Classroom News 

Foundation

Dear Foundation Families,

How quicky has Term 1 come to an end? It feels like only yesterday that our Foundation students began their school journey, walking into their classroom for the very first time and now here we are at the end of term! Our students have settled beautifully into life at BPS, confidently and independently preparing themselves for each day. It has been wonderful to see so many new friendships beginning to grow.

Literacy

In Reader’s Workshop, we have been looking at a new mentor text each week. We have made predictions, sequenced the story, studied character traits and settings and explored new knowledge and vocabulary in each book. Students then respond to each text, showing their understanding of what we have read together. We have learnt new decoding strategies using sound and picture clues, blending and recognising sight words.

In our Writers Workshop, we have learnt to brainstorm ideas from a range of inspirations. Students have used these ideas to begin writing simple sentences. We encourage students to listen and then record the initial sounds of words and then segment into the remaining sounds. We have also been working on the conventions of forming sentences, including capital letters, finger spaces between words and a full stop at the end of the sentence.

In Spelling we are using cued articulation to learn our sounds. We investigate each letter of the alphabet by listening to the sound, forming the correct letter shape with whiteboards, playdough and chalk. We also investigate words that begin with that sound. In our phonics sessions we have used the Heggerty’s program to investigate sounds, rhymes and word parts.

Numeracy

This term, our focus has been on subitising a collection, (see a number of objects and recognise the total amount without counting) and the names and symbols that represent them. We have been focusing on forming each number correctly. Students have also been learning to compare collections using the words more or less and make patterns.

Inquiry

In our Inquiry lessons, we have been learning to identify our emotions and understanding to express ourselves respectfully. We have been learning about our school values and how to show them to our classmates, teachers and those around us.

One of the highlights of the term would have to be building new friendships and watching these bloom during all of the fun events like our Cultural Festival and school Cross Country.

We hope you have a lovely Easter break, and we look forward to a wonderful Term 2!

Thank you,

Vicky, Alannah, Wendy and Simone