Achilles 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This has been an exciting month and a half in our learning journey. Students have explored many new concepts in all subject areas across the curriculum. The students have produced some phenomenal work demonstrating their understanding of the topics taught and should be proud of their efforts.

                                   Our Learning

READING

In grade 2 this month students have been reading books all about community. We explored what it means to be part of a community and how we can show kindness and care. In If I Built a School, students imagined fun and exciting ideas for schools in the future. Found in Melbourne was a story that helped us learn more about our own city and the special places in our lives. While books like Dear Street, Two Mates, and Last Stop on Market Street helped us learn about kindness, respect, and gratitude. These stories also connected to our school values: care for self and care for others.

While reading, we worked on making predictions, connections, and understanding new vocabulary. We also practiced fluency—reading smoothly and with expression. Students enjoyed sharing their ideas and learning more about their community through books.

WRITING

We began the term in Writing by exploring simple and compound sentences. Students have been learning how to identify and construct simple sentences with one idea, as well as compound sentences that join two related ideas using conjunctions such as and, but, or because. This helps to build their understanding of sentence structure and improves their ability to write more detailed and cohesive pieces. We've been practicing this through a mix of whole-class discussions, sentence-building activities, and writing tasks. It's been great to see students becoming more confident in expressing their ideas clearly and effectively!

We have been enthusiastic about crafting narratives that ignite the imagination. Using 'sizzling starters' to hook the reader's interest, they've developed plots with engaging settings and characters. Students have been practicing how to re-read their work to make edits and revisions to help make the story better. We're proud of their progress in expressing ideas cohesively and creatively.

MATHS

In Maths we have been increasing our ability to respond to addition and subtraction problems using a range of different strategies. Also, using different maths resources such as dice, counters, number-lines and tens frames to respond to these prompts. We also wrote our own number sentences. 

We have also been learning about measurement and capacity. We have enjoyed using informal units and measuring different object around the classroom. It was fun estimating the capacity of different objects and seeing if our predictions were correct. Students made some realisations including that we need to be measuring accurately and using an appropriate measuring tool and made some connections to everyday life and needing to measure accurately to ensure a recipe works correctly.

SEL

This month, Grade 2 has been learning about emotions and how to understand them. We discussed that all emotions—happiness, anger, sadness, and excitement—are normal and essential to our well-being. Students are learning to recognise their feelings and use words to describe them. This helps them make better choices and gain a clearer understanding of themselves.

We have also practised mindfulness through simple breathing exercises to help calm our minds and bodies. As part of The Resilience Project, we focus on Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness (GEM). Students demonstrate empathy by giving thoughtful compliments and listening carefully to their classmates. We are learning that kindness benefits both the giver and the receiver.

You can support this learning at home by discussing feelings, asking your child what they are thankful for, and encouraging them to perform small acts of kindness. Thank you for helping us build a caring and respectful classroom community!

INQUIRY

In May, our Grade 2 students explored the world around them by learning about natural, manmade, and constructed features in our environment. We discovered that natural features, such as rivers and mountains, are created by nature, while manmade and constructed features, like buildings and roads, are made by people. 

We also learned about maps—why we use them, what they show us, and how they help us understand different places. The students practised reading simple maps and learned about various landforms, such as hills, valleys, mountains, and waterways like rivers, lakes, and oceans. Their curiosity led to some fantastic "wonder" questions as they took on their roles as budding geographers. This has been a fun and engaging way to deepen our understanding of the world around us.

In the coming week, Grade 2 students will continue exploring the Australian landscape by learning about various landforms and local communities. In our inquiry unit, we will focus on our connections to special places and how these connections contribute to the shared story of our community. We will celebrate the diverse places that are significant to us—both past and present—and reflect on why these places matter. Additionally, we were excited to welcome a passionate First Nations educator who provided an engaging and inspirational cultural experience. This visit helped students deepen their understanding and respect for First Nations peoples, their cultures, and their connection to Country. It was an excellent opportunity to build empathy, cultural awareness, and a stronger sense of community.

Victorian Curriculum

Below is the link to the Victorian Curriculum if you would like to take a look at what we cover throughout the year. 

https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/level2 

Friendly Reminders

• Doors open at 8:50 a.m. and dismissal is at 3:20 p.m.
• Ensure your child’s belongings are clearly labelled. This includes clothing, drink bottles, hats, and lunchboxes (including lids).
• Please ensure that your child is reading their home reader for 15 minutes every night and that their reading log is filled in and signed by a parent/guardian.
• We strongly encourage students to bring along some brain food (fruit and vegetables) that they may eat in class. It is important that this is included as an additional snack in their lunchbox.

Best wishes,

The year 2 Achilles Community Teachers

Britt, Shaveta, Natalia, Anne, Tamanna, Kartia and Belinda.