Head of Junior Years
Mrs Maria Denholm
One of the best things about being a Head of Junior Years, is seeing students be able to do something they have been working towards for a while, as well as getting involved and excited about an inquiry.
This term many of our Prep students are mastering the important skill of decoding, which is the first step as they learn to read! What an exciting time! I think you would all agree that the ability to read, whether it be for pleasure, learning or entertainment, is crucial for every member of society. The joy in the eyes of a young child, when they realise that they can do this, is very special. On Wednesday Ms Jasem and I will provide some more detailed background about how we do this at Good News and how parents can help.
Each week, I spend some time teaching in Year 2 where I get an even closer look at learning in action in the Junior Years. Recently, the Year 2 students began their latest unit of inquiry which follows the transdisciplinary theme of How the world works. This draws knowledge from the Australian Curriculum: Science and Technology, but also incorporates reading, writing, and mathematics.
The entry event or provocation for this unit, enabled the students to spend some time exploring a range of everyday objects and to think about the way they had been grouped.
Over the following lessons, the students had opportunities to work as artists as they created, detailed and labeled drawings of objects.
The central idea for this unit is: People apply their understanding of science and technology to solve problems. Spending time delving into the vocabulary of this statement, enables the students to begin to make connections and build their knowledge.
Jump Rope for Heart
70 of our students have registered and raised a total of $2,269 for Heart Research, and have logged 151 hours of skipping. These are awesome results by our students. For students who wish to get involved and join the fun, visit www.jumprope.org.au/parents There are three weeks left, so if you haven't already, there's still time to register.