Learning & Teaching

Literacy News 

Our children have been incredibly busy honing in on their writing and illustrating drawing inspiration from some fantastic literature!

Our Preps and 1/2s have been diving into a world of beautiful picture books, borrowing clever ideas from authors to include into their very own writing. 

Meanwhile, our 3/4s have been captivated by the classic tale of Charlotte's Web. They've been focusing on complex sentences, adverbs, and prepositional phrases, and transferring these elements into their own narratives.

The 5/6s have embarked on an inspiring journey with Shaun Tan's The Arrival. This thought-provoking book has encouraged them to experiment with vocabulary, figurative language, storylines, characters, and settings, exploring how literary texts reflect historical, cultural, and social contexts.

Special Guest & Book Week 

This week we hosted Jess Racklyeft who is an Australian author and illustrator. Jess shared her insights into how authors and illustrators breathe life into their characters. 

Book week Parade

On Thursday 21st August, St Gabriel's will hold our annual book week parade. This is a special time to celebrate our favourite books. 

Come dressed up as your favourite book character and show off at the parade!

Scholastic Book Fair 

Our Scholastic Book Fair is nearly here! It will open before and after school from Wednesday 20.8.25-Monday 25.8.25. Come along to find the best new books and help to earn free books for our library!

Maths News…

               Length, Mass and Capacity 

In maths the Prep children are learning to describe and compare measurement attributes such as length, mass and  capacity. The children are developing their vocabulary to describe different attributes of objects, such as:

• Using words like ‘tall’, ‘short’, ‘wide’, ‘long’, and ‘high’ to describe length.
• Identifying terms related to mass (e.g., heavier/lighter) and capacity (e.g., full/empty).
• Exploring the concept of duration using everyday examples.

They are directly comparing objects and events to understand measurement concepts, such as:

• Length: Comparing pairs of objects to determine which is longer or shorter, and explaining their reasoning. For example, standing back-to-back to decide who is taller or lining up the bases of a spoon and fork to decide which is longer.
• Mass: Comparing the weight of everyday items from the kitchen pantry. For instance, hefting a tin of baked beans and a packet of marshmallows to decide which is heavier or lighter.

Encouraging Exploration at Home

You can support your child’s learning by engaging in simple measurement activities at home, such as:

• Asking them to compare the lengths of household items like books, spoons, or shoes.
• Using common pantry items to compare weights by hefting or using a kitchen scale.

Multiplication and Division 

In maths the children in Year 1-2  have been learning about multiplication and division.

Multiplication Strategies

Here's a quick guide to the strategies the children are learning and some tips for practise:

1. Drawing Pictures: Encourage your child to draw pictures to represent multiplication sentences. This visual aid helps them grasp the concept more tangibly.

2. Grouping: Utilise blocks or everyday objects to help your child group items into equal piles. This hands-on approach aids in understanding the concept of equal groups and multiplication as repeated addition.

3. Array: Introduce arrays as a way to visually represent multiplication. By arranging objects in rows and columns, children can see how multiplication works concretely.

4. Number Lines: Number lines aren't just for addition and subtraction! They can also help introduce skip counting, a precursor to multiplication. Encourage your child to count up by the number they're multiplying by, starting from zero.

Division Strategies:

In division, children have been learning a variety of strategies to efficiently solve problems. Encourage your child to explore equal groups, partitioning, the inverse relationship with multiplication and sharing. These strategies provide a well-rounded understanding of division and strengthen mental math skills.

3       Fractions, Decimals and Percentages 

In Maths the Years 3 to 6 children are exploring concepts of fractions, decimals and percentages. They are; 

• Understanding Decimals 

  Children are  introduced to decimals as an extension of the place value system. They learn to represent tenths and hundredths in various ways, including fractions and decimal notation.

• Connecting Fractions and Decimals

  They explore the relationship between fractions and decimals, focusing on how they represent parts of a whole.

• Adding and Subtracting Decimals

  They are  developing their skills in performing operations with decimals, such as adding and subtracting amounts of money or measurements.

•  Percentages

  Children are learning the concept of percentages is introduced as a way to express fractions and decimals. Students begin to understand percentages as parts of 100 and how they relate to decimals and fractions.

• Converting Between Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages 

  Children build on prior knowledge to fluently convert between fractions, decimals, and percentages.

• Applying Percentages to Real-Life Contexts

  They apply percentages to solve problems involving discounts, sales, and data interpretation.

        Supporting Your Child at Home

Here are some ways you can help your child reinforce their understanding of decimals and percentages:

• Cooking Together: Use recipes to practice measuring ingredients using decimals (e.g., 0.5 cups, 1.25 litres).
• Shopping Scenarios: Discuss discounts and sales percentages while shopping.

Real-World Data: Explore data in sports statistics or weather reports that use percentages and decimals.