Grade 2 News
📅 Important Dates & Reminders
All important dates and events are available on our Compass Calendar. Please check the calendar regularly to stay up to date.
Upcoming Dates and Key Information
Thursdays W1-5 - Swimming Program
Monday 17th August - LPS Science Day and Parent Open Afternoon (from 2:30pm)
Tuesday 18th August- Melbourne Museum consent and payment due
Monday 24th August - Book Week Dress up and Parade (2:40pm)
Tuesday 25th August and Wednesday 26th August - Parent/Teacher Interviews (Information TBC)
Tuesday 25th August - Sun Smart School Hat Program
Thursday 3rd September - Father’s Day Stall
Wednesday 9th September - Melbourne Museum Excursion
Friday 18th September -Footy Day Dress Up & Last Day of Term - 2.30pm Dismissal
*Icy Poles will be sold by the Grade 6s on Monday and Tuesdays! $1 each*
Learning Reflection
📖 Literacy
Literature
This fortnight students wrote a stanza poem about friendship. Students engaged in editing to improve their writing focusing on rhyme, rhythm and word choice. Students practised reading their poems aloud, ensuring appropriate pace, volume, expression and tone. They gave feedback to a partner to refine their presenting skills before sharing their poems in small groups during our whole cohort high tea. This was a lovely way to celebrate our learning about poetry. Thank you for bringing in a plate to share for everyone, the students really enjoyed themselves and did such an amazing job at both presenting their poems and listening respectfully to the speaker.
This week, we started our new unit centered around the text Walking in Gagudju Country: Exploring the Monsoon Forest by Ben Tyler and Diane Elizabeth Lucas. We engaged in a shared read aloud with a focus on recalling key ideas and events in the texts, as well as answering questions. Using sentences from the text, we revised compound sentences, using coordinating conjunctions (and, but, so, or), to connect our ideas. Students also reviewed pronouns to avoid repeating the noun multiple times in a passage. Later, we expanded sentences to add a frontal adverbial phrase at the start of the sentence to add the ‘when’ detail.
Side note -we are loving the home learning creations students have been making that relate to our literature unit! If you have the time and would like to get creative, here is some inspiration! Click here for more ideas.
Preview - Students will continue exploring the text, honing in on the author’s message/ main point. They will also learn to use commas in a list.
Word Work
We have been looking at the second job of the Silent Final E (SFE) over the last fortnight in Word Work. We have been learning that words don’t end in ‘v’ or ‘u’, so we need to add e to the end.
Knowledge Rich
We started our unit called Representing Places, which is all about the Geography of Australia. Students identified where we live by naming our suburb, state and country. We looked at a map of Australia, identifying where the states and territories are on a map. Students zoomed in on a map of our suburb and used directional language such as ‘near, next to, and far’ to describe its location. Students also discovered how people are connected from different places in the world through transport and technology. We compared the landscapes of Australia by describing images and features of urban, rural and remote places in Australia. Further, we explored First Nations language maps and explained how these places are traditional lands with deep cultural and spiritual connections.
Preview - We will explore where Australia is on a world map and our connections to other countries.
➗ Maths
Over the past two weeks in Mathematics, we have completed our Multiplication and Division unit. Students explored a range of strategies for solving division problems, including sharing equally, equal grouping and partitioning numbers into smaller parts. We also focused on solving simple word problems and identifying the unit in multiplicative problems, helping students think carefully about what is being counted or grouped and whether a problem is asking for how many groups, how many items in each group, or the total.
We have now started our new Shape unit. Students have been learning to name, identify and describe two-dimensional shapes using mathematical language such as sides, vertices (corners), curved and straight lines. We also investigated parallel lines and looked for examples in both shapes and the environment around us.
This week, students began exploring polygons, learning that polygons are closed shapes made only from straight sides. We practised identifying and sorting regular polygons (where all sides and angles are equal) and irregular polygons (where sides and/or angles are different). Students also sorted polygons based on their features and explained the reasons for their choices, which encouraged deeper mathematical thinking and discussion.
Preview - Coming up in Mathematics, students will explore how two-dimensional shapes can be combined and split to create new shapes and will investigate ways to create and manipulate different polygons. We will also look at how shapes can be rotated to create patterns and identify the many ways two-dimensional shapes are used in everyday life.
😊 Wellbeing
This week in Wellbeing, our Grade 2 students explored gender norms and stereotypes while learning about personal preferences, interests and strengths. We discussed how our likes and abilities may be similar to or different from others, and that these differences make each of us unique.
Students enjoyed playing The Fruit Salad Game, where they discovered similarities and differences between themselves and their classmates in a fun and engaging way. Through this activity, we reinforced that there is no right or wrong activity for anyone to enjoy—everyone has different interests, and that's what makes us special.
We also explored how our interests can change over time as we grow, learn new things and discover new hobbies. By recognising and valuing each other's differences, students are developing empathy, respect and the confidence to celebrate what makes everyone unique.
Preview - Over the next fortnight, students will learn to challenge stereotypes respectfully, celebrate everyone's interests, and develop an understanding of fair play, inclusion and respect for others.
🏀 Hoop Time!
Last Friday the Grade 2s were lucky enough to participate in Hoop Time! The day began with basketball clinics run by Basketball Victoria staff and SEDA College students, followed by mini games. We were incredibly proud of the way the students demonstrated such great sportsmanship and teamwork!
📚 Grade 2 Homework Options
If you would like some additional homework activities - CLICK HERE
From the Grade 2 Teachers
Zoe Callanan, Bronte Darvidis, Mikayla Harvey and Amanda Remington