Classroom News Foundation

Dear Foundation Families,

It feels like yesterday our Foundation students started school, but here we are finishing off Term 1. The Foundation students have settled into school life at BPS, and are independently setting themselves up for the beginning of each day, showing increasing independence and confidence. It is lovely watching new friendships from.

Literacy:

In Reader’s Workshop, we have been looking at a new mentor text each week. WIth these books we have made predictions, sequenced the story, studied character traits and settings and explored new knowledge and vocabulary in non-fiction books. Students have been writing and drawing to show their understanding of the texts we have read. We have introduced decoding strategies using sound and picture clues, blending and recognising sight words.

In Writers Workshop, our focus has been brainstorming ideas from a range of inspirations. Students have used these ideas to begin writing simple sentences. We encourage students to listen and then record the initial sounds of words and then segment into the remaining sounds. We have also been working on the conventions of forming sentences, including capital letters, finger spaces between words and a full stop at the end of the sentence.

In Spelling we are using cued articulation to learn our sounds. We investigate each letter of the alphabet by listening to the sound, forming the correct letter shape with whiteboards, playdough and chalk. We also investigate words that begin with that sound. This term we have also introduced Heggerty’s, which is an evidence based Phonemic Awareness Program. The children have enjoyed investigating sounds, rhymes and word parts through this fun and engaging program.

Numeracy:

This term, our focus has been on subitising a collection, (see a number of objects and recognise the total amount without counting) and the names and symbols that represent them. We have been focusing on forming numbers correctly. Students have also been learning to count all to find the total number as well as counting on from one collection to find the total of two collections.

Our Inquiry Lessons:

 We have been learning to identify our emotions and understanding to express ourselves. We have been learning about our school values and how to show them to our classmates, teachers and those around us.

One of the highlights of the term would have to be our weekly buddy sessions. Both Foundation and Year 6 students look forward to these sessions, and it has been lovely to watch these new friendships develop.

Next term our Swimming program and PMP will begin, look out on Compass for information about these events.