Prep
INFORMATION & REMINDERS
Planning Week
The Prep teachers will be working together on Thursday 26th March to plan for Term 2. Students will attend all of their specialist classes on this day, which means our regular Specialist Timetable will not be in effect for this week.
NEW INFORMATION: Coffee & Chat Sessions Wed 25/3 2:30pm and Fri 27/3 9:00am
The Wellbeing Team are hosting their first Coffee and Chat session for Prep parents/carers. Please see details below.
Home Reading & Reading Pockets
Remind your child to bring their reading pocket to school each day.
New information: UFLI Passages
Please continue to read the three passages that are currently in your child's reading folder. These passages include the letters and sounds we have been learning in class.
Some tips:
- Reading is a new skill that students are just beginning to practise, so it’s completely normal if your child needs your support. Some children may be able to sound out the letters but find it tricky to blend them into a word - this is a very common part of learning to read. With practice, it will become easier!
- If your child finds the length of the passage a little challenging, feel free to focus on one sentence at a time. It can be helpful to place a piece of paper under the line you are reading to block out the rest of the text and help your child focus on one line at a time.
- This week, new texts will come home on Monday and Friday. Please continue to re-read the texts that have come home so far. Repeat reading is important to build fluency and sight words (words that can be read without decoding).
Please note: Decodable books will be sent home early in Term 2.
New information: Reading Log
Once your child has read the UFLI text, please record it in their Blue Reading Log. We will check these reading logs each Friday.
Some tips with the Reading Log:
- Please start a new section in the reading log for the new week.
- To make it easier to find where you are up to, you may like to snip the top corner of the page.
New information: Heart Words
Next week, students will bring home a small red booklet in their reading pockets. This booklet contains the Heart Words that students have learned this term. On the back, you’ll find an explanation of what Heart Words are and how to practise them at home. These would be a great resource to revisit and practise over the holidays!
NEW INFORMATION: Grandparents Day: Monday 30th March
Invitations
Last Friday, two invitations were sent home along with a note, asking you to please write your child’s grandparents’ names on them and pass them on. If you haven’t seen the invitations, please check your child’s book pocket or bag and share them with their grandparents!
Thank you to everyone who has filled in the survey. Please take a moment to fill in the survey if you haven't done so yet, to help us with planning for the session.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8JBKYQ7
CURRICULUM
*Please remind your child to go to the toilet before they enter the classroom.
Phonics and reading
We are learning about nasalised A (where the a sound changes slightly when it comes before m or n, such as in jam), as well as the letter O.
Our learning focus will include:
- Understanding the phonemes (the sound each letter makes)
- Learning the cued articulation for these sounds
- Identifying where we might see each letter in a word
- Practising the graphemes (the way we write the letter), including correct letter formation
- Reading and writing 3 letter words using the sounds we know
What can you do at home?
• Support your child to read the decodable passage in their Reading Pocket. Try and aim to read every day, if you can.
•Ask your child to tell you the sound that O makes and to show you the cued articulation for the sound. You can also review the letters and sounds we have learned so far: A, M, S, T, P, F, I, N. When practising, say them like this: “A says /a/.”
• Work through the optional UFLI pages.
Optional UFLI Home Practice Pages:
(please see the Wonga Weekly from Week 7 with an explanation on how to use these practise pages)
Literature: reading responses and writing
Our mentor text is The Easter Bunny’s Grandest Egg Hunt. While we have chosen this text because Easter is fast approaching, it also shares an important message about the value of teamwork. Students will explore the structure of the story by sequencing events and identifying the problem and solution. They will then create their own Easter hunt map to retell the story.
In writing, students will continue developing their fine motor control. They will practise using a functional pencil grip while forming the letters A and O, focusing on correct entry and exit points. Students will also review the formation of previously taught letters. Additionally, they will continue sounding out and writing CVC words using the sounds they know and begin writing short, dictated sentences.
🏡 What can you do at home?
•Practice letter formation of N and other previously taught letters (see below).
•Provide activities that build hand strength and coordination, such as playing with playdough, threading beads or using tweezers to pick up small objects.
•Write some 3 letter words using the taught sounds - A, M, S, T, P, F, I, N and O.
Maths
We are learning about Location. This involves:
- Describing the position of familiar objects
- Describing the position of objects in relation to other objects
- Describing our own position in relation to other objects
- Identifying left and right
Students will explore these concepts through hands-on activities and everyday examples.
🏡 What can you do at home?
• Use everyday objects and ask your child to describe where they are, eg. “The cup is next to the plate” or “The toy is under the table.”
• Encourage your child to practise identifying their left and right during routines, like putting on shoes or setting the table.
Wellbeing
This week, each class has a different SWPBS focus based on what has been identified as important:
Prep A is focusing on Be a Learner: Do your best and let the teacher help everyone else
Prep B on Be a Learner: Seeking help when you’re learning
Prep C on Be Kind: Accepting apologies and moving on
In Respectful Relationships, students will listen to the story Sharing by Aunty Fay Muir, learn about sharing from Aboriginal perspectives and discuss examples of what sharing looks like in their own experiences.