Prep News
Our Learning and Celebrations
Literacy - Phonics Plus
Sounds we are learning
We are currently focusing on these letters and their sounds: m, d, g, o, c, f
Your child is learning to:
Say the sound each letter makes (rather than the letter name)
Blend sounds together to read simple words (e.g. dog, mat, fin)
Break words into sounds to help with spelling
Begin reading and writing simple three-letter words
High-frequency words: and, for, the, is, of, a
We are also working on:
Correct letter formation and early handwriting skills
Listening for sounds at the beginning, middle, and end of words
Building confidence and a love of reading and writing
The Prep students enthusiastically practised their phonics and spelling outside using colourful chalk on the asphalt. As part of their Phonics Plus lessons, they carefully sounded out words, stretching each phoneme before blending them together to read the whole word.
Prep A
Prep B
Prep C
Some students segmented words to spell them, saying each sound aloud as they wrote the matching letters.
The outdoor setting made learning active and engaging, with children proudly showing their neatly written words and supporting one another with their spelling. It was wonderful to see their confidence growing as they combined movement, creativity and structured phonics practice in the fresh air. We may have had a few drawings as well!
Maths
Prep students have been building strong foundations in early number through structured, explicit lessons and daily review.
A key focus has been on counting. Students are practising counting forwards with one-to-one correspondence, matching numbers to quantities and developing confidence when working with small collections.
We have also been learning correct number formation. Using Direction Duck and fun number formation rhymes, students are learning the correct starting point and direction for each numeral. Some of the rhymes we use include:
“From the top straight down for fun, that’s the way to write a ‘1’.”
“Half a heart will never do, slide it forward to write a ‘2’.”
“Curve forward carefully, curve again to write a ‘3’.”
These rhymes help students remember the correct formation while developing strong pencil control and number writing habits.
Students have also been exploring positional language, using words such as under, below, above, on top of and next to to describe where objects are located. Through hands-on games and classroom activities, they are building their understanding of space and position.
In addition, children have been learning the days of the week, strengthening their understanding of sequencing and early time concepts.
What We Are Learning Next
Literacy
Phonics Plus
The next letters and sounds we will be focusing on are:
k, e, r, u