A visit from an architect.

Over the past few weeks we have been fortunate to have architect Bob Earl visit the neighbourhood to help us think about the important role architecture plays in how people interact with their spaces.  In addition to explaining the design process, his visits have been inspiring us to explore ways of incorporating the architectural principles of aesthetics (materials, texture, light, space) and utility (purpose, user experience) into our plans for a PHPS museum.  Through this we have been able to generate new ideas while considering what elements we wish to include in our designs.  Throughout this process we have been developing mathematical understandings about measurement and scale as well as learning how we can best communicate our ideas effectively through drawings.

Term 2 Week 7

Inquiry Focus
Students have completed presenting the exhibit plans that they have for our Princes Hill Primary School Museum. This week we are continuing to explore who would potentially come to our museum, what kind of experience would they expect and what information would be important to us to share with them through our exhibits. Larger exhibit groups have been identified across the neighbourhoods and we are beginning to plan how our exhibits will work in the neighbourhood spaces. Parents have also been sharing their expertise with us over the last few weeks and helping us with various aspects of our inquiry.

Mathematics Focus
We will be continuing to explore concepts of multiplication, place value, addition and area through our museum map designs which will be completed this week. We will also further explore accurate measuring, estimation, and aspects of scale. Target sessions will also run focusing on specific points of need.

Literacy Focus
Students are completing their book reviews this week and they are continuing to track their reading through making reading log entries in their literacy books. Fluency when reading is an area of focus in reading also. We are exploring aspects of poetry over the next few weeks. Limericks have been an initial focus and students have been creating their own limericks which are up on the walls in the neighbourhoods. These poetry experiences are valuable for students developing awareness of rhyme, syllables and poetic structure.

Wellbeing Focus
We are asking students to consider how they can contribute to the wellbeing of the neighbourhood and students have responded in a variety of ways. Many are eager to contribute to the cleaning and organising the neighbourhood and one group have created a friendship letter box in which students can write letters to each other which are read out or delivered once a week as a way of expressing gratitude to each other.

Author Alice Zaslavsky (a.k.a Alice in Frames) will be talking to students on Friday 29 May 9-10 am
about her debut book Alice’s Food A-Z, life on MasterChef and most importantly food and cooking.

Books for Cooks (Lucy White 5/6’s parents) will have copies of Alice’s Food A-Z
available for purchase by students and signing.  The book is $19.95.  A copy will be at the office for perusal.

Here’s what Books for Cooks had to say in ‘Australian Bookseller & Publisher’

“Too often childrens’ cookbooks, particularly middle primary school age, are just bad collections of cheesy cheap content and recipes for happy faces on pizza; which makes finding a good food book for your 6-11 year old child, relative, god-child or ‘inner-child’ very difficult – until now!   Alice Zaslavsky is a Melbourne based qualified middle school teacher who made it through to the finals of MasterChef Series 5 – the one with the ‘big glasses’!  Alice’s Food A-Z is an engaging, personal, fun and healthy introduction to food that will intrigue kids, adults – even picky eaters!  Alice’s zany sense of humour percolates throughout (think Andy Griffiths meets Heston Blumenthal) and her 40 recipes scattered over 26 A-Z foodie chapters illustrate good cooking techniques in snacks and easy dishes without being preachy.  Liberally seasoned with interesting & engaging ‘facts’, ‘tips’ and ‘whys guys’ breakout sections this is a great balanced introduction to food, food science, cooking and health for young readers.  The ‘What to look for’ sections are perfect primers to make better food shoppers.  Perfect for home, the layout will also suit lesson plans and school activities.”

Books for Cooks | 233 Gertrude St Fitzroy | +61 3 8415 1415 |www.booksforcooks.com.au

Verso

We are very excited to be starting to use a new web based app for learning at school.  In the neighbourhoods students will be using the app, Verso which is a great tool for sharing your thinking in a private online setting.  Teachers will use the online message board to post discussion questions about the provocations and projects and students respond to these.  Once a student has shared their ideas, answers or thinking about the discussion question other responses from students in the neighbourhood become visible for them to comment on.  The teachers can see what all students are posting and can capture data which will allow us to develop focussed learning and individual goals.

We are lucky enough to have a free account supplied to us from DET and are looking forward to using it along side our projects and provocations.  You will have received a letter explaining the privacy information for using the app and where you can find more information.

Verso website

Exploring area and multiplication through museum maps

Using measurements of length and width and multiplication strategies to calculate the area of exhibit spaces.

Transferring a drafted museum design onto grid paper

Using the Floorplan application to design museum spaces

Term 2 Week 5

Inquiry Focus
Students have begun to present the exhibit plans that they have for our Princes Hill Primary School Museum. Students have been able to use some of the understanding that they have developed through our investigations into persuasive text to argue the merits of their exhibit idea. This week we are asking the students to consider who would potentially come to our museum. What kind of experience would they expect and what information would be important to us to share with them through our exhibits? We are beginning to explore how students can collaborate effectively. Specifically we will be looking at identifying roles within a group.

Mathematics Focus
We will be continuing to explore concepts of multiplication, place value and area through our museum map designs and this week we will also further explore accurate measuring and some aspects of scale. Target sessions will also run focusing on specific points of need.

Literacy Focus
We will be introducing a book review provocation to the students this week to build on the reading log that students are keeping in the back of their literacy books. Within the book review students will be asked to share their ideas and feelings about reading, describe how authors develop character, setting and plot. The book review will be due this Friday for the year fours. Year three students will have an additional week due to NAPLAN testing which will be held this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Wellbeing Focus
We have been exploring the concept of empathy with the students as a way for them to develop social awareness. We have been asking students to consider what the feelings of another person may be in a given situation and how that could influence our behaviour and the choices that we make. This learning has been taking place in informal conversational settings and through our regular 'circle time' sessions.

Community Relations Subcommittee - The Parent Rep Role

The Community Relations Subcommittee focuses on building and developing healthy, mutually rewarding relationships between the school and the wider parent community. It seeks to strengthen connections within our community, encourage participation and involvement in the life of school and participation in social and fundraising events. In order to continue to foster this sense of community and build engagement and belonging within our school the Community Relations Subcommittee will now be made up of the Parent Representatives, a member of the Bazaar Committee, and nominated School Council Members. 

Our Parent Representatives play a very important role within our school community. They are a key conduit of information as they facilitate communication amongst families and the school community. The Parent Reps help to promote a sense of belonging and parent involvement in educational and social activities through open and positive interactions between members of our school community. They are the vital link in promoting socialisation for the parent group within the neighbourhood and engagement in key fundraising events especially the Bazaar. Our school community needs Parent Reps, they are valued and their importance is being recognised in their involvement in the Community Relations Subcommittee.

If you believe this sounds like you or you want to become more involved in our school community we want to hear from you. We are now calling for 2015 Parent Representatives. If you are interested or want to know more about the role please contact Sophie Croft 0438 101 103 or email the.crofts@bigpond.com

Sophie Croft

School Council – Community Relations Convenor

Term 2 Week 4

This week in Literacy 
Students will be self assessing their fluency in reading by recording themselves using Garage Band and reviewing this. Teachers will also be assessing students fluency using these recordings. We will be learning how to skim read a text to identity key words and information. In writing, students will continue to write persuasive texts using the features they have learnt over the last few weeks such as emotive language, rhetorical questions and generalisations.

This week in Numeracy 
We are designing floor plans of our own museums which we will later use to make a scale model of the museum.  The focus will be on calculating the area, multiplying and how to draw a 'birds eye view.'  In their designs students will use a key to show the different exhibits, find the area and perimeter of the different areas and use labels to show doors and windows. In target sessions students will use place value partitioning to solve addition and subtraction problems as well as other focuses appropriate to student need.

Inquiry Focus
Through our inquiry we have been exploring museums as a way for communities to store and share important knowledge. We have formed a close connection with Melbourne Museum through their education officer Cameron. He has visited the neighbourhood on several occasions to help the children develop their understanding of museums and we have connected with him via video conference on several occasions to engage in virtual tours of the museum.

Currently we are exploring the idea of creating our own Princes Hill Primary School museum. We are exploring what is unique and special about our school community to create possible exhibits for our museum. Students are planning to persuade the neighbourhood that our PHPS Museum should contain their exhibit and the students will share their ideas with the neighbourhoods.