What's happening in the classrooms

The Junior School has had a busy return to learning for the first half of term 2. Already we have participated in many school events and delved into some new inquiry explorations.

In Religious Education, the Junior School has been exploring the ways that prayer helps us grow our relationship with God. During the Sparking phase, we have been asking and wondering about the definition of ‘prayer’. What is prayer? Are there different forms of prayer? Do you need to pray only in a church? How do people from different places around the world pray? The students have been focusing on traditional Catholic prayers and also the arrangement of their class prayer space.

The P-2 students have been building their Literacy skills through a range of -hands on activities. The students have been working both independently and in groups, continuing to consolidate their reading through blending and segmenting. We have continued our Aural Language and PMP this term, which has included a range of different classroom chants and songs. The P-1 students have continued their work on Recounts, which has included writing about different school events including the Mother’s Day Stall and Harmony Day. The 1-2 students have been continuing their work on Narratives and fairy tales.

In Mathematics, the Junior School has been focusing on Number and Place Value. We have been representing numbers using concrete materials in a variety of different ways. The 1-2 students have been learning that the place of a digit determines its value. We have also learnt about time, including reading digital and analogue clocks. The students have been deepening their critical thinking skills through dialogue, such as discussing which number is the ‘odd one out’ and justifying why. Students have been learning not just to solve problems, but to explain their thinking and learn from others.

In Inquiry this term, the Junior School is investigating our Rights and Responsibilities. We have been learning about the right to be safe and respected at school. This has included the right to be respected for our diverse cultures and beliefs. In Week 3 we celebrated Harmony Day, which was an opportunity to learn about the many countries from which our families and ancestry originate. The students decorated their own flags and participated in a whole-school parade. We shared in many activities throughout the day, including an incursion from African Tribal Drumming, that allowed us to come together as one and celebrate diversity.