The Great Guide Sleepover 2017

This year I am taking part in The Great Guide Sleepover at Taronga Zoo and will be sleeping under the stars!
This year, funds raised from The Great Guide Sleepover go to support Taronga conservation society. Taronga cares for 4000 animals from over 350 species, many of which are threatened. This year the Sumatran tiger is our focus for all donations and I want to do what I can to help.
Please donate to my page as any amount you can give will make a difference!
Page link:Donation page

!This years mascot!

The Future of Education Video Booth

On Tuesday Fraser Primary was lucky enough to have the Future of Education video booth/ideas igloo at our school.

The video booth is part of the Future of Education project and will capture insight, experiences and ideas from the community to inform a policy document about the future of education in the ACT.  

As a part of the project many of our students and some staff members participated by entering the booth and speaking about their experiences with Fraser Primary.

It was both enlightening and entertaining.

Our students were forthright and honest in their responses and we even received some great feedback about our students and their thoughts about the school and teachers.

Below is an email Mr. Deeker received the Thursday after the event.

Hi Mark

I am one of the people on the Future of Education team and I just wanted to pass on some positive feedback.

Reviewing the footage from the video booth that was held earlier this week at your school, it was really striking how supported by their teachers the young people feel - the students consistently spoke enthusiastically about how teachers knew who they were and what worked for them and that they genuinely cared about them.

It was lovely to watch and I just thought you might like that bit of feedback.

Regards

Enjoy some happy snaps of the day.....

Coding in Schools

So it's been said that the fastest growing language learned in schools is Coding..... you know? writing code to tell robots what to do or to make characters in video games run and jump.


As part of our STEM sessions students from years 3 to 6 have been introduced to coding with many then choosing to participate in extra lunch time coding sessions.


They learn to use apps such as Scratch to create interactive stories, games and animations and Sphero, a robotic ball that they program using specific code. Plus, we have just purchased a set of electronic bits and pieces called Little Bits which can be used to create circuits and robots.

It is a Brave New World our students are growing up in and, we are doing our best to ensure our students become proficient in coding.


Below is a link to a news story published earlier this year regarding the Queensland Department of Education's push to make coding compulsory in schools.


ABC report on Coding in Queensland


For those students wishing to take things a little further, below are two links to a story about and the Youtube channel of Yumi, a ten year old Aussie student who posts how to code tutorials and, he even has five apps he has created selling on the Apple App store.


Behind the News - Yumi


10 year old Yuma's Coding Channel

Garden Day for 5/6

On Wednesday 5/6 had a gardening day. We dressed as gardeners or farmers – there was a lot of flannelette shirts, boots and some interesting hats. We even had some whip cracking!

Each of us had the opportunity to work in the garden. We planted a range of vegetables like potatoes, leeks, lettuces, mini cauliflowers and onions. We also planted herbs like mint, coriander, thyme and parsley.

Before we planted we prepared the soil and afterwards we mulched and watered all the plants. We wore masks when mulching to make sure we didn’t breathe in any dust.

When we weren’t in the garden we researched the plants to find out what pests and diseases they are prone to and how to help prevent these. 

We also played a ‘Guess the Herb’ Game. By using our senses we tried to figure out what ten different vegetables and herbs were. Some brave students even tasted some kumquats. One even tricked Mr.A into eating coriander.

We can't wait to try some of our fresh produce soon!!!

OHHHH! Those Kumquats! 

3 Garden Beds - Before!

3 Garden Beds - After!

Term Three...Here we come!

Well, welcome back. It's hard to believe we've reached and passed the half-way mark already and.......

We're not planning on slowing down. Term 3 is traditionally the 'busiest' term of the year. This term we've got an assembly , the art fair, dress as a gardener day, OzTag tournaments, student lead conferences....the list goes on and I'm sure we'll add to it as the term progresses.

On top of all that we're studying a unit about refugees in Inquiry, writing information reports in English and commencing a unit on problem solving in Mathematics.

So, if you thought things were going to slow down for our 5/6s........you should meet my pet unicorn!

Times Tables Matters

The students in 5/6 have started working on Multiplication in maths and will be moving on to Division soon.
We've let them know that the best thing they can do to improve accuracy and speed of recall is to practise their times tables. So, we've been completing tables webs and grids at the start of each lesson (which they are more than welcome to complete at home if they have a spare five minutes).
Another fun way to improve is to learn clever songs and rhymes, so.....
Below is a link to a Youtube video posted by a teacher in North America who has created a number of videos of popular songs which he has changed the lyrics to help students learn their times tables.
Have a look, have a laugh, have a sing and see if it helps.
If you like it, look up some of his other songs.
Enjoy

3 Times Tables to Uptown Funk - Link

What a Disaster!

Floods? Earthquakes? Cyclones?  not a worry.
Last week our dedicated and talented 5/6 students designed and built disaster proof houses. They designed the houses taking into consideration use of materials and design features that would help their houses withstand forces of nature.
They then built their houses and, at the end of the day, they tested their houses.
Take a look at the pics below. Fun was had by all......especially us teachers.