Blackburn Primary School

Grade 5 camp finally comes to an end. Today, we completed our final camp activity and then got to build huts out of logs and leaves. After a delicious lunch, we jumped back on the bus, excited to see our families again and tell them about all the fun we had!

The grade 5s have had an exhausting day on camp! Today, we completed a hike, a low ropes course, a zipline, we built a giant slingshot, went hunting around the campsite and completed the intimidating leap of faith. Capping the day off with a movie, our day of fun is quickly coming to an end. I think we’ll all sleep well tonight!

Today we were incredibly lucky to be visited by 2 very talented and famous authors. Morris Gleitzman delivered an informative and insightful talk on how to develop our writing craft. He showed us how to start a story, build characters and strong problems. Heidi McKinnon spoke about the process of writing and illustrating her own picture-story books. Students were able to draw their own character using Heidi’s expertise. Everyone, including both students and teachers, enjoyed meeting our authors and getting books signed.

Today the grade 5s departed for camp! On the way to camp, we stopped in at Sovereign Hill. We had the chance to explore a mine, pan for gold, watch a gold ingot be made, and to experience school in the 1800s. We had an amazing time, with many smiles to be seen all over our campsite!

This week, our 3/4 students have been working hard to solve Addition and Subtraction problems, with Decimals! They did a fantastic job solving on numberlines and now - making real-world connections with money😊

In their Smiling Mind lesson this week, students in Years 1–4 are learning how to make thoughtful decisions. They will explore the importance of slowing down and considering different factors before making a choice, including logic, intuition, their feelings and their own values.

Students will learn that it is okay to pause when a decision feels tricky or emotionally charged. Taking a moment to think about the possible choices and consequences can help us make decisions that we feel confident and comfortable with.

We encourage you to talk about everyday decisions at home and discuss how you might pause, think and choose the best option.

This weekend is your last change to create your entry for this year’s narrative writing competition. Entries must be submitted to your teacher on Monday.