Prep

InitaLit - Reading

In Reading, our Preps have embarked on an exciting journey to learn letter sounds. Each student has begun to master the sound associated with each letter as well as its name, which are foundational skills for their reading and writing development. To make this learning experience more engaging, we introduced two new characters: Tommy Tiger, a friendly and enthusiastic tiger, and Andy Ant, a clever little ant. These characters have become beloved companions for our students, helping them to better remember the sounds through interactive stories and activities. 

During our Storybook sessions, we delved into the charming book "Grandpa and Thomas." This engaging story has provided us with opportunities to discuss key narrative elements, such as beginnings, middles, and ends, allowing the children to understand the structure of stories. Additionally, we've facilitated discussions that prompt students to make connections beyond the text, enhancing their comprehension skills. We also focused on enriching their vocabulary by exploring words like "gasp," which conveys surprise, "wriggly," describing a squirmy movement, and "screech," which refers to a high-pitched noise.

As part of their phonics development, the students have applied their sound knowledge to begin segmenting (sounding out) and blending basic CV (consonant-vowel) and CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. For instance, they have practiced words such as "am," "sat," "mat," and "Sam," which support their ability to read simple words confidently.

We are incredibly proud of the progress the Preps are making, and we are excited to continue building on their letter and sound knowledge in the coming weeks.

Maths

In Maths, our young learners have been diving into exploring numbers from 0-5! We’ve been practicing counting forwards and backwards from 0 to 5, using objects like blocks and buttons to count collections up to five with 1-1 correspondence. Using five-frames, students are visualising and representing numbers 0-5 in fun, interactive ways. We’re also matching collections to numerals, comparing which groups have more, less, or the same, and adding “one more” to collections up to five. Collaborative table activities, such as group games and matching exercises, have been key in helping students engage with these concepts.

Writing

In writing this week we have continued our name writing practice and have moved on from ordering the letters of our names correctly to tracing and writing our names using dotted thirds (lined paper that assists students to know where their letters go in relation to each other on a line, i.e. a j goes below the line and an h goes above). We are focusing on the first letter of their name always being a capital letter and that there are then no other capitals anywhere else.

We are still working with the letters a, m, s and t and have been practicing writing both CV and CVC words (consonant/vowel/consonant) with these letters in them. One of the activities students completed was tracing the letters of the words with playdough which all goes to helping them both learn their letter formation and refine their fine motor skills.

Categorising letters, words, pictures and now simple sentences is continuing and the students' understanding of simple sentence structures are already becoming apparent. We are all so happy with the progress everyone is making. 

Integrated - Harmony day 

This week in Prep, we have been embracing positivity and celebrating diversity!

For our Growth Mindset learning, students created a beautiful Growth Mindset Flower, with each petal representing a way we can grow our brains—like trying our best, learning from mistakes, and believing in ourselves. We also learnt some new positive affirmations, reminding ourselves that we are capable, we are brave, and we can do hard things!

On Harmony Day, we had a fantastic time celebrating the message that "everyone belongs." We started the day with a Harmony Day parade, where students proudly wore orange to show their support for inclusivity and respect. In the classroom, we created a group puzzle, with each student decorating a puzzle piece to represent themselves—showing that even though we are all unique, we fit together as one community. We also made Harmony Day crowns, which the students wore with pride!

It has been a wonderful week of learning, growing, and celebrating the diversity!