Prep 

INFORMATION

🎭 Matilda Jr. - this week!

The week of our Matilda Jr. performances has finally arrived! It’s going to be a busy and exciting time in Prep!

Please make sure you keep up to date by reading all communication from Tim and Kristy about Wednesday’s rehearsal day and the performance nights. The information below was emailed to families last week.

Some additional reminders about the Wednesday dress rehearsal:

• Preps are to arrive at school in full costume on Wednesday. Please also pack a jumper or jacket, not only for warmth, but to cover and protect costumes during the day.
• To help keep costumes clean, please avoid packing messy foods that might spill or smear.
• Bring food and drink in a small backpack.
• iPads and book pockets are not needed at school on this day.
• Pack quiet activities that can fit into the small backpack.
• Please make sure everything is clearly labelled.
• We expect to be back at school by 3pm.

🎨 Specialist timetable - update regarding library sessions

Due to Matilda rehearsals, the library has been transformed into part of the set, making it tricky to run our usual library sessions. If your child has missed their library time, this is the reason why. We expect to return to our normal library routine next week, once everything is packed away and the space is restored.

CURRICULUM

‼️ Please note: With it being performance week, we’ll do our best to work through as much of our planned learning as we can.

📚 Phonemic awareness: reading and phonics

This week, we are learning a new digraph (two letters that work together to make one sound). Students will be introduced to the digraph CH, as in chip, and will also complete a review of the digraphs they have learned so far. Our focus will include:

• Learning the phonemes (the sounds the letters make)
• Practising the graphemes (how we write the letters with correct formation)
• Using cued articulation actions to support sound recognition
• Reading longer words such as lunch and chick
• Reading short texts that include the focus digraph, as well as previously learned digraphs

We’ll also learn the Heart Words: walk and talk, as well as reviewing previously learned heart words

What can you do at home?

• Help your child read the take-home book, decodable passages and Heart Words from their book pocket. Aim for fluency by the second day of reading. *A new page of Heart Words will be sent home this week.

As your child reads, encourage them to recognise familiar words instantly and only sound out unfamiliar ones.

• Enjoy bedtime stories together to build vocabulary, comprehension, and a love of reading.

• If you're interested in learning more about Cued Articulation, you can watch this helpful video by Jane Passey (the founder), where she explains and demonstrates each sound: Cued Articulation with Jane Passey

• Work through the optional UFLI home pages if you’d like some extra phonics practise at home.

📝 Literature: reading responses and writing 

Our Mentor Text is Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae, which we will continue exploring next week. We chose this story because it has a wonderful performance element that ties in beautifully with the spirit of our Matilda week! Students will focus on developing their questioning skills as they engage with the text.

Students will write during our Mentor Text sessions, focusing on answering questions to demonstrate their understanding of the text. With Father’s Day coming up on Sunday, we’ll also be preparing some special surprises to celebrate our dads and the important people in our lives.

What can you do at home?

• Practise 'boss letters' – Encourage your child to write the 'boss letter' (like c) and then practise its 'cousins' (a, d, g, o, q) on paper, whiteboards or even in sand. See the posters below.

• Build in authentic writing experiences like writing a shopping list, birthday cards, wish lists or notes for family members. 

• Say it, then write it – Ask your child to say their sentence out loud first, then write it down.

• Check for capitals and full stops – Remind your child to start with a capital letter and finish with a full stop.

•  Practise writing the Heart Words, taking care to notice the tricky 'heart' parts in the word.

🔢  Maths 

We are wrapping up our unit on sharing and grouping. Students will be identifying possible groups in collections up to 20 and applying their skills to solve simple grouping problems. We will be finishing the unit with a fun craft activity that lets students show their understanding in creative and hands-on ways.

What can you do at home?

• Share snacks equally by giving your child a small number of items and ask them to share them equally between two or three people.

• Use toys for sharing – practise dividing Lego pieces, cars or blocks evenly between groups.

• Ask “is it fair?” questions – after sharing, talk about whether each group has the same number, and if not, why.

• Involve your child in real-life tasks – let your child help share out cutlery, napkins or serving portions at mealtimes so everyone has the same amount.