Year One
Dear Year 1 Families,
The start of November has been both enjoyable and busy for our Year One cohort! The students have had a wonderful time during swimming lessons and have been learning to have fun safely in and around water. Saltwater College's inaugural carnival was a huge success with so many familiar Year One faces joining in the festivities. It was such a fun time had by all. The rides, food, and performances provided so much entertainment for the Saltwater community.
In Reading, our Year One students have been on a captivating journey by exploring the art of making connections when reading. Our focus has been on the three different typed of connections; Text to Self, Text to Text, and Text to World Connections. Here is some information on each connection type:
Text to Self: Encouraging students to relate the events in a text to their own experiences.
Text to Text: Exploring connections between different texts.
Text to World: Connecting the content of the text to broader real-world concepts and events.
We have also been focussing on the use of homophones while reading. Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and often different spellings. This exploration is an engaging way to enhance the students' understanding of language and vocabulary.
Our young mathematicians in Grade One have been on a thrilling journey into the world of fractions. From whole, halves, quarters, and eighths, our students are grasping the concept of fractions with enthusiasm and curiosity. To make learning about fractions even more exciting, we completed a hands-on activity with our young learners. Each student had the opportunity to create their very own 'Paper Pizza'. This activity not only reinforced the concept of fractions but also allowed them to express their creativity.
In Writing, students have been designing an information report on a planet of their choosing. Their information report focused on their planet's appearance, size, location, and other interesting facts. This directly links with our inquiry work from last week.
During Inquiry, our students' planets have taken amazing shape, with students having the opportunity to design a unique celestial body, considering various features such as size, colour, atmosphere, and even the presence of moons. The process involved not just artistic expression, but also encouraged critical thinking and imagination. What sets this project apart is the thoughtful justification our young scientists provided for their planet's characteristics. From the choice of vibrant hues to the decision to include swirling storms or peaceful landscapes, each detail was carefully considered and explained by the creators themselves.
If students have any artifacts related to our current inquiry unit, we encourage them to bring them to school to share with their classes. It doesn't necessarily have to be space-related; it can also relate to our transdisciplinary theme (How the World Works), key concepts (connection, causation, form), or approaches to learning skills (researching and thinking).
Lastly, swimming sessions for students in 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I, and 1L commenced in Week 8 and will continue during Week 9 (Wednesday, 22/11, to Thursday, 30/11).
Some general reminders:
- Classes start at 8:30 AM, please obtain a late pass from the office after 8:40 AM.
- Fully charged iPads should be brought to school every day.
- Hats are compulsory for Term Four.
- Homework expectations – students should be doing daily reading (take-home readers, PM readers and Reading Eggs) and their spelling homework. Check with your child’s teacher if you require clarification around this.
- Please do not wait for your child on the building decks after school. This clogs up the walkways and makes it difficult for students to exit the buildings, particularly from the upstairs classrooms. Please ensure you are waiting on the concrete and not on the classroom verandahs.
That's it for today's Year One news. Stay tuned for more updates on the fantastic journey of our young learners at Saltwater!
The Year One Team