Welcome Back, Year 2!

What a marvelous start to the term we have had. Our fabulous students have jumped seamlessly back into their learning routines. Here are some of the things we have been getting up to this week: 

• We have changed the approach with spelling this term, differentiating instruction through two different programs to target individual student needs and ensure that every child is growing on their personal learning journey. In Sophie's room, students have been working on the ‘ey’ digraph that makes the long ‘e’ sound, as in key. In Rachel and Katrina’s room, students have been working on the ‘ai’ and ‘ay’ digraphs, as well as contractions. 
• In Reading, we have been revising our decoding and comprehending skills to help us read ‘good fit’ books effectively, as well as logging our reading in a journal to ensure that we are fully engaging with what has been read. 
• In Writing, we have been working on our fact finding skills by researching various non-fiction information texts about animals and recording new information in our own words. 
• In Maths, we have been refreshing our knowledge of place value, using our knowledge to complete tricky challenges that involve regrouping and editing the position of digits to change the values of numbers. Students enjoyed creating a place value 'Minecraft house' which tested their regrouping skills. 
• In Humanities, we have been exploring the history of Australia, looking at what towns looked like from the 1850s to the present day. Students so enjoyed diving into the history of CPS and going on an ‘artefact hunt’ to record signs of our school’s rich history. 
• In Science, we are diving into biology with a topic focused around living things. Students enjoyed learning about the differences between ducks and swans, investigating the cuckoo bird and brainstorming some evolutionary strategies for the bird to defend itself from environmental threats. We have been thrilled to see the creativity and passion our students hold for these new topics. 
• In Wellbeing, we looked at identifying and portraying emotions through sounds, body language, and visual images.
• We have had a fantastic new addition to the Year 2 rooms - Taylar, our new aide! He has settled into seamlessly to the Year 2 team and we love having him on board. 

Prep - 2 Tabloid Sports was an absolute blast! Students adored getting active through a range of engaging games and sporty activities. 

Reminders: 

• Kids Helpline forms have been sent out. Please only return these if you wish for your child NOT to participate. 
• Several notes have been sent home with students with information on overdue library books. We would be grateful for any support with finding these books and returning them to school. 
•  It would be fantastic to see everyone settling back into their nightly reading routine for the term. We are super grateful for the support we receive from parents to get our students reading at home as well as school. 

Upcoming dates: 

• Tuesday the 23rd of April: Cross Country
• Thursday the 25th of April: ANZAC Day Public Holiday
• Thursday the 2nd May: Kids Helpline Session on Friendship

Have a restful weekend, 

Rachel, Katrina, Sophie, Jan and Taylar