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.
- Teddy Bear Day - June 17th
- Last Day of School 26th June - early dismissal 2:30- June 26th
- 100 days of PREP - July 27th
Please sit with your child and listen to them read their reader each day. Reading at home is so valuable 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
In Literacy, our Prep students have loved exploring the story The Cranky Bear. Through shared reading, discussions, students have been building their understanding of the characters, setting, and important events in the story. We have enjoyed talking about how the Bear and his friends might be feeling and making connections between the story and our own experiences. Students have been developing their confidence in retelling parts of the story, describing characters, and sharing their ideas through drawing, speaking, and early writing. As we explored the themes of kindness, friendship, and including others, our Prep learners demonstrated thoughtful reflections and growing empathy for those around them.
Prep students have been learning about what makes a sentence, focusing on who (nouns) and what they are doing (verbs). Using images from The Cranky Bear, we explored how to make simple sentences more interesting by adding details about where, when, and why something is happening. For example, we started with the simple sentence, “Bear roars,” and worked together to add more information: “In the cave, the bear roars loudly.” Students enjoyed expanding their sentences and developing their understanding of how descriptive details can make writing more engaging for the reader.
Preview - Children will explore the book ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!'. Students will learn about the characters, talk about what is happening in the story, and share their ideas and opinions. They will make predictions, discuss the Pigeon’s feelings, and explain why characters make certain choices. Through reading, speaking, drawing, and writing activities, students will continue to build their literacy skills while having fun with this engaging and humorous text.
Knowledge Rich
This fortnight in Knowledge Rich, Prep students have completed an exciting journey around the world as we explored all seven continents. Through songs, photographs, and clear explicit instruction, students have been learning about Europe, Antarctica, and Australia. They have enjoyed discovering the different landscapes, animals, and people who live in these places. It has been a wonderful opportunity to build our understanding of the world and spark curiosity about life across different continents.
Mathematics
Over the past fortnight, we have continued our unit of learning on ‘Counting and Place Value’. Students have been exploring numbers in different ways by using ten frames, collections, pictures and base-ten blocks/materials to help them count, compare and represent quantities. We have been practising identifying numbers up to 20 and matching numerals to amounts, and identifying missing numbers on a number line.
Students have also been learning about groups of ten and ones, finding one more and one less, and investigating how numbers can be made and broken apart in different ways using tens frames, counters and base-ten blocks.
Preview- We will introduce a new topic of learning ‘Shape’, where students will learn to identify, name and describe 2D shapes such as circles, squares, rectangles and triangles. Through hands-on activities, they will explore shape features, find shapes in everyday objects, sort and create shapes, and use mathematical language to explain their thinking. Students will also have opportunities to make shapes using a variety of materials, investigate how shapes can be combined to create new designs, and develop their spatial awareness through building and problem-solving tasks. This unit helps build students’ confidence and understanding of geometry in fun and engaging ways.
Wellbeing- Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships
During our recent Respectful Relationships (RRRR) lesson, students explored and celebrated their personal and cultural strengths. Together, we discussed qualities such as being kind, helpful, patient, brave, neat, hardworking, and friendly, and reflected on the unique strengths that make each of us special. Students proudly shared their own strengths with their classmates and created a beautiful handprint tree display as a cohort. Each student selected a strength that they felt best represented them, with words such as kind, patient, and brave surrounding our collaborative artwork. The display is a wonderful reminder of the many positive qualities that help our classroom community grow and thrive.
Preview- As we wrap up a wonderful term of learning, students will participate in their final Circles and Buddy sessions for the term. These sessions will provide an opportunity to reflect on the friendships they have built, the skills they have developed, and the many achievements they have accomplished throughout the term. We look forward to celebrating their growth and learning together before a well-deserved break.
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: Mr. Lin
Things I like: I really enjoy playing basketball, going on trips to new places, and working with numbers.
In my free time, I like taking my kids to parks, where we can enjoy nature and have fun together.
Favourite Colour: Green
Favourite Foods: I love spicy food because it's so flavourful and gives a little kick!
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 & Ava
PB- Sienna & George Silcock
PS- Goarna & Matilda
The Prep Team
Mrs Sandeman, Miss Bouloukis and Miss Sweetten