Level 1: Connect

Dear Level 1 Families,

What a joyous couple of weeks it has been! Students have completed all of their testing and we are super proud of them all. Science has been a hoot- kids have been learning about the solar system and even making asteroid biscuits in class- please see photos below. 

We finally have our decodeable books back! We thank all of you for your patience. We now have a bigger variety of books for children to choose from which is fabulous! 

1A will change their readers on a Wednesday and 1B and 1C will change theirs on a Friday. Could you please make sure that your child comes to school prepared to change their readers on those days. Thank you!

Term 2 Reminders:

Literacy:

We have had a wonderful week of writing and reading surrounding our book 'Let's Save Antarctica'. Teachers have been so impressed with the engagement and enthusiasm of our Level 1 students over the course of this week. Please enjoy some of our students' information reports all about Antarctica below...

Antarctica is desolate and windy. Antarctica has several types of penguins. Antarctica is very white. Antarctica has whales, penguins and lots more. 

by Maisie

Antarctica is the oldest place on Earth. If the ice melts, the water will rise. Antarctica is at the bottom of the world and no one lives there.

by Lani

Krill gather in swarms so big they make the water pink. Penguins, seals and sea birds all depend on krill to survive. Whales travel thousands of miles to feast on them too! Antarctic animlas have special fat under their fur. The Antarctic ice sheet began to form millions of years ago. Falling snowflakes became snow drift.

by Emily

Antarctica is nearly all covered in snow and ice. It is terribly cold. It is calm there. Antarctica is freezing cold. Sometimes people come to study the land. Hunters are not allowed to go to Antarctica. When people come to study there, they need to wear really warm clothes.

by Aggie

Antarctica is at the bottom of the world. Did you know that Antarctica used to be a giant forest? Did you know that Antarctic spider crabs can be as big as a plate? Humans could not survive a whole year there. Whales travel miles just to eat the krill in Antarctica.

by Tommy

Antarctica is big and at the bottom of the world. Antarctica is big and white because it is covered in snow and ice. Volcanoes erupted and the water around the volcanoes got very hot. Antarctica has lots of animals. No one survives in Antarctica for a whole year. Antarctica is very freezing. Bugs eat penguin poo. Antarctica used to be a forest.

by Claire

Next week we will be reading the book 'Somebody's Land' by Adam Goodes as our mentor text. Students will be completing lots of activities around this book including those relating to self connections, gathering and rewriting facts, and understanding the importance of Country to First Nations people.

Heart words: This coming fortnight we will be focusing on  very, want, what, where.

Phonemes: Next week will be learning the digraph /oo/- first sound moon, second sound book. The following week will be /ea/- first sound eat, second sound bread.

Morphology: We will be learning the suffix -ful (example hopeful, careful- meaning full of). 

Maths:

In Maths, we’ve been exploring how to sequence events based on how long they take. Students are learning to compare activities by duration—for example, understanding that brushing teeth takes less time than going to school, or that eating lunch takes longer than tying shoelaces.

Through class discussions, story sequencing, and sorting tasks, students are developing a better sense of shorter and longer events. These foundational time concepts help prepare them for learning to tell time more precisely later on.

You can support this at home by talking with your child about how long everyday activities take and asking questions like, “Which takes longer—getting dressed or eating breakfast?”

Inquiry:

Exploring Toys from the Past

As part of our ongoing inquiry into how families lived in the past, students will be exploring the world of toys over the next two weeks. We’ll be looking at the different types of toys children have played with throughout history, including traditional games and classic board games.

Students will investigate what these toys were made of and how the materials have changed over time. This hands-on exploration will help deepen their understanding of how daily life, play, and technology have evolved. We’re excited to see the curiosity and connections this unit will spark!

LUNCH CLUBS AND PLAY

Please see this new exciting section of our newsletter, from Ms Van Etten and Mr Daley.

Level 1 Term 2 Specialist Timetable 

Have a delightful fortnight! 

All the best,

Suzanne, Robyn, Leon and Kylie

Level 1 Teachers