Year 1 and 2

Dear Year 1 and 2 Families, 

A big welcome to our families for the 2024 academic year. We are looking forward to a fabulous year ahead and to ensure it runs smoothly, we have included a few housekeeping items below for your perusal.

Meet and greet other families in our school community!

HATS:

As with government policies, it is a requirement for students to wear a hat when playing outside at recess and big play during Terms 1 and 4. Hats can be purchased at PSW if you do not have one. It may be helpful to have a spare hat in your child's bag at all times in case they need it, as we know some children do not enjoy having to stay in the Shelter Shed for all of their play times. We also highly encourage parents to clearly label everything (including lunch boxes, drink bottles, hats, jumpers etc) with your child’s name, so that we can return it to the correct person if it is misplaced. 

TAKE HOME READERS:

Take home readers are a very important partnership between home and school. They are changed daily and brought home each night. We encourage parents to listen to their children read each day and ask them questions about their book, so that they can demonstrate their understanding. The children will read more difficult books to the teacher at school to enable the teacher to monitor, assess and develop strategies for any areas the child needs to focus on going forward. The readers which students take home are meant to be easier than what they read at school so that children are able to continue enjoying reading at home.

TISSUES:

As a level, we are promoting healthy hygiene habits and would appreciate all students bringing along a box of tissues to donate to their classroom. Your help to keep our classroom healthy and clean is greatly appreciated. And a big thank you to all of the students who have already brought in a box.

LIBRARY BAGS:

Library bags are mandatory in order for students to borrow books from the library. They are required weekly on their scheduled Library day. Please encourage your child to be responsible for their own library bag/book, by packing it on the day of their Library session occurs. 

ART SMOCKS:

Please clarify with students if they currently have their art smock at school. The smock will protect your little artist's clothes from paint and other stains. If a new one is needed, the Art teachers recommend buying one with a plastic front and not cloth smocks as they often use water in Art classes and it will go through and possibly stain their uniform. 

SHOW AND TELL:

Children practise their speaking skills to their class at least once a fortnight through programs such as Show and Tell. We encourage parents to ensure that their child is prepared for their Show and Tell day. Termly topics will be communicated by the classroom teacher in a timely fashion, as will a timetable of your child's scheduled day. It is important to encourage students to participate in Show and Tell as Speaking and Listening focuses on general communication skills such as turn taking, listening, questioning, eye contact, fluency, expression, body language and changing the way we speak depending on who we are speaking to.

TOYS:

We are finding that a lot of students are bringing toys to school. Students who bring toys of any kind to school are responsible for their own belongings and they are not to come into the classroom. If it is lost or broken, we can only help so much. Please do not allow your child to bring something precious or expensive to school for the same reasons above. 

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS:

Parent teacher interviews will be open for booking in COMPASS shortly. Please keep an eye out for an update from the Principals. 

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS:

This week, students in Grade 2 have been engaging in Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships lessons. These sessions have focused on concepts such as  similarities and differences between peers, together with how to play fairly. Through this, students have gained a better understanding that diversity is to be respected and appreciated. They have enjoyed having the time to further connect with their classmates and getting to know each other. 

HEALTHY LUNCHES:

Try planning a healthy lunch box for your child to start the school year. Talk to your child and discuss what they would be happy to have included. Involving children in the planning and preparing phases, gives them the opportunity to learn about healthy eating, and also gives them a chance to make autonomous decisions about what they will be eating during the day. Some tips to help get your children involved include:

• Talk to your children about what they would like to have in their lunchbox. Discuss healthier food choices and decide what will be in the lunchbox together.
• Write a shopping list together. Take your children shopping with you and let them choose foods from the shopping list.
• Encourage your children help prepare their lunchboxes. Older children may be able to prepare most of their lunch themselves, and younger children can help with making sandwiches or cutting up soft fruit. It is a good idea to prepare lunchboxes the evening before to allow children to participate.

SHOELACES:

We have noticed a large number of students across the board who are unable to tie their own shoelaces and are asking teachers for assistance with this on a daily basis, sometimes numerous times a day. We encourage you to help your child practise these skills at home or alternatively, you might like to think about the use of velcro shoes to make this easier for your child.

WORK IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

The Grade 2 students have been working hard on their writing skills:

Grade 1 students are proud of...