The lowdown…Weeks 7-8

A lot has been happening in 5/6 land at Ripponlea Primary School during weeks 7 and 8. It has been a treasure trove of amazing learning opportunities, whacky science experiments, mini-golf antics and battling it out for netball supremacy!

Graduation

Year 6 Graduation is fast upon us, occurring Week 11 of Term 4, on the 19th of December, in the famous RPS Barrbunin! Year 6 students and their families are invited to share the wonderful moments of the students’ final year in primary school. The Year 6 students are busily working away, along with their teachers, to bring a night full of fun and reminiscing .

Don’t forget to get your payment, for the Graduation Bear and dinner food/drinks, to Mrs Howell by Monday 3/12/18!

Genius Hour

While our Year 6 students have been busily working away on their graduation preparation, the mighty Year 5s have not been missing out on the fun. They have been embarking  passion project based on their interests, during “Genius Hour”.  Students have been developing a variety of projects, ranging from creating their own video games, to pinatas, volcano simulations to tie-dyed cushions, just to name a few.

Golf Course Mania

As part of our maths unit into measurement and geometry, students in Years 5 and 6 have constructed mini-golf course holes that showcase their geometrical reasoning. Students applied their learned skills to develop a course hole that had a playing area <450cm squared, included 2D and 3D shapes that they can describe the features of and ensure that four or more different forms of angles were included in their final designs. Students had a fantastic time planning, constructing and testing their mini-golf holes. Here are some examples of final designs:

Science Demonstration, with Dr. Chris Burns

During Term 4, 5/6 students have been investigating the Scientific Method. This is a set of protocols that is common practice in the scientific community when new research is conducted, so results can be accepted by peer reviewers. We reached out to the school community and sought out the expertise of Dr. Chris Burns, a chemist with a knack for amazing students! Dr. Burns conducted two controlled experiments, with the help of his helpful apprentice (Mr Leech), to the laughs and giggles of the wonderful 5/6 audience.

Experiment #1 was to see who could dissolve salt granules in water under different water temperatures…it was a clear cake walk for Dr. Burns and the audience, as hot water was far superior to Mr Leech’s measly cold water.

Experiment #2 was to discover the pH levels of certain household products, to discover their acidity or alkalinity with nothing but red cabbage juice…it was purely amazing! We once again would like to extend our gratitude to Dr. Burns for giving us his time and sharing his expertise with the 5/6 family.

Year 6 vs Teachers Netball 

The stage was set, a beautiful sunny day, the perfect day for a rekindled rivalry…Year 6 vs the teachers in a netball competition for the ages! Great teamwork, sportsmanship and a whole lot of fun for all those involved, which leaves the door open for the rivalry to continue into 2019 and beyond! With the final scores 10 to 6, in 2019 the students will be looking to redeem and take back the title of champions of the the asphalt!

From the 5/6 team,

Braden, Bronywn and Rebecca