From the Year Prep Classroom

Week 3 is already here, and we have certainly hit the ground running! With our 100 Days of Learning celebration just around the corner, it's hard to believe how quickly the year is flying by. Can you believe you've already spent 100 days getting your child ready and off to school each morning? What an amazing achievement for both our Preppies and their families! From day one, we have watched our little learners grow in confidence, independence and resilience. They have made incredible progress, not only in their learning but also in becoming more independent members of our classroom community. We are so proud of how far they have come.

Literacy

Our literacy learning continues to grow each week. We have now learnt most of our single letter sounds and are beginning to explore digraphs, where two letters make one sound. The children now know that sh and ck are digraphs, and that ff, ss and ll are double consonants that also make one sound.

We have also been learning that c, k and ck can all make the same /k/ sound, but which one we use depends on where it appears in a word. For example:

k is usually used at the beginning of words before i or e (e.g. kit, kept).
c is often used before a, o or u (e.g. cat, cot, cup).
ck is commonly used at the end of a short vowel word (e.g. duck, sock, back).

Ask your child if they can explain these rules to you and see if they can put their learning into practice when writing at home.

We are also seeing wonderful growth in reading. Students are becoming more fluent and are reading with greater confidence and expression. They are learning to use strategies such as "back up and re-read" when something doesn't make sense, helping them become thoughtful readers.

We encourage you to continue supporting your child by reading at home:

10 minutes of reading at least four nights each week
5 minutes practising tricky words

The children have learnt many tricky words this year, and this is becoming evident in both their reading and writing. If your child is feeling confident, encourage them to have a go at spelling these words too. The more they practise, the more automatic these words become.

Learning Journals

Thank you to all of the families who have returned their child's learning journal and completed the Two Stars and a Wish reflection. We only have a few journals still to be returned, which is fantastic! We look forward to adding more learning over the coming weeks and encourage you to continue sharing special moments from home. It is wonderful for the children to see just how far they have come.

Inquiry

Our Inquiry unit has been a wonderful success. The children have been fully engaged in learning about Old and New, and Mrs Boyer's collection of historical artefacts continues to spark plenty of curiosity and excitement.

At the end of the term, we are looking forward to our excursion to Beechworth, where we will explore the past and present in a real-life setting. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.

Religion

In Religion, we have been learning about the Bible and discovering that it is made up of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The children have learnt that:

The Old Testament tells us about the time before Jesus was born, including stories such as Moses leading God's people.
The New Testament focuses on the life of Jesus, His teachings and His followers.

It has been wonderful to hear the thoughtful questions and discussions taking place during these lessons.

A Few Reminders

Keeping Healthy

If your child is unwell, please keep them at home to rest and recover. We have had quite a few coughs and sniffles around the classrooms, and by working together we can hopefully reduce the spread of illness throughout Term 3.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Parent-teacher interviews have been moved to Week 8 of Term 3. However, if you have any questions or concerns before then, please don't hesitate to contact us. Likewise, if we have any concerns, we will be in touch well before interviews.

Grandparents Day

We are looking forward to celebrating Grandparents Day tomorrow! We hope many grandparents or special family members can join us. If your child's grandparents are unable to attend, that's perfectly okay as there will be plenty of wonderful grandparents visiting, and it's always a lovely morning for our Prep community.

100 Days of Learning

Our 100 Days of Learning celebration is almost here! We will be celebrating on Tuesday 4 August, and we can't wait for a fun-filled day together. We hope your child has their special outfit organised, but if not, please don't worry, they will still have a fantastic day celebrating this exciting milestone with all of their Prep friends.

Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate everything you do to help your child grow and learn each day. We are so proud of the progress every child has made and look forward to another exciting few weeks of learning together.

The Prep Team - Patrice, Jo, Jen and Michelle