School News
Prep
What a busy and exciting time we have been having in Prep!
In Literacy, we have been working hard on our sounding out and blending skills when reading and writing. We have also been learning some important sight words such as ‘a, the, on,’ and ‘and’. The students have been fantastic at brainstorming ideas and using them to write their own recounts. We have also been practising writing sentences on the ‘tight rope’, using the sounds we know to stretch out and spell words as best we can.
In Mathematics, we have been busy counting to 10, exploring patterns, and using our ‘superhero eyes’ to subitise (quickly spotting how many without counting!). We have also been practising forming our numbers correctly.
During Well-being, we have been learning how to be a ‘super introducer’ by confidently introducing ourselves and helping others feel welcome. We have also been practising the Ask and Pass strategy, which helps us continue the conversation to make new friends. The class has been having great discussions about how to be a kind and supportive friend to everyone.
We were also lucky to welcome some wonderful community visitors, including a Paramedic, an Occupational Therapist, and Nurses. The students loved learning about the important jobs they do and how they help keep our community safe and healthy.
It has been fantastic to see the students growing in confidence, trying their best, and supporting each other in their learning!
Kindest regards,
The Prep Team
Laina Brebner, Kayla Hartrick and Emma Wright
Grade 1
Hello Grade 1 families and special people. Thanks for all you do for your little learners and for checking in on their learning! We loved sharing your child’s work at the 3 Way Conference last week, celebrating successes and setting goals for moving forward. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to.
In reading we’ve been learning the ng and wh sound. We have been practicing reading fluently with our fluency friend partner. Please don’t forget to help us practice our reading by listening to us read at home or helping us to log on to our DRA accounts and select books to read.
In Writing, we’ve been publishing our letters to post later in the term. We selected one letter from our bank of written letters, edited it and published. We have addressed our envelopes and are ready to visit the post office! We have also begun looking at adjectives and learning about the difference between facts and opinions.
In Maths, we've finished up our unit on Place Value, counting and working with numbers to 120. We have moved on to learning about length and using uniformed ‘informal’ units to measure items around the classroom.
We’ve been thinking hard about community spaces we enjoy, the rules they have and how they help us. The hairdresser space and the library have been very popular this fortnight. We had Harry’s Mum, Jess visit, to teach us about being a nurse in the community.
We’ve had some interesting chats about The Zones of Regulation and how we can think about our emotions and learn about what each zone looks and feels like. The students have been considering what each zone looks like for them. Hopefully these little learners have come home with all sorts of exciting stories and ideas to discuss from another fun fortnight!
The Grade 1 Team
Mel Layton, Sally Newton, Tim Huntington and Rowena Blake
Grade 2
Over the last two weeks, our Grade 2 students have been busy learning, exploring new ideas, and building their skills across all learning areas. It has been wonderful to see students sharing their thinking, asking questions, and trying their best.
In Reading, we have been learning how to make connections with the texts we read. Students practised thinking about how a story connects to another book (text to text), something happening in the world (text to world), or their own experiences (text to self). While reading different stories, students shared their connections with the class and explained their thinking. Making connections helps students understand the text more deeply and become thoughtful readers.
In Writing, students have been learning how to use adjectives (describing words) to make their writing more interesting and help readers visualise what they are describing. We talked about how good writers add details so the reader can clearly picture people, places, and objects in their mind. Students practised expanding their sentences by adding describing words and creating vivid images in their stories.
In Maths, students have been exploring the concept of length. They practised measuring different classroom objects using rulers and other tools, and they compared which objects were longer or shorter. Students also began learning about fractions, such as halves and quarters, and how these can represent equal parts of a whole. They explored how fractions can connect to measurement and real-life examples.
In Inquiry, students began learning about biographies. We discussed what a biography is and how it tells the story of a person’s life. Students explored important details such as when a person was born, important events in their life, and what made them special or interesting. They started gathering ideas and organising information to help them create their own biographies.
We are very proud of the effort students have been putting into their learning and look forward to continuing to build these skills in the weeks ahead. 🌟📚✏️📏
The Grade 2 Team
Allie Harrison, Sarah Margetts and Brendan Van Haaster
Grade 3 & 4
Term 1 is flying by! There has been lots of learning in Grade 3/4 and well done to all the students for displaying a positive mindset during the NAPLAN sessions.
Students have been introduced to a mentor text The National Geographic article “The Problem with Plastic Pollution”. They have been exploring nonfiction texts, learning how features such as headings, captions, diagrams, glossaries and indexes help readers locate and understand important information. We have also discussed the difference between facts and opinions to support students in thinking critically about what they read.
Linking back to the mentor text, students have been investigating how authors structure persuasive writing. They have chosen a topic that matters to them and their wider community and are currently crafting a sizzling start that uses a rhetorical question to hook their reader.
Our focus in Maths has been on understanding decimals, particularly tenths and hundredths. We have explored how Australian currency works as a decimal system, for example, recognising that a 10c coin represents one tenth of a dollar.
Students are now working on their Inquiry project in small groups. Their brief is to design a game or activity that promotes health and physical activity within our classroom community. They are using a rubric to guide their planning, ensuring their activity is engaging, uses accessible resources, and includes clear instructions. A copy of their rubric will be sent home at the end of term for you to view.
Our wellbeing lessons have focused on Cyber Safety. Students have been learning about responsible online behaviour, including how to create strong, memorable passwords that help keep their information secure.
A friendly reminder to bring homework folders to school each Monday with reading logs completed and that Squizya tasks for Term 1 will close off at the beginning of the holidays.
Kind regards,
The 3/4 Team
Damien Smith, Daena Hailey, Brent Smith, Claire Cripps and Nick Pagliaro
Grade 5 & 6
NAPLAN:
Our Grade 5 students recently participated in NAPLAN. Due to some technical issues with the national testing platform, students weren’t able to complete their tests as planned but with some adjustments to the schedule, everyone was able to finish their assessments together once things were back up and running. We are really proud of how calmly and positively the students handled the changes—they showed great resilience and did their personal best.
Quantum Excursion
Quantum was a big hit with our 5/6 students!
The Grade 5s used their Minecraft skills to explore and recreate traditional sustainability practices of Indigenous Australians, while the Grade 6 students worked on coding LEGO cars to complete a range of fun and challenging tasks.
Over the past two weeks, students have been building their persuasive reading skills. They’ve been looking closely at different texts to understand how authors use language and structure to influence their audience. This has included exploring techniques like emotive language, facts vs opinions, and strong arguments.
In Writing, students have been creating their own persuasive pieces. They’ve been learning how to clearly express an opinion and support it with strong reasons and examples, while using persuasive language and well-structured paragraphs to engage their reader.
In Maths, students have been strengthening their understanding of place value and applying this to decimals and fractions. They’ve been making connections between these concepts, comparing and ordering numbers, and representing them in different ways to build confidence and problem-solving skills.
In Inquiry, students have continued learning about Australia’s parliamentary system. They’ve explored how the two houses of Parliament work, how laws are made, and how voting rights have changed over time. This has helped them develop a deeper understanding of how our democracy has grown and evolved.
Kind regards,
The 5/6 Team
Llinos Poole, Erin Rennick, Hayley Peirce, Mykaela Oakley & Kylie Morrissey