9 minute read
Year 5
2022 has been a year filled with excitement, challenges, learning, adventure and growth for our Year 5 boys. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to have a complete year at school without the interruptions of lockdowns or distance learning.
Over the course of the year, we have witnessed our boys grow into young leaders of the future. The boys have made a lasting legacy on the Junior School through their endeavours this year in leading fundraising events for Alex Makes Meals, nurturing a caring relationship with their buddies, representing the School at inter-school music and sporting events with pride and respect, and by challenging their thinking through their efforts in the Science Talent Search. As the boys transition into Middle School, we hope they will take with them a love and passion for learning, persist when challenged by showing a Yeti mindset, and, most importantly, show kindness towards others and themselves through their words, actions and gestures.
Mr Mathew McRae and Mr Michael Pettolino Year 5 Teachers
Student Leadership Executive
In Term 1, students from Year 5 had an opportunity to become a Junior School Leader. We had to create a persuasive poster and speech and then present it to our peers and teachers. We learnt about persuasive devices to engage our intended audience. In our leadership campaigns, we included information about our character traits, skills, talents, and vision for the School. Twelve students were elected to become part of the Student Leadership Executive at the end of Term 1. The students meet fortnightly with teachers to implement programs and initiatives aimed at fundraising and friendraising. In Term 2 and Term 3, we organised a Toy and Book Fair to raise money for Alex Makes Meals. Alex Makes Meals is a local charity that supports people who are experiencing homelessness or domestic violence by providing warm and tasty meals. In total, the Student Leadership Executive was able to raise $1,050 for Alex Makes Meals. Also, we led an initiative to reduce the use of soft plastics in the Junior School. We developed educational videos to teach students about the impacts of soft plastics and we also set up collection bags in every classroom so that we can take the plastic to be recycled at our local supermarkets.
Zachary Lim, Marcus Kilroy, Pasan Saranasuriya, and
Harvey Zhao
Writing in Year 5
Throughout the year, we have been learning to write different types of texts for different purposes. In Term 1, we explored persuasive writing and learnt how to incorporate PEEL paragraphs and language features to persuade the reader. In Term 2, we got creative and learnt how to write scientific narratives using information about plant and animal adaptations in our writing. We have been learning to embed the six traits of writing so that we can become more creative and fluent writers. In Term 3, we explored how to write an effective discussion showcasing two sides of an argument and various forms of poetry, including limericks, haikus, cinquains, and ballads. We became experts at using figurative language in our writing to paint a picture for our readers.
Alexander Au and Brian Yan
Winter Sport
In Term 2, students from Years 4-6 had an opportunity to participate in a Round Robin competition against Trinity Grammar and Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School. We competed in European Handball, AFL, and Soccer. We trained weekly with our coaches and travelled to other schools every three weeks to compete. The students loved playing against other schools. It taught us how important it is to work together as a team and to persist when things get challenging. Many of us learnt new skills and improved our fitness over the term.
House Events
Each year, students in Year 5 compete in House Events. Some of the competitions we participated in were House Swimming, House Cross Country, and House Athletics. During our PE lessons and Friday sport, we would participate in training to develop our skills ready for competition. Year 5 students also coordinated a House Games Day in Term 1 as an opportunity for students from different grades to come together to compete against each other. We planned a range of games to cater for the varying ages of students, including Gaga Ball, Parachute, Skeeters, Finnska, Spike Ball, and Picture Find.
Riaan Kumar, Hugh McGrath, and Kiran D’Rozario
Science Talent Search
This year, Year 5 participated in a competition called the Science Talent Search in Term 2. Our theme of the competition was ‘Glass: More Than Meets The Eye’. Students had to choose a topic related to the theme, research it and then present their findings in different ways. Some students chose to write a story, create a poster, take photos, build a game or create a working model. Over the course of the term, we worked closely with our teachers and Ms Rutter to develop our research skills, including using online search engines and encyclopaedias, summarising, evaluating websites, writing bibliographies, and presenting information using infographics and tables. The projects were very informative!
Year 5 Camp
Year 5 Camp at Candlebark Farm was one of the most enjoyable experiences this year. Students participated in a range of fun and exciting outdoor activities like the Giant Swing, Talent Show, Archery, Rock Climbing, Orienteering, and Gaga Ball. Students slept in comfy cabins and had early mornings every day. Some students woke up as early as 6.00am and read books in bed or played Exploding Kittens. We loved camp because it gave us an opportunity to make new friends, get to know our new teachers for the year, and challenge ourselves with activities that we had never done before. We enjoyed delicious cuisine including tasty pasta, juicy steaks, boiled potatoes, and delicious hot dogs. On the bus trip back, we were really tired and exhausted. Some of us were caught snoring as we slept. All of us are really looking forward to the next camp!
JUNIOR SCHOOL
House Games Day
A very important part of Year 5 was hosting the House Games Day which was an event held in Term 1. There were many events that made the day amazing! I was a coach for the Houses when we were playing Finska. All levels competed, from Prep to Year 5. Before the event, we spent a week planning for it. We set the groups into older students and younger students. The teachers came and checked on our routine, and we had to write down a speech to make sure we gave clear and concise instructions.
The memorable experience of House Games Day will carry us through all of Year 5 and perhaps Year 6 as well. Looking after the small children we once were, was both exciting and difficult due to their lack of focus and ability to constantly move. The activities we played and helped the younger ones with were also incredibly enjoyable as there was a whole lot of variety of games.
Sebastian Cheung, Liam Williams, Deshan Jeyaretnam, and Josiah Ho
Toy and Book Fair
The Toy and Book Fair was the first Junior School charity event of 2022 to raise money for the organisation called Alex Makes Meals, which helps to feed homeless people. Students donated toys and books that were priced from $1-$5. All of the students of the Junior School had the opportunity to buy the donated toys and books, and all of the money went to Alex Makes Meals. There was also a raffle that students could enter for $1 to have a chance to win some expensive toys and books. The winners were revealed at a later Assembly. The Toy and Book Fair was an especially successful fundraiser.
Aaron Lim, Gaius Pillemer, Jeffrey Zhong, and Joshua Chan
Excursion to Melbourne Zoo
Year 5 had an amazing day at Melbourne Zoo. This excursion was focused on the topic of Term 2, Sharing the Planet. The day started off slightly wetter than needed but soon the sun shone through the clouds. Many animals not usually seen came out to enjoy the sunshine. The day was filled with excitement and curiosity, we split up into groups and ventured into the abyss of the humongous zoo. Led by the teachers and volunteering parents, each group set off to see animals and look at their structural, behavioural, and physiological adaptations. They put their discoveries into the zoo booklet and rushed around the zoo for keeper talks.
Ronald Liu, Leonardo Tahn, William Zhao, and Ivan Wang
Junior School Production
In the last week of Term 2, students from Years 3-5 participated in a production called Star Warts: The Umpire Strikes Back. Auditions were done, lines were learnt, and songs were put together, creating an incredible musical. Every class had a song to sing and every student took part. The main cast had rehearsals every Tuesday after school. There were lots of costumes, backgrounds, and props! We had lots of fun performing on the big stage and everybody enjoyed the performance!
Star Warts was an elating experience for students from Years 3, 4, and 5.
Andy Lim, Jonas Fowler, Lachlan Au, and Ethan Li
Soft Plastics Initiative
The soft plastic initiative was a great idea from the Student Leadership Executive. We started auditing soft plastics to see how much soft plastics we disposed into the bins, and to see how many students bought soft plastic to school. After we audited this soft plastic we gave a talk to the Junior School about how much soft plastic they disposed of over the weeks we audited the soft plastic. We answered the questions of what happens to soft plastics in the environment, how soft plastics can be recycled, and what actions we can take to reduce the amount of plastic brought to school.
Keaghan Ho, Kristian Kedzierski, Kingsley Chen, and
Callum Lew
Buddies
In Year 5 we spent time with Prep and Year 1 buddies. We did fun activities together such as colouring in, scavenger hunts, drawing, and many more great activities. It was really heartwarming to see our buddies having fun in the playground and they knew that they could always ask us for help. When we saw our buddies we could either do work in the Year 5 classroom or the buddies’ classroom. The people in 5A had Prep buddies whereas the people in 5B had Year 1 buddies. We loved spending time with our buddies and they loved it too. The older Year 5 students helped the younger grades and we think it is a good idea for younger and older grades to socialise. It is always fun to see our buddies having fun. The Year 5s like teaching younger grades skills and facts; we all love spending time with our buddies.
Zachary Madden, Jayden Zhang, Jeffrey Zhong, and
