Prep - Argus-Xenica

Prep Community - Michelle S, Dafina, Miranda, Sam, Chloe, Michelle H, Selin, Zeinab

Welcome to Term 1 and Prep!

It's crazy to think that are already half way through term 1! Our Prep students have settled into school beautifully and it has been wonderful to see them develop their independence and follow the classroom routines and expectations. It's really important that students are carrying their own bags, putting their bags away and getting on with their morning routines and parents aren't doing this for them.

Each of our Prep students has a Grade 6 buddy. Over the last few weeks, the Prep and Grade 6 buddies have begun spending time together to strengthen their social skills.

Phonics

At Aitken Hill Primary, we are following the Department of Education's Phonics Plus lessons during our explicit phonics instruction.

In such a short time, students have already learnt the common sounds of s,a,t,p,i,n,m,d,g,o,c,f,k,e,r,u. That is a LOT of letters! We constantly revise these and revisit them multiple times throughout our day and apply the letters and sounds in different contexts.

Prep students have learnt about syllables and are able to explain that a syllable can be describes as the beats or chunks in a word. We have used out bodies to help us count beats in words by, clapping, jumping and feeling our chins drop when we read a word.

We are currently learning about rhyming words and what makes a word rhyme. Students have been working hard to build their vocabulary and match words that rhyme. It has been excellent to see students using real and made up words to show their understanding of rhyme!

Reading

In Reading, we have been learning about the different parts of a book. The preps have learnt that a book has a front cover, back cover, title, spine and pages. We have explored different types of books and begun building our own book boxes.

We have spent time reading for enjoyment and learning the difference between a letter, word, sentence and picture. We have been able to sort these to create posters and talk about how we know a letter, word, sentence and picture different. The preps also started pointing under each word from left to right and follow the sentences on the picture book.

The preps have been encouraged to use the pictures in the book to create their own story that makes sense to the picture, this is helping students develop their language and impressive story.

Things to remember:

Library Bags depend on the day your classroom's Library Day.

Sunshine Online

At Aitken Hill Primary School, students can have access to Sunsine Online which is a reading platform. The classroom teacher will provide you with the log in details (when suitable). This way prep students can practice reading at home.

Here is the attached link : https://www.sunshineonline.com.au/

Writing

In Prep, we are building our writing skills through explicit teaching that connects directly to our play-based learning. Recently, our language experiences have included time in the playground, building with blocks, exploring the sandpit, creating during arts and crafts, using play dough, blowing bubbles and engaging in role-play. These shared experiences give children something familiar and exciting to talk about, which makes writing more meaningful and enjoyable.

During our writing lessons, we begin by talking together about what we did and what we noticed. The teacher introduces important vocabulary using flash cards and visual supports, helping students understand and practise new words. These words are added to our classroom Word Wall so children can independently refer to them when writing. Students then draw a picture about the shared experience and label parts of their drawing. They copy, trace or independently write a sentence to match their picture, depending on their individual stage of learning.

Maths

In Maths, the children have been developing their understanding of the numbers 1 to 10. They have been practising writing the numbers correctly, counting objects accurately, and creating collections to match different quantities. To build their confidence and fluency, the children have also been singing counting songs, including counting to 20 and counting backwards from 20.

As part of our daily routine, we have been exploring the days of the week. After singing the Days of the Week song, the children practised putting the days in the correct order and sharing activities they usually do on each day, helping them strengthen their understanding of sequencing and time.

SEL

In Social and Emotional Learning, the Prep children have started to learn and show the school Care Values -- Care for Learning, Care for Others, Care for Yourself and Care for Your School. The students understood, agreed and have been working to create safe and calm learning spaces. They talked about different safe choices they can make at school, such as lining up after the breaks, showing whole body listening during learning time and moving safely around the school, including walking when going to the toilets and using safe hands and feet during outside play times.

Inquiry

In Inquiry, we have explored the different areas in the school and talked about how to be safe in each of these places. After sharing ideas on how to make good choices in these areas, the children had a play and showed what playing with safe hands and feet looks like. The children also talked about different ways to show what it's like to be a good friend.