Stage 1

Welcome to Week 10

As we approach the school holidays, we would like to thank our Stage 1 families for their ongoing support throughout Term 3. We hope everyone enjoys a safe, relaxing and well-deserved break, and we look forward to welcoming our students back for an exciting Term 4! 

English

In Week 7, there was so much excitement and confusion on Monday morning when our Stage 1 students arrived in their classrooms to discover all the chairs stacked up, surrounded by caution tape. There was a sign that said 'We quit!', along with a letter to each class explaining why the chairs had decided they had had enough.

With no chairs to sit on, our students had to get creative! They found all sorts of ways to sit and write, from lying on the floor, sitting on their desks and even writing underneath their desks.

The students then had an important task ahead of them. They had to write a persuasive letter to convince the chairs to come back.

The classroom was buzzing with discussion as students shared their ideas about why the chairs were important, what they could offer the chairs and how they could convince them to return.

It was wonderful to see students so engaged in their learning and using their creativity to solve a very unusual classroom problem.

It was such a memorable way to make persuasive writing meaningful, engaging and fun! 

At the bottom of the page are some photos from the day. 

In writing for Weeks 9 and 10, Stage 1 students have been building their vocabulary and learning how to make their writing more interesting and engaging for the reader. Students are exploring the meanings of new words and learning how to use them correctly in sentences. They are also developing their understanding of word types and investigating synonyms, antonyms and homophones.

Students have also been learning about figurative language and literary devices, including alliteration and personification. They are identifying examples in texts and using these techniques in their own writing. Students are learning how alliteration can emphasise ideas and how personification can bring objects and ideas to life by giving them human qualities.

Mathematics

In mathematics, Stage 1 students have been working in targeted groups to develop their understanding of time, with learning activities matched to their current level of understanding.

Students have been learning to read and tell time on analogue clocks, with some groups focusing on time to the hour and half-hour, while others have progressed to telling time to the quarter-hour. Students have been developing their understanding of the hour and minute hands and using mathematical language to describe different times.

We have also been exploring clockwise and anticlockwise turns. Students are learning to identify and describe quarter, half and three-quarter turns and apply this understanding when turning and describing the movement of shapes.

Rebecca Bourke, Nicole Frost, Lucy Fuge, Kathy McMillan, Sjaan Mitchell, Shelli Morse & Lana Howlett

Stage 1 Teachers