Foundation Term 3 Newsletter

Teaching team

FA - Samantha Waugh (Learning Specialist & PLC Leader) & Chelsea Kubic (Thursday)

FB - Amy Gridley (M-W) & Renee King (W-F)

FC - Stephanie Stuart

Welcome to Term 3

It’s been wonderful to see all of the Foundation children return with such enthusiasm and readiness for the term ahead. The children have all enjoyed seeing their friends and buddies again, and sharing holiday stories. They have settled back into school with ease, engaging well with classroom routines and making a great start to their learning.

We have many special experiences to look forward to this term, including our 100 Days of School celebration, the School Disco, Book Week, Book Character Parade and the Book Fair. The children will also be participating in the Responsible Pet Program and preparing for their very first Foundation Music Concert, where they’ll proudly show their learning in a joyful and supportive setting.

We’re looking forward to a rewarding term together, filled with growth, learning, and lots of smiles.

 Specialist Timetable

Important Dates 

30/7: Foundation 100 Days of School Celebration 

1/8:   Principal's Day

8/8:   School Disco

15/8: Responsible Pet Education Program 

18/8  Book Week

19/8: Book Character Parade

19/8: Special Food Day

20/8: Special Friend's Day

27/8: Curriculum Day

3/9:    Foundation Music Concert

17/9: Foundation Community Walk to Le Page Park

18/9  Special Food Day

19/9: Last Day Early Dismissal

Parent Helpers

Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to help us with reading this year. This term, we will need parent reading helpers on a Monday only. This is a very beneficial and effective reading program for the development of literacy skills. 

When helping with the children at CEPS, it is required that you wear a Working With Children’s Check (WWCC) displayed on a lanyard at all times. 

If you have not got a WWCC and wish to volunteer, application forms can be found online at: www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au

Remember to sign in each day you volunteer at CEPS via the computer at the office. This is a mandatory requirement. You will also be required to sign out. 

Attendance

Our roles are legal documents, therefore we must be accountable for any absences. Please assist with this by informing the school through Sentral, email or phone call to record the absence. Late students need to be signed in at the office by a parent/caregiver and collect an orange Late Pass to present to their teacher on arrival at their classroom. 

Teaching and Learning 

English

Our Foundation students are continuing to use an evidence-based, structured approach to become confident and capable readers and writers who can build strong foundational skills.

Phonemic Awareness and Phonics

This term, students will focus on:

• Hearing and identifying sounds in words (e.g. /sh/, /ch/, /th/, /dge/,/tch/)
• Blending and segmenting 3- and 4-phoneme words (e.g. ship, tent, frog)
• Reading and spelling words with learned codes
• Continuing to practise high-frequency words or “weird words” (those with tricky parts)

Decodable Texts

Students will continue reading decodable texts that match their current phonics knowledge. These texts are carefully chosen to help children apply what they’ve learned, build fluency, and grow in confidence.

Comprehension

We will continue to build comprehension skills, using a variety of texts, with explicit teaching of:

• Retelling the main events in a story using their own words
• Making predictions using the title, pictures, and what they already know
• Answering questions about what they’ve read or listened to
• Making connections to their own experiences (“Has something like this ever happened to you?”)

Writing 

This term the children will focus on:

• Saying a full sentence aloud before writing
• Stretching out words to hear and record the sounds
• Using finger spaces, capital letters, and full stops
• Writing simple stories or recounts using drawings and words

Oral Language and Vocabulary

Daily structured conversations, storytelling, and vocabulary games help build the language students need for both reading and writing. We continue to introduce and explore new words in context during lessons and story time.

Each week we will have Show and Tell sessions, where students have the chance to practise speaking in full sentences, share ideas clearly, and respond to questions from their peers. These sessions help develop confidence, listening skills, and rich oral language in a fun and supportive way.

Mathematics

Our Term 3 maths lessons will continue to build on a structured approach designed to support your child’s learning. New concepts are introduced through explicit teaching, with the teacher modeling skills clearly. This is followed by “we do” activities, where students work through examples together with guidance, and then “you do” time, giving children the chance to apply their learning independently. Lessons remain fast-paced and include regular reviews to help reinforce understanding and build confidence. To meet the different learning needs of students, activities are provided at varying levels of challenge, ensuring each child can engage with the work at a suitable pace. This term, we will focus on:

• Understanding and interpreting data using tally marks and pictographs
• Addition and subtraction with one and two-digit numbers
• Counting forwards and backwards up to 120
• Using number lines to support counting and place value
• Breaking numbers apart (partitioning)
• Learning and practicing number bonds

Humanities 

This term in humanities, students will be learning about their family histories and family celebrations. Students will begin by looking at their family and creating their own family trees with all the members of their family included. 

The students will then start to look at their own family and the celebrations that their families take part in, as well as looking at celebrations that other families might take part in. This is an excellent opportunity for students to understand their family and the different celebrations and traditions that they have. 

Our community walk has been rescheduled for September 17. We’re keeping fingers crossed for fine weather! We’ll be in touch closer to the date with a call for parent volunteers to join us.

We’re excited about a term filled with discovery, family stories, and rich cultural learning. Thank you for supporting your child's journey into understanding their own family history and the many ways people celebrate together.

Wellbeing 

CEPS VALUES

COURTESY    RESPECT    CO-OPERATION    RESPONSIBILITY 

Our Term 3 School value is ‘Co-operation’. 

This term, our Foundation students are diving into the Zones of Regulation! 

Each zone—blue, green, yellow, and red—helps kids learn about their emotions and how to manage them. Through fun activities and stories, we’ll build skills in listening, sharing, and showing kindness. 

Friday afternoon assembly awards will be given to children who have shown personal growth specific to our school value skill. Parents will be informed if their child is receiving the award, via Class Dojo. 

CEPS follows a SWPBS framework, which we refer to as CEPS Positive Behaviour Support. As part of this, your child may receive a CEPS raffle ticket for displaying the expected positive behaviours that align with our CEPS values! Award winners will be drawn and announced during assembly on Friday afternoons.

Supporting learning from home  

Term 3 in Foundation is filled with busy days and lots of learning. It's important to balance their learning with plenty of rest and relaxation at home. Encourage quiet time, a healthy snack, and conversations about their day to help them unwind. 

We encourage you to read to your child daily for at least 10 minutes. Sharing a picture book at a calm, quiet time each day - such as before bed, is a wonderful way to bond and help your child develop a love for reading. This regular time together not only supports their literacy skills but also promotes relaxation. 

Your child's maroon reader bag will be sent home daily, containing their current reading book. Inside their literacy journal, you'll find sets of High-Frequency Words (HFWs). Practicing these words each night alongside their reader helps improve reading fluency and word recognition. The HFWs will be updated every two weeks to support ongoing progress.

Thank you for your continued support in your child's learning journey!

Weekly Routines

Monday - Friday

Before School

At 8:55 am, students will hear the music signalling it's time to line up. We kindly ask that children have their school bags ready and wait at their class' designated dot. A warm and cheerful goodbye helps your child feel confident as they head into class for the day. We understand mornings can be busy, but please do your best to ensure your child arrives on time, as learning begins promptly at 9.00am. If late, please collect a late pass from the office and sign your child in. Thank you for supporting your child's smooth transition into the school day! 

After School

At the end of the day, children will line up at the door of their classroom. Please meet your child in the Foundation area for collection, and let the teacher know when you've picked them up. For children attending after-school care, a Team Kids staff member will meet them in the Foundation area and escort them to their program. If you’re running late or unable to pick up your child by 3:30 pm, please call the office to let us know. 

Food

Please pack a recess snack, fruit break snack and lunch for your child each day. Fruit break must be a piece of fruit, vegetable, yoghurt or cheese/crackers.  Water bottles are kept in the classroom for easy access and to encourage your child to hydrate regularly. 

Please avoid including products with nuts in lunchboxes in support of those students with allergies.

Communication

If you have any queries along the way, please feel free to contact us using our emails listed below or you can send a Class Dojo. If any more urgent concerns arise, please organise a time to meet with your child’s teacher.

PLC Leader: Samantha Waugh (samantha.waugh@education.vic.gov.au) 

Chelsea Kubic (chelsea.kubic@education.vic.gov.au)

Amy Gridley (amy.gridley@education.vic.gov.au)

Renee King (renee.king@education.vic.gov.au)

Stephanie Stuart (stephanie.stuart@education.vic.gov.au)

We use Sentral to communicate School and Foundation Information and Class Dojo to celebrate the children’s daily learning. We hope you have been enjoying the Dojo posts and photos from your teacher!