Prep News

We hope you enjoyed your holidays! We are excited for a new term ahead. 

 

Welcome to our Prep newsletter! We are excited to share our amazing learning and journey together. Please check the timetable below for your child's weekly Specialist times, including Library and Curious Corner.

📅 Important Dates & Reminders

All important dates and events are available on our Compass Calendar. Please check the calendar regularly to stay up to date.

• Term 2 Save the date May 8th 9:15-10:15 PREP Mother’s Day/ Special person morning  
• Please remind students to bring their ‘red bag’ back to school with Library books inside ready to return on your child's allocated Library day.
• Students are required to bring their take-home bags to school daily. Please always check inside these for important information, notices or student work. 
• Please support your child's reading journey by practising reading with the ‘'Letter Tiles', 5 minutes daily. Begin at 2 letter words (e.g. it, an, in) and slowly build up to 5 letter words (e.g. snips, spins, spits.)
• Take home readers coming soon!!! 

Literacy 

Welcome to Literacy Term 2! We are excited for another wonderful term of learning in Prep as we continue to build strong foundations through reading and writing.

This Term, our learning will be guided by rich mentor texts including The Very Cranky Bear, Fang Fang, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and The Eleventh Hour. These texts will support students to develop their understanding of characters, problem solving, and different ways stories can be told.

Students will develop their oral language skills by engaging in structured discussions, retelling events, and responding to texts. There will be a strong focus on building vocabulary, listening carefully, and speaking clearly to share ideas.

In English, students will participate in explicit teaching of early reading and writing skills. This includes developing phonemic awareness, learning letter–sound relationships, blending and segmenting sounds, and beginning to write simple sentences. Students will also learn to identify characters, settings, and key events, and to understand how texts are organised.

Through our learning, students will explore emotions, relationships, and how characters respond to different situations. They will learn to identify feelings, consider the perspectives of others, and practise strategies that support positive interactions.

In Word Work students will be supported to build independence and confidence in their ability to decode (read) and encode (write) CVC and CVCC words by learning new sounds and digraphs (e.g. ch, ck, ng, wh, th and sh). 

Knowledge Rich

Over the coming term in Prep, students will begin exploring two exciting units- My History and Let’s Explore Our World. 

In My History, students will explore their own personal stories and begin to understand the concept of the past. They will reflect on important events in their lives, such as birthdays, family traditions, and milestones. Through discussions, drawings, and shared experiences, students will learn about time, change, and how everyone has a unique history.

In Let’s Explore Our World, students will expand their understanding of places and environments beyond their immediate surroundings. They will learn about different landscapes, weather, and features of the natural world, as well as how people interact with and care for places. This unit will encourage curiosity, observation, and questioning as students begin to make connections about the world they live in.

Across both units, there will be a strong focus on building knowledge through rich texts, and meaningful classroom discussions. Students will be supported to develop their vocabulary, share ideas, and grow in confidence as learners.

Mathematics

This term, our Foundation students will build strong early numeracy skills through hands-on, play-based learning. They will explore key concepts including Part–Part–Whole, Counting, Place Value, Shape, and Location, helping them develop confidence and curiosity in mathematics.

Part–Part–Whole - Students will learn how numbers can be broken into smaller parts and put back together again. Using concrete materials, they will explore ways to make numbers up to 10 (for example, 5 can be made from 2 and 3 or 4 and 1). This supports early addition and subtraction and helps students understand how numbers are connected. 

Counting - Students will practise counting forwards and backwards, recognising numbers, and connecting number names to quantities. They will count collections, compare groups, and begin to understand “how many” items there are, developing strong number sense and confidence with numbers to at least 20. 

Place Value - Students will begin to understand that numbers represent quantities and can be shown in different ways (such as using objects, drawings, or numerals). They will explore numbers to 10 and beyond, building an early understanding that numbers can be composed and represented in meaningful ways. 

Shape - Students will explore familiar 2D and 3D shapes by identifying, naming, and describing their features. Through sorting, building, and exploring their environment, they will begin to recognise shapes in everyday life.

Location - Students will develop their understanding of position and movement by using everyday language such as above, below, next to, and behind. Through play and guided activities, they will describe where objects are and follow simple directions, building spatial awareness.

Wellbeing- Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships 

In the first part of the RRRR (Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships) program, Prep students will focus on Topic 1: Emotional Literacy and Topic 2: Personal Strengths.

Students will learn to recognise, name, and express a range of emotions, as well as practise simple strategies to help manage their feelings in everyday situations. Alongside this, they will explore their own personal strengths and what makes them unique, helping to build confidence and a positive sense of self.

Through stories, discussions, and engaging classroom activities, children will be encouraged to share their ideas and learn to appreciate the strengths and differences of others, supporting a strong sense of belonging in our classroom.

Happy Hat Parade 

We were absolutely delighted to see so many creative and joyful hats at our Happy Hat Parade! We hope you loved our Prep performance as much as we loved sharing it with you.

Homework

Prep 2026, Additional Homework

Literacy 

Learning to read is a complex and gradual process that requires consistent practise both at school and at home.

• Enjoy reading to your child nightly using books from your home, local library and school library. 
• Practise the ‘Letter Tiles’ SATPINM sounds and building words nightly. Please watch this video if unsure. 
• Practise writing your name, numbers and SATPINM letters (both lowercase and uppercase).

Mathematics

• Numbers and mathematical concepts are everywhere in the world around us, engage your child by:
• Playing board games and using a dice and/or playing cards
• Reading and writing numbers 1-20

Meet the teacher 

Name: Mrs Roose

Things I like: Being a dance mum to my two girls, travelling, and the outdoors.

In my spare time: I enjoy reading, catching up with family and friends,  and taking dance classes.

Favourite Colour: Blue 

Pets: I have a Groodle called Luna

 Birthdays 

The Prep Team

Mrs Sandeman, Miss Bouloukis and Miss Sweetten