Grade 1 Community News

Dear Grade 1 Families, 

We welcome you back to another term of exciting learning and hope you all had a restful break. Starting off the with award winners for these two weeks:

InitiaLit

We are focusing on spelling and using contractions, like ‘can’t, won’t, shouldn’t’ in sentences. 

We have been learning about the sound /eer/ spelt with the letters ‘ear’ and ‘eer’ at the end of words. We have encountered words such as year, near, fear; and steer, deer, cheer.

We have also learnt about the sound /air/ spelt as ‘air’ and ‘are’ in words such as hair and care.

InitiaLit - Tricky Words 

can’t, don’t, didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t

How you can support at home:

• Making up sentences that contain contractions. For example, “I can’t swim with sharks!”
• Read for a few minutes each night and ask your child to spot words with our focus sounds.
• Practise the tricky words by writing them on paper, saying them aloud, or using them in a sentence.
• Find verbs and homophones you find in your books while reading and write them down. 

Storybook & Vocabulary

We are reading the text “Today We Have No Plans” by Jane Godwin, which is a gentle picture book about a family enjoying a day together without a set schedule. The book talks about discovering joy in simple, everyday moments. 

Here are our vocabulary words:

Ask your child about the meaning of each vocabulary word and encourage them to use the words in a sentence or describe a situation where they might use each word.

Writing

In Writing, we began the term by writing a short recount or retell about something we did during the holidays. A retell is when we write about something that has already happened. We used our knowledge of writing in the past tense, including using the suffix -ed at the end of verbs. We also practised writing sentences using the vocabulary words above to demonstrate our understanding.

In Week 2, we revisited boundary punctuation, and the importance of re-reading our writing to check where punctuation is needed. This includes making sure sentences begin with a capital letter and end with the correct punctuation mark (. ! or ?) depending on the sentence type. We also practised using contractions, identifying both the long and shortened forms of words. For example:

did not → didn’t

I didn’t watch TV after dinner.

How you can support at home:

• Encourage your child to write short sentences about their day, a weekend activity or something they have enjoyed.
• Ask your child to re-read their writing and check for capital letters, full stops and correct punctuation.
• Practise changing words into contractions, such as cannot → can’t and will not → won’t.
• Encourage your child to our new vocabulary words when speaking and writing at home.

Maths

We have been learning about:

Sharing and arrays (with no remainders) as an introduction to early division skills.

Continuing patterns by identifying which part of the pattern repeats, and drawing the next part of the pattern.

Measuring volume using informal units and remembering that there should be no gaps or overflow when measuring.

How you can support at home:

• Practise addition and subtraction facts regularly using a short timer to build fluency and confidence. Keep these sessions short and focus on improving accuracy before speed.
• Practise sharing objects equally between people, such as sharing toys, snacks or blocks.
• Create simple patterns using household objects and ask your child to continue the pattern.
• Let your child practise measuring the volume of containers using informal units such as cups, spoons or small blocks. Remind them to measure carefully with no gaps or overflow.

Humanities

Students have been learning about Ancient Egypt, with a focus on its land, water and climate. Students have explored the importance of the Nile River and how it supported daily life, influenced where people lived, and helped communities thrive. 

We have also practised locating Ancient Egypt on a map and identifying how the local environment supported the people who lived there.

Respectful Relationships

We have been learning about fairness, rules and gender equality. We have explored how rules help everyone participate fairly and how unfair behaviour can make others feel hurt or upset. Students have also practised ways to challenge gender stereotypes and respond when someone says they cannot do something simply because of their gender.

Here are some reflection points for you and your child:

• What makes a game or activity fair?
• How might someone feel if they were treated unfairly?
• What could you say if someone told you that you couldn’t do something because of your gender?

Reminders 

• Students MUST wear hats in Term 4. Please purchase one from the school uniform shop if needed.
• Please label uniform items with your child’s name clearly. 
• Please continue to read every night and ensure your child swaps their take home readers on their allocated day. 
• Please check Compass for information on the upcoming Grade 1 Melbourne Zoo Excursion. Consent and payment ($53 non-refundable) is DUE on the 23rd of November 2026. Please check the dates below to find out when you child’s class will be going:

Monday, November 30th, 2026: 1C, 1D, 1H, 1K

Tuesday, December 1st, 2026: 1B, 1F, 1G, 1I

Thursday, December 3rd, 2026: 1A, 1E, 1J, 1L

•  Please watch until 6:34 to view and practice the words we have learnt so far. 

Warm regards and we hope you enjoy this final term for 2026!

Ms. Santos, Ms. Duncan, Ms. Laura Ms. Marsden, Ms. Newman, Ms. T, Ms. Hannah, 

Ms. Stafford, Ms. Chandler, Mrs. Mill, Ms. Fetolofai and Ms. Doris of PLC1 😊