Year 1 Celebration 

Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As the term comes to a close, we are excited to share all the learning experiences and achievements our Year 1 students have had. Here’s a glimpse into what we’ve been up to!

Reading

Our focus this term has been on non-fiction texts and their features, which linked well with our inquiry unit on water, earth and space sciences. The students have been improving their decoding skills and understanding the literal meanings of texts. We have also introduced new vocabulary to enhance their comprehension, making reading more enjoyable and informative.

Writing

Students have been engaged in writing information texts, presenting factual information clearly and accurately. We participated in a poster competition for Western Water, with the theme "Accelerating Action," addressing water's vital role in the current climate crisis. We are hopeful that someone from our class will win a prize!

Math

In math, our focus areas included:

• Money values: Understanding different denominations and their values.
• Counting: Enhancing counting skills for accuracy and speed.
• Fluency in math goals: Working towards individual math goals with improved fluency.
• Additive thinking skills: Developing skills for addition and understanding number relationships.
• Mass and measurement: Learning to measure and compare different masses.
• Data and graphing: Students enjoyed creating their own questions, collecting data, and making graphs to represent their findings.

Inquiry

Our inquiry unit on water has been fascinating. We explored water as one of Earth’s resources, understanding its various uses and significance. Students shared what they already knew about water and asked insightful questions about its sources and responsible usage. This unit has not only captured their interest but also deepened their understanding of water's crucial role in our lives.

Grade 1/2 sport was particularly exciting this term with Year 11 visitors from Sunbury College. They taught us sports including cricket, basketball, netball, soccer, and football. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn new skills and enjoy team activities.

We are incredibly proud of the progress and enthusiasm our students have shown this term. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. We look forward to another exciting term ahead!

Kind regards,

Leah, Dannie and Jody

Performing Arts

During Term 2, Grade One students explored how to follow basic musical patterns using percussion instruments. They learned about crotchets and quaver notes, as well as the significance of rests in music. They enthusiastically created their own musical patterns to play and shared them with their peers, taking turns as conductors for their groups. They experimented with a variety of percussion instruments, in particular the xylophones and the ‘Boomwhackers’ which were a big hit!

PE

In Grade one PE classes, students continued to build on their fundamental movement skills through fun and interactive activities. They engaged in more structured games and sports, learning basic rules and teamwork. Students also explored concepts like spatial awareness and developed social skills through cooperative play.

Visual Arts

This term, students in Year 1 continued to explore new materials and techniques to create works of art. They used a range of materials such as acrylic and watercolour paint, yarn, and PVA glue, as well as paper, cardboard and recycled materials. They studied the work of famous artists as they followed their ideas and styles when creating their own art. Students learned more about color, using the color wheel to make skillful choices about complementary colors. Students worked alongside 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 try, and they worked safely in the art room. It has been an inspiring term in the Visual Arts room.

Japanese

This term in Japanese, the Grade 1 students applied their prior knowledge of numbers to various activities through the Unit “When is your Birthday?”. They participated in games and sang songs to learn the months of the year. The students completed a booklet to encourage their reading and writing of Japanese characters. They also built on their speaking and listening skills through making sentences stating their age and when their birthday is. Students also learnt about cultural events in Japan such as Ohanami and  Children’s Day.