Welcome back, Prep students and families, to Term 3! We are excited for another term of big growth in Prepland. This term, we have a special milestone to look forward to—100 DAYS OF PREP, coming up in Week 3! We can't wait to celebrate all the learning and achievements we've made so far.

Initia Lit – Reading

Over the past fortnight, students have been introduced to five new sounds, including four digraphs. We have explored 'ck' as in duck, 'll' as in bell, 'ss' as in hiss, and 'ff' as in sniff, alongside our ‘w’ character, Wally the Worm. These new sounds have been incorporated into both reading and writing exercises.

Our storybook sessions featured "Superworm" by Julia Donaldson. Students engaged with the text by identifying words such as 'mutter,' 'cunning,' and 'mope,' discussing their meanings and acting them out. They also demonstrated their understanding by retelling events from the story.

In addition, we have been applying our new phonics knowledge to segment and blend CVC and CCVC words. Practise included words like wig, web, pick, duck, less, mess, fill, tell, huff, and puff. We also explored vowel sounds—'a,' 'e,' 'i,' 'o,' and 'u'—emphasising their importance in forming words.

We introduced question marks and discussed the difference between question and statement sentences. New tricky words added to these sentences included 'have,' 'here,' 'of,' and 'with.' Students continue to practise these and other tricky words daily, steadily building their confidence.

Maths

In Maths this fortnight, we focused on partitioning numbers up to 10 into two parts. Students used pipe cleaners and bead sliders, as well as number bond templates and counters for a hands-on approach to understanding how numbers can be split into different combinations. While this concept presented a challenge, it has been an excellent introduction to addition and subtraction. Some students, ready for a bit more, even explored larger numbers and the various pairs that make up these numbers.

Alongside partitioning, we also practised subitising to enhance their ability to quickly recognise the number of objects in a collection without counting. This skill is vital for developing number sense and fluency.

Integrated

In our first week back to school, we used our Integrated sessions to revisit classroom and school expectations to ensure a positive start to Term 3. Students refreshed their knowledge on floor learning expectations— legs crossed, banana hands in lap, eyes forward, and voices off- hand raised to share. We also practised our packing up expectations, moving quietly and safely with walking feet and working together to tidy our classroom space. Students learned to move around the school environment in straight lines with their partner, keeping hands to themselves, eyes forward, feet together and voice off.

This week, our Integrated focus shifted to exploring commemorations and celebrations around the world, starting with ANZAC Day. We discussed its significance and read the story ANZAC Ted by Belinda Landsberry to deepen our understanding.

In Respectful Relationships, Prep students learnt about Friendly and Unfriendly decisions. Working in small groups, they role-played scenarios in the playground to practise being friendly and then discussed their experiences. This activity supported our school values of United and Respect.

NAIDOC Week

Last week, instead of Developmental Play, we focused on NAIDOC Week, which occurred during the final week of the school holidays. We discussed the importance of NAIDOC Week and how it celebrates the history and culture of Indigenous Australians. The students learned about the Bunjil Eagle and its significance to Aboriginal people, then decorated their own Bunjil feathers to contribute to a whole-school Bunjil Eagle project led by Mrs. Carlin. I was very impressed by the respect the students showed during this lesson and their enthusiasm for using Earth and Aboriginal colours.

Supporters of Grayling