Prep-2 Sector 

PREP

Hello families and friends! 

Our Prep students have been working so hard and it is wonderful to see all the amazing learning and growth!             

Reading and Writing

We have been reading and writing informational texts this term. We began this unit of study by learning about facts and opinions. Students were given statements and identified whether it was an opinion or fact. We also wrote facts and opinions after reading texts about koalas, owls and other animals.

Mathematics

We have been exploring addition and subtraction. Students have used a range of strategies to develop their understanding and fluency when adding and subtracting. We have used number tracks, concrete materials and manipulatives and number bonds. Number bonds help us when exploring part, whole concepts. 

Science

We have been learning to identify how a push or pull affects the shape and the movement of an object by testing and recording observations. 

The Prep Team

Year 1

This term, grade 1 students have been busy continuing their literacy learning journey by engaging in a range of activities related to the books by Julia Donaldson. 

Students have been exploring rhyme and rhythm, repetition and refrain and have applied these skills to creating their own creature and making up a little poem about said creature.

In humanities this term grade 1’s are looking at the difference between constructed lakes and natural lakes.

Students can identify features of both types and discuss what these lakes have in common and what they have that is different. 

Our humanities lessons allow student to explore their learning through play, as such; students have been drawing their own lakes, building them with Lego and consolidating their knowledge by doing word searches with relevant vocabulary.

The next few weeks of term will be exciting with Science Week this week, and Book Week in week 7. There may be a clue in this newsletter as to what the grade 1 teachers will dress up as this year! We hope to see our families at these wonderful opportunities to engage in our students learning.

'You can if you think you can'

The Year 1 Teachers

Year 2

The Year 2 teachers are proud of all our students who arrive smiling and keen to start learning each day. We appreciate students being punctual and arriving at 8.50am so teachers can greet them with a high-5 or wave before Morning Circle time begins. 

We are starting to explore our Poetry unit, learning about lines, stanzas, rhythm and rhyme as we explore poems such as ‘The Swing’. What poems can you recite? 

In our daily Phonics and Reading sessions we have been exploring base words and how adding prefixes and suffixes can change word meanings. For example, behaving – misbehaving, sad – sadly. We practice our handwriting and spelling strategies during modelled writing. Each day we also read aloud from texts to develop our accuracy, fluency and meaning making skills. Well done to all the students who regularly read at home, fill in their diaries and bring them to school for their teachers to view. Readers are winners!

In Maths we are discovering the links between addition and subtraction and how knowing one fact allows us to know other related facts. Strategies we have been shown include the split strategy, the jump strategy and compensation, which are shown below

for the addition fact 67+32=99 and the subtraction fact 67-32=35.  

 Our Science Week lunchtime activity was creating Magic Milk Fireworks. There was great delight and much chatter as milky fireworks appeared before our eyes.

The Lego building challenge continues during Thursday at recess times and the teams are busy creating amazing structures. We can’t wait to see the finished products.

Yr 2 Team