Prep

Dear Parents & Caregivers, 

Our Prep students have continued to embrace Term Four with positive and enthusiastic attitudes. Take a read to see what our youngest learners have achieved this past fortnight! 

Last fortnight our Prep students participated in a Mini Olympics event. Students were introduced to various athletic skills, while embracing teamwork and sportsmanship. Our students were risk-takers as they embraced new experiences in a principled and open-minded manner!

In Reading, students have applied their research skills as they closely observed the structure of narrative texts. During whole-class readings and independent reading time, students have continued to develop their ability to identify and describe the characters, setting and key events, within a text. Through speaking and listening and writing activities, students have improved their ability to identify, detail and describe sequenced events with appropriate details. 

Through our current unit on the transdisciplinary theme of, 'Where We Are In Place and Time', students have engaged in an author study on Julia Donaldson. The use of effective viewing skills has enabled the students to identify the use of onomatopoeia, rhyme and adjectives as key features of Julian Donaldson's writing style. Our students have been immersed in several read-alouds, inspiring their love for reading, as they activate their imaginations to comprehend her creative texts. 

In Writing, students have continued to further their understanding of the recently introduced text type, narrative structures. Students have enjoyed their acquisition of knowledge about narrative structures as they apply their creative thinking skills to plan their narrative to include characters, a beginning, middle and end. Students have been working towards utilising the power of descriptive language to enhance their ability to express ideas with increased clarity and detail.  

In Mathematics, students have been introduced to the concept of capacity. Through explicit teaching practices, students have been able to acquire an understanding of tier three vocabulary (capacity, measure, compare, hold, full, more, greater and less, etc). The use of tier three vocabulary has supported students with their ability to confidently articulate how much an object can hold. Students have also investigated and compared the capacity of different objects. 

The instructional model for mathematics at Saltwater P-9 College, 'Launch-Explore-Discuss (LED)', empowers students to apply their thinking and self-management skills as they work in small groups to solve mathematical problems. During a typical LED lesson, teachers ask questions to support students through their task exploration. The prep team have been incredibly pleased with the students progress as they consistently applied their understanding of other math concepts to solve problems when comparing the capacity of different objects. 

REMINDERS 

• Please ensure your child comes to school each day with their hat and water bottle. 
• Personal sunscreen is encouraged and must be applied by the child at school. 
• School satchels must come to school each day. 
• Students are encouraged to bring additional fruit or vegetable snacks with them to school for brain break eating times.