From the Year Prep Classroom
Welcome back, everyone!
Now that we’re in Week 3, we’re well into our learning for the term. Students have been settling in beautifully as they build confidence, independence, and enthusiasm for learning. We’re really enjoying seeing their growth, discoveries, and those special “lightbulb moments” along the way.
We’ve recently been having gentle conversations with students to see who feels ready to come in on their own and begin their day independently. It’s been wonderful to see so many already taking this step with confidence.
We’re encouraging all students to keep building their independence and resilience at a pace that feels right for them. At the same time, we understand that every student (and family) is different, and this transition can take time.
Please know our door is always open and you’re very welcome to come in and chat with us anytime. If it’s easier, you can also give us a call or send an email with any questions or concerns. We’re here to support you every step of the way.
What’s happening in Religion?
We’ve begun exploring our church as a warm, welcoming place where our community gathers to celebrate. Students are learning about belonging to their family, school, and church, and are exploring the symbols of the Catholic Church. Last Thursday, we went on a short walk to the church and completed a fun treasure hunt to identify as many Catholic symbols as we could. We also met Father Jun Jun, who kindly shared insights about our church and Jesus.
In Literacy we are continuing to learn lots!
At the beginning of the term, we started sending home decodable books, which is a very exciting step! Even with just 8 letters (m, s, a, p, t, i, r, f), students are beginning to understand how reading works.
We use decodable books because they match the letters and sound students have learned, helping them practise blending and build confidence in reading. We encourage re -reading the same decodable multiple times and celebrate their progress as they become more confident and fluent readers. Listening to your child read a decodable book for the first time can be slow as they work to sound out words accurately. But when a child reads the same book for the week, they can build fluency through repetition, reading more smoothly, accurately, and with expression each time.
Reading at home is very important and we aim for them to read 4 nights per week. Please record what your child reads (or is read to) in their Term 2 Reading Diary, along with any notes. Lots of praise for effort! Please ensure your child brings their blue reading satchel each Friday so they can choose 2 new decodable books. Each Friday, we’ll aim to include a comment or tip on their progress.
At the back of your child’s Reading Diary, you’ll find a list of tricky words. These are words we teach explicitly, as they can’t be sounded out and need to be recognised by sight and learnt off by heart. If your child comes across a tricky word in their decodable book, please simply tell them the word.
If your child is not yet ready for decodable texts, we will focus on practising letter sounds and blending at home using a small notebook (e.g. s-a-t = sat, p-i-n = pin). Each week, we will add to this notebook, focusing on letters, sounds, CVC words, or simple sentences that have been taught at school and sent home for additional practice.
We love counting in Maths!
We have been focusing on counting and place value, using key language such as count, numeral, collection, 0–10, and friends of 10.
At home, you can support your child by practising counting everyday objects (toys, snacks, steps), recognising numbers 0–10, counting forwards and backwards and playing simple “friends of 10” games (e.g. what adds to make 10?). “Friends of 10” is a simple early maths concept that helps children learn pairs of numbers that add together to make 10.
For example:
- 1 + 9 = 10 or 9 + 1 = 10
- 2 + 8 = 10 or 8 + 2 = 10
- 3 + 7 = 10 or 7 + 3 = 10
- 4 + 6 = 10 or 6 + 4 =10
- 5 + 5 = 10.
A few little reminders...
A friendly reminder about our Mother’s Day Liturgy on Friday 8th at 10am, you’re warmly invited to join us! This is one of our favourite celebrations for the year and one not to be missed! If you haven’t already please send a photo of you and your child/children to Mrs McInness at mmcinness001@shyarrawonga.catholic.edu.au for the celebration.
Following our liturgy, you are all welcome back to school to join us for a morning tea in the Mercy Centre followed by a fun craft activity with your child. We’d love to see you there!
Mother’s Day Stall – Dads, this one’s for you! Wednesday, May 6th students are encouraged to ask Dad or Grandad for some money to spend at the Mother’s Day Stall. There will be gifts ranging from $2 to $10, and the kids love picking out special presents for their mum or grandma/nana.