Prep
Dear Parents and Carers,
What an exciting start to the term! We have certainly hit the ground running. Last week was a very busy and memorable week as our Prep students celebrated 100 Days of School. It was wonderful to see the creativity and enthusiasm in everyone's costumes and to celebrate this special milestone together. Thank you to all our families on your efforts with costuming and party food, contributing to it's success.
It was also lovely to meet with so many families during our Parent Teacher Interviews. Thank you for taking the time to discuss your child's learning and progress. We value the strong partnership between home and school and look forward to continuing to work together throughout the year.
Reading
Every day our Prep students are immersed in reading through engaging read alouds and shared reading using our big books.
Our reading comprehension focus has been predicting. Students have been learning that good readers make predictions before they begin reading and during reading by using picture clues, text clues and what they already know. Students have been encouraged to use the sentence stem, "I predict..." before explaining the clues that helped them make their prediction.
In our phonics program, we have also begun introducing digraphs. A digraph is when two letters work together to make one sound. Students have learnt the sh digraph and this week have been exploring the th digraph through games, reading and writing activities.
Writing
Prep students have been learning that there are many different types of writing and that we write for different purposes. Classes have been participating in interactive writing to create class books based on topics of interest such as food, animals and the purpose of writing. This collaborative approach allows students to contribute ideas while developing their understanding of how authors create texts.
This week we have also introduced letter writing. During our mini lessons, students worked together to write letters to another Prep class, learning about the purpose and structure of a friendly letter while communicating with an authentic audience.
Mathematics
In Mathematics, students have been exploring the concept of fair/equal sharing between two people.
We enjoyed reading the mentor text, 'When the Doorbell Rang', which introduced the idea of sharing equally. Students then used hands on materials to practise sharing collections into two equal groups and began discussing when groups are equal and when they are not.
Inquiry
In Inquiry, students have begun exploring our new Central Idea:
"We communicate our ideas, imagination and experiences through story."
Using the familiar fairy tale, 'Little Red Riding Hood', students have been learning about the different elements that make up a story. We have explored characters, settings, and how stories have a beginning, middle and end.
This week students have also learnt about the important roles of an author and an illustrator, discussing how illustrations help readers understand and enjoy a story.
We look forward to another fantastic fortnight of learning and can't wait to see all the wonderful progress our Prep students continue to make!
Reminders
Please ensure your child has a spare change of clothes in their bag in case of accidents, mud or spills.
Our Prep Swimming Program will be taking place in Term 4.
Group 1: Monday 19th October – Friday 23rd October 2026
Group 2: Monday 26th October – Friday 30th October 2026
Each swimming lesson will run for 45 minutes. To help prepare your child for the program, we encourage families to begin practising independence at home. Please support your child to dry themselves and get dressed independently after showering or swimming. Developing these skills now will help students feel more confident and ensure they are ready to return to learning promptly after each swimming session.
The Premiers Reading Challenge is open and running until September 4th. Students received logins, passwords and bookmarks this term.
Thank you for all your support,
The Prep Teaching Team