Dear Prep Families,

We can’t believe we are already more than halfway through Term 2! The weeks are flying by, and the term has been filled with lots of learning, growth, and exciting experiences for our Prep students. We are so proud of how confidently the children are following routines, showing independence, and continuing to build positive friendships within the classroom and playground.

Over the past few weeks, students have been working hard across all learning areas and showing great enthusiasm for their learning. It has been wonderful to see their confidence continue to grow each day. Here are some of the things we have been learning this week:

English

In our InitiaLit lessons, we have been learning the sounds /g/, and /l/as well as practicing how to identify words that begin with these sounds.

We have also been practicing oral blending, where students listen to individual sounds and blend them together to make a word (for example: /m/ /e/ /n/ → men). These skills help to build your child’s ability to read and write. Some words we have been reading are /l/ /e/ /t/ - let - /l/ /o/ /t/ - lot and /g/ /e/ /t/ - get.

You can support your child at home by practicing the /g/ and /l/ sounds and thinking of words that begin with this sound, such as glue, gum, gorilla, ladybug, lizard, and lolly. You can also practice oral blending by slowly saying the sounds in a word and asking your child to blend them together quickly.

Click this link to practice all of the sounds we have learned so far in Prep

Prep Sounds

We have also been learning some tricky words! These words are tricky because we cannot sound them out; we just have to know them by heart.

The tricky words we have learned are:

Click this link to practice all of the tricky words we have learned so far in Prep

Prep Tricky Words

You can help us practice by showing us these words and letting us read them to you. You can also use them in sentences such as the ones below:

Storybook

In our Storybook lessons, we have been reading a new story! Our new story is called ‘The Potato People written by Pamela Allen. Our focus words from this text are gradually, exclaimed and drooped.

Through our Storybook lessons, we learn essential reading skills such as predicting, summarising, and answering questions about the text. We then make connections between the text, ourselves, and the world around us.

To support your child’s vocabulary development, you can ask them for the definition of each word or to use it in a sentence!

Writing

In our Writing lessons, we have been focusing on correct sentence structure, including finger spaces

Using a picture prompt, students have written this sentence in their writing books, spelling each word aloud with teacher support: “The kid said yuck.”

Students have also had a go at using the picture prompt to write their own sentence independently, making sure to include a capital letter and a full stop.

Language Experience

In Language experience, we have been learning about why it is important to wash our hands. We have explored how to keep our bodies healthy through discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on learning activities. We have also been using sequencing vocabulary, such as first, next, then, and last, to help us order the steps of correctly washing out hands as well as explored vocabulary such as ‘wash’, ‘soap’ ‘clean’, and ‘germs’. This has supported students to build their oral language and understanding before sharing and writing about the process.

Maths

In Maths, we have been learning about adding by counting all. We have been reviewing and writing our numbers to 10 and practicing counting in our heads. We are also practicing how to use bundling sticks and learning how 10 ones make one ten.

To support your child at home, you can ask them to read and solve simple addition problems by drawing lines underneath the problem and identifying the plus (+) and equals (=) symbols. You can also support them by practicing counting 10 objects and renaming them by saying 10 ones make one ten.

We have also been learning about shapes and identifying what a shape is. This is characterised by having closed lines with no breaks in the lines. You can help at home by pointing out and naming different shapes, and whether it is a shape and why. This week, our students have also continued learning about length and how to compare the lengths of two objects. To support at home, you can discuss the length of two objects and how we know which object is longer/ shorter and why.

General Reminders

Payments for the Fairytale Fiasco incursion are open on Compass. Our Prep students will have the opportunity to bring fairytales to life with the Fairytale Fiasco! incursion, where students will use drama and performance to explore narratives, fairytales, and creative narrative structure. Students engage in this fun fractured fairytale as characters who need to restore order to Fairytale Land. They will dress up as iconic fairytale characters - Witches, Dragons, Pigs, Wolves, Cats, Mice, and more, to act out a dramatic adventure, learning narrative story structure and expressive storytelling along the way. The cost of this incursion is $22, due on the 9th of June, and is non-refundable as per our refund policy. Some families will have SSB/CSEF credits on their account. If this is the case, your cost has been adjusted accordingly.

At Tarneit Rise, we encourage students to read every night to practice their reading skills and develop a lifelong love of books. Regular reading at home helps build confidence, fluency, and comprehension. Each child has been allocated a specific reading satchel day, which is displayed on the door of your child’s classroom. On this day, please ensure your child brings their reading satchel or red bag so they can change their books and safely transport library books between home and school.

Please make sure that all items your child brings to school are clearly labeled with their name and class (e.g., PA). This includes hats, jumpers, drink bottles, lunch boxes, and uniform items. Labeling helps us return lost items quickly.

As it is now Term 2, children are no longer required to wear hats outside during play times. However, you are still more than welcome to send your child to school with their hat if you would like them to continue wearing it outside.

The first bell rings at 8:45 am, which is when students begin entering the classroom to get ready for the day. Please ensure that your child is at school and ready to learn every day at this time. Learning begins promptly at 8:55 am, and the school day finishes at 3:10 pm.

We kindly ask families to continue supporting this by allowing students to walk into the pod and classroom on their own each morning. If you need to speak to your child’s classroom teacher, please email the school, and this email will be forwarded to the teacher.

School Value

This week, we have been focusing on the value of Responsibility.

Prep A: Agrani Gaura for showing the value of 'Responsibility' by keeping her table and tub tidy and organised for learning. Agrani Gaura always puts her belongings away so she can easily find them.

Prep B: Ayaan is showing responsibility by always showing that he is ready to learn when he is at his think spot!

Prep C: Myra has demonstrated the school value of Responsibility, always keeping her table nice and tidy by making sure her rubbish is in the bin and that she only has the necessary resources out ready for learning every single day!

Prep D: Hayzel Gray has demonstrated Responsibility for always following the rules of the classroom and setting a good example for others. She completes her work to a high standard and is a model student

Prep E: Audrey is demonstrating the school value of responsibility by bringing in her reading satchel from home each week to swap her books and ensure she is prepared for her reading learning.

Prep F: Ahana has demonstrated the school value of Responsibility by consistently having her learning materials organised and ready, ensuring she is prepared for her learning. Well done, Ahana!

Prep G: Riak Atem has shown responsibility by being organised and prepared for her learning each day.

Prep H: Zavian has shown our school value of responsibility this week by looking after his things and the classroom. Zavian always cleans his area and helps his friends to clean theirs if they need it! Well done, Zavian.

Prep I: Miheeka has demonstrated the school value of Responsibility for consistently working independently at her table during learning time. She is always prepared and ready to learn!

Prep J: Kolini consistently takes pride in caring for our classroom and will often tidy up without needing to be asked. He thoughtfully helps clean up after others and shows initiative in keeping our learning space organised. Well done, Kolini!

We look forward to celebrating all the wonderful learning and achievements still to come this term.

If you have any further questions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher for support.

Kind regards,

PLC Prep

The Fortnight Ahead