Year 1/2 Unit
What a couple of weeks we’ve had in the 1/2 classes! Let us tell you all about what we’ve been up to…
Literacy
In Literacy, students have been exploring persuasive writing, with a particular focus on writing persuasive letters. We have been examining the different techniques authors use to convince their readers, including strong opinions and persuasive language. Students have been identifying these techniques in examples and beginning to apply them in their own writing. It has been fantastic to see students expressing their opinions and thinking carefully about how they can use language to persuade their audience.
Maths
In Maths, students have been exploring multiplication and developing their understanding of equal groups. We have been learning how multiplication can be represented as groups of, repeated addition and arrays. Students have been using hands-on materials and visual representations to build equal groups and connect these to multiplication number sentences. We have also been practising explaining our mathematical thinking and recognising the different ways multiplication can be represented. Students have shown great enthusiasm as they develop their confidence with multiplication!
Inquiry
In Inquiry, students have continued exploring ocean pollution and investigating the many ways it can affect marine life and their habitats. Students have been learning about the impact of rubbish, particularly plastic, on sea creatures and considering how our actions can help protect our oceans. Alongside this learning, students have begun designing their artwork for our end-of-term art show, ‘Making Waves’. We are excited to see their creative ideas come to life as they combine their learning about ocean pollution with their artistic ideas!
Symphony of Stories: Celebrating Book Day
Our school grounds transformed into a living library last week for our spectacular ‘Symphony of Stories’ Book Day celebration. Students and staff brought their favourite literary characters to life with an incredible display of creative costumes. The highlight of the morning was our vibrant character parade on the netball courts. It was wonderful to see so many parents, carers, and family members in attendance, cheering on our book characters and showing such fantastic support for our school community.
Following the parade, our students tuned in for a truly unique musical event. Renowned singer-songwriter Josh Pyke led schools across the state in a massive, collaborative song creation activity, helping us turn our love of reading into rhythm and rhyme.
Back in the classrooms, the literary fun continued with a deep dive into an array of fantastic books. Students engaged in creative, book-related tasks centred around the popular title Derek alongside several other shortlisted books, capping off a memorable day dedicated to the magic of reading.
Mathslympics and Family Maths Night: A Day of Maths Magic!
Yesterday, our school came alive with mathematical excitement during our Mathslympics and Family Maths Night event. The day focused entirely on collaboration, critical thinking, and most importantly...fun! Students teamed up with peers from different year levels, working together to tackle a wide variety of numerical challenges in their House teams.
For the Family Maths Night, our Year 1/2 students had an absolute blast diving into four highly engaging maths games:
Place Value Wars
Place Value Knockout
Matchmaker
Get Out of My House
Students also used iPads to explore spatial reasoning and geometry through an interactive Geoboards problem-solving task.
The sweetest highlight of the night was our Lolly Machine Estimation Activity. Students put their mathematical guessing skills to the test, trying to calculate the exact number of treats inside the machine.
We extend a massive thank you to all our wonderful parents for attending our Family Maths night with your fantastic children. The students absolutely adored being able to share their learning with you all.
Donations Needed
Just a friendly reminder that the Year 1/2 teachers are collecting small, clean recycled materials for our upcoming art projects. Our artworks will be A3 size, so we only need small items. If you have any of the following at home, we would greatly appreciate you sending them in with your child over the next week:
Bottle caps
Yoghurt lids
Plastic lids
Small boxes or containers
Other small, clean recycled materials that could be useful for creating art
Please ensure all materials are clean and safe for children to handle.
There is no need to purchase anything—recycled materials from home are perfect!
Thank you to those who have already brought in materials for us!!
Year 1/2 Teachers
Greer Arnold/Iain Sparrey (12A), Lisa Sutch (12L), Zoe Sutherland (12Z)
Juliet Smith/Sally Quinn (12S)