Room 1 Years 3 -6
We’ve had such a wonderful start to the term. The school has been buzzing with energy, and it’s been lovely to see so many happy and enthusiastic faces back in the classroom. From the moment students walked through the doors, they have shown an incredible sense of focus, curiosity and joy in their learning.
In writing, we’ve been diving into persuasive texts, and let me tell you — the students have opinions! We’ve had some lively and passionate writing sessions centered around topics that really matter to them. Some of our most popular themes have been Pokémon, pets, gaming and phones. Our chosen audience for many of these pieces has been you (their parents) so you may notice a few letters appearing at home soon, trying to convince you to buy a new game, adopt a puppy, or finally say yes to a phone. Apologies in advance!
In mathematics, our focus for the term is Multiplication and Division. We’ve been exploring a range of strategies to build deeper understanding, not just memorising facts. Some of the strategies we’ve practised include using arrays to visualise problems, making equal groups, and discovering clever multiplication hacks to make mental maths easier. One of our favourite strategies is “flip it,” where we switch the order of the numbers in a multiplication sentence to show how the commutative property works. We’ve also explored “double one number and halve the other,” which helps break down trickier problems. For example, 6 x 4 becomes 12 x 2, which is often easier to solve mentally. Students have been really engaged in practising these strategies and applying them to real-world problems.
Our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) sessions have been equally important. This term we’ve been focusing on how to respond respectfully when faced with challenges, both big and small. As a class, we created our own “catastrophe scale” — a tool to help students evaluate the size of a problem and decide on an appropriate reaction. It’s been amazing to see the students start using this language in the moment. We’re often hearing things like, “This is a little problem,” or “I don’t need to get upset about that.” Watching them develop resilience and the ability to self-regulate their emotions has been one of the most rewarding parts of the term so far.
In reading, we’ve set ourselves a goal of building stamina and focus during independent reading time. We are proud to say that we’ve now had three separate days where the entire class read quietly and independently for a full 18 minutes, no interruptions, no talking, just pure reading. That level of focus and commitment deserved a celebration, so on Thursday we surprised the class with a special lunch activity. Together, we made homemade pizzas!
As you can see, it’s already been a busy and fulfilling start to the term. We’re incredibly proud of how well the students are settling into their routines, challenging themselves academically, and continuing to grow emotionally and socially.