Year One - Spotlight on Learning

Dear Families,

Week 6

This week, we mark the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday, a special time in the Christian calendar that encourages reflection, kindness, and growth. The students have been learning about the significance of this day and discussing ways they can show kindness and care for others during Lent.

We are also focusing on the importance of daily reading. Research shows that reading for just 20 minutes each night can expose children to thousands of new words over time, significantly enhancing their vocabulary. A strong vocabulary builds confidence in reading and writing, which supports learning in all areas. We encourage all students to commit to this daily habit, as it will benefit them now and in the years to come!

Religious Education focus: 

Students took part in a prayer service in the community. Students received Ashes on their forehead in the shape of a cross. This is to represent that Jesus suffered and died for our sins. Several students read parts of the service out in front of the whole community. They demonstrated their ease with public speaking using varied vocabulary.

English focus: 

This week, we are reading Two Blankets, a beautiful story that explores themes of belonging and change. Students discussed the story, made connections to their own experiences, and built comprehension skills through shared reading activities. They also worked on the "ng" sound and words.

Mathematics focus: 

In Mathematics, we are exploring partitioning—breaking numbers into smaller parts to help with understanding addition. For example, knowing that 8 can be split into 5 and 3 helps students quickly solve 5 + 3 = 8. This strategy builds strong number sense and sets the foundation for more complex calculations in the future.

History: 

As part of our unit on families, students will be creating their own family trees. This activity helps them understand relationships and how families are connected through generations. We encourage families to have conversations at home about their family history discussing connections other places and countries to support this learning.

Next week we are learning about... 

Religious Education focus: We will focus on the importance of religious celebrations.

English focus:We will reading Meerkat Mail and examining the vocabulary below.

Mathematics focus: We are working on partitioning larger numbers.

SEL: We are beginning to look at personal strengths and read the the book "Be You" which allows them to understand and embrace their uniqueness. We are also starting to implement a daily check-in to monitor students feelings. 

History: We will continue to work our own personal history and our connection to our family.

AUSLAN Focus: We will be looking at common signs in the classroom.

Reminders

• Please send reader folders with students every day
• All students are required to wear a wide brim hat for recess and lunch time
• Extra fruit or vegetables for fruit break

Important Dates

• Monday 10th March -School Closure - Labour Day Public Holiday

Contact Us @ Jerusalem

jerusalem@cranbourneeast.catholic.edu.auOR