Prep Term 2 Overview

Prep 2025 Term Two

“The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” - Psalm 147:11

Welcome to Term 2.

I hope that all families had a safe, relaxing Easter break. It has been such a joy to welcome the Preps back to school, they’ve returned with bright smiles, plenty of energy and a readiness to dive into all that Term 2 has to offer. It’s been great to see them settle back into our routines so confidently, building on the positive habits they developed in Term 1. 

Important Notes

• Please ensure your child brings their Reader Bag, Reader Log and Reader to school each day, along with their Library book on Wednesdays.
• Reading with your child at home is important—it helps build their confidence, fluency, and understanding of what they read.
• Please initial your child’s Reading Record each day after hearing them read aloud. The take-home reader is designed to be an easy, independent text so the focus can be on comprehension. Try pausing during reading to ask questions like, “What’s happened so far?” or “What do you think might happen next?”
• Heart Words (important words we can’t always sound out) will be going home soon in your child’s Reader Bag as cards to practise. Please go over these with your child each night after reading. If a letter in the word has a little heart above it, that means it makes a tricky sound we need to remember “by heart.” For example, in the word is, the “s” makes a zzz sound instead of sss, so we learn that part by heart.
• Our winter uniform is to be worn during Terms 2 and 3.
• Kindly continue to check your child’s Reader Bag regularly for important notices or communication from the school office.

Religious Education & Inquiry

This term, our unit focus is Geography, guided by the big question: “How is my community an important place that helps me and others live well?”

We’ll explore the difference between natural and man-made places, looking closely at familiar locations such as our home, school, and important community places like the library, shops, hospital, and playground, using the text ‘Places’ to inform our learning.

Students will learn about the different types of work and services found in these places, like healthcare, shopping, learning, safety, farming and play. They will locate these on a pictorial map and begin to think about why each place is in its location.

In Inquiry and Religious Education, we will reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus, exploring how he shows us how to live in right relationships with others. Students will interpret stories about Jesus and connect them to their own experiences of family and friendship. We will also learn about Pentecost, the role of the Holy Spirit, and how the disciples were inspired to share the good news of Jesus Christ and help build the early church.

English

This term in English/Literacy, our Prep students are excited to begin Daily Reading Group Rotations. These small group activities, designed from assessments in Term 1, will support both independent and collaborative learning. We’ll revisit key skills, including recognising beginning and ending sounds, blending, segmenting and stretching sounds to read CVC and CCVC words. 

In Spelling, our phonics skills will focus on Heart Words, which are tricky words that don’t follow regular sound patterns. They will be practised at school and at home, to help build reading fluency.

In Writing, students will use Colourful Semantics to structure their writing. They’ll write about their weekend on Mondays and explore other simple narratives. By colour-coding parts of the sentence (e.g., the person in orange and the action in green), students will improve both creativity and sentence-building skills. We’ll also continue practising writing our names and forming letters clearly and legibly on a daily basis.

To develop the students oral language, Show and Tell will continue each week, giving students the opportunity to practise speaking clearly and confidently in front of others. This helps them structure and finish their sentences, while building strong communication skills.

Mathematics

The Preps have been actively engaging in daily Mathematics routines, such as regular reviews of prior learning, use of concrete materials, daily schedules and calendar, weather, and counting the 100 days of Prep, to encourage full participation and support their learning. 

In Term 2, the Preps will focus on the following areas of learning: 

• Place Value (part-whole numbers)
• Shape (2D shapes)
• Counting & Place Value (numbers 0-20, subitising (recognising the number of objects in a small group without counting) and comparing collections). 

I encourage simple number activities at home to support learning, particularly counting with 1:1 correspondence, practising making numbers to 10, one more/less and making 10 using two numbers (facts of 10), as well as practising forming numerals to 10. Please feel free to reach out if you need suggestions for home activities.

Social & Emotional Learning

We will continue exploring and discussing our emotions, using strategies to better manage ourselves in social situations. We will learn that emotions are neither 'good' nor 'bad' and that kindness is our strength. Additionally, we will work through lessons from The Resilience Project, focusing on the three keys to happiness: gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness, and how they support our transition to school.

Important Dates

• Monday, 28 April - P-2 Yarra Valley Water Incursion
• Thursday, 8 May - Mothers Day Stall
• Friday, 9 May - Mothers Day Breakfast
• Wednesday, 14 May - Grandparents Day Mass & Activities 9am
• Friday, 16 May - National Walk to School Day
• Monday-Tuesday, 19-20 May, Life Ed Incursion
• Monday, 26 May - School Closure Day - Staff Professional Development
• Tuesday, 17 June - Prep Class Mass, 10 am
• Monday, 23 June - Prep Assembly, 2:50 pm
• Tuesday, 24 June - Feast of the Sacred Heart Mass, 10 am
• Friday, 27 June - Semester 1 Reports Available Online
• Wednesday, 2 July - Whole School Production
• Thursday, 3 July - Last Day of Term 1 (free dress day)

Specialist Timetable

This term is shaping up to be a busy and exciting one, with a number of incursions and excursions planned, as well as our whole school production in the final week. Please continue to look after yourselves, and don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything we can do to support you in helping your child with their learning at home.

You can reach me via email or by leaving a message at the school office. I will do my best to respond within two working days between 8am and 5pm. Please also remember to check our school newsletter, sent via email every second Monday and the Prep News Board at the bottom of the stairs, for important updates. You can also stay connected and see what’s happening at St John’s by following us on Facebook and Instagram. 

With faith and love, 

Cara Woolley

cwoolley@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au