Prep 

INFORMATION

🎨 Planning week 

As we near the end of Term 3 (can you believe it!), the Prep teachers will be having our planning day for Term 4 this Friday. On this day, students will have all of their specialist classes in the same day. 

🧢 Hats 

Our ‘No Hat, No Play’ rule is now in effect. Please ensure your child brings their hat to school each day so they can enjoy playing outside with their friends. Children without a hat will need to play in shaded areas.

🎉 Happy holidays!

As Term 3 draws to a close, we can hardly believe our students are about to start their last term of Prep! We wish all our students and families a safe, happy and restful holiday. Thank you for your support in helping your children through this busy term - the partnership between school and parents is greatly valued. We hope you enjoy some time to relax, recharge and share special moments with your loved ones. We look forward to seeing everyone back, refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4!

CURRICULUM

📚 Phonemic awareness: reading and phonics

We are learning the new digraph: NK as in the ending sound of think and then we will be completing another review of the digraphs we have learnt so far (CK, TH, SH, CH, NG, NK, WH, PH).  Our focus will include:

• Learning the phonemes (the sounds the letters make).
• Practising the graphemes (how we write the letters with correct formation).
• Using cued articulation actions to support sound recognition.
• Reading longer words such as think and shrimp. 
• Reading short texts that include the focus digraphs, as well as previously learned digraphs.

We’ll also learn the Heart Words: there and where, as well as reviewing previously learned heart words

What can you do at home?

• Help your child read the take-home book, decodable passages and Heart Words from their book pocket. Aim for fluency by the second day of reading. 

As your child reads, encourage them to recognise familiar words instantly and only sound out unfamiliar ones.

• Enjoy bedtime stories together to build vocabulary, comprehension and a love of reading.

• If you're interested in learning more about Cued Articulation, you can watch this helpful video by Jane Passey (the founder), where she explains and demonstrates each sound: 

https://youtu.be/gyGX3RcLG74?si=h0n6hahCfpIda4Gr 

• Work through the optional UFLI home pages if you’d like some extra phonics practise at home.

📝 Literature: reading responses and writing 

This week, we will be working with two mentor texts. The first is When I Grow Up by Tim Minchin, which we are linking to our recent Matilda Jr. production. Students will write about what they want to be when they grow up and why, then connect this to our CBL focus by imagining what our school might be like in the future. Our second text is Al Yankovic’s humorous version of When I Grow Up, which explores silly and unusual jobs. Students will brainstorm a list of funny jobs, then choose one to write about in more detail.

Students will take part in lots of writing sessions during our Mentor Text lessons. They will also practise creative writing using a picture prompt and continue developing their handwriting skills. This week, we are focusing on ‘Boss R’ and its related cousins R, N, and M, using our ‘sky, grass, dirt’ books to guide correct letter formation.

What can you do at home?

• Practise 'boss letters' and then practise its cousins (see below).

• Build in authentic writing experiences like writing a shopping list, birthday cards, wish lists or notes for family members. 

• Say it, then write it – Ask your child to say their sentence out loud first, then write it down.

• Check for capitals and full stops – Remind your child to start with a capital letter and finish with a full stop.

•  Practise writing the Heart Words, taking care to notice the tricky 'heart' parts in the word.

🔢  Maths 

We are finishing the term with some fun maths learning. Students will explore odd and even numbers before moving into skip counting by 2s and 10s, which links to our recent work on sharing and grouping. To wrap it up, we’ll also enjoy a hands-on craft activity connected to this learning.

What can you do at home?

• Count things around the house (like shoes, spoons, or teddies) and ask, “Is that an odd number or an even number?”

• Try skip counting by 2s and 10s while jumping, clapping, or climbing stairs.

• Sort everyday things into pairs or groups of 10 eg. socks, Lego, or even fruit at snack time.

• Play a quick “Even or Odd?” game by choosing a number and having your child call out the answer.

• Go on a number hunt - look for numbers on houses, signs, or packaging and decide together if they’re odd or even.