Xenica Community Report

MAY UPDATE

We have been working very hard in the Xenica learning community this term. We have all settled well into our routines and have been learning lots of new things that we would love to share with you.

LITERACY

This term in reading we have been focusing on developing our independent reading skills. Each day students complete 15-20 minutes of independent reading in their reading groups. Students have been working on their reading stamina by sitting quietly in one spot and reading texts from their book bags so that they don't have to get up regularly to change their books. Children have been taught how to use the 5 finger rule when selecting books to read. This enables them to choose just right books for their independent reading. You can try this at home with your children too.

In Writing, we have been focusing on developing sentences and the structure of a narrative text. Students have been very engaged throughout the unit as they have been exposed to a range of narrative texts both in reading and writing. They are being explicitly taught different text features such as orientation, setting, characters, problem and solution. Children are working towards creating their own narrative stories where they will follow the writing process of planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing. Stay tuned as we would love to share these with you all once they are complete. 

MATHEMATICS

This term, students have been developing their knowledge of Addition and Subtraction through lots of hands on and engaging activities. They have been revising concepts and strategies such as doubles facts, friends of ten, rounding off and fact families. Throughout the term students will also develop their problem solving skills by being exposed to 2 and 3 part worded equations. Students are encouraged to explain their thinking  and to show their working out as this is an integral part of their learning. 

 INQUIRY 

This month we were fortunate enough to go to Scienceworks for an excursion as part of our inquiry unit 'Forces and Motion'. We feel that students have a good understanding of the concept and have been participating in a range of activities that enable them to experiment with different forces and motion. 

Social Emotional Literacy 

In social Emotional Literacy students have been identifying qualities that make up a good friend. They have been given opportunities to write compliments to their peers in order to make them feel good about themselves.

Throughout the term students will be working towards developing and identifying their own personal strengths. By the end of the term students should have an understanding of the following:

Everybody is good at something.

People are good at different activities and skills because they have different strengths.

It is okay for people to have different strengths.

Our strengths change over time.

Participating in activities that we are good at and that we enjoy makes us feel happy.

COMMUNICATION

Just a reminder that the doors open each day at 8.45am and learning begins at 8.50am. We kindly ask that if your child arrives at school after this time, they are to get a late pass from reception. As we are encouraging student independence, it would be greatly appreciated if students are dropped outside the learning community doors and unpack their belongings by themselves so that we can get started for the day as quickly as possible. 

Students will change their take home books each day and are required to fill out their student diary each night. Diaries will be collected and checked by teachers every Friday.

Students will be given topic words to practise for spelling homework once a week. They will be required to practise their words once each night from Monday to Thursday. Teachers will test spelling on a weekly basis and students will receive new words or the same words to practise again.

Please feel free to approach you child's teachers to make a time to chat  or write a note in your Child's diary if you have any questions or queries. 

Thank you for all of your support.

Kind regards,

Carla, Maddy, Fanny and Lucy