From the Year Prep Classroom
Sacred Heart Primary School Yarrawonga
Week 3 already, and we have so much happening in Foundation! It’s been another exciting week full of learning, special experiences and plenty of things to look forward to.
We’re Hatching Chickens! - Yes, that’s right, we’re hatching chickens again! We’re very excited (and perhaps just a little nervous!) as we count down the 21 days until our eggs are due to hatch. By this time next week, we’re hoping to have some fluffy little chicks to celebrate! Once our chicks are around 5–6 weeks old, they’ll be looking for a new home. If your family is interested in welcoming a chick, please let us know. Depending on how many eggs hatch, we hope to be able to offer some to our students and their families.
A Special Author Visit - On Monday morning, we welcomed author Susea Spray, who shared her travelling adventures and the inspiration behind her book The Big Blue Boat. Our students were engaged and thoroughly enjoyed hearing about her experiences. They also had the opportunity to decorate their own boats and write a sentence about them. What a fabulous opportunity to inspire our young readers and writers!
Celebrating Our Year 12 Students - On Tuesday, we headed down to the MPB to help celebrate the Year 12 students at their final assembly. Our Foundation students made beautiful little hearts with special messages for the graduating students. We then formed a guard of honour as each Year 12 student was presented. It was such a lovely way for our youngest learners to be part of this important milestone and help celebrate the achievements of our senior students.
Reading at Home – Building Fluency - Thank you for continuing to support your child with their home reading. We’re now stepping things up as we focus on reading fluency. This means learning to read a little faster, more smoothly and with greater confidence. When your child comes across a word they already know, encourage them to recognise it straight away rather than sounding it out aloud. Knowing their tricky words by heart is another fantastic way to build fluency.
If your child already knows their tricky words, you can use some of your reading time to practise spelling them correctly, too. Here are a few fun ways to do this at home:
- Choose three tricky words each night and practise writing them.
- Make the words using alphabet magnets.
- Write the words on the shower screen.
- Write them in the sand or use chalk on the concrete.
Little activities like these can make learning fun while helping your child build confidence and remember those tricky words!
Maths – All About Data - In Maths, we’ve been learning all about data! We’re exploring how we can collect information by observing things around us or by asking questions. We’re then learning how to organise and represent our findings using tally marks and pictures. Why not continue the learning at home? Ask your child what they know about data and collect some information together as a family. You could investigate everyone’s favourite pizza, takeaway, sport or ice-cream flavour. Can your child record the results using tally marks or pictures? It’s a fun and easy way to bring our classroom learning into everyday life!
Growing Independence - A big thank you to all the families who have been supporting their children to come into the classroom independently each morning, complete their morning jobs and then head outside. This is such a valuable opportunity for our Foundation students to build their independence, confidence and resilience. It helps them learn that they are capable of managing their morning routines and are ready to begin the day. It also gives us a little extra time to get organised before our busy day of learning begins! We really appreciate your support in helping our students develop these important life skills.
Day for Daniel – Next Friday, 30 October, is Day for Daniel. This is Australia's largest day of action for child safety, helping to raise awareness about keeping children safe and empowering them with the knowledge and confidence to speak up. We will be recognising this important day with our students and continuing age-appropriate conversations about personal safety. Students are welcome to wear a splash of red on the day. More information about how we will acknowledge the day at school will be shared with families.
Welcome, Eliza! - Finally, we’re delighted to welcome Eliza Mulquinny to our Foundation team! Eliza is a past student of SHPS and is currently in her second year of study. She is looking forward to working with our Preps and discovering where the learning journey begins. Over the next four weeks, Eliza will be learning alongside our team and supporting our Foundation students, particularly in Prep S. We’re excited to have her with us and hope she enjoys her time learning and working with our wonderful little learners!
A Few Little Reminders
Hats – No Hat, No Play! - Term 4 is here, and hats are essential for outdoor play. Please make sure your child brings their hat to school every day and keeps it in their school bag when it’s not being worn. No hat means playing in the designated undercover areas.
Prep Transition Wednesdays - Over the next few Wednesdays, we’ll be welcoming our new little Preps as they begin their transition program. During this time, our current Foundation students will enjoy some lessons with Mrs Bridgeman and Mr Mullavey. These experiences will help our new students become familiar with the school while giving our current students opportunities to learn with other teachers.
Communication – We’re Here to Help - Please continue to reach out if you have any questions, concerns or anything you’d like to discuss. With daylight saving and the busy Term 4 routine, we know some of our little Preps may be feeling a little more tired than usual. There are still plenty of exciting things ahead, and with nine weeks to go, we’ll continue supporting our students to build their skills, confidence and independence as they prepare for Year 1. We’re so proud of the wonderful progress they are making and love seeing their personalities shine each day!
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support and for being such an important part of our Foundation community.
Have a great fortnight everyone
Prep Team – Jen, Jo, Patrice & Michelle
Patrice - pgoldman@shyarrawonga.catholic.edu.au
Jo - jseal@shyarrawonga.catholic.edu.au