Prep
Dear Prep families,
Welcome to your Term 3, Week 8 newsletter update. Below, you will find a celebration of the wonderful events and rich learning initiatives our Prep students have proudly participated in over the past two weeks.
READING
Over the past two weeks, students have continued developing their decoding and comprehension skills through shared reading, read alouds and independent reading.
Students have been learning to look closely at the parts of words to help them read unfamiliar words. They explored familiar word endings such as -s, -es, -ed and -ing, and learnt how to identify the base word within a longer word. Students also revised the idea that a suffix can be added to the end of a base word to change its meaning. They explored how -s and -es can show more than one, -ed can show that something has already happened, and -ing can show an action that is happening.
Students also explored the ph digraph and practised recognising it in words.
In comprehension, students were introduced to retelling, learning that a retell means telling the important parts of a story again in their own words. Using a Five Finger Retell strategy, students practised identifying the characters, setting, problem, important events and ending of a story and retelling these in order. To reinforce these comprehension skills at home, you can practice a Five Finger Retell with your child after reading their book together. Encourage them to hold up their hand and count through the story elements, using their thumb for the characters, index finger for the setting, middle finger for the problem, ring finger for the events, and pinky for the ending of the book.
BOOK WEEK
Prep students thoroughly enjoyed celebrating Book Week through a range of engaging literacy experiences. Students participated in our Book Week Parade, created text innovations, and explored what it is like to be both an author and illustrator. Some classes also decorated their classroom doors around a book theme, helping bring stories to life across the school.
Throughout the week, students were exposed to a wide variety of books and storytelling experiences. They had opportunities to listen to different teachers reading during recess and lunch times and participated in a range of classroom Book Week activities that encouraged creativity, imagination and a love of reading.
This also linked closely with our Inquiry learning, as students were exploring how stories are created and how authors and illustrators communicate ideas and imagination through books.
WRITING
In Writing, students have continued building their understanding of how writers develop and improve their work.
Students explored the writing process, learning that writers begin with an idea, create a draft, edit their work and then publish it for others to read. They discussed different places writers can get ideas from, including people they know, things they have experienced, topics they know about and ideas from their imagination. Students also practised checking their writing for capital letters, finger spaces, full stops and whether their writing made sense.
Students also explored how we can write about events that happened at different times. They practised talking and writing about something that had already happened, using past tense language such as “Yesterday, I…”, as well as events that will happen in the future, using sentence starters such as “Tomorrow, I will…”. Students continued to build confidence through free writing, text innovation and opportunities to share their writing with others.
MATHEMATICS
In Mathematics, students have continued strengthening their number knowledge and have begun exploring how information can be collected and represented.
Students practised skip counting by 5s and 10s, using number charts, counters and hands to recognise patterns and understand how skip counting can help us count groups more efficiently. They also practised counting backwards, identifying missing numbers and thinking about what happens to numbers as we count forwards and backwards.
Students then began learning about data collection. They explored how we can ask a simple yes/no question, collect responses and record our findings. Students learnt how pictures can be used to represent information in a pictograph and practised comparing data to explain what they noticed. They also continued revising familiar 2D shapes through games, songs and classroom activities.
Quick Home Challenge: Go on a 2D Shape Hunt around your house or during a neighbourhood walk! Ask your child to point out flat shapes hidden in everyday objects, such as a circle on a clock face, a rectangle on a doorway, a square on a window pane, or a triangle on a street sign.
INQUIRY
In Inquiry, students have continued exploring our central idea: 'We communicate our ideas, imagination and experiences through story.'
Students investigated how stories are created by looking more closely at the middle and ending of a story. They learnt that the middle often introduces a problem, challenge or important event, while the ending explains how the problem is solved and what happens to the characters. Students also discussed the role of an author and how authors create characters, settings and events that connect together to make a story meaningful.
Students then explored family and personal stories, discussing how memories, photographs, drawings and special objects can communicate important experiences. They shared ideas about why family stories matter and how stories can help us remember important people, places and events. Students also explored how stories can communicate messages, lessons and morals, and discussed what we can learn from the stories we hear and share.
WELLBEING
In Wellbeing, students continued exploring help-seeking and what it means to be a helpful and supportive classmate.
Through discussions and collaborative activities, students identified skills that help us work well with others, such as listening, encouraging classmates, noticing when someone may need help and asking others if they are okay. Students also discussed the importance of knowing who they can go to when they need support.
Students identified trusted adults at school and at home who can help them if they are worried, upset or have a problem, reinforcing the message that it is always okay to ask a trusted adult for help.
💙 Happy Father’s Day & Special Persons Day to our Prep Families!
This upcoming Sunday, 6 September, we wish a very happy Father’s Day and Special Persons Day to all the wonderful dads, grandfathers, uncles, and positive role models in our Prep community! This day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate any special person who provides a loving, encouraging foundation for our youngest learners. We hope your Sunday is filled with love and laughter. Thank you for your incredible, ongoing partnership, enjoy your special day!
🌭Reminder: Saltwater Bunnings Sausage Sizzle!
Don't forget to support our school community on Sunday, 13 September at Bunnings Hoppers Crossing! We are raising vital funds to purchase brand-new books and resources for our school library.
Here is how you can help:
- Come and Eat: Bring your family and friends down to buy a delicious sausage or drink.
- Donate Supplies: Drop off unopened, in-date items (cans of soft drink, bottled water, bags of onions, napkins, or sauces) to the front office by Friday, 11 September to help lower our costs.
- Volunteer Your Time: Fill an open slot on our roster.
Every single contribution—big or small—goes directly toward building an amazing library for our students. Thank you for getting behind us.
Reminders
Please ensure your child has a spare change of clothes in their bag in case of accidents, mud or spills.
Our Prep Swimming Program will be taking place in Term 4.
Group 1: Monday 19th October – Friday 23rd October 2026
Group 2: Monday 26th October – Friday 30th October 2026
Each swimming lesson will run for 45 minutes. To help prepare your child for the program, we encourage families to begin practising independence at home. Please support your child to dry themselves and get dressed independently after showering or swimming. Developing these skills now will help students feel more confident and ensure they are ready to return to learning promptly after each swimming session.
Thank you for all your support,
The Prep Teaching Team