Prep 

Information and Reminders

Welcome Back to Term 4!

How are we already in Term 4?! We hope you had a wonderful break and enjoyed a little time away from setting alarms and following the daily school routine. We hope you’re feeling refreshed and ready to jump back into it!

Term 4 is always a very exciting one, with lots more learning to do, our Beauty and the Beast junior production, preparing for the transition into Grade 1 and, of course, Christmas!

We have lots to look forward to, so let’s do this!

Hats

If your child’s school hat found its way home over the holidays, please remember to send it back to school this week. In line with our SunSmart policy, our motto is 'hat on, play on!'

2027 Prep Transition #1 – This Wednesday 

Our 2027 Preps will be joining us for their first transition session this Wednesday. The session will run for the first two hours of the school day, before our current Preps return to their usual classrooms after recess.

During this time, our current Preps will head to the BER and spend the morning with their Grade 6 buddies, participating in learning activities connected to our CBL and mentor text learning.

Important arrival information:On Wednesday morning, students will need to take their school bag straight to the BER and line up there. They will be met by their Grade 6 buddies and the Grade 6 teachers. We will talk to students about this at school, but we ask that parents please remind their child about the different morning routine before they arrive on Wednesday.

After recess, students will return to their usual classrooms and continue their normal school day.

Term 4 Specialist Timetable

Curriculum

*Please remind your child to go to the toilet before they enter the classroom.

Phonics and reading 

We are learning something new and exciting this term as we begin exploring long vowels and the role of final E. We will start with the a_e pattern, as in cake, and the i_e pattern, as in bike, learning how the final E can change the vowel sound.

Our learning focus will include reading words and short texts, spelling words containing these patterns, and writing simple sentences using our new spelling knowledge.

What can you do at home?

• Support your child to read the decodable book and/or UFLI text in their Reading Pocket. Try and aim to read every day, if you can.

• The 'Roll and Read' page is a great way to practise sounding out and blending words, especially for students who find reading sentences a little challenging.

•Review the letter names and sounds for all letters of the alphabet. When practising, say them like this: “A spells /a/.” Ask your child if they can show you the cued articulation for the sounds. 

•Learn the Heart Words (in red booklet).  New words were sent home last week. 

• Work through the optional UFLI pages. 

Sound / Letter cards to review:

Digraphs to review:

Long Vowels to review:

Optional UFLI Home Practice Pages:

Literature: reading responses and writing 

Our mentor text is Meet the Weather, which connects beautifully with our new CBL focus (see below for further information). Students will explore the concepts and terrific vocabulary in the book, including onomatopoeia (words that imitate or suggest sounds), adjectives and synonyms, and rhyming words.

Students have been learning about narratives through our mentor texts, and this term they will begin putting this knowledge into practice by writing their own simple narratives. They will create a basic text with a clear beginning, middle and end, using our mentor text as inspiration and support. Students will also continue to develop their handwriting skills using their Sky, Grass, Ground books, with a focus on correct letter formation, size and placement.

What can you do at home?

•Encourage your child to write about things they are interested in - a picture, a favourite animal, something they did that day or a story they have imagined. Encourage them to sound out words using the sounds they know and have a go at spelling independently.

•Help your child practise writing their name with a capital letter at the beginning and lowercase letters for the rest of their name.

Maths 

Students will begin learning about Data by sorting objects and collections into two groups based on one difference or attribute. They will collect and interpret simple data to answer questions with two possible outcomes, including responding to and creating yes/no questions.

What can you do at home?

•Ask your child to sort things such as socks, toys, cutlery or buttons into two groups. Encourage them to explain what is the same or different about each group.

•Collect simple data by asking a yes/no question such as, “Do you like apples?” or “Do you have a pet?” and record the answers from family members. Talk about which group has more, fewer or the same.

CBL

This term, we are beginning a new CBL Big Idea: Survival / Systems. Our new inquiry, The Reason for the Season, will explore the fascinating world of weather. Students will investigate what weather is, how we can observe and describe it, why weather changes, and how weather affects living things.

Our Guiding Questions will include:

• What is weather, and how can we observe and describe it?
• Why does weather change, and what happens because of it?
• How does weather affect living things?

As we explore these questions, students will consider our Essential Questions: Why does the weather matter? and How can we use what we know about weather to make good choices?

Our learning will culminate in the Challenge: Become a Weather Expert! Help someone prepare for the weather! 

Wellbeing

SWPBS

Returning from the holidays means it is time to revisit and reteach our SWPBS expectations to help everyone settle back into routines and have a successful term. We will also focus on Be Kind – Inclusive Play, encouraging students to include others, play with different friends and help everyone feel welcome and part of the group.

Respectful Relationships

Students will continue exploring Gender Norms and Stereotypes. Through the activities Anyone Can Choose and Everyone Can Be Gentle and Strong, students will explore how our interests, choices and the ways we express ourselves are not limited by gender. They will learn that everyone can enjoy different activities and that being gentle, strong, caring, brave or determined are qualities that everyone can have.