Level 1 & 2
We are heading into Week 5 already, doesn’t time fly! We have some exciting things coming up for the second half of this term!
The students had a fantastic time at the netball clinic last week. We definitely have some talented athletes in our year levels!
INFORMATION & REMINDERS
Star of the Week
Over the next few weeks, our classes will begin Star of the Week. Each student will have a special opportunity to share about their life with the class. This is a wonderful way for students to build confidence, practise their speaking and listening skills, and learn more about one another. We’re excited to celebrate each child and give them their moment to shine. Please look out for the special notice that will come home with your child, when it is their turn. It will give you instructions on what is to be shared on each day.
Class Pet
We are also excited that each week, one student will have the chance to take our special class pet (a special teddy) home. This is a fun way for students to practise responsibility, storytelling, and sharing about their lives.
When it’s your child’s turn, they can take the class pet on small adventures at home. This may be reading together, helping with a hobby, or simply spending time as part of the family. When they return to school, they’ll share a page in the class pet journal with photos and captions about the adventures they had.
Home Learning.
Our Grade One and Two students bring home take home books on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights. We encourage you to read these books more than once with your child to build fluency.
On Friday, we send home a 'Home Learning book' with your child with a hard copy of the following week's UFLI home practice sheets and a copy of your child's fluency reading. We would encourage you to read this text multiple times with your child to help build fluency.
Please see below some information about the UFLI at home learning and ways you can use it. Stay tuned for more detailed information in the coming weeks!
Personal Belongings:
We are seeing an increase in personal belongings like footy cards, teddies, remote controlled cars and toys being bought to school. We strongly encourage students to leave these items at home as at times they can cause distress when they become lost or damaged and can distract students from learning time.
CURRICULUM
Literacy
UFLI: Grade One Students
This week the students will be reviewing e_e spelling /ē/ when there is a final e. Then student will be learning u_e spelling /ū/.
UFLI: Grade Two Students
This week the students will be learning the Australian er spelling the schwa /ə/ sound. Then students will be reviewing to spell R controlled vowels.
What can you do at home?
- Optional UFLI Home Practice pages found in their home learning book.
Mentor Text: Wilam: A Birrarung Story
This week students will be looking at the beautiful book "Wilam: A Birrarung Story" By Indigenous Australian authors Aunty Joy Murphy and Andrew Kelly and Illustrated by Lisa Kennedy. Studentswill be exploring new vocabulary and expanding their comprehension strategies.
What can you do at home?
While driving - have your child call out adjectives to describe the nouns you see.
When reading, discuss and research vocabulary students may not know.
Maths
Grade One Students
The Grade One students are beginning their exploration of measurement. This week will focus on mass and capacity with students getting hands on opportunities to practice these skills!
What can you do at home?
- MathsSeeds
- Comparing everyday items (e.g. blocks, paperclips, hands, forks) to decide which are longer or shorter or maybe the mass - which is heavier or lighter.
Line up household objects (e.g. shoes, toys, books) from shortest to longest and talk about the order.
Grade Two Students
This week, our Grade Two students are exploring the concept of length. They will be measuring and recording the length of objects using informal units, as well as developing their estimation skills by predicting how long different objects might be before measuring them.
What can you do at home?
- Mathletics
- Estimate the length of an object first (e.g. table, book, couch), then measure it using informal units like pencils or spoons to check accuracy.
- Measure the same object using two different informal units (e.g. paperclips vs. hands) and compare the results, why are they different?
Wellbeing
This week in wellbeing we will be following the SWPBS focus of 'Be Kind' thinking about how we can be respectful of other people's privacy. Students will also be completing a 'Bullying Prevention' lesson.
What can you do at home?
Talk together about what privacy means and make a list of personal information we should keep safe (e.g. full name, address, passwords, photos).
Practise asking permission before sharing or posting photos of family members or friends online.
CBL
Our Big Idea for Term Two is Country.
Our Guiding Questions:
What is Country?
What is special about our Country?
How can we connect to Country?
Our Essential Question:
How do we respect Country?
Our Challenge:
Write an Acknowledgement of Country for our grade.
This week students will be exploring the 6 layers of Country through collage.
- Biik-ut (Below Country): The underground roots, soil, and ochre, representing ancestral foundations.
- Biik-dui (On Country): The surface land where humans walk, dance, and do ceremonies.
- Baanj Biik (Water Country): Waterways and water sources (rivers, rain, mist), which sustain life.
- Murnmut Biik (Wind Country): The air, representing the wind that carries smoke from ceremonies, language, and messages.
- Wurru Wurru Biik (Sky Country): The sky, where Creation Beings like Bunjil (wedge-tailed eagle) are seen.
- Tharangalk Biik (Star Country/Forest above the clouds): The highest, layer where Ancestral Beings dwell, acting as a reflection of Below Country