Hello from Grade 1/2S

It has been a busy term, just last week we hit our goal of 30 and added a puzzle piece to our whole school wide chart.

Reading and Writing

In literacy as we split into our grades we have been focussing on different topics.

In Grade 2, we’ve been exploring how words change when we add –ing. One tricky rule we've been working on is knowing when to double the last letter before adding –ing.

Here’s the rule we’ve been practising:

If a one-syllable word ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant, we double the last consonant before adding –ing. For example: run → running, hop → hopping
If the word ends in two vowels (like need) or has more than one syllable, we usually just add –ing. For example: need → needing, jump → jumping

To remember this, we have been looking at the rhyme

1 – 2 Double I do

1 – 2 – 3 No Double for me

Writing

We have been looking at informative text by looking through the book ‘Chicken’s in dinner suits’ and making our own informative text.

Grade 1 students this week have been diving into the sounds of “ew” and “ue”—two vowel teams that often make the long /oo/ sound, like in stew and blue! These patterns pop up in everyday words and can be a bit tricky at first, but with practice, students are learning to spot the difference.

We’ve been sorting, reading, and writing “ew” and “ue” words in class, noticing where they appear in words (often at the end!) and learning how to use them in sentences.

Here’s a cheeky challenge to try at home:

See how many “ew” or “ue” words your child can sneak into a dinner conversation! (Bonus points if it includes something stewed or if someone feels blue about doing the dishes!)

If your child can tell either Mr Jack or myself a word or two with these tricky sounds in it, we can add an extra point to their 20 tally.

The more playful we are with spelling, the stickier it becomes!

Maths

In Grade 1 and 2, we’ve been learning how to use maths to solve everyday problems—just like we do in real life! Whether we’re figuring out how much money we need to buy something, how many snacks to bring for a picnic, or how to share toys or treats fairly, students are learning to think like problem-solvers.

We’ve been:

Drawing pictures or using objects to help us understand the problem
Making a pattern based on what we kno
And explaining our answers in a way that shows what we did and why it works

We’re even exploring money maths, like shopping in our class store, making change, and working out what we can buy on a budget. These real-world activities help students connect what they’re learning to life outside the classroom.

At home, you can join in by asking questions like, “If we have $5, what can we buy?” or letting your child help count out coins for a small purchase. Learning through play and everyday tasks makes maths fun and meaningful!

Investigation

This week in Investigations, students have been developing their fine motor skills through a range of hands-on building activities. One of the highlights has been working with beads and loom bands—students have loved creating patterned bracelets and using beads creatively to make stoppers.

There’s also been a buzz around our Minecraft-themed building challenge, where students have brought their ideas to life by designing and constructing patterned buildings inspired by the game. It’s been fantastic to see so much creativity, focus, and collaboration as students explore, build, and express their ideas in different ways!

Gardening with Dan – A Taste of Thyme!

In gardening this week, Dan guided us through learning about different herbs and how to care for them. The highlight was a special experience: making fresh thyme tea using the fire pit! Students had the opportunity to enjoy thyme picked straight from the garden, paired with local honey harvested from Dan’s own bees that we collected just a few weeks ago.

There were lots of curious taste-testers—some students loved it so much they asked for seconds! Others thoughtfully suggested that the plants might need the tea more than we did, showing just how caring and connected they are to our garden space.

Bendigo Primary School Newsletter

Respect, Responsibility and Kindness

Term 2 Week 9 · 20 Jun 2025

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