Prep News

Welcome to our Prep newsletter! 

📅 Important Dates & Reminders

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

Please sit with your child and listen to them read their reader each day. Reading at home is so valuble as it helps your child: 

• Practice builds fluency — learning to read is like learning any skill; frequent repetition helps words become automatic.
• One-on-one attention — a parent listening to a child read gives immediate encouragement and correction.
• Confidence — reading the same levelled books at home can help children feel successful and willing to take risks in class.

• Stronger home-school connection — teachers can teach strategies, and home practice helps consolidate them.

  Thank you for your ongoing support

Literacy 

This fortnight in Prep, students have been exploring the text Fang Fang’s Chinese New Year. Through this unit, students are developing early literacy skills including speaking, listening, vocabulary, sequencing, and comprehension.

We have been learning about Fang Fang’s experiences with family, language, and cultural identity. This has led to meaningful class discussions about families, traditions, celebrations, and the different languages spoken in our community. Students have enjoyed making connections between the story and their own lives.

As part of our learning, students have been:

• discussing characters, setting, and key events
• sequencing the beginning, middle, and end of the story
• exploring new vocabulary
• responding to questions about characters’ feelings
• participating in partner and whole-class discussions
• creating simple story maps and retelling events

Preview - 

We will be reading the book The Very Cranky Bear. Students will explore how characters’ feelings and actions help shape a story. They will build their oral language skills by retelling key events, discussing how the animals solved problems, and making connections to their own experiences. Students will also develop early literacy skills through shared reading, vocabulary exploration, and creating their own responses to the text through drawing, writing, and dramatic play. 

Knowledge Rich

This fortnight in Knowledge Rich, our Prep students have enthusiastically begun our new unit, “Let’s Explore Our World”! So far, we have collected passports for Asia, Africa, and North America as we journey around the globe together. Students have been learning about what life is like for children living in these places and discovering what makes each culture and way of life unique. We have also explored the different foods, activities, and animals that make these places so interesting and special. In class, students have started practising writing sentences and drawing pictures about the animals we have learned about. We are excited to continue our adventures and learn even more about our wonderful world!

Preview - Over the next fortnight, our Prep students will continue their exciting journey around the world as we travel to South America and Europe. Students will discover what life is like for children living in these continents and learn about the unique cultures, foods, activities, landmarks, and animals found there. We will also continue practising our writing skills by creating sentences and drawings about the new animals and places we explore. We look forward to seeing our students’ curiosity and excitement grow as our world adventures continue!

Mathematics

Over the past fortnight, students have revisited Counting and Place Value. We have been developing students' understanding of teen numbers, through hands-on activities, counting collections accurately, recognising and writing numerals, comparing quantities and exploring place value concepts, such as ‘one group of ten and how many more’. Students have also been identifying ‘one more’ and ‘one less’, and using mathematical language to explain their thinking. It has been wonderful to see students growing in confidence as they build strong foundations in number knowledge and problem-solving skills. 

Preview- Next fortnight we will be continuing our unit on Counting and Place Value, focusing on comparing and ordering numbers up to 20, identifying numbers on a number line and continuing reading, writing and making numbers up to 20. 

Wellbeing- Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships 

This fortnight in Wellbeing, we participated in a whole-school Circles session. Our Prep students always look forward to their buddies coming to collect them and taking them to meet their special Circles teacher and Grade 6 leaders.

This week, our leaders guided us through activities focused on our school value of Respect. We also completed our Circles group posters by colouring in our special group name logos. For example, Mrs Sandeman’s group name is Mrs Sandeman’s Strengthening Salads and they decrated fruit salad bowls.

Preview- Next fortnight we will be looking at each other's personal and cultural strengths and the importance of sharing.

Curious Corner -

PMP - 

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 

Meet the Teacher

Name: Mrs Pepper

Things I like: Playing fun games with my two boys, Louis (6 years old) and Archie (4 years old), going on big bushwalks and going away in our caravan!

Favourite Colour: I have two favourite colours – green & purple

Pets: Two cheeky dogs, their names are Frankie and Baru

 Birthdays 

Student Awards 

We would like to congratulate the following award winners on their achievements!

Please note, you will be notified before your child receives their first award. 

PA- Will.D

PB- Ilaria 

PS- Max 

The Prep Team

Mrs Sandeman, Miss Bouloukis and Miss Sweetten