Foundation News 

Reading

In Reading, Foundation students concentrated on initial blends involving the consonants s, r, and l (e.g. stop, trim, flip). They discovered that pairs of consonants appear together at the beginning of words and can be read, helping to make reading smoother and more fluent. By understanding the sounds these blends produce, students confidently applied their skills while reading words in books.

“I can read more words now!” - Archie FA

“I like reading hot wheels” - Japman FA

“In trip, the blend is tr.” - Zade FB

“I can read the word “flip” - Selim FC

Writing

This week in Writing, students began exploring explanation writing. They learned that explanation writing involves writing about how and why something happens and the key elements that should be included. Using this understanding, students wrote explanations on topics such as “How to Be a Good Friend,” “How to Take Care of a Pet,” and “How to Take Care of the Earth.”

“A rainbow comes after the rain” - Syed FA

“To be a good friend you need to be kind by using nice words to your friend.” - Aiza FB

“ To take care of a pet I need to feed them and give water” - Oscar FC

Maths

In Maths, students explored concepts of position and location. They learned positional words like in front, behind, next to, between, above, and below, gaining a solid understanding of their meanings through hands-on activities, outside on the playground. For location, students focused on terms such as near, far, left, right, forward, and backward, applying these ideas by working with a partner to find missing items. Additionally, students began practising counting items in small groups instead of one by one, which helps them to be more efficient.

“Our group is above the spider web” - Brooklyn FA

“That is 6 dots.” - Musa FB

“I can see 10 dots in one tens frame and 2 dots in another tens frame, which makes 12” – Elliot FC

Inquiry

In Inquiry, Foundation students held their Inquiry Expo at the community hub. The Foundation cohort learned about living things vs non-living things last term and presented their projects during the expo. Students categorised images of many different types of animals and discussed which group they belong to with their parents and families. They also showcased the animals they built using playdough, describing what makes animals a living thing.

“A rock doesn’t eat so it’s non-living” - Syed FA

“My mum loved my poster!” - Maria FB

“I made a bike using Play-Doh. It is a non-living thing, and my mum loved it” - Lexie FC

Auslan

During Auslan, students practiced using sign language to describe and explain different types of weather, including rainy, warm, and cloudy. They also reviewed various topics covered throughout the term, such as sea animals, greetings, and colours, demonstrating the skills they have learned and retained.

“I remember how to sign ‘B’” - Syed FA

“This is red.” - Hiro FB

“This is how to sign the fish” - Amelia FC

Special Events

Swimming - In the last week of term 3, the Foundation cohort completed their swimming classes. Students learned fundamental skills such as safe entry, how to ask for help and ensuring that there is always an adult around when they are in the water. Foundation students participated in many games such as fruit salad and Marco Polo to wrap up the fun fortnight of swimming lessons!

“I want to go swimming everyday” - Japman FA

“Swimming is so fun!” - Aydin FB

“ I had so much fun in swimming” - Julia

Bundoor Farm Excursion 

During the first week back of this term, the Foundation cohort went to Bundoora Farm to participate in the From Farm to Table program. Students learned about ingredients needed for some of their favourite foods and where they come from. They learned how to knead dough as they made scones and enjoyed eating them by the end of the excursion! Students also helped the farm group leader in making paper plant pots and shovelling manure and hay. The Foundation cohort then went on a wildlife tour and witnessed many kangaroos and emus. 

“The dough feels so soft” - Archie FA

“I can’t wait to eat the scones we made!” - Brooklyn FA

“My favourite animal was the horse.” - Minha FB

“ I loved patting the guinea pig, and I named her Rosy” - Olivia FC