Year 1/2

What a fabulous term we are having in Grade 1/2! We are so proud of our students and the way they are engaging in their learning, demonstrating our school values and continuing to grow. Here's what has been happening recently...

Education Week

During Education Week, there was a focus on the fascinating world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and the 1/2 students delved into various experiments and projects to explore these fields in depth.

One of the fun experiments that took place during Education Week was the Skittles Rainbow Experiment. This gave students the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning while uncovering the scientific principles behind the colourful phenomenon.

The experiment began with each student receiving a handful of Skittles and a white plate. With excitement bubbling in the air, they carefully arranged the Skittles in a circle around the edge of the plate, ensuring that each colour was evenly spaced. Next came the magic – a bit of warm water added to the centre of the plate.

As if by magic, the colours from the Skittles began to dissolve and spread outwards, creating a vibrant rainbow pattern. Students observed in amazement as the colours blended and mixed, creating unique designs on their plates. Through this simple yet captivating experiment, they learned about concepts such as solubility, diffusion and colour mixing.

Not only did the Skittles Rainbow experiment spark curiosity and wonder, but it also encouraged critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students were encouraged to ask questions, hypothesise, and analyse their observations, fostering a deeper understanding of the scientific process.

As we reflect on Education Week, we are immensely proud of the enthusiasm and creativity demonstrated by our students. Their eagerness to explore, discover, and learn serves as a testament to the importance of STEM education in preparing them for the challenges of the future.

Thank you to all of the parents who made it into our open classroom. The students absolutely loved having you in their learning spaces, collaborating, creating and playing.

National Simultaneous Story Time

National Simultaneous Storytime is an annual event by the Australian Library and Information Association where a picture story book by an Australian author and illustrator is read simultaneously across schools in the country. This week the students listened to the story Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker.

Literacy

The students in 1/2 have engaged so well in our persuasive writing unit. They enjoyed designing their own donut, creating it, advertising it and then writing a persuasive speech to persuade the group why their donut is the best. Well done to all students on your creativity and persuasion :)

We are now learning about nonfiction texts and how we read nonfiction texts to learn about a topic. Students will begin writing their own information report over the next few weeks.

Numeracy

Students have been using a variety of resources to solve addition and subtraction problems such as counters, number lines, tens frames and 100s charts. They have solved word problems, played maths games and shared their thinking. We have also been learning how to gather data, create a picture graph and how to interpret graphs.

Geography

Students enjoyed a walk to Newling Reserve for a picnic lunch this week. On their way, they observed how the weather can impact on local environments and recorded simple directions to and from school.

Well-being

We're halfway through Term 2 and it has been so great seeing students coming to school happy and ready to learn. Students have been utilising the Well-being Hub during lunchtimes and continue to embrace our morning circle routine and enjoy our daily positive primers. They have been enjoying a variety of mindfulness activities.

With the weather getting colder, we have been taking every opportunity to get outside whenever the sun is out, below are some pictures of our Thursday afternoon out in the (rare) sunshine.