Junior School News

Chickens, chickens and more chickens!

The Junior School has officially gone chicken crazy and we wouldn’t have it any other way! This year's hatching program has brought an explosion of joy, curiosity, and a whole lot of cuteness to our classrooms and hearts. 

From the moment the eggs arrived, students, staff and families have been buzzing with excitement, eagerly checking incubators and celebrating every little chirp and movement.

It has been amazing to see how these tiny chicks have built a beautiful sense of community, with students gathering in awe and sharing the magic with their families. There’s been laughter, wonder, and moments of stillness as children have watched life unfold before their eyes. The chicks have not only taught us about life cycles but they have reminded us of the joy in slowing down and appreciating nature’s small miracles.

Our hatching program has definitely been a heartwarming highlight of the year, reminding us all that sometimes, the smallest things can bring the biggest smiles.

Prep

In MSL, Prep has been busy learning about open syllables, where the vowel is not trapped and can shout out its name, making a long vowel sound — such as in we, so, and hi.

In Writing, the students have been exploring and expanding their sentences by including and identifying a Who, Do, and Where.

In Maths, Prep has been developing their number sense by making bigger numbers from smaller ones, finding how many more are needed to make ten, and exploring different ways to make ten.

This week, the Preps enjoyed the Inform and Empower incursion, which focused on how devices can be used for much more than just watching videos. They discovered how devices can help them connect with family through games, create imaginative worlds and digital drawings, and learn new dances, songs, and so much more.

Students also had some mindfulness time this week through arts and crafts, creating beautiful sacred hearts for our school grand opening.

Year One

The Year Ones have been exploring a new reading rule: when c or g is followed by e, i, or y, then c says “s” and g says “j,” making their soft sounds. We call this rule Gentle Cindy, and the students have enjoyed drawing their own Gentle Cindy, as well as singing along to the now-famous G and C Shanty song.

In Writing, students have been building on their knowledge of the conjunctions but and because, and are now moving on to subordinating conjunctions. They have specifically been learning to use before and after at the beginning of their sentences to show the order of events and the connection between two parts of a sentence - e.g., After the bell rings, we line up.

In Year One Maths, students have been diving deep into all things measurement, exploring length, mass, and capacity. 

They have used a range of concrete materials such as scales, containers, cups, and bowls to help build their understanding and knowledge of each type of measurement.

LSO Appreciation Day

As we celebrate LSO Appreciation Day, there’s no better time to shine a light on the incredible team of LSOs in our Junior School. Every day, they go above and beyond, supporting teachers and staff, nurturing strong and trusting relationships with our students, and playing a vital role in their learning and growth. 

We are so deeply grateful for their kindness, dedication, and the care they bring to our school community. They are the true superheroes of our school, and we couldn’t feel more blessed to have them!

Year Two

In Year Two, students have been strengthening their understanding of syllables through the Rabbit Rule, which focuses on how to split words into correct syllables. The Rabbit Rule teaches that if a word has two consonants between two vowels, the word should be divided between the two consonants, for example, napkin splits into nap and kin, goblin splits into gob and lin, and winter splits into win and ter.

The Year Twos have also been mapping out the irregular word eye to help remember it by heart, as it does not follow traditional spelling rules. They have also been learning to add the suffix -ion to words to change their meaning, such as, motion, eruption, and creation.

In Writing, they have been developing and completing sentences beginning with the subordinating conjunctions although and even though, for example, Even though she slept in late, she made it into school on time. These subordinating conjunctions tell us something has happened even though it should not have and have a similar meaning to the conjunction but.

In Maths, Year Two students have been developing their number sense through two-digit addition and subtraction, incorporating fact families. This includes using number bonds and bar models to recognise that four equations can be formed by rearranging the same three numbers into related fact families, such as, 23 + 17 = 40, 17 + 23 = 40, 40 - 23 = 17, 40 - 17 = 23.

Respectful Relationships

All students across the school partake in weekly Respectful Relationship lessons to help build positive social, emotional, and relationship skills. The lessons focus on teaching students about their rights, respecting others, and developing resilience to navigate challenges they may face. They aim to foster a school environment that prioritises respect, equality, and healthy relationships.

This term, students in the junior years are exploring Positive Coping and Help-Seeking. As a fantastic way to help students identify and understand their own feelings and emotions, as well as those of others, each class has incorporated a Zones of Regulation display for students to interact with daily and support them when managing how they are feeling.

Sophie Prosser

Junior Leader

hwood@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au

bmaloney@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au 

tlevy@shs.catholic.edu.au 

sprosser@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au

lmckeon@shs.catholic.edu.au 

comeara@shs.catholic.edu.au kflynn@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au