Fabulous Foundation

Term 3 Week 10 - Friday 15th September

It is crazy to think that we are already at the end of term 3! How time flew so fast. We have had such an amazing term. The students have shown such improvement in not only their learning, but in their resilience and social capabilities. As the prep team, we couldn't be prouder! We can't wait to hear of all of the incredible adventures you all get up to these holidays.

What we are learning:

Phonics (Little Learners Love Literacy)

We have begun our new sounds this week which are j and u .. We are still chanting “The letter is ____, the sound is ____”. It would be wonderful to continue this at home with the letters that we have learnt so far. We continue to practise our new heart words which are she, he, we, to do and was. These are in addition to the other heart words which are The, My, the, my and I. We are focussing on blending CVC words (constant, vowel, constant) each day. We have learnt how to make a spelling chain, that is where you start with a 3 letter word, and you replace one letter at a time to make a new word, creating a chain of different words. The letters and sounds we have learnt are m,a,s,p,f,b,h,t,i, c,o, n, d, l,v, r, e, qu, z and j

Writing:

As we progress through the year, we are encouraging students to write sentences. The preps are practising in making sure they include a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence, and a full stop at the end. We also ensure we are leaving a finger space in between each word! By sounding out each word, and finding out how many sounds are in each word, the students are improving in their ability to write using the correct letters and sounds. In writing each week, the students are given a scrambled sentence from a book we read, and try to put it back in order, by cutting and pasting. Each week, the students get better and better at unscrambling the tricky sentences!

Reading:

We continue to have a weekly mentor text in reading. This week, we have been focusing on the setting of the book. This includes the time of the day, and the surroundings. Students have practised by creating a setting based on a picture of the sea. They created a character that would fit in that setting, and then created a world full of coral, fish friends, sharks and boats for their new character! Each day we have a different focus, asking and answering questions, rhyming words, providing feedback and creating sentences using the words from our word wall.

Leader In Me:

We have continuously been using 7 Habit languages when we are in class and out in the yard. We are continuously reminding students to think win-win when they are out in the yard. This allows them to see how their actions affect the people around them, and how they can come to a decision that makes everyone happy.

Inquiry

As the term closes, we are finishing up by learning about habitats. We have created our own imaginary animals, and built a fabulous habitat for them.

Specialist Days:

Monday - Health

Tuesday - Art/Culture & Music

Wednesday- Art/Culture & PE

Friday - Auslan

Important reminders

*Please continue to check the blue pouches nightly, as we use these to send notices home.

* We have begun sending home one decodable book per student per week. Students can only borrow a book if they bring their blue satchel. Please see our compass post for more information.

* A number of children are coming to school without a jumper. Please be sure to pack a school jumper for your child when playing outside at recess and lunchtime.

* We are finding that some jumpers are being taken home with the wrong name on it. If you could please check your child's jumper to ensure it has their name on it, that would be fantastic!

*Please ensure that your child has a substantial lunch such as a sandwich/roll/wrap or thermos for example for lunch along with a snack (cracker/yoghurt) and fruit or vegetables.

*Daily we have a fruit break, we kindly ask that you please pack your child a piece of fruit or a vegetable to snack on during this time.

*Please have your child’s drink bottle filled with water only.