Curriculum News 

Australian Curriculum – Refined – Version 9

The Australian Curriculum sets the learning goals for all students as they progress through their school life – wherever they live in Australia and whichever school they attend, and when parents/carers are actively involved in their children’s education, children achieve better results.

The goal for the Australian Curriculum is to develop successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed young people who are ready to take their place in society. To achieve this goal, the Australian Curriculum includes 3 parts:

• 8 learning areas which are sometimes referred to as subjects, 
• 7 general capabilities which as sometimes known as the 21st century skills 
• 3 cross-curriculum priorities

From 2025 our teachers and students will be operating in Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum, in subject English and Mathematics, with other subject areas to roll out over the coming years.  This gradual release schedule allows schools to make adjustments, changes and refinements to our curriculum delivery at a reasonable and steady pace.  

What do English and Mathematics look like in Version 9.

Over the coming newsletter instalments, I will be giving you a brief tour of what is expected in subjects English and Mathematics across difference sectors of primary schooling.

Years 1 and 2

In Years 1 and 2, priority is given to the important areas of literacy and numeracy development. English and Mathematics are the core subjects for this, but literacy and numeracy are found in all subjects. By the end of Year 2, students have a much stronger understanding of themselves and have begun to connect with the wider community.

English

Students develop literacy using texts that entertain, inform and persuade, such as picture books,
non-fiction books and films. Students grow into more independent readers, learn to create a range of different texts and become more confident when they communicate.

Students learn to:

• listen to and discuss information books, stories, films and digital texts
• independently read simple books and discuss what they have read
• discuss the characters and events in texts written by First Nations Australian and wide-ranging Australian and world authors
• decode words
• write to express thoughts and ideas
• tell a story or talk about topics they have learnt in class
• use simple punctuation, such as capital letters and full stops
• spell common words and write in sentences  
• create texts using digital tools
• give short oral presentations on topics of interest
• develop legible handwriting.

 Mathematics

Students develop number sense as they build their understanding of place value. They are introduced to mathematical symbols and learn different ways to represent numbers. They begin to use mathematical language to communicate and explain mathematical ideas, pose basic mathematical questions, and develop simple strategies to investigate and solve practical problems.

Students learn to:

• describe number sequences and locate numbers on a number line
• begin to use number sentences with mathematical symbols to represent simple additive situations
• represent simple fractions using pictures, words, objects and events
• describe and draw shapes and objects
• use informal units to measure length, capacity and mass
• tell the time from both analog and digital clocks
• use a calendar to determine the date
• position and locate objects using directions and pathways
• investigate data collected through surveys, observations and experiments.

Classroom News 

Prep A 

Prep A has had a busy 3 day start to Term 2. We spent a lot of time exploring ANZAC Day. We read stories, drew Anzac Ted, made poppies and even gobbled up an Anzac biscuit. We also began work on our new science unit - materials. We looked at what a variety of classroom items were made of and sorted them according to their material: wood, metal, fabric, paper, cardboard and plastic.

1A

Students in 1A have had a wonderful start to Term 2! In English, students began exploring differences between information and fiction texts. We created an information text on emus and read the story ‘Edward the Emu’. Check out our fabulous emu artwork! In mathematics, students are developing their place value skills by building numbers using bundles of paddle-pop sticks. We also reflected on the meaning of Anzac Day and created a poppy and wristband to proudly wear to the Anzac Day Ceremony.

2A

This term in English, Year 2 students are learning to write Information Reports.  In week 1, 2A students learnt and wrote about the Night Parrot.  This bird is unique to Western Queensland.  We watched a video and read a Non-Fiction Text to learn facts.  We learnt the night parrot was thought to be extinct for 100 years.  Scientists recently sighted it in Western Queensland in 2019. In the last month, additional Night Parrots were found in Western Australia. This unique and special parrot is nocturnal.  Read our Information report to learn more!

3A

In English this term, Year 3 will be focussing on creating a multimodal informative text. We will be concentrating on using the correct format for an information report including paragraphs that begin with a topic sentence and ideas and details drawn from sources. The students will be using language features such as sentences with adjectives in noun groups, compound sentences and topic specific vocabulary and visual features.

4A

Last term, students in 4A had fun exploring visual art conventions including colour. They learned how artists use colour to share their ideas and feelings. For example, bright colours can show joy while cool colours can create calmness. Students discovered that colours can evoke specific emotions: red might mean passion or anger, while blue often feels tranquil. They also learned how artists use colour contrasts to create depth or highlight important parts of their work.  This helped them understand how artists communicate through colour and appreciate its importance in art.

This term we will continue exploring colour, shape and space as we learn more about visual art conventions, techniques and processes to make our own expressive drawings and artworks.

5A

ANZAC Day Reflections in Year 5A

This week, our class had a special opportunity to learn more about the significance of ANZAC Day in a truly memorable way.

We were fortunate to have a student’s parent visit our classroom to share his experiences from serving in the military. He spoke to us about the meaning of ANZAC Day and why it is such an important day for all Australians and New Zealanders. He also showed us some fascinating items from his time in service, including his uniforms, webbing bag, tools, and medals.

The students were incredibly engaged and curious, asking thoughtful questions and listening carefully. Seeing real military items and hearing personal stories helped bring history to life in a way that books and videos can’t always do.

To honour what we learned, the students also created beautiful poppy-themed art and craft projects. These artworks are now proudly displayed in our classroom as a reminder of the bravery, service, and sacrifice that ANZAC Day represents.

This experience helped us all gain a deeper appreciation for the day and the people it honours.

Lest we forget.