From the Year Prep Classroom
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN FOUNDATION
We're really settled into our school routine now and are excited to see what our Preps has in store for us this year! In the last six weeks, we've really enjoyed getting to know your child and building some wonderful relationships! We’re excited to share that we've completed all our testing now too. Next week, during the Parent Teacher Learning Conversations, we'll have the chance to share your child's strengths and the specific areas we'll be focusing on teaching throughout the year. Be sure to book your spot as soon as you can using the PAM APP – we can’t wait to chat!
What’s happening in Religion?
A huge thank you for sharing your family photos with us! We have created a beautiful display that really showcases our wonderful families, and the kids have had such a great time sharing what makes their family special.
LENT & EASTER: We’ve started chatting about LENT, and the kids have been really excited about making promises for this special time leading up to EASTER. Some have committed to making their beds, being extra kind to their siblings, and even helping out with cleaning the house! We’re so proud of them for trying their best to keep those promises. Last week, we sent home the CARITAS box and talked about what it means to us. We discussed how doing little chores at home could help them earn some money to donate to those in need, or they could choose to share a bit of their own pocket money instead of grabbing something from the canteen. Remember, this is all about personal choice—there’s absolutely no pressure! Just do what feels right for you, and we’d love for you to return the box at the end of the term. Thanks for being a part of this LENTEN journey with us!
What’s happening in Literacy?
We’ve started an exciting journey into the world of letters and sounds with the kids! Your little one might have already shared their adventures with Maggie Mouse, focusing on the letter ‘m’ that makes the fun ‘mmmmm’ sound. This week, we’re all about Sammy Seal and the ‘ssssss’ sound he makes, and next week, we’ll meet Tommy Tiger with his ‘t’ sound! It would be wonderful if you could chat with your child about these letters and sounds at home. Maybe they can think of objects or names that start with ‘m’ or ‘s,’ or even go on a little letter hunt! A classic game of ‘I Spy’ could also be a lot of fun. The more engaging and playful you make it, the better they’ll remember it!
You might also encourage them to practice writing the letters ‘m’ and ‘s’ on paper, in the shower, in the sandpit, or even grab some chalk and doodle on the footpath. Each week, we dive into a new book, and after we read, we discuss the story's beginning, middle, and end while exploring new vocabulary which we call our ‘WOW WORDS.’ This week, we’re enjoying “The Zebra Who Ran Too Fast,” with wonderful words like wise, cheerful, and exhausted! These are great words to talk about and expand our vocabulary. Be sure to check out the adorable little zebras we created in art this week!
What’s happening in Maths?
We're really excited to share that we've been busy learning the days of the week, starting with Sunday! We loved playing the game ‘Sit down Sunday’. This is a wonderful chance for you to chat with your child about what day it is today, what day it was yesterday, and what day is coming up tomorrow. Encourage them to name the days in the correct order—it’s interesting to see how they do! We've now moved onto counting initially from 1 to 10, both forwards and backwards. We're focusing on 1:1 correspondence, so it's great to see if they can name each object as they count. Plus, we're learning how to write the numbers starting from the right spot. A fun activity you
can do at home is to practice writing the numbers on a piece of paper, a whiteboard, or even on the concrete with chalk. Happy learning everyone!
A Couple Little Reminders:
· Welcome to arrive at school from 8.30am onwards – Friday you can arrive earlier for running club with Mr O’Dwyer and Mr Hargraves on the basketball courts
· Return Library books every Friday so your child can borrow a new book for the week
· Wk 8 - Parent Teacher Learning Conversations next week – book in via PAM APP asap
· Wk 9 - Tuesday 25th March – ‘Handy Hints Night’ for our Prep Parent’s 6pm – 7pm
The Prep Team