Year 1/2 Unit
Welcome back!
Welcome back to Term 3! We hope all of our Year 1/2 families enjoyed a relaxing holiday break and had the opportunity to spend some quality time together. It has been wonderful to see our students return to school with smiling faces, ready to learn and reconnect with their classmates.
Upcoming Events
This term promises to be full of exciting learning opportunities and events ahead. This term we have our excursion to the Melbourne Aquarium on Monday 4th of August, Mathlympics and Family Maths Night on Wednesday 19th of August and of course our annual Book Week celebrations on Wednesday 26th August.
A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered to help with our Melbourne Aquarium excursion! We have been blown away by the number of parents who have offered their support and really appreciate your willingness to come along. We would love to take everyone, but unfortunately we are only able to have one parent helper per class. As we have more volunteers than available spots, we'll be drawing names out of a hat. The selected parent helper will be contacted by the classroom teacher. Thank you again for your support and understanding — we're so grateful to have such a wonderful school community!
Reading
This term, students will be learning about persuasive texts by exploring their purpose, structure and key language features. Through reading and analysing a variety of persuasive texts, students have identified how authors use strong opinions, reasons and persuasive techniques to influence their audience.
Writing
This week, students have looked at the text, ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ and have crafted a letter to the main character to persuade him to add an additional colour to his crayon box collection. It has been wonderful to see students be creative with their new colour names and experiment with word choice and voice through their writing. In the coming weeks, we will be focusing on persuasive letter writing to other audience groups.
Maths
In Mathematics, students have been learning different ways to solve subtraction problems. They have been practising mental strategies, using inverse operations to check their answers, and exploring helpful tools such as number lines to support their thinking. Students have enjoyed playing a range of subtraction games and solving real-life problems that have encouraged them to apply their subtraction strategies in meaningful ways. These hands-on activities have helped students build confidence while developing flexible thinking and problem-solving skills.
Inquiry
This term, we are excited to be exploring the question, 'How can we recycle and repurpose materials to create new things and protect the environment?' Students will investigate this topic through an ocean lens, learning about the impact of pollution on marine environments and the importance of caring for our oceans and waterways. Throughout the term, students will explore ways to reduce waste, recycle and repurpose everyday materials, while discovering how small actions can make a big difference to protecting our environment.
A few reminders as we settle back into routine:
Please ensure your child’s belongings are all named/labelled to avoid lost or misplaced items around the school.
As the weather is becoming colder, students should come to school with a warm, clearly named jacket. We also encourage students to keep a change of clothes in their bags in case they have dirty clothing from playing outside.
Reading bags and High Frequency Word books should continue to be returned regularly so students can enjoy practice at home and teachers can monitor home learning progress.
Please ensure you have given consent and payment on Compass for our upcoming excursion to the Melbourne Aquarium.
Important Dates for Year 1/2s:
Monday 4th August- Melbourne Aquarium Excursion
Off-site learning day visiting some sea creatures to explore our Inquiry topic.
Wednesday 19th August – Mathlympics Day & Family Maths Night
A day and evening filled with fun, hands-on maths activities for the whole family!
Wednesday 26th August – Book Week Dress-Up Day ‘Symphony of Stories’ We can’t wait to see the creative costumes and celebrate our love of books!
Thank you all kindly for your support.
Year 1/2 Teachers
Greer Arnold/Iain Sparrey (12A), Lisa Sutch (12L), Zoe Sutherland (12Z)
Juliet Smith/Sally Quinn (12S)