Hello from 1J

Grade 1J Weekly Newsletter Update

📚 Initial Lit

This week in Initial Lit, students continued to build their phonics knowledge, reading fluency and spelling skills through explicit and structured teaching. Our focus was on the vowel digraphs “ue” and “ew”, helping students understand that different graphemes can represent the same phoneme. We also revised key sounds from Handbook 3 to consolidate prior learning and strengthen retention.

Students took part in a range of activities to support both decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling), including:

• Reading and writing words containing the “ue” and “ew” digraphs
• Completing targeted worksheets linked to each focus sound
• Practising correct letter formation during handwriting sessions
• Learning new tricky words: sister, cousin and family, with a focus on automatic recognition
• Participating in Stop and Spell, where students segmented words into phonemes and represented them using appropriate graphemes
• Completing Set 6 reading and tricky word assessments to monitor progress

In comprehension, we explored The Pencil. Students identified key events and organised their thinking using a Story Slide activity, supporting their ability to summarise and sequence a text.

While assessments were taking place, students completed puzzle page activities in their Activity Books to reinforce previously taught skills.

Our small-group reading sessions continued throughout the week. Students read decodable texts aligned to their phonics knowledge, allowing them to practise taught strategies and build accuracy, fluency and confidence.

🔢 Mathematics

In Mathematics, students were introduced to telling the time, beginning with developing an understanding of the features of a clock face. This included recognising the hour hand, minute hand and numbers, building the foundation for telling time to the hour and beyond.

We also continued to develop efficient addition strategies. Students were supported to move beyond counting from one and instead use more effective strategies.

Key strategies included:

• Finding one more or two more than a number
• Using materials and number lines to support thinking
• Counting on from a given number
• Representing addition using jumps on a number line
• Identifying the larger number in a problem
• Starting at the larger number and counting on to find the total

Students were encouraged to explain their thinking using mathematical language, for example: “I started at 8 and counted on 3 more to get 11.”

Students also completed an Addition Pre-Test, which helped guide future teaching and ensured learning was targeted to student needs.

🔍 Investigation Time

Investigation Time provided opportunities for students to explore, create and apply their learning in hands-on and meaningful ways. These sessions supported collaboration, independence and problem solving.

This week, students:

• Continued applying addition strategies by identifying the larger number and counting on
• Took part in Lego construction, designing and building creative structures
• Engaged in Drawing Club, working collaboratively on large butcher’s paper
• Participated in Maths Club, using magnets to explore construction and problem solving

These activities supported students in applying their learning in different contexts while developing creativity and teamwork skills.

🧸 Teddy Bear Hospital Incursion

We were excited to host the Monash University Medical Students’ Society Teddy Bear Hospital at Bendigo Violet Street Primary School on Monday, 27 April 2026.

This interactive incursion was designed to help children feel more comfortable when visiting healthcare settings such as hospitals and medical clinics. Through play-based learning, students developed an understanding of healthy habits while reducing anxiety around medical environments.

Students brought a teddy bear or soft toy, which acted as their “patient” during the session. With guidance from university student volunteers, students rotated through a range of role-play stations, including:

• Visiting a doctor (GP)
• Learning about calling an ambulance
• Exploring basic healthcare practices, including asthma devices
• Discussing healthy eating, hygiene and physical activity
• Fixing up their Teddy Bear injuries.
• Taking Teddy through the X-Ray machine.