Prep Term 4 Overview

Prep 2023 Term Four  

Welcome back to school in Term 4. It was lovely to hear the children enthusiastically tell me about their holiday adventures and special times at home. We have begun the term sharing our holiday stories and ‘making’ tasks. 

I feel so proud to see the progress the children have made this year and I am thankful for the support that all families give to our prep children and the St John’s community. 

This term we will be studying procedural texts and will be following recipes and

 procedures. In inquiry we will explore the uses of different materials. We are hoping to make a difference in our world by repurposing used materials to create works of art or useful objects to sell at a St Vinnies Mini Market at the end of term. We are looking forward to a busy and happy Term 4!

Religious Education

Our focus for this term will be on God’s church. We will be exploring the roles of key figures in our local parish and wider community. We will learn about our own family celebrations and how they are similar to Church celebrations. We will explore our own families and what it means to belong to God’s family. We will share and respond to scripture about the key people who began the church to help us understand our responsibility to love and care for others in our community.  In December we will learn to retell the story of Jesus Birth in preparation for the Prep Nativity Play.

Mathematics

This term our topics will include:

• Length: Students will compare and order objects according to length and then we will be using uniform informal units to measure objects. 
• Addition: We will continue to consolidate addition strategies such as building to ten, counting on and adding using place value. 
• Time: We will revise telling the time ‘o’clock’ on digital and analogue clocks and ordering of the days of the week. 
• Chance: We will identify practical activities and everyday events that involve chance. Students will describe outcomes using ‘possible’ and ‘impossible’.
• Money: We will explore Australian Coins including the features that distinguish them and their value. 
• Capacity: We will explore the capacity of objects and containers using comparison and language such as ‘larger’, ‘smaller’, ‘holds more’ and ‘holds less’.  

We will finish the term with an introduction to the fraction ‘halves’ as two equal parts of a whole and ‘symmetry’ in shapes and our environment. 

Literacy

In Reading, we will be focussing on reading  fluency and reading with expression according to punctuation such as question, quotation and exclamation marks.  We will continue to consolidate decoding strategies such as phonetically sounding out, reading on and using supporting pictures and meaning. We will explore Procedural texts in reading, writing and oral language lessons paying attention to the format of these texts and the use of verbs in sequential instructions. Students will have different opportunities to engage in procedural tasks to develop their understanding of the procedural text structure and we will write different procedures based after hands-on activities. In the second half of this term the children will be introduced to Persuasive writing and we will explore Poetry in the lead up to Christmas, 

 In Reading Groups there will be a focus on the following comprehension strategies:

• Predicting
• Summarising
• Retelling in Sequence 
• Literal Comprehension

We  will continue to participate in regular handwriting practice and we will have an increased focus of writing on dotted lines with correct size and spacing.

Inquiry

“How can I design solutions which benefit the community and environment?”

This term during our Inquiry learning we will be exploring the design process. Students will explore different materials, their properties and suitability for use in different designs. Students will get to learn more about the process needed when designing solutions for the needs in our community and environment. Students will engage in the design process as they create a product or artwork to be sold or used in the Mini Vinnies Market later in Term 4. Sustainability will be a constant consideration for students throughout the unit.

Home Learning

• Daily reading and recording in Reading Records. 
• Weekly reading and spelling practice with our Smart Spelling Word and Sentence of the week. 
• Mathletics - Tasks will be set in Mathletics relating to classroom topics to consolidate learning. Children will have time to work on these in class but may like to continue these at home.

Specialist Subjects

Students will have specialist classes each week on a Tuesday and Friday. Each Wednesday we will continue to have STEM, Digitech and Class Sport Rotations. Students will stay with their class group and rotate through the different activities. Mrs Read will teach STEM, Mr Boyd will teach Digitech and Mrs Webb will teach and consolidate fundamental motor skills through sports rotations.

 Prep A Specialist Timetable

TERM 4 - Important Dates

October

• Saturday 14 October - Working Bee 10pm - 1.00pm

November

• Friday November 24 - Whole School Colour Run  2pm
• Friday November 17 - School closure day
• Saturday November 18 - St John's Community Fete

December

• Thursday December 7 - St John's Carols on the Green
• Monday December 11 - Whole School Picnic Halliday Park - 11am - 1:30pm
• Thursday December 14 - End of Year Mass - 7pm
• Friday December 15 - Last Day of School - Assembly 12pm and students finish at 1.00pm

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me via email.

Nicole Webb

nwebb@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au