Grade 1 News
📅 Important Dates & Reminders
All important dates and events are available on our Compass Calendar. Please check the calendar regularly to stay up to date.
Upcoming Dates and Key Information
Monday 10th November: Curriculum Day (Pupil Free Day)
Friday 14th November: Scienceworks Excursion
Friday 21st November: Literacy UP Session 2-2:30pm
Friday 28th November: P-2 House Athletics Day
Friday 28th November: Numeracy UP Session 2-2:30pm
Wednesday 3rd December: Market Day
Friday 5th December: Colour Run
Tuesday 9th December: Statewide Transition Day (Meet the Teacher 2026)
Wednesday 10th December: Christmas Concert 5:30-6:30pm
Friday 12th December: Meet the Teacher 2:00pm (2026)
Wednesday 17th December: Class Parties
Thursday 18th December: Last day of school for students (1:30pm Dismissal)
Friday 19th December: Curriculum Day (Pupil free day)
Library
Please refer to the timetable below for your child’s library day. Ensure your child brings their library bag each week so they can borrow books.
Take-Home Folders
Please remember to send your child’s take-home folder to school every day.
Homework
For homework in Grade 1 the expectation is that students will read their take-home book to an adult each day. Every student will receive a new book from their classroom on a Monday. Students will need to return their previous book before receiving a new book.
Here are some optional activities:
Learning in Action
📖 Literacy
Word Work
Students have been learning how to read and spell words and sentences that have the codes ‘igh’ and ‘ough’. For example; night, right.
When learning about ‘ough’, students learnt that this code can make 6 sounds!
- Ough like in ‘dough’
- Ough like in ‘through’
- Ough like in ‘rough’
- Ough like in ‘cough’
- Ough like in ‘thought’
- Ough like in ‘drought’
Preview for learning: Next fortnight, students will be learning codes, ‘oa’, ‘oe’ and ‘ar’.
Sentence Level Writing
Over the past fortnight, Grade 1 students have been practising completing sentences using the conjunctions but, so, before, after, if, and when. They have engaged in verbal pair shares and whole-class discussions to practise forming complete ideas aloud, before transferring this skill into writing. Students then wrote their own sentences using these sentence stems to show their understanding of how conjunctions help ideas connect and make meaning.
Preview: Over the next few weeks, students will continue building confidence in completing sentences using before, after, if, and when sentence stems. We will also be revisiting sentence structure, including identifying the correct order of words to form a clear statement and adding appropriate punctuation.
Handwriting
Students have now learnt all letters of the alphabet. Over the coming weeks, we will continue to revise and practise each letter to further improve letter formation, consistency and overall handwriting quality.
Literature
Over the past fortnight, students have been exploring the beautiful picture book Jetty Jumping by Andrea Rowe. They examined the story’s characters, setting, and its themes of courage, friendship, and trying new things. Students discussed how the main character overcame her fears and made personal connections to times when they have been brave. They also explored how illustrations and language choices convey emotion and meaning in the text. This unit has encouraged rich discussion, empathy and personal reflection as students developed their understanding of how stories can teach us about ourselves and others.
Preview: Next week, students will begin their Astronomy Unit, where they will explore the fascinating world beyond our planet. They will learn about the sun, moon and stars, and deepen their understanding of Earth’s place in space.
➗ Maths
This fortnight, our Year 1 students explored two exciting Mathematics units: Time and Shape. Both units supported students in developing their understanding of key mathematical concepts through hands-on activities, problem-solving and real-world exploration.
In our Time unit, students learnt to identify and describe key features of time in their daily lives. They explored the days of the week, months of the year and the sequence of familiar events. Students also began reading time to the hour on analogue clocks, making meaningful connections to their everyday routines.
In our Shape unit, students investigated both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) shapes in their environment. They identified, sorted and described shapes by their features, such as the number of sides, corners (vertices), faces and edges.
These units helped students build spatial awareness, sequencing skills and mathematical language, while deepening their understanding of how time and shape are part of the world around them.
Preview for Learning:In the coming weeks, students will continue to learn about three-dimensional shapes, their features, and will begin constructing their own 3D objects.
Wellbeing
Students brought together their learning about identity, similarities and differences, and stereotypes to focus on respecting others and valuing individuality. This learning helps children practise inclusive behaviours that ensure everyone feels safe, accepted, and valued in both the classroom and the playground.
Our learning focuses were:
- Understanding that everyone deserves respect, regardless of gender, interests, or abilities
- Recognising behaviours that include, encourage and support others
Students also learnt that friendships are not just about two people, but about being part of a wider community. Friendship skills help build a safe, caring and supportive classroom where everyone feels included.
Our learning focuses were:
- Recognising that friendships contribute to a positive classroom and school community
Exploring how individual actions can help the whole group feel safe, respected and connected
Preview for Learning:Students will be introduced to the idea that trust is a key building block of healthy friendships. They will learn that trust grows when friends are kind, reliable and keep their promises, and that trust can be weakened if friends are unkind or dishonest.
Pyjama Day
Please enjoy some snaps from our Pyjama Day on Friday!
From the Grade 1 teachers,
Miss Albanese, Ms Holmes and Miss Kitteringham