Grade 2

Term 2 has been a busy and exciting term for our Grade 2 students. We proudly participated in the school's ANZAC Day Service, where students showed great respect as they reflected on the sacrifices of those who have served our country. We also enjoyed a wonderful Pamper Mother's Day Afternoon, providing students with a special opportunity to celebrate the important women in their lives. Students also enthusiastically participated in the school's Cross Country event, demonstrating determination, resilience, and excellent sportsmanship as they challenged themselves on the course. Another highlight was National Simultaneous Storytime, where students joined children across Australia in reading "Luna Roo" while sharing a love of reading. We were also fortunate to welcome student teachers, Miss Black in 2J and Miss Christie in 2A, who quickly became valued members of our classrooms.

We thank them for their enthusiasm and the positive learning experiences they have provided throughout the term.

- The Grade 2 Team (Charlotte, Dean, Callum, Kirsty and Billie)

Reminders

⭐ Wet Weather– Please ensure students have a change of clothes as we are having more rainy days.

📚 Library & Home Reading – Don’t forget to pack your child’s library bag (Thursdays)and decodable reader (Fridays). We have noticed a major decline in the number of diaries and readers being returned each week. This remains an important part of your child's learning as home support is crucial for their success.

🚫 Toys at School – To avoid distractions and lost items, we ask that toys and fidgets stay at home.

🚫 Make-up, Beauty Products and Jewellery at School – To avoid distractions and lost items, we ask that all make-up, beauty products and jewellery stay at home.

Literacy

This term in Literacy, students have explored a variety of text types and developed their reading and writing skills through engaging learning experiences.

Some of the learning experiences this term included:

Researching bilbies and writing detailed information reports, learning how to organise facts into clear sections with headings and supporting information.
Writing an information report about the different ways that dogs help people, further developing their research and report-writing skills.
Creating a procedure explaining how to make a Pandanus mat.
Constructing arguments about whether animals should be kept in zoos.
Writing chapter summaries to create their own chapter summary books for George's Marvellous Medicine.
As part of National Simultaneous Storytime, students enjoyed reading Luna Roo, created detailed character profiles of the characters in the story, and participated in an online drawing session where they learned how to draw Luna Roo alongside the book's illustrator.

What books did we read this term?

What was your favourite book and why?

My favourite book was George's Marvellous Medicine because I am enjoying what is happening each chapter - Clara

I liked Rosy Dock because it was about flowers - Lily

George's Marvellous medicine because it was funny when Grandma did a front flip out of her chair. - Avery

I liked George's Marvellous Medicine because of the pictures and it's funny. I like drawing the pictures as well - Heidi

Collecting Colours because it was colourful and I liked learning about Pandanus mats - Remi

My favourite book is Zoo because I really liked when the Dad made funny faces- Lacey

George's Marvellous Medicine because some pictures are funny- Isabella

George's Marvellous Medicine because when George gave Grandma the medicine she turned really skinny- Camilla.

What was your favourite writing activity and why?

I liked writing a summary for George's Marvellous Medicine - Josh

I liked writing about if animals should be kept in Zoos - Isla

The chapter summaries because I liked writing about each chapter - Sophie

I liked creating a little book about bilbies - Allira

I liked making the bilby book because learning about bilbies was fun - Rubi

I liked making good copies of my work on Google Docs - Hudley

I liked the chapter summaries because it's fun and relaxing because I can make up my own ideas about the chapter- Gabby

I liked the chapter summaries because I like writing- Amelia H

Numeracy

This term, students have continued to strengthen their mathematical understanding through a range of hands-on learning experiences and real-world problem-solving activities.

Students have been developing their knowledge of addition and subtraction strategies, learning efficient ways to solve problems mentally and using written methods. They have explored different strategies, explained their thinking, and selected methods that best suit the numbers involved.

In Statistics, students have collected and analysed data from surveys, observations, and experiments. They have practised organising information, creating simple displays and graphs, and interpreting data to answer questions and identify patterns.

Students have also applied their mathematical knowledge to practical money problems, exploring real-life situations involving buying, selling, and calculating totals and change. To do this students designed and created their own arcade game using our Nüdel Kart. They selected ticket prices for their games and practised calculating and giving the correct change.

Our learning has also focused on telling time using analogue clocks. Students have practised reading and representing times to the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour.

Throughout the term, we engaged in many hands-on activities, learned new maths games, practised a variety of problem-solving strategies, and most importantly, had lots of fun while learning!

What was your favourite maths activity and why?

I liked sitting on the green counting the colour of the cars - Georgia

I enjoyed the mnms task with Miss Christie because we counted the colours of the mnms, put them in a picture graph and then we got to eat them! - Octavia

I liked learning about partitioning because it was very interesting - Archie B

The Nudel Kart because we got to make our own arcade game and it was really fun - Millie

The Nudel Kart because we learnt about giving change - Koa

The MM one because at the end we got to eat them - Dolinde

I liked the MM's because I liked eating them and the math was ok too - Abbys

The Fair Games: We were working on the skill of calculating change. We made an arcade game out of cardboard, recyclable things or things from the Nudel cart. We went around to each of the classes and played their games. We started with $10 and we had to use this money to buy games then we got given change.

I liked that we got to go and see each others designs - Maverick

I liked learning how to give the people change- Remi

I liked how we had to use our math's skills to calculate change -Lily

I liked building the arcade game because I liked working with my partner Clara - Aisyah

Inquiry

Inquiry and Science Update – Changing Materials

This term, students have been investigating the exciting world of materials through our Changing Materials science unit.

Throughout the unit, students have explored how different materials can change and why these changes occur. Through hands-on experiments, observations, discussions, and investigations, students have explored the properties of materials and how they can be used for different purposes.

Students have examined examples of both physical and chemical changes, making predictions, conducting tests, and recording their observations like scientists. They have investigated how heating, cooling, mixing, bending, stretching, and other actions can affect different materials.

It has been wonderful to see students demonstrate curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm as they explore the fascinating ways materials can change.

Technology

This term, students have been developing their digital technology skills through a range of engaging and practical activities.

Typing

Students have been working on improving their typing skills using online typing programs to build speed, accuracy, and confidence when using a laptop. Developing strong keyboard skills helps students work more efficiently and supports their learning across all curriculum areas.

Laptop Skills

We have also been learning how to use Google Docs and Google Slides. Students have practised creating and editing documents, formatting text, inserting images, and designing presentations. These skills help students communicate their ideas clearly and prepare them for future learning in an increasingly digital world.

Cyber Safety

A major focus this term has been cyber safety. Through class discussions, videos, games, and collaborative activities, students have explored how to stay safe, respectful, and responsible online. Topics covered have included:

Keeping personal information private
Creating strong passwords
Being kind and respectful online
Identifying trusted adults who can help with online problems
Thinking carefully before posting or sharing content
Understanding digital footprints and how online actions can have lasting effects

Students have participated in a variety of cyber safety activities, including analysing online scenarios, discussing ethical choices, and learning strategies for making safe decisions when using technology.

We encourage families to continue these conversations at home and to take an active interest in their child's online activities. Working together helps ensure students develop the knowledge and skills needed to be safe and responsible digital citizens.

What has been your favourite part of Technology this term, and why?

I liked learning about Google Slides because I like making books about me - Alexis

I liked using Google Slides to make an all about me slide - Audrey

I liked using Google Slides because some of them were funny - Logan Q

I liked how the computer can teach me how to type - Logan M

I liked touch typing -Isabella

I liked interland- Abby

Fun Stuff

What was your favourite event this term?

I loved seeing my mum for Mother's Day Pamper and Paint- Georgia

I really liked painting the nails with Mum - Addy

I really liked massaging my mums hands and giving her shoulder rubs - Maverick

I really like the 'guess who' drawing we did of our mums, mum couldn't pick which one I drew - Kellar

I liked cross country because I liked running a lot - Archie M

I liked cross county because it was hard with all the running - Avah

I liked cross country because I like running - Ella

I liked cross country because I came third -Memphis

What is something new that you did this term that you've never done before?

National Simultaneous Story time: Luna Roo

I liked that the story was about soccer- Lily H

I liked how it was based in the desert and the animals were Australian desert animals - Kellar

I love how we learned how to draw Luna Roo - Violet

I liked how we drew Luna and wrote about the story, it created a memory Luna Roo -Maverick

Braves Visit: Darcy, Ella, Olivia and Jordan from the Bendigo Braves, visited our classroom. First, we read our decodables to them. Then, we went outside to play some basketball games. One game we played was Over and Under and we had to race each other in teams. They also taught us to dribble and we had to practise using our finger tips, not our palms when we dribbled. Lastly, we taught them an Epsom game we like to play which is called Farmer Sam. We had a great time! - 2A

Chris Kennet Illustrator Visit:

I liked the watching Chris Kennet drawing the pictures because he is really talented- Mia

I liked finding out what materials he used to make his pictures. He used a computer! - Remi

I love how we got to make our own pictures of our own monster - Violet

Thanks for reading!