Connect: Year 1

Welcome to Grade 1 students and families! It has been fantastic getting to know the students and watching them settle in. We have all been blown away by their efforts the past fortnight. It is sure to be a year full of fun and learning in Grade 1! 

We hope you enjoy your weekend

Shanae, Michelle, Julieanne and Fiona.

Meet the team

1A – Shanae French (shanae.french@education.vic.gov.au)

1B – Michelle Hammill (michelle.hammill@education.vic.gov.au) 

1C – Julieanne Brooks (julieanne.brooks@education.vic.gov.au) 

1D – Fiona Torrington (fiona.torrington@education.vic.gov.au)

Key dates

Important information

• We will be running an open night on the Tuesday 20th of February at 5:30pm. This will give you an insight into how our phonics program, Little Learners Love Literacy, is run in Grade 1. There will be no take home readers before this date. We are looking forward to seeing you there.
• Hats are required in Term One during playtime. Sunscreen is also recommended to protect while playing outdoors.

What we are learning in Grade 1:

Literacy

During Phonics students have been reviewing phonemes taught in Foundation. In the coming weeks students will be introduced to a range of new phonemes to utilise during their reading and writing. During reading and writing our mentor text is Possum Magic Possum by Mem Fox. Students have created fantastic written and drawn responses and enjoyed sharing their favourite parts of the story. Over the next week students will continue to respond to and build on their mentor text. 

Numeracy 

Students have been exploring the structure of a maths lesson and all the qualities of a Mathematician. These qualities encourage them to take risks, give things a go, use materials and explore maths in a fun and meaningful way. Scroll down to see some of our Mathematicians sharing their number knowledge in a variety of ways.  

Wellbeing 

Over the past fortnight there has been a focus on getting to know students and help their transition into Grade 1. All about me activities as well as team building games have been highlights as the students build connections within their class. There has also been a focus on wellbeing, routines and Skye Primary Schools school values as we return form the long break. It has been amazing to see so many students earning Dojo points for demonstrating our schools’ values! Well done Grade 1. 

Inquiry 

Term one sees Grade 1 exploring the Inquiry topic Celebrating Differences. This week students have enjoyed finding differences and similarities between themselves and classmates through discussion and team building games. Elmer the Elephant was a great read, and it was fantastic to see creativity shine as students decorated their own elephants. The Habits of Mind ‘Listening with Understanding and Empathy’ and ‘Thinking Flexibly’ have been explored with interesting insights from students. 

Maths Fun!