Reading

This week, students have been learning to read, spell, and write CVCC words (consonant–vowel–consonant–consonant), such as milk, hand, and jump. They have been practising hearing and identifying individual sounds and digraphs, blending them together to read words, and segmenting them to spell. Students are also focusing on using capital letters and full stops correctly in their sentences.

As part of our literacy learning, students have been reading simple sentences that include CVCC and tricky words, helping them build fluency and confidence. They are becoming more aware of vowel sounds and how these sounds change in different words. Through games, writing tasks, and small-group reading, students are developing their spelling and writing skills while building a strong foundation for independent reading.

Maths

In Maths, we have been learning about how numbers are made up of tens and ones. Students have been using materials such as icy pole sticks, bundling them into groups of ten, and base-10 blocks to build and explore numbers. These hands-on activities help students see that ten ones can be bundled together to make one ten, building a strong understanding of place value.

We have also been practising how to write and say two-digit numbers and represent them in different ways. Students have enjoyed showing numbers using drawings, number charts, bundles, and base-10 blocks, helping them understand that there are many ways to show the same number. This has supported their growing confidence when reading, writing, and recognising two-digit numbers.

To finish our unit, we’ve been counting all the way to 100 and exploring how tens and ones help us keep track of larger numbers. We’ve also started looking at Australian coins, identifying their values and using them to make small amounts in different ways. The children are beginning to notice how coins connect to the number concepts they’ve been learning — especially counting by tens and ones!

Writing

Our Prep students have been working incredibly hard and are making fantastic progress in their writing this term. We have continued to build strong early writing foundations by practising how to label parts of pictures and stretch out words as we write. Students are learning to listen carefully to the sounds they hear when speaking and match these to the correct letters on the page. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they take risks, try new words, and celebrate their attempts.

We have been exploring a range of new picture scenarios to inspire our writing. Students have enjoyed looking closely at the details in these pictures and thinking about what is happening, who is involved, and where the scene is taking place. Many students have been challenging themselves to sound out tricky words independently and are showing great persistence and pride in their efforts.

A continued key focus has been using Colourful Semantics to support sentence structure. Through this approach, students are building detailed sentences by including the who, what, and where, and are beginning to add describing words to make their ideas clearer and more interesting.

We are incredibly proud of the progress students have made and the wonderful enthusiasm they bring to writing sessions each day. We look forward to seeing their skills and creativity continue to grow throughout the year.

SEL and other

This week in our Respectful Relationships lessons, students explored what it means to be respectful and fair to everyone. We discussed how our words and actions can help create a safe and friendly school environment for all. Students learned about gender-based kindness and fairness — understanding that activities, toys, and colours are for everyone, and that it’s important to include others no matter who they are. Using the story Pink is for Boys, students discussed how to respond if someone says something unkind or unfair, and how to speak up for themselves or others in a caring way. Through hands-on play with LEGO, blocks, magnetic tiles, playdough, beads, and cars, we reinforced that everyone can enjoy building, creating, and imagining — there are no “boys’ toys” or “girls’ toys.” These activities help us practise kindness, inclusion, and cooperation with our friends. We also explored how clothing keeps our bodies safe and helps us stay comfortable in different kinds of weather. Students took part in activities like sorting clothes for different weather conditions and learning which clothes keep our private parts covered to protect our bodies. We’re so proud of how our students are learning to make respectful choices, include others, and show kindness in everything they do!

In Culture, our students learned about the importance of Remembrance Day and why we pause on the 11th of November each year to honour the people who have helped keep Australia safe. Through stories, discussions, and hands-on activities, students explored what respect, peace, and remembrance mean. We watched The Poppy Story (Early Years) and talked about why people wear red poppies and take part in a minute of silence at 11 o’clock. Using the story and class discussions, students practised listening to others’ ideas and recognising that people may see things differently. They shared simple phrases to describe how we can show respect — such as being quiet during the minute’s silence or wearing a poppy badge. Students created their own Remembrance Day poppy badges and poppy stick flowers, showing pride and appreciation for those who served our country. Early finishers enjoyed Remembrance Day colouring sheets, reinforcing the message of peace and gratitude.

In Integrated, students began learning about plants and how all living things have different features and need food, water, air, and sunlight to survive. We started our unit with a Wander and Wonder walk around the school to explore the plants in our environment, using our senses to notice shapes, colours, and textures. Students recorded what they saw and shared their ideas and questions about how plants grow. Back in the classroom, we discussed what plants need to stay healthy and planted our own seeds to observe over the coming weeks. Students will continue to care for their plants, make predictions, and record changes as they learn more about how living things grow and thrive.

Every Minute Counts