Prep News

Hello Prep Families,

I cannot believe we are already at the end of Week 5 and officially halfway through Term 1. It has been amazing watching the growth of the students in just five short weeks.

Little Learners Love Literacy

This week in literacy, we met:

Cooper Caterpillar, who makes the /k/ sound
Izzy Insect, who makes the /i/ sound

Cooper’s name begins with the sound /k/. We say it with a slightly open mouth and no voice. Izzy’s sound, /i/, is a short vowel sound made by opening your mouth and using your voice. Please practise these new sounds together at home.

The children are becoming more confident recognising sounds and beginning to blend them when reading.

Maths

We continued our counting unit by creating collections up to 10 using different objects. We used everything from cookie trays to treasure chests, which made the learning extra fun. We ended the week by placing stickers along a number line to show numbers up to 10. There was great excitement about taking the spare stickers home.

Inquiry

This week we focused on manners. We discussed when to say please, thank you, no thank you and excuse me. Students worked in small groups roleplaying different scenarios where they could practise using their manners.

Buddies

This week our buddies helped teach us about the Stop, Walk, Talk process we use at school. This strategy supports students to manage small playground problems in a respectful and confident way.

Stop: Use a clear voice and hand signal to tell the person to stop.
Walk: If it continues, calmly walk away and join another activity.
Talk: If the problem does not stop, tell a trusted adult.

We spoke about the difference between talking and dobbing. Talking means you have tried to solve the problem using stop and walk first. If a child is ever unsafe, they are taught to go straight to an adult.

Please encourage your child to explain the steps to you and practise what they would say. Using the same language at home helps build their confidence at school.

Friendly reminders

Please make sure your child’s name is on every piece of clothing so items can be returned to the rightful owner.
Please return readers on Thursday. After Week 6, homework will be collected on Fridays.

Warm regards,

Felicity Jenkins