Prep

Reading:

This week in Prep, we are continuing to explore new sounds while strengthening our reading and writing skills. We are reviewing the /ē/ sound made by the letters ee, introducing the /z/ sound represented by z and zz, and being introduced to the /ch/ sound, made by the letters c and h together. Students are practising how to link these sounds to their letters, identify them in words, and use them in writing. They are also learning to blend sounds, recognise real words compared to made-up words, and write simple sentences using capital letters and full stops.

In addition, we are revising the sounds /sh/, /qu/, /ē/, /z/, /zz/ and now /ch/, and connecting each one to its correct spelling pattern. Students are working on recognising tricky words, using prompts to support recall and understanding. 

Writing: 

This week in our writing lessons, we have been learning how to write a complete sentence! This is an exciting milestone for our young writers as they begin to express their thoughts in written form with growing confidence and independence. We started by exploring the key features of a sentence, discussing what makes a sentence complete, and practising identifying capital letters (used at the beginning), finger spaces (between words), and full stops (at the end of a sentence). Students engaged in a hands-on sentence-building activity where they glued in a sentence strip, traced, cut, and rebuilt the sentence, copied it three times, and drew a matching picture to reinforce their understanding.

The next day, students were encouraged to use either a sentence stem or a picture prompt to create their own sentence. They focused on starting with a capital letter, using finger spaces, ending with a full stop, and drawing a picture to match their writing. We also integrated phonics into our writing by looking at CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) picture prompts, breaking the words into sounds, and using phoneme boxes and letter manipulatives to build or write each word. Students said the sounds aloud, read the word, traced the model sentence, practised reading it out loud, and finally attempted to write or copy it independently. These activities are building strong foundations in sentence writing and early spelling, helping students become confident and capable writers. We are so proud of their efforts and look forward to seeing how their writing continues to develop!

Maths: 

This term in Maths, our students have been busy exploring the attributes of mass and capacity through lots of hands-on and engaging activities.

We began by looking at mass and learning how to identify and compare objects by asking, which is heavier? Students experimented with two strategies: using their hands or bags to heft items and testing their predictions with balance scales. 

They enjoyed sorting objects into light and heavy, playing hefting games with partners, and even role-playing in our “fruit shop,” where they decided what to buy based on which fruit felt heavier. Another favourite was the mystery bag challenge, where students hid items for their partner to heft, predict, and then record, before checking to see if their guesses were correct. These activities gave students the chance to practise predicting, testing, and explaining their reasoning using new mathematical language such as heavier and lighter.

We then moved on to exploring the attribute of capacity, which was met with just as much excitement. Students compared how much different containers could hold by pouring between them, experimenting with the same amount of material in different containers, and predicting which one would hold more before testing their ideas. In the sandpit, they raced to fill containers and compared which was fuller, used scoops to see how many it would take to fill different-sized buckets, and played guessing games to predict how many small cups would be needed to fill a larger container. In the classroom, they also matched pictures of objects (such as a full or empty glass) with the correct word, practising the language of full, empty, more, less, and about the same.

Through these playful and practical experiences, students have developed a stronger understanding of how we can measure and compare everyday objects. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they share their thinking with their partners, make predictions, and check their answers in creative ways.

SEL and Other: 

Respectful Relationships

This week in Respectful Relationships, we learned about how we can help our classmates and the importance of knowing who to go to for help. The children practised using kind words and actions to support each other in the classroom and playground. We also discussed trusted adults and who to go to for help when at school such as teachers and the admin staff amongst others, who we can turn to when we need help, making sure students know they are never alone in solving problems.

Integrated (Geography)

In Geography, we explored the special features of our holiday adventures. The children enjoyed sharing their stories and identifying things like mountains, beaches, parks, and even city landmarks. We talked about how these features make each place unique and why they are memorable to us, helping students understand the world around them in a fun and personal way.

Culture

During Culture lessons, we discovered Indigenous games and learned about why they are so important. These traditional games not only help to build physical skills but also teach teamwork, respect, and a connection to culture. The students loved trying out some of these games themselves and began to see how play can be both fun and meaningful.