Level Two - Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

Welcome back to Term Three, another exciting term full of fantastic learning experiences! We hope that you had a safe and relaxing break with your families. 

Looking back on Term Two, there were many new experiences that the students undertook. The standout event for the term was the Collaborative Conferences and how parents worked with us. It was wonderful to see the students proudly share and reflect on all the rigorous learning they completed over the semester and during the remote learning period with their families, celebrating the achievements they made.   

We are proud of the learning that students completed during Learning from Home period in Term Two and we look forward to seeing the brilliant learning they will complete throughout this term.

Please take a few moments to read our Curriculum overview and what has been planned for Term Three. 

IMPORTANT DATES

Due to the changing nature of the current situation, please keep an eye on Compass for any important dates that have been released.

Friday 18th September – Last day of Term Three, 2:30pm dismissal

Monday 5th October – First day of Term Four

ENGLISH

Reading:

In Reading, students will further their knowledge of the CAFÉ (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expand Vocabulary) strategies. They will explore a range of fiction and nonfiction texts to assist them when exploring Poetry and Information Reports. When investigating Poetry, students will enhance their comprehension skills through strategies such as Inferring and Predicting, and develop their fluency when they show the meaning or feeling of the text in how it is read. When analysing Information Reports, students will build on their understanding of how to identify the main idea and supporting details. They will be taught how to summarise texts and utilise dictionaries and glossaries to define words. The strategies that they learn in Reading will support them in their own writing of Poems and Information Reports.

Writing:

In Writing, students will explore Poetry and Information Reports. They will investigate the purpose of poetry and the impact it has on the reader. They will explore different types of poetry. From this, they will create their own poetry, transferring their new knowledge. They will continue to build the following strategies to support their writing with a particular focus on VOICES strategies; for example, being expressive with a varied tone and using description so the reader can visualise a clear image in their mind. Following Poetry, students will investigate and create Information Reports in which they will research and respond using appropriate text features, as well as build a deep purpose and clear communication within their writing pieces. Some of the key VOICES strategies that will be explicitly taught will be; the topic is familiar to me and I have enough to write about and sequence supporting details to effectively make connections to the main idea. This will happen through modelling of what good writing looks like through ‘mentor’ texts and examples. 

Spelling:

This Term in Spelling, students will continue to deepen their understanding of the English language through independent Spelling Inquiry and a targeted weekly spelling focus. They will continue to build a deeper understanding of words by exploring the etymology of words and investigating how the origin, base word, and root word may affect the meaning as well as any words connected to this word. Through the inquiry process, students are able to connect unfamiliar words to the base and root of known words. Students will then have an opportunity to apply their words into their writing and use them in different and sometimes unusual ways to add depth to their writing during sustained writing sessions designed to build their authorship.

Speaking and Listening: 

In Speaking and Listening, students will continue to practise their Social and Emotional goals and build on their communicational skills, focusing on clarity in communication and respectful listening. Students will participate in group and class discussions, sharing their ideas and experiences using everyday language and topic-specific vocabulary.

To support your child’s English learning at home, you could:

• Encourage your child to use chunking and letter-sound knowledge to sound out and decode challenging words.
• Encourage your child to investigate new or interesting words and the way have been used across in their reading and daily conversations.
• Participate in daily discussions around your child’s school day, including their favourite learning task, what they struggled with and what strategies they used to overcome the struggle.
• Building the words they need to explain what they feel or articulate their learning.

MATHEMATICS

In Term Three, students will continue to activate their prior knowledge to build on what they know and acquire new learning through hands-on learning tasks and problem solving. They will be building their capacity in the SURF proficiencies of Problem Solving, Understanding, Reasoning and Fluency. To allow students to transfer their understanding between learning areas, our Measurement and Geometry unit will be closely aligned to our Inquiry unit “How can we connect to different places?”, with students investigating and implementing directional language to create and follow instructions. Students will be expanding their knowledge of Number and Algebra by forming connections between all four operations, as we explore the transfer between Multiplication and Division. They will continue developing and transferring this knowledge the investigation of Area, Perimeter and Length. To support your child’s learning at home, you could encourage your child to explain his/her thinking and strategies when solving a maths problem. For example, you may ask “How did you know 2 x 4 = 8? What strategy did you use? How can you prove that it’s correct?”  It is also important that the learners can explain their mathematical thinking with everyday materials and with pictures.

INQUIRY

Throughout Term Three, students will delve into the Geography Unit “How can we connect to different places?” Students will explore their identity through connections to various places in their lives, connecting Geography and Interculturalism to build conceptual understanding. We will link this learning to the United Nations Global Goal ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities,’ investigating what makes sustainable cities and communities, culminating the unit in a campaign to share this knowledge with others. To support your child’s learning at home, you could discuss the importance of places in your lives and how it links to your identity and how they were sustainable. 

YCDI 

The Level Two team integrates the You Can Do It Program into weekly teaching and learning. YCDI is adapted to unique needs of each student and will work towards developing and strengthening their social and emotional thinking and self-regulation skills especially during these times. YCDI is a comprehensive framework that incorporates the latest research into developing the social and emotional characteristics of children and explores how social skills can affect outcomes. We will connect elements of YCDI to our Whole School Values of Global Empathy, Integrity, Respect and Initiative and allow students to reflect on how actions affect the wellbeing of themselves and others.

Your child’s happiness is at the forefront of everything we do, especially in such unprecedented times. If you have any queries or matters you would like to discuss with your child’s teacher, please don’t hesitate to contact them. We thank you for your ongoing support and are looking forward to another exciting and productive term. 

Kind regards, 

Mr Ben Stirling, Miss Bianca Liburti, Mrs Lauren Lee, Mrs Samantha Stefanidis, Ms Amanda Sierp and Mrs Jackie Gilbert