Prep - Year 2

Assistant Principal's Report

Hello parents, it is hard to believe that it is week 8 already, but with Christmas, just around the corner, our students and teachers have continued to work hard to make the most of learning time in Term 4 at Pakenham Springs.

In Prep this fortnight students have continued their mindfulness through the Resilience Project, by recognising the role breathing plays when meditating and when we feel worried.  They have also explained gratitude and given examples of something they are grateful for.  Furthermore, in purposeful play, students have been learning how to be safe in the sun including a vocabulary focus and SunSmart clothing. 

In Writing, students have been learning to be creative writers by using a range of adjectives to give a description.  Writing templates, sentence checklists and sentence starters are helping our preps form full sentences which they have then been learning to re-read and edit. 

In Reading, prep students have been making connections between stories, considering how one text can remind us of our own lives and sometimes even other stories.  Students are developing their ability to read with greater independence and word families have also been a focus (eg: cat, bat, hat). 

During Numeracy, preps are continuing to explore subtraction by taking away from a group.  They have used a variety of methods, including hands-on materials, number lines, drawings and counting forwards and backwards.  Students have also been studying ordinal numbers (eg: first, second, third etc) by playing games and using real-life examples such as positions in a race. 

In Year 1, students have been learning to use mindfulness strategies to calm our bodies and minds. They have also been learning to recognise what they can be grateful for and have really enjoyed making 'Gratitude Trees.'

In Writing, students have experimented with creating both Information Reports and Procedural texts.  Procedural texts have been particularly fun, with our Year 1's following and writing procedures, including making biscuits and Oobleck.  Students have included titles and subtitles, lists of materials and sequenced steps in chronological order. 

Year 1 Reading sessions have focussed on our text types, with students exploring Information Reports and Procedural texts in greater depth. Students have also been learning to read and spell homophones (words with the same sound but a different meaning eg: new, knew). 

In Numeracy, subtraction has remained a focus with students using strategies including number bonds, number lines, counting back and finding the difference between numbers to assist their calculations. 

In Year 2, students have focussed on inclusion, describing how others may feel if they were excluded and identifying the importance of empathy.  Students have also focussed on gratitude specifically towards their family, identifying what they are grateful for and creating gratitude cards for others.

In Writing, students are planning, drafting and publishing a narrative text.  Students have been asked to visualise their setting and characters using drawings and articulating the details of their stories. They have also focussed on identifying contractions and understanding their purpose and have been encouraged to use contractions correctly in their writing. 

During Reading, students have been learning to use text clues to make inferences. This has helped in deepening their understanding of a text, including the character's feelings and the reason for their actions in a story.  Students have also been learning to spell words with the oy/oi digraph and have created sound charts identifying words that contain the focus spelling pattern.

In Numeracy, fractions are at the forefront of learning. Students have explored halves, quarters, thirds and eighths using a range of hands-on materials and visual aids.  Students have loved making fraction pizzas and fraction flowers in the process and have really enjoyed experimenting with what can be a tricky concept. 

It's so hard to believe that it is week 8 already but when you see what our marvellous students have been able to achieve it all makes sense. 

Have a wonderful fortnight everyone.  

Regards

Scott McKinnon

Assistant Principal (Junior School)