School News and Information

STAGE 1 NEWS

MAGPIE CLASSROOM

We’ve had such a busy and fun couple of weeks in our Magpie classroom! The snowfall gave us the perfect inspiration to create a wintery art piece, which the students really enjoyed.

Literacy

In Literacy, we’ve started new programs—Spelling Mastery and McGraw Hill Reading—and it’s been great to see the progress students are already making. We’ve also been practising logging in to the computers on our own so we can explore different programs, which has been a big step in independence for everyone.

English

In English this term, we have been exploring the theme of relationships through some wonderful books. One of these, Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose, tells the story of a boy who comes across an ant and must decide whether or not to squish it. Students practised identifying facts and opinions and learnt how to use both to build a persuasive argument. We also discovered how strong words (modal verbs) can make our writing more convincing. We finished our unit by creating an art piece persuading the boy not to squash the ant. The students showed great creativity in their work and enjoyed sharing their thoughtful ideas with each other.

We also read Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley by Aaron Blabey, a story about two very different friends who show us that opposites can make the best of companions. Students explored how the characters support and care for one another, and discussed what it means to be a good friend. The students really enjoyed connecting the story to their own friendships and celebrating what makes each of them unique.

Maths

In Maths this term, Magpie students have been busy counting large collections using strategies such as counting in twos, fives and tens. They discovered that ten ones can be renamed as one ten and enjoyed grouping objects into tens to help them count more efficiently. By organising their collections this way, students found that counting in tens and ones makes working with bigger numbers much quicker and easier. They have shown great confidence in applying these strategies and are proud of how much their counting skills have grown!

Gymnastics

Our Thursday morning gymnastics sessions have been a big hit, with everyone having a go and building their skills. Over the last three weeks the K/1 Magpies have been enjoying a fantastic time at the gymnastics centre! The children enjoyed exploring balance, strength, and movement in a fun and supportive environment. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they tried new skills and worked together. We can’t wait for our last lesson tomorrow.

This term we are also very excited to welcome Miss G (Jemima Graham-Wansey) to our classroom. She is completing her four-week professional experience placement with us, and we are so fortunate to have her working as our SLSO as well. The students have loved getting to know her and are enjoying her support and enthusiasm in the Magpie room.

A little bit about Miss G, I am from a town called Bowral which is in the Southern Highlands, with my Mum, Step-dad, little sister and my beautiful Border Collie, Pippilongstockings. I am currently studying a Bachelor of Education (K-6), whilst living in Armidale. I love all things sport, especially netball and in my spare time I love to read, my favourite book series is the Harry Potter Series. I love getting to know the students in the Magpies classroom and learning from two very inspiring teachers, Mrs McCathie and Mrs Corcoran. I am thoroughly enjoying my placement experience and I am excited for the rest of the year in the Magpies.

Martin's Gully Book Parade

All the Magpies proudly took part in our 2025 Martin Gully Book Parade, dressing up as bright and wonderful characters from their favourite stories. There was so much excitement and discussion about the books they love, and it was fantastic to see the creativity on display. It was also so lovely to see so many parents join us and share in the celebration of reading.

We’re excited for the amazing term ahead!

Mrs Corcoran and Mrs McCathie

POSSUMS CLASSROOM

We are excited to share all the wonderful learning experiences happening in the Possums classroom!

Our students have been deeply engaged in a sustainability unit, focusing on recycling and waste management. As part of this, we conducted a lunchbox waste audit to better understand our waste habits. The students took great interest in the results, which we graphed together, and then used the information and Canva to create posters promoting recycling and picking up litter with many students now proudly taking the initiative to collect rubbish during their own time—showing fantastic care for our environment.

Creativity is flourishing as the children use recycled materials to make artworks and other creations, combining sustainability, upcycling and imagination. This has been extended on Tuesday afternoons when we join in with stage 3 to work on sustainable art projects!

In science, we have been studying plants and seeds—exploring how they grow and develop. We are looking forward to the assembly of an aeroponics tower to transfer the seeds we have been carefully germinating over the past few weeks. This hands-on project has been both exciting and interesting as the cold weather has made it all the more challenging for seed germination!

Even in maths, seeds have become a useful tool! The students have been working with seeds to enhance their understanding of counting and grouping large collections.

The students are also having fun with their weekly gymnastics classes and trying all the different exercises and equipment. Last week saw stage 1 enjoy time on the large and mini trampolines as well as testing skills on the floor using hola hoops.

Last Friday was Science Week, and we had a great time combining science and art in a ‘paleo art’ lesson. The students were also lucky enough to get into lab coats and safety equipment and mixed different chemicals to see what reactions might happen. It was a fun way to learn about science and chemistry!

The Possums have been enjoying exploring and being curious through our provocations.

The purpose of provocations is to:

Stimulate Curiosity: Provocations are meant to spark students' interest and curiosity about a topic, encouraging them to ask questions and seek answers. Our provocations are linked to the topics we are looking at in our learning this term, linking back to our syllabus documents as well as student interests. We surveyed the student to get their voice on what to include.

They encourage Critical Thinking by presenting challenges or intriguing scenarios. Provocations help students develop critical thinking skills as they analyse information and form conclusions.

The foster engagement. Provocations create an active learning environment where students feel motivated to participate and share their thoughts, leading to richer discussions and deeper understanding.

We are using these experiences to write down what we have discovered or what questions we have to be curious thinkers and use rich vocabulary in our learning.