Welcome Term 1

A warm welcome to the 2023 school year!  

We would like to welcome existing families back to our school and extend a warm welcome to the new families of the Glen Waverley Primary School community.  It has been a phenomenal start to the year with our learner’s demonstrating curiosity and enthusiasm, while settling into their orderly learning spaces.

At the forefront of our learning and teaching, we are sure to have a fantastic term ahead. Please take a few moments to read what we have planned for this exciting term.  

IMPORTANT DATES

• Wednesday 22nd February – Friday 24th February – Level 5 Camp
• Tuesday 28th February – Wednesday 29th February – Getting to Know You Interviews 
• Friday March 3rd – Athletics Day
• Thursday 9th March – Curriculum Day
• Monday 13th March – Labour Day Public Holiday
• Wednesday 22nd March – School Photos
• Wednesday 29th March – Twilight Sports
• Friday 7th April – Last Day of Term One – Dismissal at 2:30pm

REMINDERS

• Hats – As we are a Sun Smart school, hats must be always worn when the students are outside during Term One
• Home Learning – Home Learning will be distributed on Friday and will be due the following Friday. It is expected that it will be fully completed and to the students’ personal best. 

Kind Regards, 

Jess Wood, Trish Singh, Kimberley Stevenson, Parveen Kaur and Sarah Hooper

ENGLISH

In Reading, students will be analysing narrative texts to identify how authors develop characters and the use of literary devices. They will be provided with the opportunity to view a variety of texts throughout the unit from both student and adult authors and compare the effectiveness of the different literary devices used. There will be a close focus on language and how specific word choices help the author engage the reader.

This term in Writing, we are continuing our focus on narrative writing, through the lens of the author. We will be looking to transfer the skills learnt from reading and apply them to our writing. Students will also continue with sustained writing as they are provided with the opportunity to write about a topic of their choice and in a style, they desire, with the aim of achieving their learning goal. 

In Spelling, students will continue to identify their personal words by finding incorrectly spelt words from their writing book and inquiring into them throughout the week. There will be a new focus each week, such as; double consonants and homophones. 

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

• Encourage your child to read each night, both aloud and to themselves.
• Ask your child what they have learnt about their spelling words from their spelling inquiry during the week.

MATHEMATICS

In Mathematics, Level Five students will be addressing all three standards of the Victorian Curriculum this semester; focusing on Number and Algebra in Term One through Place Value and Four Operations, as well as Measurement and Geometry through Shape and Transformations.

Our first focus this term is deepening and challenging our students’ metacognition of the place value system so they can think flexibly with numbers. They will focus on developing their reasoning skills by justifying their thinking with concrete, pictorial and abstract strategies. In addition to this, students will continue to deepen their ability to transfer key mathematical concepts into ‘real life contexts’, building truly numerate students. 

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

• Encourage your child to explain his/her thinking through multiple strategies when solving a maths problem. For example, you may ask “How do you know 13.7 is larger than 13.208? What strategy did you use? How can you prove this?” 

INQUIRY

During Inquiry in Term One, students will be exploring the big question, “How did Australia develop its identity?” This focus allows for a greater understanding of multiple perspectives throughout history, more importantly how children were nurtured and developed during multiple eras. Our global goal focus is “reduced inequities”. 

Our learning will be extended beyond the classroom during our camp to Beechworth, where students will be able to make connections to their prior learning through personal experiences and collaboration with their peers. Upon our return to school, they will learn about the historical inequalities in Australia, the cross-generational effect and the way our country is working on reducing these inequalities.

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

• Have an open conversation about Australia’s history and the different perspectives of all who have inhabited it.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

As a student-centred school, the wellbeing, thinking and resilience of our learners are of the essence. Our beginning focuses for 2023 stems from careful analysis of student voice data gathered in the first two weeks of school. This term, students will look into:

• Building lasting and respectful relationships within and beyond classrooms
• Developing an understanding of your own voice in learning and;
• Positive self-talk guided through the learning pit. 

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

Encourage your child to recognise and articulate their feelings by referring to the zones of regulation.  This will support them to identify which zone they are in and actions that might be needed for a growth mindset, for example, adopting positive self-talk. 

If you have any other queries or matters, you would like to discuss with your teachers please don’t hesitate to organise a meeting.  Your child’s wellbeing is always at the centre of our thoughts and actions.

We thank you for your ongoing support and assistance. We are looking forward to a wonderful year.

Kind Regards,

Jess Wood, Trish Singh, Kimberley Stevenson, Parveen Kaur and Sarah Hooper