Welcome

Welcome to Prep at St Andrew’s Catholic Primary School.

The Prep team consists of Ms Holly Capomolla, Mrs Rosemary Restaino and Mrs Milena Santoro. Your child’s learning will additionally be supported by our Learning Support Officers.

We are delighted with how the children are settling into their new routines and their learning. We trust that your child is coming home sharing their new adventures, friendships and knowledge learnt throughout the day.

In order to achieve the greatest impact on your child’s education, it is vital that school and home work together to help your child reach their full potential. We welcome contact with you to discuss concerns, achievements and pathways to success.

During first term, our focus is on:

A sense of belonging – developing relationships with teachers and other students, learning everyone's name and locating items within the classroom.
A sense of being part of the school and parish community.
Participating in the Buddy program. Establishing a supportive environment for Prep and Year 5 buddies.
Establishing a daily routine – unpacking bags, lining up, being able to discern between snack and lunch.
Establishing learning routines, eg: take home books, using stationery, writing books, working in groups, collecting materials and getting ready to begin tasks.
Developing friendships – role playing, how to ask someone to play.
We practice role playing situations requiring resilience, problem solving, playing and turn taking.
We develop classroom rules and appropriate social behaviours.

English

The English Block is a focused two-hour session running each day. It is designed to support children’s early literacy achievement. Activities include: reading, alphabet and word games, word recognition, letter names and sounds, comprehension and writing. The classroom reading activities include whole class, small groups, guided reading, shared reading, modelled reading, language experience, listening tasks and independent reading experiences.

A large variety of resources are used including non-fiction and fiction materials, presented in many formats, including books, songs, poetry and nursery rhymes.

Each child is regularly monitored in their reading to ensure they are reading texts that are appropriate to their level. The focus always emphasises reading for meaning and promoting a love of reading.

Phonological awareness is a key focus in our literacy program. Phonological awareness is an essential part of the students’ ability to learn the English language. Students are enthusiastically learning sounds through Phonics in Context. Children will have regular phonological awareness instruction in letter sound knowledge, word awareness/syllables, rhyme, and eventually first and last, middle sounds, vowels and consonants.

Writing sessions will initially focus on recount writing. Students will be encouraged to draw pictures that represent an element of a past event that they have experienced. Each student will be encouraged to use their oral language skills to describe their illustrations in sentences. Teachers will model writing and expectations of independent writing will vary depending on each child’s point of need.

Students will also be given instruction in handwriting, learning the beginning strokes and shapes needed to use Victorian Modern Cursive handwriting. This includes developing the correct posture and fine motor skills needed to create well-formed letters and a steady pencil grip.

Religious Education

In Religious Education, the Prep students are learning about prayer and preparing for Lent and Easter.

Our students will learn about St Andrew and why our school is named after him.

They will be introduced to our prayer table and prayer space in each classroom. Each class member will contribute their handprint to the class prayer cloth as a symbol of how each student brings their own gifts to our class. They will learn to correctly make the sign of the cross, as well as how to form simple prayers.

The students will learn to sequence and retell the events of Holy Week, and discuss the importance of Jesus’ role throughout this week.

Mathematics

The Mathematics focus for Prep students initially is on number. Concepts and skills are taught through the use of concrete materials and experiences relevant to the children’s lives. The Numeracy Program involves a lot of ‘hands on’ activities, open ended investigations and real life mathematics. Counting and number sense will lay the foundations of your child’s maths learning in future years.

Throughout the term we will also cover: 2D shape, Patterns, Place Value and Counting and Data.

Each Mathematics lesson begins with activities and games designed to teach and practise Mental Strategies such as first counting to 10 then building on to 20, and breaking up numbers to 5.

Below is a list of activities that you can do at home in order to support your child’s Mathematics development:

Make counting part of your everyday life. For example, count toys, shells at the beach, fruit at the grocery store or trees on the street.
When you are out and about, encourage your child to compare sizes of stones, bushes and trees, and describe shapes of leaves, colours of flowers or sizes of birds.
Go for a walk down your street and point out how each house or block has a number in a series. Count the steps between one house and the next.
Use a growth chart or marks on a wall to measure your child’s growing height, and describe to your child what you’re doing.
Involve your child in cooking. Your child can help stir, pour, fill and mix. This will help your child learn to count, measure, add and estimate.

Inquiry

In Inquiry the Prep students will be exploring their unit ‘Our School Family’. They will be exploring words that they can use to identify, describe and shape their emotions. As well as reflect on how their words and actions affect themselves and others. Students will learn strategies to build a positive classroom community and make sure that everyone feels a sense of belonging in the St Andrew’s community.

SPECIALIST PROGRAMS

L.O.T.E. Italian

Ciao a tutti e felice anno nuovo.

Dear parents, welcome to 2024. May it be a happy and healthy year for all.

In Italian, this term, the focus for the Preps will be on introducing Italy and the Italian language, and developing the students’ speaking and listening skills. The students will be introduced to the Italian language through the alphabet and its sounds, and through gestures and expressions.They will interact with their peers and the teacher, and respond to the language associated with greetings, saying sorry and expressing thanks. The students will also enjoy playing games and singing simple Italian songs.

L’Italia- Italy L’Europa- Europe

Lo stivale- the boot L’italiano- Italian ( the language)

La bandiera- the flag

I saluti: (Greetings)

Buongiorno - good morning / hello

Ciao - hello / hi, goodbye (familiar) Mi scusi- Excuse me.

Arrivederci – goodbye (formal) Perdono I’m sorry A dopo- see you later

Grazie- Thank you Grazie mille- Thank you very much

In order to help your child practise his/her Italian outside the classroom and to help him/her grow in confidence and knowledge, please access the following links:

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/languagesonline/italian/topic01/index.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBVHWcy855k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGEV9bRNYFs

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/languagesonline/italian/topic10/index.htm

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/languagesonline/italian/sect19/index.htm

Buon lavoro e ciao a presto.

Best wishes

Signora White

Physical Education

During Term One in Physical Education, students will be learning how to follow instructions and work as individuals and in small groups. They will participate in a range of individual, partner and small group activities focusing on a number of fine and gross motor skills. Some of these skills include underarm throwing, catching and using small and big objects such as bean bags, tennis balls and soft foam balls. The overall emphasis will be on promoting physical activity through fun, engaging and motivating activities!

Students will also participate in an athletics unit involving sprints, long distance running and relays! Working towards the very fun Athletics carnival held on the oval! They will also practice their throwing and catching a lot this term to gain confidence in this transferable skill!

Before school running club will begin Thursday 29th Feb and will continue each Tuesday and Thursday until the end of term to prepare for St Andrew’s Cross Country Day.

Tuesday - Running Club

Thursday - Running Club

St Andrew’s Cross Country Day - Friday 15th March on the Oval

St Andrew’s Athletics Carnival / Kaboom - Friday 22nd March

Best wishes,

Ms. Kromer

Art

Hi and welcome to all our new preps for term 1 in the art room. The preps will be introduced to the art room and will be given opportunities to feel free and confident to express ideas and are encouraged to respond to the artwork of others. In the art room we incorporate both art making and art appreciation and help the children develop a visual arts language. Our artworks support various units within their Inquiry units of study and religious celebrations which are being explored in the classroom. We promote learning through the arts as fundamental to the development of the whole child, motivating creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and social interactions. Over the course of term 1 the children will experiment with a variety of media including painting, drawing and collage continuing to practise their cutting and pasting skills throughout their first year at school but more importantly we’ll have lots of fun.

Mrs. Bartlett

Performing Arts

Welcome to St Andrew’s prep families!

I can’t wait to sing, dance and act with our brand new preppies. This term students will be focusing on keeping in time to the beat, using their voices, dance moves and instruments. They’ll be learning how to go fast and slow or loud and soft along with the music, as well as stopping and starting at the right moments. The songs we’ll be working on include a dance/song called Haida, a song with actions called Funga Alafia and another song with instruments called Play and Stop. The students will get to show their fantastic sharing skills using our special Fuzzy clowns, singing the song My Friend Fuzzy and sharing the clown puppets with their friends.

We’ll also be learning how to play percussion instruments that you can either tap, shake or scrape to make music! See if your preppie remembers our favourite rule in music “if you play before I say, the instrument goes away”. Instruments are definitely the highlight of the performing arts class so far and I’m pleased to report students have been very respectful and careful with them.

To help your students enjoy performing arts please encourage them to dance and sing to music as often as possible at home and feel free to join in with them.

Happy singing and dancing!

Mrs Cooper

Circle Time

In the morning all classes participate in circle time from 8.45 – 9.05am. This is an important time where students engage in activities to build relationships with both their peers and teacher, and learn social-emotional skills to contribute to a positive learning environment within their classroom. Please ensure that your child is on time for school, as these activities are important to their overall experience at school.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

The Positive Behaviour for Learning framework comprises of three focus values; Respect, Responsibility and Resilience. Each term we focus on a different value. This term we will be introducing the Prep students to the three values. We also have a focus on keeping our hands and feet to ourselves and respecting each other's ‘personal bubble spaces’

Classroom Organisation

Every week the Prep students will attend the following Specialist programs.

Please remind your child to wear their sports uniform and runners on the appropriate day.

Specialist Teachers and Timetable

Italian – Signora Santoro

P.E. – Ms Kromer

Performing Arts - Mrs Cooper

Art - Mrs Bartlett

During the month of February the specialists timetable will be:

Prep C

Monday: P.E., Performing Arts, Italian

Tuesday: Art

Prep R

Monday: P.E., Italian and Art

Tuesday: Performing Arts

Please note that after rest days have finished the specialist timetable will change.

We will email the updated timetable when applicable.

Take home books - pouches

Each day, your child will bring home a language experience book in the blue reading pouch. We encourage your child to talk about the book they have been reading in the classroom throughout the week. Every day they will be given a new sentence to read with a family member. Parents can support their child to point underneath each word as they read it together.

School Uniform and Hat

Please ensure that all items of clothing are clearly marked with your child’s name, preferably in permanent marker.

Meet and Greet

Please note that classrooms are open from 8:30 - 8:45 am for our Meet and Greet time. This is an important time for students to get themselves organised for their day of learning. It also gives students the opportunity to establish and maintain relationships with peers. Please ensure that you arrive during this time to give your child the best possible start each day.

Fruit Break

During the middle teaching block, the Prep students will have a Fruit Break to ‘refuel’ on vegetables, salad or fruit and ‘rehydrate’ with water. Please pack something extra in your child’s lunchbox for them to eat during this time. Students who are not hungry and are well hydrated perform better in the classroom and show increased concentration. Friendly reminder that we encourage a nut free environment in the classroom.

Key Dates

Wednesday 7th February

Prep Literacy and Numeracy Interviews - No Classes

Tuesday 13th February

Shrove Tuesday - Pancakes

Wednesday 14th February

Prep Literacy and Numeracy Interviews - No Classes

Wednesday 21st February

Prep Literacy and Numeracy Interviews - No Classes

Sunday 25th February

Prep Welcome Mass - 11 am

Wednesday 28th February

Prep Rest Day - No Classes

Tuesday 19th March

School Photos

Friday 22nd March

School Athletics Carnival and Kaboom Sports 1 - 3pm

Monday 25th March

Parent/Child/Teacher Interviews

Thursday 28th March

Term 1 Concludes at 1:30

How to Contact Us

Holly Capomolla: hcapomolla@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Rosemary Restaino: rrestaino@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Milena Santoro: msantoro@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au

Year Level Newsletter

Term 1/2024 · 11 Feb 2024

In this issue