What's Happening in the Junior School
Prep
What’s Happening in Prep: Weeks 9 and 10
The Preps have been busy problem solving and learning about the importance of recycling over the past two weeks as part of our Design and Technology Knowledge Unit. We designed and constructed a model of a new vehicle for Miss Hulls to get to school on time. We are also very excited to design and create our very own musical instruments this week. All out of recycled materials! Thank you for all of your donations. For the time being, we no longer require any more recycled materials as we have plenty to keep us going. We are very impressed with how much the students have learnt this term and we appreciate your support with continuing their learning, particularly reading, at home. Over the holidays students won’t take home any readers. During this time students can focus on their Decoding Detective/Word Wizard book and the sound pack.
Wellbeing
- identifying different sensory supports and calming techniques for emotional regulation
- identifying the size of the problem and ‘expected’ reactions
Literacy
- recognising the short vowel sound /e/ and consonant sounds /k/ kite
- revising all learnt phonemes (a, e, i, o, u, s, m, n, t, p, b, d, c, g, f)
- practising “finger spelling” to help sound out simple CVC words
Maths
- describing the position of familiar objects using words such as inside, underneath, top or bottom
- describing position in relation to other objects, using words such as behind, under, in front of, next to
- identifying left and right
Knowledge Unit
Big Question: How might we reuse and recycle products?
Over the next fortnight, students will be exploring the following lines of inquiry:
- Why do people work as a team?
- What is a product?
- Why do we reuse and recycle products?
- How do materials change?
Homework
Students take home three decodable readers in their reading pouch each week as well as their green Decoding Detective book. Please continue to read these with your child. Reading pouches are returned on Mondays to be changed over and checked by their teacher. Over the holidays students won’t take home any readers. During this time students can focus on their Decoding Detective/Word Wizard book and the sound pack.
Reminders
- Bee Dress Up Day - Thursday 3rd April
- Easter Assembly – Friday 4th April 9.10am
- Prep Easter Bonnet Parade – Friday 4th April 9.45am (Reminder students are to make/ bring their own bonnet from home)
- Final day of Term 1 – Friday 4th April (2:30pm dismissal)
Year 1
What’s Happening – Term 1 Weeks 9 and 10
Wellbeing
Students will be working on:
- Neurodiversity week – understanding of neurodiversity
- Talking about our differences and how we can be inclusive of these
- How we learn differently
Literacy
Students will be working on:
- Digraphs review of sh, th, and ch
- Digraphs wh, ph and ng
- Adding vivid verbs and amazing adjectives in our writing
- Recount writing
Maths
Students will be working on:
- Making two-digit numbers with concrete materials such as MAB
- Understanding the place value of hundreds, tens and ones
- Comparing two-digit numbers
- Use directional language such as forwards, backwards, left, right
Knowledge Unit
In our Knowledge Unit, students will investigate how people use fibres for a specific purpose. They identify a need for a product that could be used for a specific purpose. As part of the design solution, they investigate the properties of various fibres and, in consultation, they decide on the most suitable fibre for their design.
Take Home Readers
Each week, your child will take three decodables home. We strongly encourage students to reread these texts multiple times across the week as this is an important way novice readers develop automaticity and reading fluency. In addition, students are bringing home one quality text from their classroom library each week. As novice readers, they will not necessarily be able to read these books independently. However, they will benefit a great deal from hearing these texts read out loud by an expert (you!). It is very important these are returned with their take home decodable books on Mondays, as the books are swapped amongst their classmates. They will only get a new quality text if they have returned the previous week’s quality text.
Mathletics
Your child now has their Mathletics code pasted into their Homework Diaries. Activities have been set by the classroom teachers. Mathletics tasks will be set each Wednesday by your classroom teacher for students to work through at their own pace, if desired. Completing these tasks is optional.
Reminders
- Fruit and veggie break snack: Please ensure that students are bringing their fruit and veggie snack in a container separate to their lunch box. This supports students in transitioning during fruit and veggie break time in the classroom.
- Myuna Farm excursion coming up this Thursday 27th March.
Please make sure your child brings these items in a small, labelled backpack that they will be carrying throughout the day:
- Named school hat
- Sunscreen (be wearing it when they arrive at school. You may like to put some in their bag to top up over the day. Otherwise, the teachers will have a bottle of it with them)
- Snack and lunch in a named lunchbox
- Named water bottle
- Rain or wind coat depending on the weather forecast
Year 2
What’s Happening in Year 2 in Weeks 9 and 10
The Year 2 students are out of this world, with knowledge of space! After doing research on the planets in our solar system, we are starting our final task of designing our very own planet! The students will be writing a planet profile and creating an information poster. Students will then be crafting their own 3D planet. We can’t wait to see what they come up with!
Over the next fortnight, the Year 2 students will be learning:
Wellbeing
- Exploring our character strengths and unique qualities
- Discussing Neurodiversity week and Harmony Day
Phonics
- Reading and writing words with long spelling after a short vowel sound; -tch and -dge
- Reading and writing words ending in y as /i/ and /e/
- Reading and writing words ending with –le
Literacy
- Learning how to write an application to become an astronaut
- Using strong adjectives in our application letters
- Discussing new vocabulary from the book “Stellarphant”
- Using conjunctions in writing to connect two ideas
- Writing a paragraph about our made-up planet
Maths
- Demonstrating an understanding of subtraction vocabulary, concepts and problem-solving strategies
- Subtract within 20 by bridging-10 on ten frames
- We are learning to subtract within 20 by bridging-10 on a number line
- Subtracting single digit numbers to two-digit numbers (no bridging-10) using base-10 blocks & number lines
Knowledge Unit
This term, the Year 2 students are learning about Earth Sciences. We will be exploring the big question: Where is Earth within the solar system and how do changes in the Sun, Moon and stars affect our daily lives?
This fortnight we will be applying the knowledge we have learnt about the solar system, Moon, Sun and stars and designing our own planet.
Homework
Reading: Each week, your child will take three decodables home. In addition, each student will bring home one quality text from their classroom library each week. We strongly encourage students to reread these texts multiple times across the week as this is an important way novice readers develop automaticity and reading fluency.
Mathletics: Each student will have now received their Mathletics login, located inside their reading journal. Each week we will continue to set maths tasks for students to work through at their own pace, if desired. Completing these tasks is optional.
Reminders:
- Readers: Please make sure that your child returns their readers and text from the classroom library each FRIDAY.
- Planet Expo Afternoon: In Week 10 (the final week of Term 1), the Year 2 teachers would love to invite parents & carers into the classroom, to showcase the students very own planet. We will be hosting our Planet xpo on Thursday 3rd April from 3:10pm – 3:25pm.
- Space Dome incursion - Wednesday 26th March
