What's happening?
Foundation
What a busy couple of weeks we have had in Foundation! We are all so impressed with how quickly the students have settled into life at school. They are doing a wonderful job following their morning routine and entering the classroom with a big smile, ready to start the day. We were so excited to celebrate 10 days of school today!
Starting February 17th, we kindly encourage all students to enter the classroom independently each day. To help everyone get settled and complete their morning tasks smoothly, we ask that parents and guardians refrain from entering the classroom. This will allow all students to begin their day without distractions. Thank you for your understanding and support!
Literacy:
Students have been learning the sound codes for ‘s,a,t,p,i,m,f,c’. They have been working to develop their word reading and writing skills using these sounds. These skills will assist them with their decodable readers, which will be sent home in a short few weeks.
Maths
Students are currently working through a place value unit, with an initial focus on correct number formation. Students enjoyed making their ten days of school paper chain today, practicing ordering numbers to 10.
Social skills
We have been so impressed with how all students have adapted to the school rules. All students have been involved in school-wide discussions on how we can continue to follow them both inside and outside the classroom while making strong choices. This week we have begun exploring our Super 6 School Values, with a focus on ‘Responsibility’.
This week we have sent home a pack of information including a Foundation Newsletter, the ‘Show and Tell’ roster, and Seesaw logins in student satchels. Please use the QR codes on your Seesaw notice to find insights into what goes on at school.
Please ensure you are checking their satchels daily as this is one of our main sources of communication. It would be great if you could remind students before school to put this in the tub when they arrive at school.
We are extremely proud of how far the students have come in such a short time. We know this is going to be a great year!
Grade 1
The year 1 students have made a fantastic start and have quickly settled back into the routine of school and are doing an excellent job of showing our Super 6 Value of Responsibility by remembering their hats and daily organisational tasks. Thank you to all families for supporting and ensuring a smooth transition to Year 1 for all the students. It was lovely to have the opportunity to have a quick chat with so many of you on during our Meet and Greets on Monday, February 10th.
In Literacy, the focus is on descriptive writing, with an emphasis on using adjectives to make sentences more engaging for the reader. Our word study focus is on the silent final "e."
In Maths, students have begun working in their groups and are excited about the new setup. Over the next three weeks, we will concentrate on numbers, focusing on number order, sequencing, counting, and identifying where numbers appear on a number line. We'll also explore how numbers are represented in a 10-frame and practice subitising. Additionally, students have started working through their "5-A-Day" Maths revision booklets in the classroom. Please note that Maths groups are fluid so your child may move between different teachers throughout the year.
Our Inquiry focus this term is Families Past and Present. We’ll start by discussing what makes up a family and identifying who is in each student’s family. Homework related to this Inquiry will be sent home by your child’s teacher this week. We are also very excited for our first incursion which is scheduled for March. During the incursion, the children will get to explore all kinds of old and new toys and make connections between the past and present. Please keep an eye on Compass for more details, closer to the event.
Homework folders will be sent home this week, which will include our first Word Study practise page for the year! The children are very excited to teach their families all about the Silent Final e, and show off what they have been practising at school this week!
We will soon be looking for classroom reader helpers. A notice will be posted near the door of your child’s classroom. If you have any spare time to listen to reading, it would be wonderful to have your support. The students absolutely love it when their parents come into the classroom. We completely understand that many parents are working, so any help is greatly appreciated.
Grade 2
The Grade 2 students have made a wonderful start to the 2025 year. They are settling well into routines and have built on their understanding of our Super Six values and school rules. Students have also got to know one another through the “What’s in My Bag” activity which has been a lot of fun.
Last week students brought home their take home readers. In Grade 2, we’d like to continue to encourage the habit of daily reading at home, signing the reading log, and bringing the reader bag back to school every day. They are also set up with a homework folder that ‘lives’ in their reader bag (so it can go between home and school each day). Students have access to ‘Nessy Reading and Spelling’ (instructions are in blue homework folders) and ‘Sunset/Jetpack Maths’ (using the Essential Assessment code stuck inside hard reader covers) if they are looking for something more.
Students have been exploring information report writing and are doing a terrific job of demonstrating their understanding of the features of this text type. During our PhOrMeS/Word Study lessons students have been learning to read and spell words pertaining to the fszl rule. This means if a word has one syllable, one short vowel and ends in f, s, z, l then we double the final consonant. There are of course exceptions to this rule!
Our Maths groups began last week. Students are revising and building their Number and Place Value knowledge and skills. Your child may move between teachers for Maths throughout the year depending on their assessment results for each topic. This ensures they are working in a group that best fits their needs for each topic.
We have introduced our Inquiry topic for this term, ‘Animals and their Habitats’, and have begun with classifying animals according to their features, e.g. invertebrates or vertebrates, and then classifying vertebrates further as either fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals.
It was lovely to meet so many parents and carers at our ‘Meet and Greets’ on Monday. We are looking forward to a fabulous year ahead! Thank you for all your support so far.
Grade 3
Our Grade 3 students have made a terrific start to the year! Our ‘Learning How to Learn’ focus for the first 2 weeks of school went well. Students built on their understanding of our Super Six values, learned about the expectations of being a Grade 3 student, and participated in activities aimed to better get to know one another and to create a positive classroom environment.
Reading: Students have chosen their own ‘take home’ book according to their given range, and can read these in addition to their books at home or from their local library. Please encourage your child to read daily for a minimum of 15 minutes and help them to record this in their diary (parent to sign at the end of the week). Diaries are checked by their classroom teacher every Friday. We have also started our Dibels reading assessment for fluency and comprehension.
Writing: We have been focusing on both descriptive, and narrative writing. Students are learning about text structure and practising their ability to plot and plan a storyline on a narrative planning template. We have also been revising nouns and verbs, as well as the difference between a fragment and sentence.
Word Study: Students have been very busy reviewing the 1-1-1 doubling rule, and reading and spelling a range of homophones and ‘weird words’. They have also been learning about the following codes: o can say /u/, using ti ci or si when adding a suffix, ie versus ei, and wa wha war whar.
Core Knowledge: Our Sustainability inquiry topic has commenced. Students have started off the unit by watching the movie ‘The Lorax’. This week, we have explored which of Earth’s resources can replenish themselves naturally and which cannot.
Maths: Math groups began last week with our Place Value topic, and we have now moved on to Addition and Subtraction. Students are developing their understanding and skills with using a range of efficient strategies to solve problems.
Grade 4
Welcome back to our new Grade 4s! We hope all families had a lovely break and are excited for a big and busy year in Grade 4.
Students have made a brilliant start to year, settling in nicely and the teachers have been very impressed with their efforts in ‘Learning How to Learn’. We have explored the Super 6 Values, the ways in which we learn and how we learn best, how to take on feedback and how to have a growth mindset. Along with new protocols and standards we set in Grade 4.
We are very excited to see what the students choose and research for their ‘Passion Projects’. Students will have spoken to their classroom teacher about their question. We cannot wait to see how they come together! If you have any further questions regarding this, please get in contact with your classroom teacher. We will begin presenting our projects in Week 4!
Literacy: Students have enjoyed writing about themselves during our ‘Read All About Me’ getting to know you activity. We have now begun some description writing, and commenced our spelling program of PhOrMes - which incorporates a rich history of our language and how we speak, read and write today! Our students should be bringing home a book to read each night from our Grade 4 library or a book from home and recording it in their student diaries. These should be signed by parents at the end of each week.
Numeracy: We have now commenced our Maths groups and students have been learning about ‘Whole Numbers’. In our next topic we will be exploring Addition and Subtraction’. Please feel free to ask your child who their Maths teacher is.
Reminders: Please ensure your child is bringing their diary with them each day, and recording their reading each night. Students should be dressing accordingly to the weather. We are looking forward to the Swimming Program coming up in Week 5
Grade 5
Welcome to all our Grade 5 Parents and Guardians! We hope you all had a fantastic break. We have been so impressed with our Grade 5 students who have settled in beautifully, and look forward to an exciting year ahead.
We started the year with a focus on Learning How to Learn. We discussed the importance of our Super Six values, the expectations of being a Grade 5 student as well as activities aimed to better get to know one another and create a positive classroom environment. We have also discussed our Whole School Rules, including the processes on arrival in the morning and moving between classes across the school to ensure we are responsible and respectful to others and their learning.
Maths
Last week our Maths topic was on Data. We created and interpreted dot plots, as well as finding the ‘mode’ from graphs and raw data. Maths Groups have now begun with a review this week on Place Value. We have been focusing on naming, partitioning, ordering and rounding numbers.
Writing
For writing, we have been reviewing our writing skills and exploring the importance of using descriptive language to engage the readers. We have also been working on our narrative writing structure (moving onto persuasive writing week 5), ensuring we are ready for NAPLAN.
Reading
Our first mentor text for the year is ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ as an introduction into our science unit, as well as to strengthen their understanding of inferring and summarising.
Inquiry
The students are very excited about our Inquiry unit ‘Why is it so?’. Over the course of the unit, students will be exploring science, what it is and how it is used in everyday life. They will be learning all about the scientific method and processes involved within it. We have our excursion to ‘Twisted Science” on Thursday 27th February. If not already please go on Compass to approve and pay as soon as possible. We require 6 parent helpers. If you can assist we would be so appreciative. You would be required to supervise a small group of students as they complete workshops. We will leave school just after 9am with an approximate 1pm return to school. Please let your class teacher know if you are interested.
Homework
Maths and Literacy homework goes home each Monday, due the following Monday. Please encourage your child to fill in their home reading in their diary and have a parent/guardian sign. Diaries are due Fridays. Students who miss homework/returning signed diaries twice in a row, or 3 times over a term will join Monday’s lunchtime Homework Club.
School Supplies
Please send all stationery supplies to school. We keep extras safe in a named bag for students to access as they are needed.
Our Grade 5 Handbook went out via Compass last week with additional information including teacher emails. Please ask class teachers if you need any further clarification.
Grade 6
Literacy
The Grade 6 students kick started the year with a novel study unit. This unit examines the fiction genre through a classic novel, Treasure Island by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. This week they focused on the character and plot, as well as literary elements such as characterization.
Writing
The Grade 6 students have been focusing on the description genre. This involves the students planning their writing using a description bubble. The students wrote fantastic descriptions on Peter Pan’s Neverland and are now working on descriptions of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All students are challenging themselves to write descriptions inclusive of adjectives, adverbs, figurative language and technical language.
Mathematics
Last week, the students started in their mathematics classes with the concept of data representation. The students created, interpreted and compared various graphs including side-by-side column graphs, bar charts as well as line graphs. For the next few weeks, the students will be building upon their knowledge of Place Value.
Inquiry
The Grade 6 classes have been working on their ‘Political Party’ theme covering our nation’s system of government, democracy and the constitution.
Interschool Sport
Last week, the Grade 6 students trained for their interschool sports. Students will take part in a variety of sports including cricket, Hotshots tennis, volleyball, Volleystars, and softball. This week, the Grade 6 students will begin their interschool sport journey with Round 1 against Kingswood.
Term Dates and Events
Please check Compass for further information regarding Term 1 dates and events relating to Grade 6 students.