Term 3 Week 5
Principals Update
It has been a busy and productive first half of the term, and we would like to thank our school community for your ongoing support. The partnership between home and school plays a vital role in ensuring the best outcomes for our students, and we truly value the time, effort, and encouragement you provide.
Families are reminded to complete the School Opinion Survey that was recently emailed directly from the Department of Education (not the school). Your feedback is an important part of our planning process, helping us to reflect on our current practices and set meaningful goals for the future. If you are having trouble locating the survey, please let Meggin Bahr or Danielle Taylor know and we can provide a link.
In Week 8, we will be participating in our 4-yearly School Review. This is an exciting opportunity for our staff, students, and families to reflect on our achievements, celebrate our growth, and work together to identify priorities for the next four years. We look forward to sharing with you all the outcomes of this process in due course.
Over the rest of the term, we will have a few short-term staff changes due to leave and professional development. We’re fortunate to have a couple of local teachers stepping in to provide relief during this time. Please note that Campbell Evans is on leave for the remainder of the term, with Amanda Sciascia acting as Head of Department (Primary) to ensure continuity of leadership and support.
Storyfest is fast approaching, families are asked to make payment as soon as possible. Our Year 5/6 class is also busily preparing for their camp to Magnetic Island in the first week of September.
Next week is Book Week! Our dress-up parade will be held Monday morning at 8:45am, with Kindy to Year 4 students heading to the Shire Hall afterwards for some fun activities. All other year levels will follow their normal class routines.
The Outback Festival is fast approaching, and through the week our school will be celebrating 140 years. As part of this we are lifting the time capsule and will have the items on display during our birthday party on the Wednesday of the festival. We will also be hosting school tours and having a birthday cake. We invite all families to join us on this day, Wednesday 24th September from 9:30-12:00. We have also entered a team into the Dunny Derby, unfortunately though minimum participation age is 16 years so for most of our kids they will need to wait a little longer. We would still love the support of our school community as we look to win the important title.
Finally, a reminder that attendance is key—we will be completing assessment tasks right up until the end of term, so every day counts.
We appreciate your continued involvement and look forward to the exciting weeks ahead.
Take care,
Meggin
Lower Primary Update
Our learners from Kindy to Grade 4 have been doing a great job in their learning routines, specifically for literacy, English and mathematics. As we approach book week we encourage them to read everyday, and continue that beyond next week. Don't forget they have access to a Reading Eggs account if you are looking for something educational they can do outside of school that doesn't require any direction from an adult. We are busy preparing for Bush Poetry and encourage families to practice their poems at home with their kids ahead of this event.
In Technologies, our Prep-2 students have been practising their cooking skills and enjoy being in the big commercial kitchen at school. This complements their English unit, which is at the moment is procedural writing. Following a recipe in the kitchen is a great way of reinforcing the work they are doing in English. Our year 3-4 students are doing a great job in the sewing room, creating wonderful masterpieces. Sewing requires patience, attention to detail and fine motor skills.
In science week they have enjoyed joining an older class and participating in some cool science experiments.
This term our in the Arts P-1-2 focus is on dance this term with an animal theme. Our 3-4 students focus is on Celebration through Dance. We are learning about the importance of dance around the world and have been choreographing our own 8-beat dance sequences.
5/6 Learning Update
The Year 5/6 class are powering through their first assessments for the term. In Maths, students have almost completed their work on finding missing angles, as well as calculating the perimeter and area of rectangles. Next, we will be diving into adding and subtracting fractions.
In English, students have begun their persuasive writing assessment, crafting letters to someone of importance in the Winton community to propose changes they would like to see happen in our town.
In Science, we have been exploring how changes in the environment affect living things, with students making connections between real world examples and the topics we’ve discussed in class.
In the Arts this semester, the 5-6s are using their iPads to make movies! We are learning the art of story-telling through documentary making. We have learnt about the four basic documentary techniques of using narration, interview, archival material, and observational footage and had some practice scripting and filming ourselves doing some piece-to-camera. Students will create their own short films about their primary school experiences in celebration of the Year 6 graduations.
7/8 Learning Update
Science
Both classes continued work on the Earth and Space Science Unit part of the Science Curriculum (Curriculum v8.4) in Term 3.
The Year 7/8 Science class has almost completed the Earth and Space Unit of work and has studied how the Earth, Sun and the Moon interact for Day and Night, Seasons, Eclipses and Tides and the class also reviewed the Phases of the Moon. The class also commenced a Poster/ Multimodal Presentation highlighting their knowledge of the Earth, Sun and Moon interactions which is to be completed by the end of term.
Lessons related to understanding the difference between Renewable and Non - Renewable Resources which is the remainder of the Earth and Space Unit of work will commence at the end of Week 6 in Term 3 after which a short exam will be used to assess their knowledge and skills. It is intended to commence the Chemistry Unit in Term 3 and to continue this unit until the end of Term 4.
Mathematics
Both the Year 7/8 and the Year 9/10 classes have commenced the Algebra Unit of work (Curriculum v9.0) in Term 3.
The Algebra unit for Year 7/8 Maths has to date entailed understanding number and algebraic patterns and using Cartesian Planes and a short exam will be completed at the end of Week 6. After this assessment, the remainder of the Algebra unit of work will be completed and it is expected that another exam will be staged during Week 10.
DAT
In DAT, the 7-8s are designing and constructing ‘Yard Swaggies” for the Outback Festival Competition to celebrate 150 years of Winton. This is exciting as we are fast approaching the Outback Festival.
9/10 Learning Update
Science
The Year 9/10 Science class has completed all lessons relating to the role Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift i.e., the Earth and Space Unit of work. The Chemistry Unit will start in the in Week 6 and this unit will be completed at the end of Term 4.
Assessment in the Earth and Space Science Unit for the Year 9/10 students which consists of a Research Investigation related to Plate Tectonics has commenced and is expected to be completed by Week 9 involving about 7 in-class lessons. A short exam for the Chemistry Unit is envisaged for Week 10 of Term 3.
Mathematics
The Algebra unit for Year 9/10 Maths has to date involved a study of linear algebra. A short exam is planned for the end of Week 6. The remainder of Term 3 will concentrate of non-linear algebra and a second exam assessing these concepts will be conducted during Week 10.
Visual Art
Students are transforming masters into contemporary 2D and 3D artworks this semester. They have studied Da Vinci’s, Mona Lisa, and transformed her into a contemporary 2D artwork. They have completed activities to show their understanding of art elements and principles, which they will use in their upcoming assessment. Students will select another master painter, who they will research and analyse to transform an ‘old’ artwork into something ‘new’.
11/12 Learning Update
Students in the 11/12 Ag Practices and Science in Practice class spent a day exploring Winton and its environment. As part of Ag, students have created a tank for blue claw yabbies and will observe and analyse what happens. Science in Practice students collected water from some of the waterways and will conduct various tests to see what the water quality is like. Students will then write and applied investigation report outlining their findings.
Essential Mathematics
This term, both Year 11 and 12 students will be completing a PSMT (Problem solving and modelling task). All students have been given their assessment task and report template.
Year 12’s will be investigating purchasing a house, calculating loan repayments and completing budgets.
Year 11’s will be planning a road trip to Airlie Beach which will involve using time, speed, distance and also evaluating energy balance by comparing kilojoules consumed and burned.
Year 12 due dates: The draft is due on the 13/8/25. The final due date for this assessment is the 26/8/25.
Year 11 due dates: 1st draft is due on the 13/8/25 and 2nd draft is due on the 25/08/25. The final due date for this assessment is 1/9/25.
General Mathematics
The Year 11 General Maths is continuing on schedule and it is expected that this unit of work will be completed at the end of Week 6 in Term 3. An exam on partly Unit 1 but mostly 2 Unit 2 work will be conducted in Week 7 or Week 8.
Biology
The Biology Unit 2 “Maintaining the internal environment” is continuing and will be completed by the end of Term 3. Two assessments will be completed during Term 3: a Research Investigation (FIA3) and an exam (FIA4) covering all Unit 1 and Unit 2 work.
The Research Investigation (FIA3) commenced during Week 1 and will require about 8 to 10 in-class lessons and work is continuing on this assessment and final submission is during Week 10 of Term 3. An exam encompassing of Unit 1 and Unit 2 work will be conducted during Week 10 and will follow about 3 lessons of revision beforehand.
Essential English
This term, students are exploring how texts are used to relay human experiences. They are reading Saroo Brierley’s memoir, Lion – A Long Way Home, and will review the film, Lion, through a multi-modal response.
Visual Arts in Practice
Students are focussing on transforming and extending another artist’s work for their final project. They have investigated an artist of their choice and are now creating an experimental folio of transformational artworks inspired by the works of their chosen artist
General English
This week students completed an imaginative response exam, using a poem at stimulus. The year 11 students have another exam in week 9 this term. Our year 12 students are now preparing for the external exam, which will occur early term 4.
National Science Week
Several activities have been conducted for National Science Week 2025 at Winton State School. The focus of the WSS has been as follows: Science is Fun. Science is Cool. Science is Important. Thank you to Mr Carello for his effort in organising this exciting week for our school.
These activities have encompassed four themes: Earth and Space, Physics, Biology and Chemistry.
Earth and Space Unit Theme
On August 11, students from Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 classes attending the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum during the day and the Dark Sky Observatory at night.
Physics Theme
Students ranging from Prep to Year 10 level students completed several experiments having a Physics Theme. These experiments include:
- Paper Rocket.
- Cotton Ball Launcher.
- Sail Car Design. (Collaborative/Combined Classes- Year 3 / 4 and Year 7 / 8)
Biology Theme
Students from Prep to Year 11 level students conducted several experiments having a Biology Theme including:
- DNA Candy
- Animal Habitats (Collaborative/Combined Classes- Year 1 / 2 and Year 9 / 10)
- Animal Scavenger Hunt (Collaborative/Combined Classes- Preps and Year 11 Biology)
- Microscope Viewing. (Collaborative/Combined Classes- Preps and Year 11 Biology)
- Chicken Wing Dissection (Collaborative/Combined Classes- Year 5 / 6 and Year 9 / 10)
Chemistry Theme
Students ranging from Prep to Year 10 level students completed several experiments having a Chemistry Theme. These experiments include:
- Froth and Bubble
- Elephant Toothpaste
- Lava Lamp
- Carbon Snake