Prep 

Welcome to Term 2! The Prep teachers are delighted to be back at school and have enjoyed hearing all about our students’ holiday adventures. It was also wonderful to discover that so many of the Prep students visited their local library, read some books with their families, or engaged in other kinds of learning activities during the holidays. We are so proud of what the Prep students achieved in Term 1 and we look forward to this enthusiasm continuing in Term 2!

Bear Hunt

During the last week of Term 1, our intrepid Prep students went on a Bear Hunt in Gresswell Forest. Using their binoculars and maps, students tried to locate as many bears as they could while walking the forest trails. In addition to bears, the Prep students also discovered other wildlife like ants, butterflies, waterbirds, parrots and even a mob of kangaroos! After the Bear Hunt, the students gathered together for a special picnic on the school oval. These activities were the culmination of our writing unit exploring the text ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen. Special thanks to Ms McKay for convincing so many bears to hide in the forest for us, and to all the wonderful parent helpers who also attended on the day.

100 Days of School

This week our Prep students reached the half-way point in their journey towards their first 100 days of school. That’s right, Prep students have already attended 50 days of school in 2023! Check out the photos below to see some of the awesome learning we have been doing so far. We can’t wait to see what the next 50 days will bring and we are already getting excited about our ‘100 Days of School Celebration’ which is expected to take place early in Term 3. More details to come…

Home Learning

A reminder that all Prep students are expected to bring their black reading satchel to school with them every day. New irregular words will be added to the satchel’s keyring every week and other new reading materials, such as Pocket Rockets, decodable texts and word lists will also be sent home on a regular basis. Parents and carers, please help your child to remember to bring their black reading satchel to school with them each day. If you find that it keeps being forgotten, please speak to Mrs Willcocks and she will give your child a special reminder hangtag for their regular schoolbag!

Improving Independence

If you feel that your Prep student is ready, we encourage families and carers to say their morning goodbyes at the Prep building entrance instead of at the classroom door each morning. This will allow Prep students to improve their independence by making their own way to their classrooms and by taking responsibility for hanging up and unpacking their own bags each day. If you are not sure if your child is ready for this step, have a chat with them first and consider conducting a trial. If things don’t work out straight away, please don’t worry, you can always try again later in Term 2 or 3!