What’s happening in Year 5

05 CORE 1

STEM Project

This term, our Year 5 students have been immersed in a dynamic STEM project that combined creativity, collaboration and computational thinking. Working in teams, students followed the design process to plan and construct themed mini golf courses, drawing inspiration from imaginative concepts and interests such as space, Willy Wonka, the Titanic and the four seasons/fantasy.

Through this hands-on experience, students developed essential 21st-century skills including problem-solving, teamwork and innovation. STEM learning encourages curiosity, while collaborative projects foster communication and shared responsibility. In the final week of term, students will take their learning further by designing, testing and refining algorithms to program a Sphero Bolt robot to successfully navigate their course, introducing them to the fundamentals of coding and robotics in a fun and meaningful way.

Stephanie Yiorkas
Year 5 Teacher

05 CORE 2

Year 5 have been researching a range of environments around Australia that are under threat. Using this information, the students imagined what this environment would be like if it was not under threat and what it might be like in the future if it was restored. They wrote descriptions similar to those in the mentor text Bright New World by Cindy Forde and Bethany Lorde. Below are some of their descriptions.

The Northern Beaches 

Welcome to The Northern Beaches in the year 3000! The oceans are clear, the sand is pure white, the animals are thriving, and we made that happen!

1. The air is finally clear! We have reduced carbon emissions to zero, and now, climate change has been reversed!
2. We have set up an annual beach clean-up, and it’s one of the most successful initiatives in the beaches!
3. We have stopped the diverse wildlife from going extinct, so animals like the bold Great Auk, the littora flammea, the cute sea mink, and so many other species have all come back from extinction to say hello!

Kira Tang

The Greater Blue Mountains

Hi nature lovers!
If you want to make a change 
follow me! The Blue Mountains
are waiting for people like you!

Look at these trees! We’ve found a way to re-plant them. After we stopped climate change by using solar power, wind power and wave power the world stopped heating up. We managed to get together a group of people all with interests in hiking and nature to come together and plant more trees. Now the flourishing nature is back. And the Blue Mountains have been restored to its full beauty once again.

Creeks are a clear blue colour, perfectly rocky and mossy. We’ve blocked off polluted water pipes and added a filter in case some pollution came through. The temperate environment has made it the perfect climate for wildlife to thrive. Freshwater has made a great impact on the animals and now the native species are living in peace and harmony. Isn’t that what everyone wants?

We’ve managed to preserve many species of native Australian animals. The vibrant yellow crest of the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo has been seen more as the numbers have increased. There have been less reports on invasive species such as: rabbits, foxes and deer. Now the flourishing wildlife has been restored, more and more tourists have come to look for these stunning creatures. 
Sofia Brodowska-Nidelkos

Wendy Anetter
Year 5 Teacher

05 CORE 3

Mathematics

During Mathematics, Year 5 have been enjoying exploring units of measurement including mass as well as volume and 3D Objects. During their learning, students used a range of devices and materials to engage in hands-on learning experiences which they thoroughly enjoyed. Students were focusing on the concept of visualising 3D objects and enjoyed describing properties of these objects to describe to a friend and then they needed to guess what object their classmates were describing. It was a fun task where students were not only exploring the concept of visualising 3D objects but also interacting with their classmates. 

Bryony Watkins
Year 5 Teacher

05 CORE 4

Light Reflections

Our curious Year 5 scientists explored the fascinating world of light reflections using concave and convex mirrors. They discovered how concave mirrors can focus light to a point, are great for magnifying objects; while convex mirrors spread light out, helping us see a wider view. Through hands-on experiments, students observed how light behaves differently depending on the mirror’s shape, sparking lots of wonder and great questions!

Tayla Kostakis
Year 5 Teacher