LEAP 

LEAP News – Learning That’s Simply Egg-cellent! 🐣

Our LEAP (Learning Enhancement and Achievement Program) students have been enjoying some very special learning experiences this term, thanks to the newest and fluffiest members of the GRPS community — our newly hatched chicks!

Maths, Reading and a Little Bit of Chicken Magic!

In Mrs Murray’s LEAP Maths groups, students are learning about weights and measures through the real-life experience of caring for and monitoring our growing chicks. Each week, students measure their height and weight, record their findings and track their growth. This hands-on investigation provides a wonderful opportunity to practise measuring accurately, comparing quantities, recording data and eventually representing our findings in graphs.

Our LEAP Reading groups have also been getting in on the chicken action! Students have been exploring chicken-related language conventions, including puns, alliteration and interesting word choices. For example, do you know what it is called when we say, “We are egg-cellent learners at GRPS”? That’s right — a pun! We have been having lots of fun discovering how authors use language to make their writing engaging and memorable.

We have also been observing the chicks’ developing personalities, describing their characteristics and using interesting vocabulary in our writing and fluency reading activities. By connecting our literacy learning to something real, meaningful and incredibly cute, students are discovering that learning can be both purposeful and fun!

Meet Our Feathered Friends!

🐣 Chicken 1 – Boots

Boots is the biggest chick of the group, weighing in at a hefty 90 grams and standing 10 cm tall! Boots has established themself as the leader of the flock and can occasionally be a little bossy — hence the affectionate nickname Boots, or sometimes Bossy Boots! Boots certainly knows how to make their presence felt.

🐣 Chicken 2 – Cheeky

Cheeky weighs 71 grams and stands 9 cm tall. True to their name, Cheeky is adventurous and loves exploring their surroundings. This curious little chick has also developed a habit of jumping out of the box, keeping us all on our toes! Cheeky’s feathers are beginning to develop some beautiful colours, making this little explorer even more fascinating to watch.

🐣 Chicken 3 – Wobbles

Wobbles has a particularly special story. When Wobbles first hatched, one leg was splayed, with the foot turned upwards. Over the past three weeks, we have been carefully supporting the leg with splints and bandaging to help gradually correct the foot’s position.

We are delighted with Wobbles’ progress! This little chick can now stand much more comfortably, although their walking still resembles a duck’s waddle as their legs need some further correction. Wobbles is affectionate, loves a cuddle and has shown us a wonderful lesson in patience, perseverance and the importance of celebrating small steps forward. Wobbles weighs 60 grams and is our smallest chick.

Real-Life Learning in Action

Our chicks still need warmth, care and close monitoring as they continue to grow. They will remain at GRPS for the next four weeks, giving our LEAP students plenty of opportunities to continue measuring, observing, recording and learning alongside them. After their stay at school, they will return to Mrs Murray’s chicken coop, where they will enjoy chicken luxury alongside her other feathered friends!

This project is a wonderful example of how learning can come alive when we connect classroom skills with real-world experiences. Whether our students are calculating weight differences, recording measurements, developing vocabulary or writing about the chicks’ personalities, they are building valuable skills while nurturing curiosity, responsibility and a love of learning.

We think our LEAP students are doing an eggs-traordinaryjob! We look forward to sharing more updates as Boots, Cheeky and Wobbles grow and our young learners continue their exciting investigations.