Classroom News

Foundation-Grade 1 Miss Bennett

Welcome back to Term 2 in the Foundation/1 Beehive!

We've started off Term 2 with an absolute bang and it seems like everyone has definitely gotten taller and even more clever over the school holiday break. We have a busy term ahead of us with lots to look forward to. 

Here is what we have been up to in the beehive since we've been back on deck: 

Fluency/Blending pairs: Fluency Pairs are back for Grade 1 this term with a focus on giving constructive feedback;. The students are now using their feedback rubric to help give their partner feedback on 'Accuracy', 'Expression' and 'Speed'. During this time the Foundation students have been completing Blending Pairs where they go through the sounds they are learning and practice blending them together to read words. 

Positional Language: In Maths, the F/1 students have been expanding their knowledge of positional language and describing the position of objects. They have all blown Miss Bennett away with their learning, especially when they looked at left and right. On Thursday, the F/1 students split into pairs and gave their partner instructions on where to draw certain things on their page. For example, put a flower next to the person. 

ANZAC Day learning: To help with our learning of ANZAC Day, the F/1 bees have started their mini text-based unit on the text ANZAC TED. The questions the students had were excellent and they were very interested in how ANZAC Ted brought comfort to those in the war. 

Inquiry tuning in: This term in Inquiry the F/1 Students are looking into being healthy, safe and active. To tune into their learning the F/1 bees enjoyed turning themselves into Doctors and treating their injured friends. It was definitely a highlight for everyone!

Madi's Birthday: Happy Birthday Madi! This week it was Madi's birthday in the beehive. She really loved showing Miss Bennett her new bike. 

The Prize Box has been restocked!! Lily was the lucky winner of the prize box pick when her PBIS token got pulled out of the F/1 letterbox at assembly. Lily got her token for her hard work in Heggerty and showing our school value of 'Learning'. She picked out some playdough and a toy 'recycling' from the prize box and was very excited to take it home and open them. I wonder who will get to pick out of the prize box next. 

We look forward to another two weeks when we can share our learning again. It's going to be a very busy term and we're all very excited to get stuck in. 

 Grade 1-2 Miss Hart

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope that you all had an amazing break and enjoyed some time with your loved ones. This term is a big one, and we have some great opportunities lined up for your children. Here are some of the things we have been doing so far this term:

During Literacy this term, students will be learning the digraph sounds in Stage 7.2 of the Little Learners Love Literacy Program. These include sounds like /ar/ as in car, /or/ as in corn, and /er/ as in fern. Students will explore these types of digraph sounds in reading, writing and hands-on activities. These sounds will also be revised each day in our ‘Daily Review,’ and in rotation type activities. On Friday, students created a craft about the digraph sound /ar/ that they had learnt the day before. Students created a ‘car’ and glued other /ar/ words on their car. Come check them out on the wall in the mornings!

Numeracy so far, has consisted of recapping the topic ‘Place Value.’ Students have had the opportunity to hands-on materials like the MAB Blocks, Paddle Pop Sticks, and Ten Frames to identify numbers in different formats. They have also practiced using and writing numbers to 1000. Students have been making and breaking numbers to 1000 with MAB Blocks to understand the value of each digit. We have also explored ‘one more’ than and ‘one less’ than. Our next topic is Length.

In our Resilience Project lesson, students took part in a form of meditation. At the beginning of the lesson, students could draw and/or write how they were feeling at that current moment. They then participated in a fifteen minute yoga session from ‘Cosmic Yoga’ on YouTube. It followed a story of a fish making its way through the ocean, meeting lots of different animals along the way. After the yoga session, students went back to their books and were asked to draw and/or write about how they now felt, after completing a form of meditation. Students went from feeling happy to extra happy and a little bit crazy to calm and sleepy.

The Run Club has started off with a bang! Students have absolutely loved racing in to drop off their school bags so they can get straight out to Abby’s Run Club on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Lots of practice is being done in preparation for our school Cross Country, which is happening next week. The mornings have consisted of many smiles and red cheeks this term. A great turn out! This is such a great form of exercise and fun for the students to get involved in before school starts. 

Grade 3 Mrs Stock

The Grade 3's have had a wonderful and busy start to Term 2!

For Maths, the students have been busy getting back into their daily routine of maths mentals, daily review and a focus on Fractions. 

The students enjoyed testing out some of their knowledge, with a small packet of M&M's. They had to count the amount in their whole packet to determine the denominator and then sort the colours of their chocolate into fraction parts (numerator). Afterwards, they had to draw and write the fraction representation into their work book labeling the numerator and denominator for each fraction.  

The students have also enjoyed learning about Polar Bears in the background knowledge stage of their new Text Base Unit, 'King of the Polar Bears'. The text contains complex sentence structure, challenging vocabulary and detailed descriptions, making it a great text to stretch the comprehension and writing of students.

We have begun our Inquiry Unit, 'How can we be Healthy, Safe and Active?' The students have had the opportunity to share what they know and how they think they can be safe, healthy and active.

Grade 4 Mrs Loughran

I am delighted to share that Term 2 has kicked off on a positive note! The students are approaching each session with enthusiasm and readiness to learn. They have quickly become familiar with the routines in our class, setting a fantastic tone for the term ahead.

We have been focusing on fostering a Growth Mindset in our class. Encouraging a Growth Mindset helps children develop resilience, perseverance, and a love for learning. We believe that by nurturing this mindset, our students will be better equipped to face challenges and reach their full potential.

This past week, our students engaged in a reflective activity where they wrote about the Best Part of themselves. It was truly heartwarming to see them express their strengths and unique qualities.

The Best Part of Me

James: My brain

Denzil: My hands

Hamish: My legs

Scotty: My thighs

Ella: My hands

Archer: My arms

Cabe: My feet

Jim: My feet

Isla: My mouth

Noah: My hands

Charlotte: My hands

Riley: My head

Yohan: Nose

Parker: My feet

Lil: My ears

Grade 5-6 Miss Rasmussen

In our Grade 5/6 class, students have been busy improving their understanding of fractions. They've learned to identify numerators and denominators and explain their functions. Additionally, the students explored equivalent fractions, understanding that these represent the same value despite different appearances.

Students have enjoyed delving into "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Discussions have centred around the character of Edmund and his complex role in the story. In grammar, the class has tackled dependent and independent clauses, using them to craft simple, compound, and complex sentences based on the book.

In spelling, we've introduced a rule: if the /k/ sound is followed by an 'i' or an 'e,' it should begin with a 'k'. This guidance has helped refine their spelling skills and increase their confidence in writing.