Argus-Xenica

Prep Community - Michelle S, Dafina, Miranda, Sam, Chloe, Michelle H, Roslynne, Zeinab

What's been happening in Prep?

We have had a very busy end to Term in Prep. We have been working on developing strong social skills, engaging positively with others and always trying our best with our work. Prep students have been empowered to give their work a go before seeking help and utilising their peers for support. We have seen a huge amount of academic and social growth with our Prep students and are very proud of how far they have come.

Next term is a busy term and we hope everyone has a restful and safe school holiday break.

Phonics

In Phonics students have learnt a lot of new High Frequency words: No, so, go, as, see, be, went, look, do, does, it’s, I’m, don’t, like, have, very, little, down, one, were, because, children. Students have sounded out each word, practised spelling them, and used them in simple sentences. These activities help build confidence in reading and support early writing skills. To further support students knowledge of high frequency words, please ensure you are practising your child's allocated high frequency word list with them each day.

Students have also been learning to sound out and spell consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant (CCVC words) such as card, find, soft, long, sing, list, sold, task, lost, must, land, band, camp, desk, fast, felt, jump, just, help, best, hand, rest, next, plan, spot, plug, skin, clip, skip, prep, from, twig, flat, plug, pram, snap, swap, trip, trap, twin, swim, drum, plum, plus, glad, club, crab, flip, flag, slip, stop, drip, trim, crop, drop, plan. Students can practice writing these words and putting them into simple sentences at home in their homework books.

Reading

In Reading, the Preps have continued to explore non-fiction texts. We have unpacked the features of a non-fiction text, and have been able to identify that non-fiction texts are often written on a clear topic and their purpose is to inform and educate.

Prep students have been able to identify some key elements of a non-fiction text including;

Titles
Headings
Contents Page
Page Numbers
Diagrams or photos
Glossary

We have continued finding high frequency words in texts and recognising these have enabled us to read texts with greater fluency. The Preps have done an excellent job listening to and recalling facts about the topics we have be learning about.

Writing

In Writing, the prep students have learning how to write an Information Report on animals by discovering a different animal each week. Students have been drawing their own version of the animal and labelling the key features of what the specific animal has for example; nose, eyes, tail, legs and eyes. Students have then learnt facts about an animal such as; what they eat, where they live, what they look like and how big they're.

The prep students have also been learning what it means to 'edit your work', so that they can fix up any mistakes made. When students are editing their work they need to make sure that their writing they have:

Re-read their writing

Capital letters: at the beginning of the sentence.

Finger Space: in between each new word.

Spelling: checking if they've used the correct letter-sound recognition to complete a word.

Full stops: at the end of a sentence.

The final day of their writing piece and after the editing phase has been done, students have been publishing a 'final good copy' of their work by redrawing their picture and writing the animals facts on a template using the correct spelling and punctuation by using their edited piece of writing.

The Prep students are also continuing to practice their hand writing skills so they can learn to writing their letters with the correct formation. When doing this they will need to check for their finger/pencil grip, and start with their pencil in the correct space on the page to form the letter correctly.

Maths

Over the last few weeks Prep students have explored addition using various different strategies. Our Preps have the understanding that when we are using addition we are adding two groups together to find the new total.

Rosylyn

Social and Emotional Learning

This month in Social and Emotional Learning, the Preps have practised mindfulness by focusing on bubbles and mindful movement, noticing how their brains and bodies feel when they slow down. They have learned who they can go to for help, how to ask using kind words, and ways they can help others. Students have practised daily gratitude by noticing positives in their day and creating a “days of the week” gratitude plan. For Father’s Day, they have chosen a dad, grandad, uncle, or family friend to thank and have created thoughtful cards, sharing why they are grateful and reflecting on how kindness and appreciation make others feel happy.

Inquiry

In Inquiry, the Preps have explored what makes their families and cultures special, sharing foods, celebrations, clothing, and stories in a “Culture Circle,” and learning about celebrations around the world, including Lunar New Year, Diwali, Eid, and Christmas. They have also explored culturally diverse music and dance, discovering traditional instruments, songs, and dances from countries like Scotland, Ireland, and Hawaii, and matching them to their countries. In addition, the Preps have been learning about good oral health, practising brushing steps, identifying sugary snacks, and creating drawings to show how to care for their teeth. All of these activities support the children’s social and emotional learning, helping them appreciate diversity, practise gratitude, and take care of themselves and others.

Homework

Please ensure all students are reading each night. Students can use both their physical home readers that are changed at school and their new Sunshine online accounts. If your child has not yet received their log in details, please see your classroom teacher for these.

Each Prep child has a high frequency word list that they are working on. Teachers regularly test students on their high frequency words. Please ensure that these are being practised at home.

Every child in Prep received a home work book at the end of Term 2.

Can we please collect all students home work books to refresh these for Term 4.

📣 Reminders 📣

🌟 Have you paid for the upcoming excursion and incursion? The Preps will be heading to the Museum of Play and Art in November. The Preps are also going to be having an incursion to tie into our inquiry unit focus on on the past and present and how the world has changed.

🌟 Tissues - please continue to bring boxes of tissues into the classroom.

🌟 Hats - please start looking for your hats in preparation for Term 4.

🌟 Screen Time- please limit your child's screen time at night and in the morning as this interferes with their sleep and their learning. Screens include televisions, phones, I pads and electronic games.

🌟 Healthy Eating-

The prep team have noticed student lunchboxes are containing a lot of processed and packaged food. We highly encourage and recommend student lunchboxes to contain a healthy balance of fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and sometimes foods such as packaged chips or chocolate. Please have a look at the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (photo below) to look at the quantities of each nutritious food that is recommended for a healthy balanced diet. Having a healthy balanced diet will increase students energy, focus, concentration which will in turn help their learning.

Here are some fun and nutritious examples of a healthy lunch.

Please have a read of the following links that have a lot of healthy and fun lunch ideas: