Foundation 

Spotlight on Learning

Dear Families,

Week 9 has been a rewarding and purposeful week in Foundation. Our students have demonstrated a strong commitment to our school values of Safety, Respect and Learning, showing care for their classmates, responsibility in the classroom, and perseverance in their work. It has been wonderful to see them making thoughtful choices, listening attentively, and striving to do their personal best. We are incredibly proud of the maturity and positivity they continue to display as the term has progressed.

A reminder to families that the last day of Term 1 is Thursday 2nd April.

The first day of Term 2 is Tuesday 21st April.

Today, students also participated in “The Big Walk for Water,” a meaningful fundraising experience where they walked around the school carrying their school bags and water bottles. This helped them understand the daily journey that children like Sisilia make to collect water for their families, building empathy and awareness while supporting an important cause.

If you would like to learn more about Sisilia's story, please follow the link below.

Religious Education Focus:  

This week in Religious Education, students learned about how people welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday with joy and celebration. They also explored how Jesus showed love and care for His friends during a special meal, helping us understand the importance of kindness, sharing, and loving others.

English focus:

This week we read 'Are We There Yet?' by Alison Lester. A book about a young girl named Grace who travels around Australia with her family on a long road trip. Along the way, they visit many different places, meet people, and experience new adventures, while Grace keeps asking, “Are we there yet?” The story celebrates family, travel, and discovering the beauty of Australia.

Phonics:

During explicit phonics instruction, we focused on the /d/ and /g/ sound/s.

We introduce sounds based on the Little Learners Love Literacy book, ‘Milo’s Birthday Surprise’.

Mathematics focus:

This week students learned about ordering daily events. They practised thinking about what happens first, next, and last, and worked on ordering two or three events from their everyday routines. This helped them understand how events happen in a sequence.

SEL:

In Social Emotional Learning, students are learning and practising ways to seek help from trusted adults. They are developing the skills to recognise when they need help, use their words to ask for support, and understand the importance of telling an adult if something is not safe or not okay.

Integrated Curriculum: Geography 

In Integrated Studies, students are learning that maps show places and help us understand where things are. They explored how maps use symbols to represent features and learned that maps are drawn from an aeroplane (above) view, helping them see a place from a different perspective.

AUSLAN: 

This week students have been consolidating their learning and understanding of the signs that we have learnt so far.

Next week we are learning about... 

Religious Education: Students will learn about Holy Week and Good Friday.

Integrated Curriculum focus: Next week we will consolidate what we have learned.

English focus: Next week we are continueing to read and explore the book 'Are we there yet?’ by Alison Lester. We will also be reading Holy week stories.

Mathematics focus: Next week we will be learning about locations/directions.

SEL: Next week we are learning to identify our feelings, recognise when we are ready to learn, and use strategies to help us feel better.

AUSLAN Focus: Students will consolidate their learning and understanding of the signs that we have learnt so far.

Ways to engage with the newsletter:

• Read or watch the weekly book with your child at home (there is often a read aloud on you tube). Talk about what the book's most important ideas are. Point to words that begin with this week's sounds.

• Ask your child to retell the story using their own words.

• Talk about who the characters are, where the story is happening.

• Practise handwriting using the visuals provided.

• Take the idea around Mathematics and ask students to repeat an activity they did at school, with you.

Important Reminders

• Please ensure that you are labelling your child's belongings.

• Can we please ask for a pair of socks and underwear to be placed in the front zip pocket  of your child's school bag in case of a toileting accident. 

Things you can do at home:

• Comprehension questions to ask when reading with your child to support early reading development.

  "Point to where it shows...." the .......sound

  “I wonder why…”

  "what makes you think...."

  “This reminds me of…”

  "Show me where it says"

  “I didn’t understand that part, so I’ll reread it.”

  Use a mix of Who, What, When, Where, Why, How questions based on the book.

TERM 1 KEY DATES — 2026

• Thursday 2 April - Holy Thursday — Last Day of Term 1

   

  TERM 2 START DATE

• Tuesday 21 April - First Day for Students

Contact Us 

galilee@cranbourneeast.catholic.edu.au  all teachers