From the Year 1 Classroom
Hello Grade 1 Families,
Wow Wee, we can’t believe we are halfway through Term 3!So many extra things happening this term at school with Book Week, R U OK Day, Family Breakfast, and Athletic Sports to name a few. Please remember that it is now a school rule for all children to wear their hats when outside during recess and lunch. Just a friendly reminder too to bring in something for our ‘Beauty and Self-Care' basket for the Raffle at our Family Breakfast. Thanks in advance, the basket is already looking great with lots of fabulous items.
Literacy
We were so lucky to have a visit from author Andrew McDonald last week. The students loved listening to how he created characters and plots for his series ‘Real Pigeons’ and ‘Hello Twigs’, which are fabulous graphic novels aimed at beginning readers. We have been highly entertained reading these novels, getting a laugh out of his humorous characters and storylines.
Over the next two weeks we are learning how ‘y and ey’ can make the ‘long e’ sounds at the ends of words like in puppy, happy, money and monkey. Children will learn three new Tricky Words to spell: kind, find and thought. In celebrating Book Week, we will be reading and writing about the texts A Leaf Called Greaf, The Garden of Broken Things, We Live on A Bus and Truck Cat. Below is a list of the shortlisted books you may want to borrow from school or the town library. Have fun reading!
Maths
Over the next few weeks, we are exploring the concept of sharing and grouping. We will be looking at equal groups, remainders and arrays through the use of concrete materials to demonstrate our learning. It’s important to continue to build on the skills that we’ve learnt. Some things that you can be doing at home is;- Skip counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s from any starting number- Breaking numbers down into the hundreds, tens and ones.- Addition and subtraction number sentences.
Religion
This term in Religion, we’ve been exploring a variety of stories from the Bible, and the children have really enjoyed engaging with them in creative ways. A highlight was our activity on the story of The Good Shepherd, where students used playdough to model scenes from the story—bringing it to life through hands-on learning. Next week, we begin a new unit titled Let’s Care for Creation. In this unit, we’ll be exploring some big questions:
• Why is it important to care for creation?
• How can we care for creation?
Our key understandings will guide us through this topic:
• All of creation is a gift that deserves special care and love.
• Our senses help us experience the beauty and wonder of the world around us.
• We can encounter God in the wonders of creation—especially when we take responsibility for looking after it.
We’re looking forward to thoughtful discussions and meaningful activities as we learn how to be stewards of the Earth.
Inquiry – Living Things
This week we move onto our new Inquiry unit which is all about Living Things! Students will be learning about what living things need to survive and how these needs are met indifferent environments. Through hands-on activities and outdoor exploration, students will develop a deeper appreciation for the importance of caring for living things and creating environments where they can thrive. We’ll also be learning about how First Nations Peoples of Australia have traditionally cared for the land and living things, and how their knowledge can inspire us to care for our environment today.We’re looking forward to a term full of curiosity, discovery, and connection with thenatural world!Important Dates for Term 3
Please see below for some key dates coming up this term. More information about each event will be shared closer to the time.
• 26th & 27th August – Learning Conversations
These sessions are a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and learning journey.
• 29th August – Book Week Parade
A fun and creative day where students dress up as their favourite book characters!
• 4th September – Father’s Day Stall
Students can purchase a small gift to celebrate the special father figures in their lives.
• 11th September – R U OK? Day & Family Breakfast
A morning to connect as a community and promote wellbeing and support.
• 12th September – School Athletics Carnival
A day of fun, fitness, and friendly competition!
• 19th September – Last Day of Term 3
Wishing everyone a safe and restful break!