Prep News 

Written by the Prep Team

Dear Prep families and carers,

 

The Prep students have been knowledgeable this week when beginning our first Unit of Inquiry, centered around the Transdisciplinary theme, ‘Who We Are’. Throughout this Unit of Inquiry, students will explore the Central Idea, ‘Many things impact who we are in our community’, and will cover concepts such as relationships, communities, growth and change. This Unit of Inquiry is particularly relevant to our students as they navigate their first year of school and learn about themselves and their peers. We are excited to see our students practice their communication and self-management skills throughout this unit. 

 

Our special 'Artefact' bags

Last week, the Prep students came home with a brown paper bag that they had decorated in class. The purpose of this brown paper bag is for students to fill it with items that are special to them and that represent who they are. Please discuss with your child/ren about some items they could share that they feel contributed in shaping who they are. Some suggestions include:

  • a photo of themselves when they were born or photos that show how they have changed,
  • something that represents a community they are a part of,
  • something that is unique and special to them,
  • an item from their learning journey prior to starting school.

Your child/ren's teacher will have provided a timetable which outlines the day that your child will share their artefact bag with their class. We are looking forward to these presentations.

 

Reading

In Reading, we are continuing to explore the Good Reader Strategies. These strategies help us to decode unfamiliar words when reading a text. So far, we have explored the strategies, ‘Get your mouth ready to make the first sound’, ‘Look at the pictures’, and ‘Slide your finger underneath the word’

This week, we have begun exploring a new strategy, ‘Stretch the word out loud’. Your child/ren may be demonstrating these strategies when reading their take-home readers each night. 

In Reading, we are also focusing on comprehension strategies such as predicting and asking questions. These comprehension strategies allow us to see that students have understood the text we are reading and encourage the students to think critically.

 

Writing

In Writing, the Preps are continuing to learn about recount writing. They are beginning to add more details to their writing such as who, what, when, where and why. At home, you can prompt your child/ren to discuss events that take place throughout their school week and during the weekend. The students have also begun writing about their own experiences through text-to-self connections. Text-to-self connections are when you make a connection from a part of a story to something that has happened to you, such as losing a tooth, going on a family adventure or owning a pet.

 

Mathematics

In Mathematics, students have continued their learning of the days of the week and are making connections with events that take place in texts they read and in their own lives. The children are beginning to connect familiar events to each day, such as understanding which days we have our Specialist classes. The Prep students are also learning to order the days in the week, and are developing their understanding that Saturday and Sunday are days on the weekend. We have also continued to learn about ordering numbers, particularly numbers that come 'before' and 'after' a certain number. 

 

The Prep teachers are very proud of our students and their continued efforts in their daily learning. We would like to thank our Prep families and carers for your continued support.

 

Kind regards,

The Prep Team.

 

Reminders

  • Please ensure your child/ren brings their 'Artefact Bag' to school on the day they are assigned to share with the class.
  • Hats are to be worn during outdoor play in Term 1 and 4. Please pack your child’s hat in their bag and clearly label it with their name.  
  • iPads must be configured to the Saltwater system and brought to school fully charged. Students are encouraged to pack headphones as this will reduce the noise in the classroom while using iPads.  
  • All children are to bring their reading satchels with them to school every day.
  • The Preps now attend Assembly each week, with Timetable A on Tuesday and Timetable B on Wednesday. Please ensure students are dropped off before 8:30am so that Assembly can run smoothly.

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