School of Foundations
Week 6, Term 1, 2026
ZINGActiv - a Physical Education Experience
Throughout this term, each grade from K–6 will have the opportunity to participate in the ZING Program, enjoying a dedicated day of engaging and energetic sporting activities. Students are developing fundamental movement skills, coordination, teamwork and resilience, while building confidence in a supportive and inclusive environment. Most importantly, the sessions are filled with fun, laughter and positive encouragement, strengthening both physical wellbeing and our sense of community.
Below are some photos of the grades who have participated thus far — we look forward to sharing more in our next The Net.
The next assembly will be hosted by Year 2 in Week 8, Thursday 19th March at 1:40 pm in the Marketplace. We warmly welcome all parents to join us in celebrating the learning and achievements of our students. There is a wonderful sense of pride as children, staff, and families come together to sing the National Anthem at the start of our assemblies — a moment that truly gives you chills and highlights the spirit of our school community.
Acknowledging Achievements
At our school, we love to celebrate the achievements of our students, both big and small. Whether it’s excelling in the classroom, showing kindness and resilience, or pursuing personal goals, every accomplishment is an opportunity to recognise effort, growth, and dedication. Sometimes these celebrations are shared in our Learning Spaces in front of peers, through one-to-one feedback, at assemblies, as Pillar Bricks, or in communication with parents. In every case, our aim is to build confidence in our learners and to acknowledge that each of us has unique talents to contribute and celebrate. Recognising achievements not only boosts confidence and motivation but also inspires others, fostering a positive and supportive school community where every student feels valued and proud of their learning journey.
There’s always so much happening in the School of Foundations, and we love sharing these stories with you! Thank you for being part of our vibrant school community — we look forward to celebrating more learning, achievements, and special moments together throughout the term.
Enjoy the week ahead!
Nicole Emerton SOF Head of School (Acting)
Kindergarten
Term 1 Week 6
English
Our Kindergarten students have been practising sitting ‘knee to knee, eye to eye’ (facing each other) for Speaking and Listening to communicate a message about a topic. The students have been given sentence starters to help such as ‘On the weekend I …’. They have been prompted to use full sentences to communicate their message. In Reading the students have been exploring concepts about print such as looking at the book structure, understanding where the words begin and reading from left to right and top to bottom. They have been applying strategies to help work out a word such as looking at the pictures. In Writing, the students have been introduced to sight words such as ‘I’, ‘can’ ‘see’. They have begun listening to the sounds in words, especially the initial sound to help them write a word and convey their message.
Mathematics
Our Kindergarten mathematicians have been busy exploring the wonderful world of patterns! We’ve been learning how to spot patterns all around us and talking about what makes a pattern repeat. The children have been creating their own patterns using concrete materials like blocks, beads, counters, and colorful classroom objects. Describing their patterns using words like “red, blue, red, blue” or “big, small, big, small.” Challenging themselves to figure out “What comes next?” Through hands-on play and exploration, students are building important early math skills while having lots of fun.
We have also been working on counting different collections and proving our answer. Kindergarten have enjoyed counting lots of different types of objects. We have engaged in warm ups where we practice writing our numbers and counting.
Religion
In Religion, Kindergarten have been discovering how sharing helps us be amazing friends! Our students drew beautiful pictures of the ways they share at home and at school, then proudly shared their ideas with the class. We heard wonderful examples of toys, games, and lots of kindness being shared. We are learning that sharing isn’t just about toys — it’s about showing love, spreading kindness, and helping others have what they need. We are so proud of our caring little superstars!
Other
Our Kindergarten students have been working hard during Literacy Groups and having lots of fun while they learn! Some of the activities we’ve been exploring include strengthening our fine motor skills and practising handwriting, matching letters and sounds, and building confidence with our sight words. The classroom has been buzzing with excitement as students rotate through hands-on activities, games, and learning tasks.
Other Messages
Pencil Grip
Pencil grip is very important for your child’s learning. Please see image below for the correct pencil grip visual.
For more information on pencil grips visit this site and this site.
Headphones
- Just a reminder that for K-2 students the headphones that are compatible with our school iPads is the 3.5mm connection. See below for reference;
Stage 1
Term 1 Week 6
English Lions
In Year 1 Writing, students have begun exploring narrative writing by describing characters and settings. They have been learning about a character’s outside traits (physical appearance) and inside traits (feelings and actions), and how to use adjectives to create detailed descriptions.
Students in Lions drew and described their own characters, then entered their descriptions into Gemini to see how accurately their words created an image. They were amazed by how closely the AI images matched their writing!
Students have also been describing settings using their five senses. We look forward to using these skills to create full stories with a clear beginning, middle and end in the coming weeks.
Mathematics
Over the past two weeks in Year 2 Maths, students have been exploring patterns!
Our Learning Intention was: We are learning to recognise, create, and explain different types of patterns using shapes and numbers.
Students have been busy creating and recording repeating patterns with shapes, identifying the repeating core (such as AB, ABC, ABB), and finding missing parts in patterns. They’ve also explored growing and shrinking patterns using addition and subtraction, and have been describing the rules that make patterns change.
We even looked at symmetry and how we can draw lines to split shapes in half and identify symmetrical designs.
We’re so proud of the way they are demonstrating their mathematical thinking!
Religion - Wizards
In Religion year 1 have been learning about how we care for God’s creation through the unit “How We Care for Creation.” Students explored the Parable of the Talents and reflected on how God gives each of us special gifts and talents. We discussed how we can use our talents to help others, care for the world around us, and make loving choices each day.
To begin our learning about Lent, we gathered together for our Ash Wednesday liturgy and learnt about the meaning of the ashes as a sign of turning our hearts back to God. Students discovered that Lent is a special time to grow closer to God by focusing on three important practices: prayer, almsgiving and fasting. We explored how prayer helps us talk and listen to God, almsgiving means helping and giving to others, and fasting is about making small sacrifices or giving something up to make room for God in our hearts. We also changed our prayer table to reflect this new season, with the colour purple reminding us that Lent is a time of reflection and preparation.
Year 2 Incursion - Ranger Jamie - Tinmen
Year 2 Tinmen enjoyed a special inclusion session with Ranger Jamie, where students participated in fun team-building activities. Through games and collaborative challenges, they practised important social skills such as communication, cooperation, problem-solving and showing respect for others.
Other Messages
Pencil Grip
Pencil grip is very important for your child’s learning. Please see image below for the correct pencil grip visual.
For more information on pencil grips visit this site and this site.
Headphones
- Just a reminder that for K-2 students the headphones that are compatible with our school iPads is the 3.5mm connection. See below for reference;
Stage 2
Term 1 Week 6
English
In Stage 2 English, Hogwarts students have been diving into the art of persuasive writing through the engaging and thought-provoking topic: “Should we keep animals in captivity?” This rich discussion has encouraged students to think critically, consider different viewpoints, and develop strong arguments supported by clear reasoning.
Students have been brainstorming a range of thoughtful reasons both for and against keeping animals in captivity. They have explored topics such as animal welfare, conservation, education, safety, and habitat protection. It has been wonderful to see students confidently expressing their ideas, listening respectfully to others, and strengthening their arguments with clear explanations.
We look forward to sharing some of their powerful persuasive pieces with you soon!
Mathematics
In Stage 2 Mathematics, students have been developing their understanding of fractions and decimals, exploring how these represent parts of a whole and how they connect to everyday contexts. Building on this knowledge, students have now begun exploring addition and subtraction, recognising that problems can be solved using a range of strategies. Drawing on their understanding of place value, they have been representing numbers using MAB blocks, partitioning numbers, and applying both mental and written algorithms to find solutions.
Students are developing confidence in selecting efficient strategies, clearly explaining their reasoning, and checking the accuracy of their work. It has been wonderful to see them collaborate, use precise mathematical language, and demonstrate persistence when engaging with challenging tasks.
Religion
In Religion, students have been learning about the First Passover. Students unpacked key vocabulary in the passage and what they mean in relation to the story. Students reflected on their understanding of the Exodus story in their books - summarising the story and explaining why it is important for us to learn about it.
Geography
This term in Geography, students have been exploring the driving question: “If you could live anywhere in the world, how would climate and landforms help you decide?” Throughout the unit, they have investigated different types of climates around the world and discussed how these conditions influence where and how people live. Students have examined how factors such as temperature, rainfall and land features (for example mountains, deserts and coastlines) affect settlement patterns and daily life.
As part of their learning, students analysed a rainfall map and used the data to create their own graphs. They learned how to interpret climate data, compare locations and draw conclusions about which environments might be more suitable for living. It has been wonderful to see them thinking critically about how geography shapes the way communities develop and thrive.
