Prep Celebration Newsletter

Reading

This term, students delved into concepts about print during their Reading sessions. They practised sweeping across the page from left to right and observed various features of words, including letters, uppercase, and lowercase. By predicting upcoming events, organising sequences of events, making inferences about characters and the plot, relating the text to their own experiences, and summarising key points in a retell, students developed a solid comprehension of the text. Moreover, students enriched their vocabulary by encountering new words in engaging mentor texts.

Writing

As students embark on their writing journey this term, they focused on letter formation, ensuring correct strokes and using uppercase letters for names. Through writing recounts of their experiences, students learned to express themselves effectively and reflect on past events. They also explored writing entertaining pieces through performance, drawing, and labelling, allowing their creativity to shine through their work. By constructing simple sentences, students practised organising their thoughts and ideas. Moreover, as they progress, students began experimenting with simple punctuation, such as full stops, to enhance the clarity and structure of their writing.

Maths

In their exploration of time, students engaged with concepts related to days, months, calendars, and the duration of events, developing a deeper understanding of how time is organised and measured. They also delved into the world of shapes, learning about 2D and simple 3D shapes, and how they can be identified and described. Through number sense and subitizing activities, students enhanced their ability to recognize and understand numbers, assisting their mathematical fluency. Additionally, students learned about location, honing their skills in understanding and navigating spatial relationships. Students practised formulating yes and no questions, collecting data, and creating simple picture graphs to represent and analyse information visually, fostering their ability to interpret and communicate data effectively.

Inquiry

In the Inquiry, we learnt about two topics. The first was about living and non living things. In this topic, students investigated the life cycle of a plant and butterfly, to explore and understand where and how living things grow. Following this, we explored the topic of Weather Wonders, in which students increased their knowledge of how the characteristics of weather affect our daily lives. Developing a deeper understanding about air, sun and wind. 

Wellbeing 

In Wellbeing, we continued to develop our resilience at school and build respectful relationships with our peers.  We focused on problem solving skills and how to manage our emotions during challenging situations.  Showing empathy, gratitude and mindfulness while we learned and played at school.  

Performing Arts

During Term 2 in Performing Arts, our Foundation students worked towards their first cohort assembly performance. They learned the lyrics and dance choreography to a song called ‘Boom Chicka Boom’ with great enthusiasm. Students learned about onstage confidence and positioning. They were very excited and proud of themselves when they presented to an audience at assembly and the performance was a great hit! 

PE

In Prep PE classes, students focused on learning fundamental movement skills through play-based activities like running, jumping, throwing, and catching. They played basic games while also developing social skills through teamwork and cooperation.

Visual Arts

This term students in Prep continued to explore new materials and techniques to create works of art. They used oil pastels, paint, and collage materials to create mixed media designs. Students learned about the differences between a flat 2-dimensional artwork and a solid 3-dimensional artwork as they explored paper sculpture. They became familiar with famous artists as they followed their ideas and styles. Students worked along with a community artist as they created their own original canvas art for our upcoming Art Show. They worked towards being courageous artists who gave new techniques a go and they worked safely in the art room. It has been an exciting term in the Visual Arts room.

Japanese

This term in Japanese, the Prep students learnt about Japanese culture through celebrations such as Ohanami and Children’s Day. The students continued to learn classroom routines and phrases such as how to say “good luck” and “well done” in class games. Students developed their reading and writing with simple kanji such as numbers through play-based activities. They learnt Japanese numbers and colours by participating in games and songs.