School of Foundations
The school year has begun with our classrooms and playgrounds buzzing with energy and enthusiasm. We are especially pleased to observe how settled, focused and happy our students have been as they reconnect with friends, engage in new learning experiences, and embrace the routines of school life.
Our Teachers and Teaching Assistants are dedicated to deliver rich learning opportunities for our students within a nurturing environment where students can feel valued and supported. We are committed to fostering a positive and productive atmosphere that encourages curiosity, growth, and achievement.
We look forward to sharing with you our learning journey throughout 2025. Enjoy SOF’s first snapshot of learning in this week’s, The Net.
Thank you for your continued support.
Nicole EmertonHead of School (Acting)
The Net; Kindergarten Term 1, Week 3
Kindergarten has had a fantastic start to the year, settling into new routines and exploring fun activities! The children have been busy building with Lego, creating with playdough, and engaging in imaginative play. These hands-on experiences have helped them develop creativity, teamwork, communication and fine motor skills.
As they settle into school life, they are learning important routines, such as following class rules and transitioning into smaller groups for activities. These routines help create a supportive and engaging learning environment where every child can thrive. It has been a wonderful beginning, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings!
English
Kindergarten has been learning how to draw detailed pictures to share messages and ideas. The children have been encouraged to think about the people, places, and objects they include in their drawings, adding details that help tell a story. They are learning that pictures can communicate feelings, experiences, and information, just like words!
Mathematics
Kindergarten has been learning about numbers. We are focusing on accurately counting a collection of objects, with 1 to 1 correspondence. This knowledge will be linked to finding the numeral value on a chart and correctly forming our numbers when writing.
Religion
This week we set up our special prayer table. The children explored the sacred symbols placed on the table, discussing their meaning and importance in our classroom. This has helped them understand that prayer is a way to connect with God and show gratitude.
We have also introduced meditation as a way to quiet our hearts and minds, helping us listen to God. The students are learning the Our Father, practicing the words and understanding its message of trust and love.
The Net; Stage 1, Term 1, Week 3
English
In Writing, we have been focusing upon Informative Texts and Recounts, as we reflect upon our Holidays. We are becoming more confident at planning, writing and editing our own Recounts, and have been eager to share our favourite memories of the holidays with our teacher and classmates. We are dedicating much emphasis upon adding more detail and description to our writing. For enjoyment, we have dived into the reading of the story of the Wizard of Oz to learn more about Glinda and Tinmen. We have also been focusing on reading with fluency and expression. We look forward to sharing our writing and reading successes over the coming weeks. To consolidate our understanding of spelling conventions and letter/sound blends, we completed a fun word search where the object of the task was to hunt for the names of each student in our class!
Mathematics
One of our favourite activities in Maths so far this year has been using dice to create patterns and solve Addition problems. The concept of Place Value was re-introduced to students this school year via the use of manipulative materials where they demonstrated an eagerness to represent large numbers. Students have also been learning to represent numbers in different ways, using numerals, words, and dice. A new addition to our Maths work this year is the inclusion of Mental Maths books. Students have absolutely loved the challenge of being problem solvers whilst completing a range of numeracy mental problems!
Religion
Our unit for Religion this term is about Jesus and who He is. Students will be exploring Jesus as a person, his birth, his story, messages and how he became the son of God. This week, we have looked at Jesus’ upbringing and the village of Nazareth. Students have raised some great questions about life during this time in history. They are learning that Jesus grew to be a trustworthy, respectful man who had a keen sense of being in a special relationship with His Father.
We have also included daily meditation sessions which have been a calm and wonderful start to our Religion lessons.
Geography
In Geography this term, Year 1 is exploring natural and man-made features of places. Lions went on a walk around the school this week to discover the features of our school that are natural and man-made. They made predictions about what could be natural or man-made, and then did some research as a class to learn the difference between the two.
The Net; Stage 2, Term 1, Week 3
Stage 2 has had a wonderful start to the year, with students settling into their new classrooms with their teachers and peers. The students have started their deep dive into learning, where the teachers have developed exciting learning opportunities that encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and collaboration through engaging and meaningful experiences. It has been wonderful to see so many students receiving their first pillar for the year by displaying a positive attitude towards their learning.
English
Stage 2 students have started the year by writing to Inform, sharing personal recounts and stories about their holidays, experiences and talking about their goals for the current school year.
Maths
Stage 2 students have been exploring numbers and algebra. Students have been extending the number system infinitely to very large and small numbers. Warmup and lesson activities have provided students with better understanding of application to a problem in a variety of strategies.
Religion
In Religion, Stage 2 students have been exploring the concept of community and its impact on our lives. Through engaging discussions and reflective activities, they have been unpacking the key question, "How can a flourishing community make a difference in our lives?" Students have been examining the deeper messages of kindness, support, and unity, while learning to identify the qualities of a strong, supportive community and how these values are reflected in their own lives. They are developing a deeper understanding of how they can contribute to building flourishing communities within their classrooms, families, and beyond.
PDH
Stage 2 students have been exploring our St Luke’s expectations for the different areas around the school. We have discussed what it means to show respect for ourselves, others and the environment. Students have brainstormed behaviours we want to see on the playground and the behaviours that we don’t want to see. Stage 2 students shared some great examples.
Music
This term in music years 3 and 4 have been doing some revision for the topic of body percussion. Students have revised the different notes and beats, including crotchet, quaver, minim, semibreve, half notes and full notes. With these notes, students have been creating their own rhythms and beats which they will be assessed on for this term. Music will go for the first 5 weeks of term 1.