Achilles 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The Achilles community teachers would like to congratulate all of the students on a wonderful start to Term 1. Everyone has settled into the community positively and we have established great routines and expectations, while working in our mentor groups.

A special thank you to all of the families who have supported the students in their transition to a new school year. We look forward to sharing our learning with you all this year.

Our Learning

READING

In Reading, the year  2’s have established their reading routines. Students are aware of what Independent Reading looks like and have been using their independent reading time effectively and to build their reading stamina. They have also been looking at how to read to self and reading to someone else.

Each student has set up a blue box which includes fiction, non-fiction and books of their choice to support their independent reading. Students have also spent time learning how to choose ‘Just Right’ books.

Students have also been learning to identify the features of fiction and non-fiction texts, and their purpose. We have explored different types of fiction texts and different types of non-fiction texts. We have also been learning to create interest in books for others by writing book reviews. 

WRITING

Our Year 2 students have had a fantastic start to their writing journey this term! We started off by sharing and writing recounts about our holidays, giving students the opportunity to reflect on their experiences and put their thoughts into words.

To make recount writing even more engaging, we participated in a variety of fun activities, such as playing on the playground, getting creative with play-dough, drawing pictures, and playing different games. These hands-on experiences provided students with exciting topics to write about, helping them develop their ability to sequence events, use descriptive language, and express their ideas clearly.

Through these activities, students are learning to write in full sentences, use time words (such as "first," "then," "next" and "last"), and add interesting details to their writing. We are so proud of their efforts and look forward to seeing their writing skills continue to grow!

MATHS

This month, we’ve been diving into essential math concepts such as place value, number representation, and ordering and sorting numbers. Here’s what your child has been learning and how you can help them practice at home.

What’s Happening in Class?

1. Place Value Fun!

   This month, we are focusing on place value, which helps students understand the value of each digit in a number. For example, in the number 46, the 4 represents 40 (four tens), and the 6 represents 6 ones.

   How You Can Help at Home: Practice breaking down numbers with your child! Pick any number and have your child tell you what each digit represents. For example, ask, "What does the 5 in 52 stand for?" and encourage them to explain it.

    

2. Number Representation: Students are learning to represent numbers in different ways, including:
   • Base-ten blocks (visualizing tens and ones),
   • Expanded form (e.g., 42 = 40 + 2),
   • Standard form (e.g., 42),

   • Word form (e.g., Forty-two).

      

     How You Can Help at Home:

     Ask your child to write numbers in different forms. For example, have them represent the number 56 in standard form, word form, and expanded form.

      

3. Ordering Numbers: 

   We’re also learning how to order numbers from smallest to largest or largest to smallest. Your child is practising using number lines and comparing numbers.

   • How You Can Help at Home: Give your child a list of numbers (e.g., 12, 34, 23, 45) and ask them to arrange them in order from smallest to largest, or largest to smallest.

      

4. Sorting Numbers:

   Sorting numbers based on specific characteristics (such as value, size, or properties) is another focus. For example, sorting even and odd numbers or grouping numbers by tens.

   • How You Can Help at Home:

     Use household objects to sort. For instance, have your child sort small items like coins or toys into groups of tens or sort them into even and odd numbers.

At-Home Practice:

• Activity 1: Place Value Sorting Game

  Write down different numbers on index cards. Have your child sort them based on the tens and ones places. For example, they can put 34 and 42 in the same group because they both have a tens place of 3 and 4, respectively.

• Activity 2: Number Line Challenge

  Create a number line on paper or use tape on the floor. Call out a number, and ask your child to place it correctly on the line. You can practice with numbers from 0 to 100!

Why This Is Important: Understanding place value and being able to represent, order, and sort numbers are foundational skills that help students with addition, subtraction, and even multiplication later on. These concepts also build critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are key to overall math success.

Thank you for supporting your child’s math learning! If you have any questions or would like more resources, please feel free to reach out. We are excited to continue building a strong math foundation this year!

INQUIRY

This term we have started off by learning about families and how they look different. We started off by making a wonder wall and have marked down “What we want to learn.” Students brought in some photos which we used to make family trees.

SEL

In SEL students have been learning about different types of emotions and how we feel. We have also been discussing this in relation to our School Wide Positive Behaviour Matrix and the Zones of Regulation and identifying how we can make good choices and set ourself up for success at school.

Victorian Curriculum

Below is the link to the Victorian Curriculum if you would like to take a look at what we cover throughout the year. 

https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/level2 

Friendly Reminders

• Doors open at 8:50am and dismissal is at 3:20pm.
• Tissue donations for the classroom would be greatly appreciated. 
• Ensure your child’s belongings are clearly labelled. This includes clothing, drink bottles, hats and lunchboxes (lids too).
• Please ensure that your child is reading their home reader for 15 minutes every night and that their reading log is filled in and signed by a parent/guardian.
• We strongly encourage students to bring along some brain food (fruit and vegetables) that they may eat in class. It is important that this is included as an additional snack in their lunchbox.

Best wishes,

The year 2 Achilles Community Teachers

Britt, Shaveta, Natalia, Anne, Tamanna, Kartia and Belinda.