Foundation & Year 1 News
Reading
In Reading, over the past fortnight, the Foundation and Year 1 students have been practising the skill of Visualising while listening to a text. This has involved them using their imagination to create images in their head from the text read to them. Students had the chance to bring these images to life by drawing them and writing about their visualisation.
Students have also had the opportunity to practise their high frequency words through texts, games and activities to promote automatic recall of high frequency words. Students also had the opportunity to find high frequency words in texts and create a tally of how many times they saw the high frequency word in a text.
“My gruffalo has sharp teeth and pointy claws.” - Danyal Foundation
“I like visualising”- Aydin F1/B
Writing
In Writing sessions, students have been practising sentence structure using nouns, verbs and adjectives. They have been given a range of pictures to which they had to write a sentence containing a noun, a verb, and an adjective. It was fantastic to see students coming up with wonderful sentences about a range of images. Students have also been diligently practising their handwriting skills, and they have been focussing on correct letter formation and position on dotted thirds.
Finally, students have had the chance to practise writing procedural texts about a range of different things such as how to wash your hands and how to make a sandwich. This has involved them using time connectives including first, next, then and after that to make sure their steps are clear and in the correct order. Students have enjoyed this topic and have worked hard to make steps concise and easy to follow.
“The small boy is running.” - Izian Foundation
“The old house is wobbling.”- Jem F1A
“A noun for cat is fluffy”- Brooklyn F/1B
Maths
During Mathematics, students began developing their understanding of skip counting by 10s, 5s and 2s. They used a range of concrete and visual resources, including number charts, songs and bundling sticks, to practise counting patterns and strengthen their understanding. Students also explored finding 1 more, 1 less, 10 more, 10 less, 100 more and 100 less than a given number.
“I can count by 10s to 100.” - Thomas Foundation
“1 more than 13 is 14.”- Alan F1A
“I can count by 10s to 100” - Oscar F1B
Social and Emotional Learning
This fortnight in SEL, students have been learning about ways to manage their emotions and make positive choices when interacting with others. They explored self-calming strategies that can help them feel more settled when they are worried, frustrated or overwhelmed. Students practised strategies such as taking deep breaths, finding a quiet space, using positive self-talk and asking a trusted adult for help.
They also explored the difference between friendly and unfriendly decisions. Students discussed how their choices can affect the feelings of others and identified ways to show kindness, respect and inclusion when playing and learning with friends.
As part of their learning about responsibility, students discussed the importance of keeping the school clean and looking after the spaces we share. They explored ways they can help care for our school, such as putting rubbish in the bin, keeping their classroom and playground tidy, and looking after school resources.
“We need to put rubbish in the bin.” - Willow Foundation
“I can help someone go to sickbay”- Royan F/1B
“If I’m worried, I can speak to my teachers.”- Taner F1A
AUSLAN
This week in Auslan, students have been learning about handshapes and how they are used to communicate meaning. Students practised identifying and forming different handshapes, developing their hand control and accuracy while learning new signs.
They also explored WH question words and how they are used when communicating and asking questions. Students practised signs for words such as who, what, where, when, why and how, and used these questions in simple Auslan interactions.
F Student voice & pictures
“We were learning about question words in writing and in Auslan.”- Japman F1A
“I can sign happy”- Olivia F/1B
Special Event
Last week, we were excited to hold our Student-Led Conferences. Students had the opportunity to share their learning, achievements and progress with their families.
Throughout the conferences, students proudly talked about their favourite learning experiences, shared examples of their work and reflected on the skills they have been developing. They also had the opportunity to celebrate their successes and talk about areas they would like to continue working on. It was wonderful to see students taking responsibility for sharing their learning and speaking confidently with their families. Thank you to all of our families for attending and supporting our students in celebrating their learning and growth!
“My mum is going to come.” - Wyatt Foundation
“I liked sharing my work”- Rayan F/1B