Foundation Cluster News

Home Inquiry

Jolly Sounds

Check out our YouTube channel. Every week a new set of sounds will be put up to share with your children at home or even show you how we teach them the sound and action. In their purple pouch is the sound and action sheet to practice. You can get them to write it any way you like for example with a water sprayer, playdough, shaving cream, write it in flour. Just as long as they are starting from the correct position and forming the sound correctly. Handwriting hero app is great to use to ensure formation is correct.

Heart Words

Students were sent home the next sheet of heart (snap) words. Please check our YouTube channel to show you how to practice the heart words.

Jolly Words

These are words that can be sounded out and blended. The children say each sound in the words and then blend them together to read the word. We encourage them to chop the sounds on their hand and then blend them together to read the word. They are to keep the card until they are comfortable with the words and blending accurately and then in the mornings they can swap for a new card. Once they have ticked off all the colour dots in that colour card section, we will test them and move them up to the next colour card if they are successful. Please keep these in their Jolly (purple) pouch always. See our YouTube channel for the video showing how to do them.

YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLnfvRwv4dyqmDKu0nLh2Vw

Learning program:

Readers Workshop – Strategies that help us read

Word Study – We are now splitting into small groups.

Blue and orange – ay, oy  

Purple and green – s,a,t p,i,n

Bookmaking – Spotlight session: All About Me books  

Inquiry into Maths

Number: Addition and friends of 10

Who We Are   Central idea: Our identity helps us to understand our and others’ similarities, differences and emotions 

Line of inquiry 1: What makes me 'me' and how am I the same as, and different to others.

Line of inquiry 2: Emotions affect our behaviour, interactions and relationships

Line of inquiry 3: We can show understanding and respect in our relationships

Learner profile: Communicators, Principled, Open- minded, Caring

Key concepts: Causation, Responsibility

Christian Studies: Christianity in the World 

Key Idea: People make decisions using a range of religious perspectives and ethical frameworks.

Children make connections between their actions and consequences for themselves and others.

Kimochis at home: We have 2 very special Kimochis that are going to come for a visit on the weekend. Brave bug and Curious Cat. Students have designated weekends where they will bring home a small bug or cat and a book with instructions of what they will need to do. They will take the Kimochi home on a Friday and bring them back on the Monday. Please make sure they are taken care of and don’t get drawn on or eaten by any family pets. If you do not have a printer at home, we are happy to print for you.

Week	Cat	Bug
5	Prayash
6	Amani

You Tube channel: Please use this link to watch the videos each week. We often put up very valuable information that will help your child at home with their sounds, reading and heart words. Please make this a part of your routine to watch frequently.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbAyQloLFifan6LR4xfIFFA

Library books: Please make sure you pack your child’s library books to change on a Wednesday. There are students that continue to forget so your help is appreciated.

Home reading: We now have decodables and free choice books that go home on Fridays. These are for you to practice reading with your child at home. They are changed over on Fridays. Please make sure your child has their clear folder with their books every week.

Jolly words/Heart words: Please encourage your child to change their jolly words frequently before school. They must bring their blue take home folders daily. Heart words should also be practiced most nights to help support them in the classroom.

Book week:

Book Week 2025 – “Book an Adventure”

This year’s Book Week theme is “Book an Adventure”, and we’re excited to celebrate with a Dress Up Day on Tueday, 19th August (Week 5).

In honour of Mrs Zadow’s final year, we’ll be celebrating her love of learning and fun by dressing up as characters or scenes from The Magic School Bus! Each class will take inspiration from a specific episode.

The Foundation classes will be exploring the theme “Solar System” (see the episode blurb below). If your child would like to take part in the class dress-up, we’d love to see lots of creative solar system-themed costumes!

Some fun dress-up ideas include:

Planets
Space suits
Astronauts
Aliens
Stars and moons
Rocket ships

If you have any questions, please speak with Mrs Hughes or Miss Stanley. The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System (ISBN 0-590-41429-1, 1990)

Theme: the Solar System

Arnold's know-it-all cousin Janet, is coming on the field trip this time. They are going to the planetarium to see a show about the Solar System, but it is closed for repairs. On the way back to school, they blast off and fly into outer space. They visit all the planets and learn about them, but in the asteroid belt, they lose Ms Frizzle and find themselves lost in space. The rocket bus featured in this book has become a symbol of the Magic School Bus series.

Volunteers in the classroom: We love having parent volunteers in the classroom to help with sound and heart word practice. If you would like to volunteer, you will need to have all relevant checks completed through the school front office. Volunteers are welcome on Monday-Thursday from 8:30am-9:00am during our morning activity time before our learning day starts. Please let us know if you would like to help!

We will be making a time to meet after school next week (Week 3) to chat about how the mornings will run. Thanks.

Gumboots: During the colder months as the weather gets wetter and muddier, students must wear gumboots in the nature play at break times. If your child enjoys playing in nature play, please send gumboots labelled with their name to school. These are kept in plastic bags on the children’s bag hooks by our classroom.   

Special Person’s Afternoon

Special Person’s Afternoon will be on Friday 19 September. Invitation will be out shortly.

Keep smiling,

Amy and Brianna

Amy Hughes: hughes.amy@goldengrove.sa.edu.au

Brianna Stanley:

stanley.brianna@goldengrove.sa.edu.au

We continue to build up our stamina with our routines and we now have a full timetable. We attend specialist lessons, library, assembly and chapel this means that we may be tired by the end of the day and certainly the end of the week. I encourage you to take advantage of the last rest day as this is a busy term.

Library

Our Library Day is Tuesday every week, Foundation children can borrow 2 books, take them home to read and bring them back the following Monday so that we can do it all again on Tuesday.

Chapel/assembly

Our Foundations now attend weekly assembly and chapel with the whole school. Next week (week 5) will be slightly different, usually Monday will be assembly and Friday will be Chapel, we will only be attending at this point, when it is our turn to do something special information will be sent out to you.

Family photo for classroom

Thank you to the families that have provided a family photo, we are enjoying them in our classroom they are a lovely addition to our space, so please keep them coming in, again either send a hard copy photo in or email one to me and I can print it off.

Learning program:

Week 5

We will continue and re visit week 4 as there will be a lot of disruptions.

Readers Workshop – Name study

Word Study – s,a,t. Letter names and sounds

Bookmaking – What is a book? We explore elements of a book and what makes a book

Inquiry into Maths

Number 1-10, Shape, Sorting

Unit of Inquiry

Who We Are  

Central idea: Our identity helps us to understand our and others’ similarities, differences and emotions 

Line of inquiry 1: What makes me 'me' and how am I the same as, and different to others.

Line of inquiry 2: Emotions affect our behaviour, interactions and relationships

Line of inquiry 3: We can show understanding and respect in our relationships

Learner profile: Communicators, Principled, Open- minded, Caring

Key concepts: Causation, Responsibility

Some Regular Reminders:

Wednesday Rest Day

The purpose of having rest days is to build up their learning stamina, as we consider a lot of the children would be used to having three days of kindy and this would look different to them having five days of Foundation learning. We notice when they start full 5 days of learning there are a lot of high emotions and children feeling tired after 3 days of full learning, therefore would like to encourage you take this opportunity to allow your child to rest on each Wednesday for the first 5 weeks. This will help them to slowly get used to being at school for five full days. This means they are to play and have some time with you cooking, creating or just doing something fun together. It is not a day where they do any work. Your child’s wellbeing means a lot to us, and we want them to continue to have a smooth transition into Foundation.

Toddle

An invite to join Toddle was emailed out during the holidays, a copy of the invite sheet has been sent home with students and will be found in their blue take home folder. We post important information reminders, student learning, photos/videos and assessments on this platform.

Blue Take Home Folder

All students have been given a blue take home folder. They are to come to school every day. Students will need these for notes to be sent home; take home craft they make during the day and new sounds will be placed in this folder from week 3 onwards.

Keep smiling,

Tania Tenten

tenten.tania@goldengrove.sa.edu.au

Hats

Students do not need a hat in Term 2 and Term 3. These can be washed and kept at home or in the front pouch of their school bag, so they don’t get lost during this time.

Gumboots

During the colder months as the weather gets wetter and muddier, students must wear gumboots in the nature play at break times. If your child enjoys playing in nature play, please send gumboots labelled with their name to school. These are kept in plastic bags on the children’s bag hooks by our classroom.

School Calendar

https://www.goldengrove.sa.edu.au/calendar/

Sport

Basketball