School of Foundations
When Stories Come to Life
Reading continues to be a strong focus across our School of Foundations this term, with every class and every child working towards individual reading goals to strengthen their confidence and capability as readers.
A particular focus this term has been on decoding ~ the strategies readers use to work through unfamiliar words in order to read with increasing fluency and comprehension. Across classrooms, students have been learning to apply a range of decoding strategies such as identifying sounds and letter patterns, chunking words into smaller parts, using known words to help solve unfamiliar ones and re-reading for meaning when something does not sound quite right.
You might like to ask your child about some of the decoding strategies they have been using in class to support their reading growth. Questions such as, “What do you do when you come across a tricky word?” or “What reading strategy helped you today?” can often open the door to wonderful conversations about learning and progress.
This focus on reading connected beautifully with this week’s National Simultaneous Storytime, a wonderful annual event that celebrates the joy of reading and storytelling across Australia. At midday on Wednesday 27th May, schools, libraries and communities around the country came together to read the same story ~ Luna Roo ~ at midday.
This year, we wanted to make the experience even more memorable for our School of Foundations and Arrunga students by not only sharing the live-streamed story together, but also bringing the story to life through a special teacher performance for our students. There was certainly plenty of excitement, laughter and school spirit in the Performance Hall as our talented staff embraced their acting roles and entertained the children with a reenactment of the story.
Parents may also wish to revisit the story of Luna Roo at home with their child and have a go at the directed drawing activity shared at the end of the presentation via the following link: NSS 2026 EVENT - Luna Roo: The Kangaroo Baller
We would LOVE to see any Luna Roo drawings, with students warmly invited to bring their creations into class to share with their teachers and peers!
Events such as these remind us that reading is so much more than simply decoding words on a page — it is about imagination, connection, expression and the shared joy that stories can bring to a community.
Nicole Emerton
SOF Head of School (Acting)
The Net Kindergarten Term 2 Week 6
English
In English we have been working hard learning new sounds and trying to read words using the sounds we know. Each morning we start our day reading our home reader and our sight words at our tables. It has been wonderful to see so many students confidently reading their home reader. We also complete our Initiallit lessons after our roll where students need to use the skills for reading new words like segmenting and blending, identifying initial, middle and ending sounds and writing new words using their sound knowledge. It is lots of hard thinking but we are so proud of how hard students work to show us their thinking during this time.
In writing we have started to look at informative writing. This week we are learning about bats. We have labelled the parts of a bat and read information about bats to make sure our writing is informative for the reader.
Mathematics
In Maths, Kindergarten students have been learning to create and record equal groups using a variety of concrete materials and hands-on activities. Students practised sharing collections into equal groups and recording their learning using drawings and numbers. It has been wonderful to see students building their understanding through practical learning experiences.
Religion
In Religion, we have been learning that all people and creation are special gifts from God. We have been exploring ways to show appreciation and gratitude for our family, friends, and the beautiful world God created for us. Students shared and drew people who are special to them, discussed the importance of being thankful, and reflected on the many things they appreciate in their everyday lives. We also explored God’s creation and talked about ways we can show thankfulness through our words and actions.
Other
In Geography we have been learning about how we are connected to special places. We have identified special places and looked at how we care for these places. Students have enjoyed sharing places they feel connected to and who they share these places with.
The Net Stage 1 Term 2 Week 6
English
In Writing, Year 1 students are learning to write informative compound sentences using conjunctions such as and, so and but about places and animals. Students are also learning to organise their ideas into paragraphs using time connectives such as firstly, secondly, finally and lastly.
Students are using the “Super Sentence” model to support their writing. A super sentence:
- talks about someone or something,
- has a capital letter and a full stop,
- has finger spaces between words,
- and makes sense.
Mathematics - Data
Tinmen have been learning how to collect data and display it using picture graphs, column graphs, and tally graphs. Students have also been interpreting graphs by asking and answering questions about the information shown. We explored chance by using the language certain, impossible, likely, and unlikely to describe everyday events and outcomes.
Religion
In Religion, Stage 1 has been exploring “Who is our neighbour?” through the Parable of the Good Samaritan, learning how Jesus calls us to show kindness, compassion and care for others. As part of this learning, students wrote a letter to their neighbour explaining ways we can be a good neighbour and show God’s love through our actions. Students connected this to the Beatitudes and the Catholic Social Teaching principle of the Common Good, recognising how our actions help create a caring community. Students also learnt about Pentecost and celebrated together through a meaningful Liturgy focused on prayer, reflection and sharing God’s love.
Year 2 Excursion - Glindas Excursion
The Year 2 students had an exciting day at Sydney Zoo as part of our Science unit on living things. Throughout the day, students learnt all about insects and explored the fascinating life cycle of frogs. We also had the opportunity to walk through different areas of the zoo and observe a variety of amazing animals up close.
Net Stage 2 Term 2 Week 6
English
In Writing, our Stage 2 students have been developing their skills in composing informative texts. Students learned how to research topics by identifying and organising key words to collect relevant information. They applied these skills to write informative texts about animals and places, ensuring their writing included factual information while engaging the reader. Students also practised editing and refining their work to improve clarity and presentation. As part of an integrated learning approach, students incorporated their understanding from Science, including life cycles and food webs, into their informative writing pieces to strengthen their explanations and demonstrate their learning across key learning areas. We are proud of the effort students have shown in strengthening their research, writing, and editing skills as they continue to grow as confident and capable writers.
Mathematics
In Mathematics, Stage 2 students have been learning all about time! They explored how to read analogue and digital clocks, tell time to the minute, and understand the difference between AM and PM. Students practised converting between 12-hour and 24-hour time, calculating elapsed time, and solving real-life time problems involving schedules and daily routines. Through hands-on activities, partner work, and problem-solving tasks, students developed confidence in using time in meaningful everyday situations. It has been wonderful to see students applying their understanding of time to practical scenarios and explaining their mathematical thinking with confidence.
Religion
In Religion, students have been learning about the story and the elements of Pentecost. Students were required to choose one of the elements and create an artwork which represented its importance and meaning in the Pentecost story and our lives today.
Science
In Stage 2, students have been exploring the fascinating world of life cycles in Science while making strong links to our informative writing lessons in English. Students have researched and investigated the stages of different animal and plant life cycles, learning how living things grow and change over time. They have been using this knowledge to create engaging informative texts, focusing on organising facts, using scientific vocabulary and presenting information clearly for their readers.
Stage 2 Science – Fruit Salad Project
As part of our Science unit on Living Things and Sustainability, Stage 2 students participated in a hands-on Fruit Salad Project. Students explored where different fruits come from and discussed how technology and sustainable farming practices help grow, transport, and prepare food.
The activity provided students with the opportunity to work collaboratively while developing their understanding of healthy food choices, sustainability, and caring for the environment. Students thoroughly enjoyed preparing and tasting their fruit salad while making meaningful connections between science learning and real-life experiences.
