Grade 1 Community News

Dear Grade 1 Families, thank you for a fantastic start to term two!

Our awards this fortnight are as follows:

InitiaLit

In InitiaLit, we have been reading and writing words with the long vowel sound for /i/  ‘-y’ and ‘igh’. Please see below for some examples. 

Our tricky words this week are:

Mother, Father, Brother

How you can support at home:

• Read for a few minutes each night and ask your child to spot words with our focus sounds 
• Practice tricky words by writing them on paper, saying them aloud, or using them in a sentence.
• Find verbs and homophones you find in your books while reading and write them down. 

•  Please watch UNTIL 1:57 to view and practice the words we have learned so far. 

Storybook & Vocabulary

We are reading the text “The Pencil” by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman. This book is about a boy whose pencil comes to life and draws lots of things that turn real, leading to some funny and messy adventures. In class, we have been discussing the structure of a story and how they usually have a problem and a solution. We talked about how to find solutions to problems, and how doing this makes us feel.

From this book, we have been focusing on the 3 vocabulary words below:

Writing 

In Writing, students have been learning how to write narratives. We have also been revising adjectives and homophones. We have been practicing identifying the beginning, middle, and end of a story, and have been using this knowledge to help us in our writing. 

How you can support at home:

• Talk about stories together

Ask your child to retell a story they’ve read or something that happened in their day (beginning, middle, end). 

• Model storytelling

Tell your own short stories out loud so they can hear how stories flow. 

• Encourage imagination

If practicing telling or writing a narrative, prompt ideas like: “What if your toy came to life?” or “What would you draw with a magic pencil?” 

Maths

In Maths, students have completed 2 assessments. We have also been looking at measuring length with informal units, e.g., measuring a line on the ground with our footsteps. We have also been looking at subtraction from number bonds.

How you can support at home:

• Encourage your child to measure objects around the house using informal units such as blocks, toy cars, hand spans, or footsteps. Ask questions like “How many blocks long is the couch?” or “Whose footsteps are longer?”
• Practice subtraction using number bonds at home through quick mental maths games. For example, if your child knows that 7 + 3 = 10, they can use this to work out that 10 - 3 = 7.
•  Use everyday opportunities such as cooking, shopping, or tidying up to talk about measuring, comparing lengths, and solving simple subtraction problems together.
• Play simple maths games using objects like counters, Lego, or snacks to help children visualise subtraction and part-part-whole relationships.

Humanities

In Humanities, students are learning about the seasons and the First Nations Calendars. 

Respectful Relationships

In respectful relationships, we have been learning more about what to do if we have a problem and who we can talk to help us solve it. 

Reminders

• Hats are not compulsory for Terms 2 and 3, but students may still wear them if they wish.
• Please label uniform items with your child’s name clearly. The weather is getting colder, so we are expecting more students to be bringing jackets and beanies to wear during outside play. 
• Please continue to read every night and ensure your child swaps their take home readers on their allocated day. 
• Please check Compass for information on the upcoming Grade 1 Incursion (The Superhero in You). Consent and payment ($14) is due on 04/06/2026. During this experience, students will get to explore what a superhero is, what they do, and why people like them.
• ‘Dress as Your Teacher’ day is Friday, 22nd May. Students are invited to dress up as one of their favourite teachers for a gold coin donation.

Warm regards, 

PLC one,

Ms. Santos, Ms. Duncan, Ms. Yianni, Ms. Marsden, Ms. Newman, Ms. T, Ms. Hannah, 

Ms. Stafford, Ms. Chandler, Mrs. Mill, Ms. Fetolofai and Ms. Doris of PLC1 😊