School News
Prep
Dear Families,
We’ve had a joyful start to Prep, filled with smiles and lots of learning already.
The preps have been working very hard in Reading and Spelling. They have been learning the letters s, a, t, p, i, and n and practising their common sounds. The preps have been blending these sounds to read simple words and exploring words that begin with each letter. They have also been building their vocabulary wall by adding the words interested, careful, and special.
In Writing the preps have been creating recount pieces based on our investigation sessions. They have been generating ideas, drawing detailed pictures, verbalising simple sentences, and recording the sounds they can hear in words.
In Maths, we have been learning about length by comparing objects and identifying which are shorter, longer, or equal. They have also participated in hands-on activities focused on counting, subitising, and number formation.
In Investigations and Wellbeing, we have been exploring our unit In Our Community and learning about important roles within families and the wider community. They have also begun learning about the ‘Zones of Regulation’, exploring feelings and strategies to manage emotions.
Reminders:
- Photo Day- 25th February
- Assembly –27th February - Prep SRC (Student Representative Council) students to be announced and receive badges
- Athletics Day – 4th March
- Please label all belongings
- Encourage your child to practice packing and unpacking school bag (including opening and closing lunch boxes)
- No nuts in lunch boxes
- Please bring in your child's art smock
Kindest regards,
The Prep Team
Laina Brebner, Kayla Hartrick and Emma Wright
Grade 1
What a wonderful, and busy, two weeks we’ve had in Grade 1!
In Reading, we have been focusing on the digraphs sh and ch. We have become experts at following the phrases “chin it,” “park it,” and “bin it.” This week, we learnt about Fluency Friends and how to be an excellent reading partner.
In Writing, we have completed our diary writing unit. We had so much fun creating entries from different perspectives! Here are some of our fabulous examples.
In Maths, we have been practising counting to 120 by ones, starting from zero and from random numbers. We have worked with our Maths Buddies to solve number puzzles and bundled tens. We recorded our numbers, showing each complete bundle as a ten and any extras as ones.
Investigations has been a blast! Students have loved exploring the different spaces and enthusiastically taking on their roles as focus person, reporter, or photographer. Through these experiences, students are learning about our community places and the important workers within them.
The highlight of our fortnight was definitely our first Buddies session! It was wonderful to reconnect with our big buddies after the holidays. Students enjoyed getting to know each other better and had lots of fun completing their ‘All About Me’ flowers to swap with their buddy.
Congratulations to our Shining Stars for week 2 and 3 - Harper, Ruby, Disha, Ava-Rose, Ella and Charlie!
Kind regards,
The Grade 1 Team
Mel Layton, Sally Newton, Tim Huntington and Rowena Blake
Grade 2
Our Grade 2s have had a fantastic start to Term 1! It was wonderful to see students return refreshed, enthusiastic and ready to learn. Here’s a snapshot of what we were busy working on over the past few weeks.
In Reading, we focused on solving tricky words using a range of strategies. Students practised segmenting and blending sounds, identifying familiar spelling patterns, and using prefixes and suffixes to help decode new vocabulary across a variety of texts. It was great to see their confidence growing as they tackled more challenging words independently.
Students completed their Learning Task based on our exciting Minibeast Hunt. They worked hard to include the 5 W’s — who, what, when, where and why — along with a “sizzling start” to hook their readers. We then began exploring diary writing, learning how to use personification to bring animals and objects to life in creative and imaginative ways.
In Maths, we continued our Place Value unit. Students practised estimating and rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and 100, representing numbers using MAB blocks, and writing numbers in word and expanded form.
We continued our Inquiry unit, Growing Older and Wiser. A big thank you to families for sending in photos to support learning about change over time — the students loved sharing and discussing them! We brainstormed the ways we have grown and changed and created timelines to show events across a day and a week.
The Grade 2 Team
Allie Harrison, Sarah Margetts and Brendan Van Haaster
Grade 3 & 4
Wow, what a great start to the year we have had in Grade 3/4.
In Reading, we have been learning to make connections with narrative texts to better understand what we read. Students learned about the different types of connections that can be made, including text-to-self, text-to-text and text-to-world connections. They then demonstrated their understanding by completing the Term 1 Reading Learning Task.
In Writing, the students have been learning to write narratives. Students were introduced to a prompt titled “Found” and brainstormed ideas for their own story. They then selected their most creative idea and wrote a sizzling start and backfill paragraph. The students focussed on including paragraphs and engaging vocabulary in their writing and ended the week by revising and editing their finished pieces.
In Maths, we continued investigating place value. This week we specifically looked at adding and subtracting ones, tens, hundreds and thousands from a number, and continued working using different problem-solving strategies. The students also demonstrated their place value knowledge by completing the Term 1 Maths Learning Task.
In our Inquiry unit, we investigated various advancements in technology and how it has impacted different communities. We also explored how science, technology and cultural changes have impacted community food habits and choices over time.
In Wellbeing students revised the Zones of Regulation. They revisit the different coloured zones and the feelings associated with each one.
Looking ahead this term, some key dates to remember are:
- Wednesday 25th February – School Photo Day
- Friday 27th February – Clean Up Australia Day (for schools)
- Wednesday 4th March - School Athletics Day
- Monday 9th March - Labour Day Public Holiday
- Wednesday 1st April - Last day of Term (for students)
- Thursday 2nd April - Curriculum Day (student free day)
Kind regards,
The 3/4 Team
Damien Smith, Daena Hailey, Brent Smith, Claire Cripps and Nick Pagliaro
Grade 5 & 6
It has been a busy and productive fortnight in Grade 5/6, with students continuing to build their skills across all learning areas.
In Reading students have been studying the novel Storm Boy while learning how authors use language techniques such as repetition, modality, emphasis, subjective language and dialogue to influence readers and build tension. Students also practised comparing texts and supporting their ideas with evidence. They finished the fortnight by beginning a reading learning task comparing two texts and analysing language choices.
In Writing students have been developing their narrative writing using the Seven Steps to Writing Success. They created engaging “Sizzling Starts”, wrote tension scenes using descriptive and subjective language, and practised writing dialogue that reveals character and builds suspense. Students have now begun planning and drafting their full narratives using story graphs.
In Maths, students focused on place value concepts involving large numbers, decimals and integers. They practised applying efficient calculation strategies, representing numbers on number lines and exploring real-life number applications. Students also began working on a maths learning task where they applied their place value understanding to solve problems and explain their thinking.
In Inquiry students explored Australia’s democracy, citizenship and government systems. They learnt about democratic values and the three levels of government and their responsibilities. Students also participated in a mock election to learn about preferential voting and the role of the Australian Electoral Commission in running fair elections.
In Wellbeing students learnt about respectful friendships and how to confidently and kindly say “no”. They also explored resilience through the Learning Pit, learning that challenge is an important part of learning. Students practised persistence and problem-solving through group challenges and reflection activities.
Students enjoyed connecting with their buddy classes. Grade 5 students participated in “get to know you” activities with their Prep buddies, while Grade 6 students spent time building relationships with their Grade 1 buddies. These sessions help strengthen leadership skills and school community connections.
Thank you for your continued support.
Hawthorn Football Club Incursion
Our Grade 5/6 students were lucky to welcome players from the Hawthorn Football Club to our school! Dylan Moore, Mabior Chol, Jack Dalton and Josh Ward spoke to us about teamwork, resilience and what it takes to perform at the elite level. Students had the opportunity to ask questions and learn about setting goals, working hard and supporting one another both on and off the field. It was an inspiring visit and a wonderful experience for our 5/6 cohort.
Kind regards,
The 5/6 Team
Mykaela Oakley, Kylie Morrissey, Hayley Peirce, Llinos Poole and Erin Rennick.