Inside the Newsroom – Year 5 Style
Over the past six weeks, our Year 5 students have taken a bold step into the world of journalism through their English unit A New’s Attitude. What began as a classroom project quickly became something much more, an authentic opportunity to research, report, and write stories that truly matter to them.
With curiosity in abundance, our students explored a wide range of news articles in print and online. They learned about the structure of a good news story, the power of a great headline, and the importance of sharing information clearly and fairly. But most importantly, they discovered their own voices.
Learning by Doing – With Purpose
The big finale? Writing their very own newspaper articles, and they did not disappoint! Students wrote news stories inspired by current Santa Maria events. Some of their most impressive work was brought to life with student newspapers featuring original reporting and layout designs.
We were proud to see the work of Emilia (5.2), Charlie (5.4) and Maia (5.5) take centre stage. Emilia reported on the Cultural Centre Countdown with detail and flair, while Charlie’s front-page headline – Brave Leader and Two Terrific Staff Members Talk About New Building at Santa Maria College – was pure journalistic energy. Maia impressed with her comprehensive article What a Wonderful Build for Santa Maria, providing a detailed, insightful report on the new Cultural Centre’s design, purpose and progress. Her writing captured the excitement of this transformative project, from its sustainable features to the creative opportunities it will offer future generations. Each student brought professionalism, creativity and passion to their work, showing just how powerful young voices can be.
News That Hits Close to Home
Our principal, Jennifer Oaten, visited and inspired the girls by sharing her experience with blogging and news writing. Students also explored how news is shared through platforms like BTN, giving them a broader understanding of how news can connect people on both a local and global scale.
“I learnt that news can be shared by writing newspaper articles but also blogging. News can also be shared online and on the television” Emilia, 5.2
One of the most exciting experiences was a live panel discussion with Jennifer Oaten, Tim Stewart, Director of Corporate Services, and Amanda Huxtable, Head of Performing Arts. The students took on the role of real reporters, asking questions, taking notes, and uncovering the story behind the impressive Cultural Centre currently being built on College grounds.
“My highlights were reading the Santa Maria blogs because they were entertaining, and interviewing Mrs Oaten, Mr Stewart and Mrs Huxtable because it was interesting to hear about the Cultural Centre and what’s coming.” Madison, 5.4
The Cultural Centre story meant a lot to our students, not just because it is a major project, but because it is theirs to inherit. It is a building they will perform in, gather in, and celebrate milestones in for years to come.
Creativity, Confidence and Critical Thinking
Throughout the project, students developed key skills from our Connecting Learning to Life framework: creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, collaboration, and ICT capabilities. They mastered the structure of a news article, experimented with persuasive language, and explored how stories can shape communities.
I have improved on my skill of creating noun phrases and using openers. At first, I relied more on the ones Mrs Fitzgerald gave me, and now I can make my own.” Hannah, 5.3
Even complex issues, like how we share news sustainably, were considered.
“I think it’s important to communicate local and global news in a variety of ways, because if we get used to getting news from a device, we’ll get used to it and soon, we’ll stop using objects, such as newspapers, or articles to keep us updated, which we should also not use that often because of the use of trees for paper.” Florence (5.5)
A Proud Moment for Everyone
What makes this project so special is the authenticity. Students weren’t just completing a writing task; they were being heard. Their voices mattered, and their ideas helped connect the community to the future of the College.
As one teacher said, “Since the Cultural Centre is evolving as we speak, this created an opportunity for the girls to really connect, and visualise the final building and purpose of the space. The girls loved being ‘real’ journalists and generating questions to gather the facts and important information from our VIP panel. Students have applied their writing skills through this authentic learning opportunity.”
At Santa Maria, learning is never confined to a page. It’s an experience and our Year 5s have shown they’re ready to take on the world, one headline at a time
- ANewsAttitude, connectinglearningtolife, CulturalCentreBuild, Featured, InquiryBasedLearning, PrimarySchoolWriting, RealWorldLearning, SantaMariaCollegeStudents, StudentNewsArticles, Year5JouralismProject
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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