Can you believe there are only 3 weeks left before the end of term? And what an exciting time for all is ahead! Here is a snapshot….

WE ARE STEPPING UP!

2025 PREP

We loved having our new 2025 prep (Foundation) students visit recently to ‘big school’. They collected their ‘prep 2025’ T-shirts, met some new friends and enjoyed some Gruffalo reading and creative activities.

This week they will explore another favourite story The Very Hungry Caterpillar with our prep teachers and will create their own caterpillar.

STEP UP DAYS   

All our other classes stepped up and experienced some fun filled activities with their 2025 cohort today.

Next Tuesday students will again participate in some activities to build connections with classmates and learn about what is ahead in 2025.

On Tuesday the 10^th December, all students (including our new preppies) will meet their new teachers and classmates for 2025.

Our Year 6 students will also have their orientation day at secondary college. This transition can be quite a daunting experience for students (and parents). We look forward to the many stories of making new friends, meeting teachers and managing lockers, different bells and learning spaces on their return.

Our teachers have been hard at work creating 2025 classes for our students. As you can appreciate, this is a complex task with many important considerations around each and every child. We trust and appreciate the immense amount of thought, time and effort our teachers put into this task. We have brilliant teachers at Chelsea Primary, and our 2025 team will continue to care and nurture the students’ learning, growth and wellbeing in 2025. 

If your child will be leaving our school in 2025, please email us at the office chelsea.ps@education.vic.gov.au  to let us know of your intentions. This is extremely helpful with forward planning. Thank you. 

YEAR 3/4 CAMP-OFF TO WOMBAT CORNER

We wish our 3/4 students, teachers and ES staff the best as they travel to Wombat Corner in Emerald next Wednesday. We hope you have a wonderful time, enjoy new experiences and come back with many stories to share. Cannot wait to hear all about Puffing Billy!

CAROLS NIGHT

The Chelsea PS Annual Christmas Carols evening is being held on Tuesday 17^th December on our new stage/turf performance area. Each of our classes will entertain us with a range of fabulous Christmas carols. We will also showcase our talented school band and choir. The entertainment will commence at 4.30 pm and finish around 6 pm.

Please come along, find a place on the turf, and enjoy our students performing carols they have been enthusiastically rehearsing with Mr. Rundell. There is also a surprise item which will certainly bring much amusement to the evening!!  (Have the teachers been secretly practising in an after school hush-hush location?)

We look forward to catching up with everyone!

Please note that this is an alcohol-free event.

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Important dates to remember:

Monday 2nd December
CURRICULUM DAY - No students at school

Tuesday 3rd December
Step Into Prep session 3
Step Up - Prep to Grade 5
Supreme Incursion - Grade 6
School Council 5:30pm

Wednesday 4th December
Grade 3/4 Camp at Wombat Corner
SEA Program session 2 - Prep to Grade 2
3D Printing Workshop

Thursday 5th December
Grade 3/4 Camp at Wombat Corner
STOMP incursion - Grades 5/6
iSea iCare Dolphin Swim

Friday 6th December
Grade 3/4 Camp at Wombat Corner
Sailing Day at Chelse Yacht Club - Grades 5/6

Tuesday 10th December
Statewide Transition Day - Meet the teacher

Wednesday 11th December
SEA Program session 3 - Prep to Grade 2
Big Day In - Grade 5
Graduation Night at Patterson River Golf Course

Thursday 12th December
Big Day Out at Luna Park - Grade 6

Friday 13th December
Grade 6 picnic
Grade 6 final assembly and handover to 2025 Captains

Monday 16th December
Lifesaving Program

Tuesday 17th December
Lifesaving Program
Chelsea PS Christmas Carols 4:30-6pm

Wednesday 18th December
Paralympian visit - Dayna Cress

Thursday 19th December
Last day of Term 4 - School finishes 1pm

Friday 20th December
CURRICULUM DAY - No students at school

ENJOY THE SUMMER BREAK!

Tuesday 28th January 2025
CURRICULUM DAY - No students at school

Wednesday 29th January
Students return to school for Term 1!

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KOREAN DAY

Last Thursday’s Korean Day was a wonderful cultural event enjoyed by students, parents, staff, and our very special Taekwondo visitors. Our school was ablaze in Korean colours and traditional costumes.

Dancing, cooking, traditional songs, delicious Gimbap lunch all contributed to a fun filled day.

Thank you to Miss Oh for organising such an amazing day which showcased the students talents and love of the Korean culture and language.

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Foundation Newsletter

Dear Families,

As we approach the end of the school year, we are so proud of the incredible growth our Foundation students have made. They’ve been working hard across all areas of the curriculum, and their progress is truly something to celebrate. Here's a snapshot of what we've been up to and some exciting events ahead!

Curriculum Highlights

Maths
Our Preps have developed a strong understanding of place value, even tackling three-digit numbers with confidence! They’ve been solving addition and subtraction problems with ease and are now exploring basic multiplication and division through 'groups of' and 'sharing between.' It’s amazing to see how well they manipulate numbers and apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios.

English
We’ve been making fantastic connections to the real world through mentor texts and class readings of information decodables. In writing, students have been learning to extend their sentences using a variety of conjunctions like because, but, and, when, if, before, and after. Their writing is truly impressive, and we love seeing their ideas come to life in sentences that are detailed and expressive.

Phonics
Recent phonics lessons have focused on tricky sounds like 'aw' and 'au' (I saw Paul), 'ou' and 'ow' (the loud cow), and the gentle Cindy rule—where g says /j/ and c says /s/ when followed by e, i, or y. The Preps have been applying their phonics knowledge brilliantly in their writing, showing an impressive ability to decode and spell with these rules in mind.

Integrated
We’ve been diving into the world of farms, exploring farm animals, fresh produce, and the fascinating processes behind how different foods are made. Everyone is excited about our upcoming excursion to The Big Goose to deepen their understanding and have some hands-on fun!

Well-Being Focus

As the year winds down and energy levels dip, we’ve been placing a big emphasis on well-being.

• Through Friendology sessions, students are learning to build and maintain positive friendships.
• Our focus on spreading kindness on purpose has encouraged students to think about how their actions impact others.
• With lessons on the learning pit, bucket filling, and growth vs. fixed mindset, we’re helping our Preps develop resilience and a positive attitude toward challenges.

Upcoming Events

• Monday 2nd December: Curriculum Day – No students at school.
• Step-Up Sessions:
• Friday 29th November
• Tuesday 3rd December
• Tuesday 10th December (Meet the Teacher Day – students will meet their 2025 Year 1 teacher and classmates).
• Friday 6th December: Excursion to The Big Goose.
• Monday 11th December: Life-Saving Program.
• Tuesday 17th December: Christmas Carols – 4:30 PM start.
• Thursday 19th December: Last day of school for students.
• Friday 20th December: Curriculum Day – No students at school.

We’re so grateful for your ongoing support and partnership this year. It’s been a joy to see the growth in every student, and we can’t wait to finish the year on a high note with these exciting events and milestones.

Warm regards,
The Foundation Team

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Wow, what an awesome Term 4 we have had so far in the Junior Years!

This term we have continued our schoolwide focus on ‘Relationships’, and it has been amazing to see the students demonstrate this value through all their positive interactions as we near the end of the 2024 school year.

A highlight for this term has definitely been Korean Day, organised by the amazing Ms. Oh. It was wonderful to see the students splashed out in Korean colours and learning more about Korean culture. The Year 1s and 2s enjoyed learning about and practising the skills and art of Taekwondo.

This highlight may have been topped however in Year 1. The Year 1s enjoyed an exciting excursion to Twisted Science, where they had the opportunity to perform science experiments and play science games. It was amazing to see them immersed in the world of STEM.

We have also enjoyed the start to our SEA program, where students are learning about themselves and others in a fun and interactive way.

We look forward to all the exciting things still to come, throughout the end of the 2024 school year!

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Middle School - Term 4 News!

Wow, Term 4 is flying by, and we’re all feeling the energy (or lack thereof)! Our students have been working incredibly hard, completing assessments that showcase just how much they’ve learned this year.

One of the recent highlights was Korean Day! It was a fantastic celebration of culture, filled with fun activities. Students also got the chance to connect live with several Korean schools during our assembly. Year 3 students enjoyed decorating fans with beautiful Korean artwork, while Year 4 students learned K-Pop dances and even performed them at the assembly. What a special way to learn about another culture!

There’s lots of excitement buzzing around the Year 3 and 4 Wombat Corner Camp, which is happening next week! While there are a few mixed emotions, excitement seems to be winning. It’s definitely the talk of the school right now!

In Maths, we’ve been putting all our learning from the year to the test by solving harder problems and using different strategies. It’s amazing to see how much everyone has grown in their problem-solving skills.

In English, we’ve been working with mentor texts to build rich vocabulary for writing. Students have been focusing on creating detailed sentences to make their stories and writing even better. Everyone is becoming a writing superstar!

As we head toward the end of the term, we’re focusing on one important thing: kindness. Let’s all work together to spread kindness in everything we do.

Keep up the great work, everyone! ?

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What a fun filled and busy term we have had thus far!!

We are so proud of all the senior students for consistently displaying the Chelsea Primary School Values to a high standard throughout the term. Your devotion and commitment to these have not gone unnoticed, and it’s wonderful to see the positive impact these values have on our school community.

English:

This week, Grade 5 students have been deeply engaged in their novel study of Black Cockatoo. An exciting highlight was a special visit from Reptile Encounters, where students had the unique opportunity to meet a real black cockatoo! The presentation focused on endangered species, with a particular emphasis on this fascinating bird. This hands-on experience brought their novel studies to life, making learning both fun and meaningful. Our Grade 5s have also been hard at work preparing their leadership speeches for the upcoming year. It’s been fantastic to see them confidently use persuasive techniques to captivate their audience. Their creativity, passion, and commitment truly shone through—setting a great example of future leadership!

Grade 6 students have been engrossed in their own novel study, exploring themes deeply connected to Indigenous culture. They’ve gained valuable insights, fostering respect and understanding for these rich traditions. In addition, grade 6s have been busy crafting biographies about Famous Indigenous Australians. This project has revealed some fascinating stories and helped build a deeper cultural understanding.

Maths:

This term in math has been jam-packed with assessments, giving students the chance to showcase their understanding and skills developed throughout the year. Both Grade 5 and Grade 6 have worked hard, demonstrating their growth and dedication to learning. In addition to assessments, students have been focused on reviewing key concepts to consolidate everything they’ve learned this year. From multiplication strategies to fractions, geometry, and problem-solving, it’s been a valuable opportunity to strengthen their understanding and build confidence.

As we approach the end of the year, our focus remains on ensuring students feel prepared and empowered for the next step in their math journey. In particular, the year 6 students have been exposed to some year 7 maths content including algebraic expressions. 

Interschool Sport:

What an awesome final term of Interschool Sports! It was incredible to see our senior school students demonstrating such high standards of sportsmanship, resilience, and teamwork.

No matter the outcome, our students always had smiles on their faces, making this an unforgettable part of our year. Their positive attitudes and commitment made every match special. A massive thank you to Miss McDonald for organizing such a fantastic program. Your hard work and dedication made this term’s ISS a truly memorable experience for everyone!

Important Dates:  

The following events are coming up for the seniors as we progress into our weeks of the year.

• 2^nd December: Curriculum Day
• 6^th December: Sailing Program
• 10^th December: Statewide Government Transition Day
• 11^th December: Year 5 Big Day in AND Year 6 Graduation
• 12^th December: Year 6 Big Day Out – Luna Park
• 13^th December: Year 6 picnic and final assembly
• 17^th December: Lifesaving program and Christmas Carols
• 19^th December: Last Day of Term – 1pm Dismissal

We would like to thank all our families for your ongoing support and guidance. Our jobs wouldn’t be possible without this assistance.

Team Senior, Mrs Macaskill, Mr Munday and Miss A

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ART ROOM NEWS

Art Show

We were so proud to show off our talented student work at our Art Show. Thank you to everyone who came along and supported us!
 

Prep

Prep students have been learning about printing. After learning about the work of Piet Mondrian all students created their own representation of his art using black printing and primary coloured oil pastels. Now students are using foil printing to create their own colourful chameleons. The joy on the children’s faces was delightful as they revealed their printed colours when lifting the foil!

Year One

Year one students are learning about paper weaving. Students have used oil pastel and watercolour resist to create beautiful unique papers which are being used as the wefts on their paper looms. These woven papers will be used to make the jumpers for their Llamas, based on the book ‘Dharma the Llama’.


Year Two

Year Two students are building on their knowledge of weaving through paper weaving. The paper weaving will be used to create bodies for animal collages. Last week students used paint and different tools to create interesting textural papers which they are using for their weavings.

Year Three

Year Three students have also been working on their weaving skills by making their own turtles. They explored different ways to weave wool around icy pole sticks to create different patterns. All of the turtles look great! A few weeks ago we also created fields of poppies for Remembrance Day.

Year Four

Year Four students have been exploring pastels and learning the difference between chalk pastels and oil pastels. They started by drawing jellyfish and using chalk pastels to create a picture that looked like it was ‘moving’, learning how much chalk pastels smudge. Next they created Christmas lights using a mixture of both pastels, which looked very effective.

Year Five

Year Five students were very excited to have the freedom to create with clay, something they have been asking for all year! It was great to see their interests and creativity shine through, next week they will finish them off by painting them. They have also made Christmas decorations which I’m sure will look great hanging on your Christmas trees soon.

Year Six

Year Six students have been busy enjoying their last term of primary school art, starting with paper maché sea creatures. They all did such a great job and looked so effective in our art show. They are finishing off the term decorating a pillow case and creating a Christmas decoration.

           

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Foundation 2025 Transition News

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