Year One
Dear Year One Parents and Guardians,
Throughout the year, students explored the idea of community through a local community walk, during which they inquired into the many occupations that contribute to thriving communities. Our swimming program at Saltwater Swim School helped students develop confidence and independence as they practised necessary water safety skills in a real-world setting.
Learning also extended beyond the classroom through rich inquiry experiences. Our visit to Werribee Mansion brought our Toys from the Past unit to life. At the same time, our excursion to the Melbourne Zoo allowed students to investigate animal habitats and connect their learning in science and inquiry. Closer to home, Fairy Tale Day launched our narrative writing unit, sparking imagination, creativity and a love of storytelling.
Of course, there were many moments of joy and celebration along the way, from class parties marking the end of the year to whole-school events such as House Colour Days, Ride2School Day, Book Week, and our three-way student-led conferences, where students proudly shared and celebrated their learning with families. We will also finish the year on a high note with our much-loved Christmas Carols, bringing our whole student community together once again.
Still to come is our whole-school Transition Day, where our students will soon meet their new Year Two teachers, peers and classrooms as we begin looking ahead to 2026. This is an exciting and important step in supporting students to feel confident and prepared for the year ahead.
Thank you to our families for your ongoing support and partnership throughout the year. We are all incredibly proud of all that our Year One students have achieved and look forward to celebrating the final weeks together.
Brent Syme
Year One Assistant Principal
📚 Reading
Retelling Fairytales & Building Comprehension
Over the past two weeks, students have continued to strengthen their reading skills by focusing on fairytale texts. They practised retelling stories, identifying key events and sequencing them in order, while also deepening their comprehension strategies. Students explored characters, settings and problems within stories and discussed how these elements work together to create meaning. Through shared discussions and guided reading sessions, students were encouraged to explain their thinking, make predictions, and reflect on the messages in familiar fairy tales.
✏️ Writing
Narrative Writing & Letter Writing
In writing, students continued their narrative writing unit, building on their understanding of what makes a strong story. They developed character trait lists, planned their own narratives and wrote stories with a clear structure, including introductions, characters, problems, solutions and conclusions. A strong emphasis was placed on planning before writing to help students organise their ideas.
Alongside narrative writing, students were introduced to letter writing. As part of this, they created a special letter to their teacher for 2026, thoughtfully sharing information about themselves, their interests and what helps them learn best. This was a meaningful way to combine writing skills with reflection and transition preparation.
➗ Mathematics
Exploring Fractions
In mathematics, students focused on fractions, specifically exploring wholes, halves and quarters. Learning was hands-on and interactive, with students drawing shapes, cutting them into equal parts and using cut-and-paste activities to demonstrate their understanding. These practical experiences helped students visualise fractions and develop a strong foundation for future mathematical learning.
🌍 Guided Inquiry
Sun, Moon and Seasons
During Guided Inquiry, students continued to explore their own wonderings about how the sun and the moon affect our planet. They watched and reflected on a video explaining how the movement of the Earth causes days, seasons and years. Some students also participated in a hands-on experiment using a balloon and torch, observing how light shines on only one side at a time. This helped students understand day and night, changes in daylight through sunrise and sunset, and how these patterns connect to the seasons.
🎄 Festive Crafts
Learning Through the Christmas Season
Students have also been busy creating festive crafts, thoughtfully linking their learning to the season of Christmas. These activities encouraged creativity, fine motor development and reflection, while providing opportunities to connect classroom learning with real-world celebrations and traditions.
🏅 Mini Olympics
Building Skills Through Fun and Movement
Over the past few weeks, students have had the opportunity to participate in our annual Mini Olympics. This fun and active event supports students in developing fundamental movement and sporting skills, while also preparing them for future participation in our Athletics Program. Students rotated through a range of activities including the sack race, egg and spoon, hurdles, hula hoops, target practice, parachute games and the three-legged race. It was wonderful to see the students working together, showing enthusiasm and enjoying the experience with plenty of smiles, laughter and teamwork.
🎶 Christmas Carols Concert
A Celebration of Music and Confidence
We are extremely proud of our Year One students for their wonderful performance at the whole-school Christmas Carols at Saltwater College. Students demonstrated great dedication, effort and commitment as they practised their songs and dance moves. It was fantastic to see them being risk-takers, performing confidently and enjoying the experience together. What a joyful celebration to end the year, a video of both Carols performances will be shared with our community shortly.
💐 Farewell – Lize Beanland
As we come to the end of the year, we would like to farewell Lize Beanland, who will be leaving Saltwater College to join another very lucky school and continue her teaching journey. Lize has been part of the Saltwater community for the past three years, primarily supporting our Year One students.
Lize has a strong passion for literacy and has worked closely with our literacy team to support improved outcomes, not only within her own classroom but across the school. She has also made a valuable contribution to our wider community through her involvement in the Council-developed Active Travel program, supported by our Year Six leaders.
Lize has made a significant and lasting impact on our students’ learning and growth. While we are very sad to see her go, we wish her all the very best in this next chapter of her teaching journey and thank her sincerely for everything she has contributed to Saltwater College.
💙 A Final Message from the Year One Team
As we come to the end of the year, we would like to thank our Year One students and families for a wonderful year of learning, growth and connection. It has been a privilege to support your children as they have developed confidence, independence and a love of learning throughout 2025.
We are incredibly proud of the progress each student has made, not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. From building friendships and taking risks in their learning, to sharing their thinking with confidence and celebrating their achievements, our students have shown resilience, curiosity and kindness every step of the way.
Thank you to our families for your ongoing support, open communication and partnership. Your involvement and encouragement play such an important role in helping our students feel safe, supported and successful at school.
As we look ahead to the transition into 2026, we know our students are well prepared for the next stage of their learning journey. We wish all our Year One families a safe, restful and joyful holiday break and look forward to seeing our students continue to thrive in the year ahead.
Warm regards,
The Year One Team
Reminders:
Thursday, 18th of December 2025, is transition day for Years One to Eight.
Thursday, 18th December 2025, is the last day of school for students, with dismissal at 2.30 pm across the school.
Friday, 30th January 2026: Years 1-9 begin school.