School of Foundations
Early Stage 1
English
Kindergarten students have been learning to write simple sentences. When writing they are being supported to write beginning sounds, stretch out words to spell them and re-read their sentences to check if it makes sense. The students have access to a bank of known words to help create their message, and have the opportunity to verbally share their message with a peer before writing. Additionally, teachers have been modelling the writing process during the writing session so the students are able to see what a good writer does when they are writing.
Health
Kindergarten children watched a small clip from the Disney movie, Inside Out. In order to help the children name their emotions, they made a list of different feelings. To help manage their emotions, the children were introduced to the calm space. The calm space is a place in the classroom where the child may go when they are feeling overwhelmed by their feelings. There are sensory toys, breathing exercises and small activities that help the child process their feelings. The attached feelings chart is similar to what we use in the classroom to support children in regulating their emotions.
Picture of the calm spaces?
Mathematics
Students this week have been engaging in activities that encourage the children to combine two smaller collections to make one large collection - this is known as addition. They have been solving problems using counters, and have been recording their thinking using pictures, numbers and words. This will continue next week.
You may support your child with their learning in these areas by:
- Asking them to write a message to a family member or write about a special place they have visited. Ask them to record the beginning sound of the words they are trying to write. Encourage your child to use their sight words to help them compose their message;
- Does your child have a space in their home that they may use to process their big feelings? Do you have a chart that may be of use so they can name their feelings? It may be helpful to co-create this space with your child. Use this feelings chart to help you. Generation Mindful has a great parent resource hub with printables and a virtual calming corner which may also be of assistance.
- Can you encourage your child to add everyday items together? How many forks and knives are there at the dinner table altogether? Allow your child to count all the forks first, then the knives? What other ways can you ask your child to combine two collections to find the total
Stage 1
English
In Stage One, continuing with fairy tales in Reading and Writing, students have started looking at Story Maps. This week students got the opportunity to break down and sequence the story in order. The students worked on the skills of re-telling key information from the text. This skill shows us that our students are able to comprehend not only the story but also summarise the key events. During reading we were linking our phonemic awareness with the focus on rhyming and asking students to identify examples from our Fairy Tale, The Princess and The Pea.
Mathematics
In Mathematics we have been learning about jump strategy. Students worked on addition and subtraction using jump strategy on the number line. Using a number sentence, students looked at ways in which they can problem solve. They used their place value and partition of numbers to make it easier for them to solve the problem.
Religion
This week in Religion we have been learning to retell a Bible story. Students are learning how Jesus teaches us about mercy and forgiveness.They are also learning how to think about the story, retell the Bible story using pictures, words and sentences, explain what God is trying to teach me and explore ways that I can do this in our own life. On Tuesday, we were blessed to get Deacon Tony to visit Stage 1 to talk about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Students also had the chance to ask him some questions and have an interactive session with him.
Inquiry Through our inquiry unit in Science, students have been exploring the different types of digital technologies from the past to the present. This week students investigated the topic “Digital or Not” by sorting pictures into the correct category. During this activity, students discussed what makes an object digital. At home, you may support your child by asking them what types of technology they have and what the purpose of this technology is. As we move through the last part of the term, students will be exploring hardware and software, and ways to use software to create presentations.
Stage 2
English
In Stage Two, we have continued our learning about persuasive texts. This week we looked at how we can make our writing better with a ‘bump it up’ wall. We critically analysed some writing pieces and then thought about where our writing would sit and our next steps.
Cooperative Learning:
In cooperative learning this week, we had to complete a building task that required lots of communication and team work skills. We had to build a tower out of 5 pieces of paper, masking tape and scissors. The tallest tower with the smallest footprint won. We learnt that ‘footprint’ can mean the space that is taken up on the ground!
Stage 2 Liturgy: This week Stage 2 celebrated our first Stage 2 Liturgy of the year. The theme was ‘How does God guide me to reach out to others?’. This linked with our inquiry unit this term and consolidated the learning for us.
