Year 1/2 News

We are approaching the end of Term 3, and what a wonderful and busy term it has been! It has been fantastic to see the children continue to grow in confidence, independence and enthusiasm for learning. Students have worked hard, supported one another and made wonderful progress across all areas of their learning. 

As we enter the final weeks of the term, it is a great opportunity to celebrate everything we have achieved together. We look forward to finishing Term 3 positively and continuing to show our best effort each day. 

Below is a snapshot of what we have been working on together in the classroom. 

🌱 Wellbeing 

Student wellbeing continues to be an important part of life in 1/2 – The Reef. Over the past few weeks, we have continued learning about how to ask for help and choose the right person for different situations. 

Students have explored a range of help-seeking strategies, including speaking clearly, explaining the problem and approaching a trusted adult or friend. They have also discussed how asking for help can keep us safe and help us feel supported and understood. 

We have also been learning different coping strategies to manage challenging feelings, such as taking deep breaths, having a short break, using positive self-talk and doing a calming activity. It has been wonderful to see students becoming more confident in communicating their needs and choosing helpful strategies when they feel worried, upset or overwhelmed.

📚 Learning 

Literacy 

In Literacy, students have been learning about split digraphs and the “magic e”. They have explored how adding a final “e” can change a short vowel sound into a long vowel sound, such as cap to cape and kit to kite. Students have also been learning to read, blend and spell words containing consonant blends. 

In Writing, students have been exploring fairy tales and identifying important features, including characters, settings, problems and solutions. They have used their creativity to write a new ending for a familiar fairy tale while keeping their ideas connected to the original story. 

During our reading lessons, students have been writing book reviews. They have shared their opinions about different books, described their favourite parts and characters, and explained whether they would recommend each book to others. 

 🔢 Mathematics  

In Mathematics, students have been exploring multiplication through a range of hands-on and practical learning activities. 

We created a mini shop where students practised using money in real-life situations. They took turns being customers and shopkeepers, adding the prices of multiple items, working within a budget and calculating change using subtraction. 

This engaging role-play activity helped students build confidence in recognising money, solving addition and subtraction problems, and applying their mathematical skills in practical ways. 

Students also began by making equal groups with counters and connecting these groups to repeated addition. They have also created and interpreted arrays, learning how rows and columns can represent multiplication number sentences. 

More recently, students have been developing their fluency with the multiplication facts of 2, 5 and 10. They have practised using skip counting, repeated addition, equal groups and arrays to solve multiplication problems. These learning experiences have helped students understand different ways to represent multiplication and apply effective strategies to solve problems. 

🌏 Inquiry 

In Inquiry, students have been learning about renewable energy sources and how they can help protect our environment. They have explored different sources of renewable energy, such as solar, wind and water, and compared them with non-renewable energy sources. Students have discussed how using clean energy and making responsible choices can reduce pollution and create a more sustainable future. 

As part of Digital Technologies, students have also been developing their coding skills using the Scratch website. They have practised creating simple instructions and sequences to control characters and animations. Through these engaging activities, students have developed their problem-solving, logical-thinking and creativity skills while learning how digital programs work. 

MSO 

Students also enjoyed a special experience with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO). They had the opportunity to explore orchestral music, learn about different instruments and experience the excitement of a live musical performance. It was a wonderful way for students to develop their appreciation of music and the performing arts.