the development of the whole child as                           an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is a framework guided                               by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, explored using the knowledge                     and skills derived from 6 subject areas (mathematics, language, arts, social studies,                       science and personal, social and physical education) as well as transdisciplinary skills,                       with a powerful emphasis on inquiry.   The PYP is flexible enough to accommodate the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum.   The IB Primary Years Programme 

addresses students’ academic, social and emotional wellbeing  encourages students to develop independence and take responsibility for 

their own learning  supports students’ efforts to gain understanding of the world and to 

function comfortably within it  helps students establish personal values as a foundation upon which 

international-mindedness will develop and flourish.   The most significant and distinctive feature of the IB Primary Years Programme are                         the six transdisciplinary themes. These themes provide IB World Schools with the                       opportunity to incorporate local and global issues into the curriculum and effectively                       allow students to “step up” beyond the confines of learning within subject areas.       

The six PYP Transdisciplinary Themes:   Who we are Inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; person, physical, mental, social                           and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities,                 and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human Where we are in place and time Inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys;                       the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationship                 between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and                     global perspectives How we express ourselves Inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature,                         culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our                             creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic How the world works Inquiry into the natural world and its laws, the interaction between the natural                         world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their                     understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological                   advances on society and on the environment. How we organise ourselves Inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the                   structure and function of organisations; societal decision-making; economic               activities and their impact on humankind and the environment Sharing the planet Inquiry into the rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources                         with other people and living things; communities and the relationship with and                       between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.   These transdisciplinary themes help teachers develop a program of inquiry-                   investigations into important ideas, identified by the school and requiring high level                       of involvement on the part of the students.   Since these ideas relate to the world beyond the school, students see their relevance                           and connect with it in an engaging and challenging way. Students who learn in this                             way begin to reflect on their roles and responsibilities as learners and become                         actively involved in their education.   

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) learner profile describes a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success. The learner profile sits at the center of the PYP. 

They imply a commitment to help all members of the school community learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them. 

The profile aims to develop learners who are:   

· Inquirers · Knowledgeable · Thinkers · Communicators · Principled · Open-minded · Caring · Risk-takers · Balanced · Reflective  

    For further information about the IB and its programs, please visit www.ibo.org Or see Sherri Jenkins - Aspendale Primary School’s PYP Coordinator ([email protected]) 

Students will continue to explore China and traditional culture, such as celebrating 

Chinese festival and experiencing traditional artworks. The language skills will focus 

on building vocabulary and sentences associated with Year Four Units of Inquiry. 

They are also expected to use spoken and written Chinese in simple personal 

interactions with peers about self, routine, family and their interests and preferences. 

Numbers are used in relation to age and family members, and to quantify objects 

with measure words. Students will identify features of the Chinese writing system, 

including the range of strokes and their sequences in character writing. 

Visual Art

The Art program engages students creatively where students experience printmaking, 

drawing, painting, ceramics, construction, and also through the manipulation of images using 

digital technology. The use of art vocabulary is encouraged. 

The Art program and the PYP: Artworks throughout the year are often aligned with the 

concepts relating to the PYP Unit of Inquiry studied in their classrooms. The art task is 

linked to the concepts taught in classroom. 

Student artwork: Students experiment with materials, planning their work, and designing 

and creating their own works of art in their sketchbook. Techniques will be modelled 

during each lesson; students will experiment with these and develop their own. Art work 

will be displayed in the Art room and the school where students can gain pride in their 

work. 

Art Smocks: Please ensure your child has a clearly labelled waterproof art smock.   

Regular Art practice such as of cutting, drawing, manipulating play dough, threading, 

weaving, 3D building is encouraged to develop both the fine motor control of their hands 

and their Visual-Spatial ability. Practise at home is encouraged! 

Art Folios: Every student has a brown folio to store their finished artwork in the Art 

room. This is taken home at the end of each semester. Parents are welcome to pop in 

anytime, before or after school, to take a look at their child’s work. 

Artists and designers through history: Throughout the year students will be exposed to 

the work of artists, designers and architects. They will gain understanding of what caused 

changes in art movements throughout history. Through discussion they will develop an art 

vocabulary where they learn to reflect and critique artwork, utilising the elements and 

principles of art. 

Media in Art: Students will have a media component of the Art program at some point in 

the year. Students will be required to bring their devices to the Art room and be looked 

after and kept safe while they are being used. Students may draw using apps and take 

photographs which they can manipulate. Our senior students like to bring their devices to 

Art to look up images as sources of inspiration to use in lessons. We have one iPad in the 

Art room for students to use if they need it.  

Natalie Tideman and Jude Hale 

Visual Art teachers 

Performing Arts

The Performing Arts program provides students with valuable opportunities to explore 

their creativity through exposure to music, drama, dance and media arts. Students learn to 

build confidence through risk-taking and gain experience in playing a range of instruments. 

They also learn to act and dance in several genres and will have opportunities to 

incorporate technology into their learning. 

Performing Arts and the PYP: At various times during the year, Performing Arts classes 

will follow the same PYP Unit of Inquiry studied in the classrooms. The units of work will 

be designed to follow the concepts they are already learning. 

Performing Arts Projects: Student projects will be heavily based on suggestions made by 

students. Student agency plays a significant role in the creation of the units of study 

during the year, while still following the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum.  

2019 Production: This year during Term 4, students in Years 3 and 4 will put on a concert. 

This will be made up of a range of Performing Arts pieces, including works in the classroom 

and during extracurricular programs. Also, Years 5 and 6 will be part of a musical 

production. These performances will be held at the ‘ Hall’ and parents are invited to 

attend.   

Extracurricular Activities: Every student has a brown folio to store their finished 

artwork in the Art room. This is taken home at the end of each semester. Parents are 

welcome to pop in anytime, before or after school, to take a look at their child’s work. 

Essential Agreements: Students will have a media component of the Art program at some 

point in the year. Students will be required to bring their devices to the Art room and be 

looked after and kept safe while they are being used. Students may draw using apps and 

take photographs which they can manipulate. Our senior students like to bring their 

devices to Art to look up images as sources of inspiration to use in lessons. We have one 

iPad in the Art room for students to use if they need it.  

Tamara Thompson and Natalie Tideman 

Performing Art teachers

 Physical Education 

Year 3 and 4   

In Year 3 and 4 we aim to further develops students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to

their health, wellbeing, safety and participation in physical activity. In these years, students begin to

explore personal and social factors that support and contribute to their identities and emotional

responses in varying situations. They also develop a further understanding of how their bodies grow and

change as they get older.

Students develop knowledge, understanding and skills that supports them in building and maintaining

respectful relationships, make health-enhancing and safe decisions, as well as interpret health messages

from different sources to take action to enhance their own health and wellbeing.

In these middle years, students build on previous learning in movement to help develop a greater

proficiency across the range of fundamental movement skills in a range of settings, including indoor and

outdoor. Students combine movements to create more complicated movement patterns and sequences.

Through participation in a variety of physical activities and sports, students further develop their

knowledge about movement and how the body moves. They do this as they explore the features of

activities that meet their needs and interests and learn about the benefits of regular physical activity.

Students are also provided with opportunities to develop personal and social skills such as leadership,

communication, collaboration, problem-solving, persistence and decision making.

The only thing your child needs when they come to P.E, is runners, energy and a positive attitude! 

COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL   The role of the Parent Good parent-teacher communication is vital to your child’s               

education. A cohesive partnership between home and             school will assist your child in developing a positive                 mindset towards school and learning. 

  The following set of guidelines is based on the understanding that whenever a                         

question, issue or problem arises, parents have the right and responsibility to                       contact the school. 

Lines of Communication 1.  Classroom/Specialist teacher: appointments can be arranged in person, phone or                   

via email. 2.  Team Learning Leader: concerns that cannot be resolved through a conference                     

with the teacher, or question/issues relating to the whole year level. 3.  Principal/Assistant Principal: concerns that have not been resolved or questions                   

of a more general nature concerning the operation of the school and its                         programs. 

Team Learning Leaders: 

Foundation  Mr Jack Powell 

Year 1  Ms Laura Pearce 

Year 2  Mrs Leanne Peterson 

Year 3  Mrs Shey O’Brien 

Year 4  Mr Steve Gammon 

Year 5  Mr Tom Pearce 

Year 6  Mrs Mel McGregor 

Specialist  Mrs Sherri Jenkins 

Principal  Ms Coby Larrieu 

Assistant Principal/Wellbeing 

Mrs Mel Bach 

Acting Assistant Principal/PYP Coordinator 

Mrs Sherri Jenkins 

 Modes of Communication: Newsletter: We publish a weekly Tjuringa (newsletter) which is emailed to all families and is also                             available via our website. This keeps everyone up to date with the latest happenings                           in the school and the broader educational context.   Emails: Email communication is used for: · teachers to send year level information email to parents · parents to make appointments or notifying teachers of a student absence Please note that concerns are to be addressed via the ‘lines of communication’                         (face-face/via phone call) not via email. Emails from parents will be responded to within 48 hours, Monday to Friday                         between 8am and 5:30pm. If an email is received over the weekend, a response will be sent on the following                               Monday by 5:30pm.   Flexibuzz: We use Flexibuzz as our School App. Please remember to subscribe to your child’s                           year level. Flexibuzz is used for sending notifications and reminders.   ‘Aspendale Primary School- Official’ Facebook page: Our Facebook page is used to keep you informed and highlight some of the                           activities and events going on in our school.   Sentral: Sentral is used to publish school reports and to schedule interviews and Student-Led                         Conferences. You can access the parent Portal in Sentral via                   https://sentral.aspendale.vic.edu.au/portal/login   Qkr: The Qkr App is used for all school payments (Canteen, fee, extra curricula activities)                           and excursion permission forms.   Information sessions: Meetings of general interest are held throughout the year                     and your attendance is encouraged. This year we are hosting an information session                         about ‘Teaching and Learning at APS’ (English and Maths focus).