Prep Community News

Dear Prep Families,

We hope you have all had a wonderful start to Term 3. It has been fantastic to see our prep students return to school with enthusiasm, confidence and a positive attitude towards their learning. They have settled back into classroom routines beautifully and continue to work hard every day.

Below is a snapshot of the learning that has been taking place in Prep over the past fortnight.

InitiaLit

In InitiaLit, students have been learning the new spelling patterns 'ck' (which makes the /k/ sound) and double consonants 'll', 'ss' and 'ff'. Students have been practising reading, writing and identifying these patterns in words while continuing to build their confidence in decoding and encoding.

These words cannot always be sounded out, so students are learning to recognise them automatically.

At home, you can support your child by:

• Practising reading and writing the new tricky words.
• Looking for words containing ck, ll, ss and ff when reading together.
• Encouraging your child to read their decodable reader each night.

Storybook

During Storybook lessons, we have been enjoying the story Superworm. 

Our focus vocabulary has included:

• Mope – When someone mopes, they feel sad and bored.
• Mutter – To say something in a soft, low voice.
• Cunning – Something that is very clever or a very good idea.

You can support your child by asking them to explain these words or use them in a sentence.

Writing

In Writing, students have begun learning about the difference between informative and imaginative writing.

We have been exploring informative texts by learning how authors share facts about a topic. As part of this learning, students have been writing simple factual sentences about dogs, focusing on using capital letters, finger spaces, full stops and their growing phonics knowledge to spell unfamiliar words.

Mathematics

In Mathematics, students have been learning to:

• Read, say and write two-digit numbers.
• Build fluency with number facts involving adding 1.
• Continue developing confidence when recognising and representing numbers.

You can support your child at home by practising reading two-digit numbers and asking simple addition questions such as:

• 5 + 1 =
• 7 + 1 =
• 4 + 1 =
• 10 + 1 =

100 Days of School

What an exciting milestone it was to celebrate 100 Days of School!

Our students had a wonderful day celebrating this special achievement. We loved welcoming so many families into our classrooms in the morning to help create colourful 100 Days crowns. Throughout the day, students enjoyed a variety of fun activities centred around the number 100 and finished the celebration by making and eating fairy bread. Thank you to all our families who joined us and helped make the morning so special.

Celebrating Kindness

In Prep, we love recognising students who consistently demonstrate our school values. Over the past fortnight, each Prep class has celebrated one student who has shown outstanding kindness towards others.

🌟 Prep A: Boaz - for including all students from Prep A in soccer and using his best manners when talking to his friends. 

🌟 Prep B: Zivah - for being kind to a new classmate, playing with her outside and showing her around. 

🌟 Prep C: Imogen - For always volunteering to help anyone who needs it without being asked!

🌟 Prep D: Devkrish - For always showing kindness to his friends and playing with others when they may need a friend. He always makes others feel better when they are upset.

🌟 Prep E: Hajira - For consistently demonstrated the school value of kindness by treating classmates with respect, offering help when needed, and including others in learning and play.

🌟 Prep F: Pulastya - For consistently demonstrated kindness by supporting and encouraging his peers, both in the classroom and out in the yard. His caring and considerate attitude has made a positive impact on those around him.

🌟 Prep G: Sophia - For sharing classroom resources, taking turns fairly and always speaking to others with respect.

🌟 Prep H: Alisha - For consistently demonstrates the school value, Kindness. She is always inviting others to play with her and is always offering her support to her friends and teachers.

🌟 Prep I: Layla - For making sure everyone is included when playing outside. 

🌟 Prep J: Arshdeep - For always being willing to help others when they need it and takes the time to understand how they may be feeling.

We are incredibly proud of these students for displaying our school value of Kindness each day. Their actions help make Prep a welcoming, caring and inclusive place where everyone feels valued. Well done to all our Kindness Champions!

Zoo Excursion Reminder

A friendly reminder that our Zoo Excursion will take place on Friday 28th August.

Payment is due by Friday 21st August and can be made through Compass.

If you require any assistance with payment, please don't hesitate to speak with your child's classroom teacher or contact the school office.

General Reminders

Reading at Home

Reading regularly at home is one of the best ways to support your child's literacy development. Even 10–15 minutes each evening reading together, practising decodable readers or talking about stories helps build confidence and fluency.

Please remember to send your child's reading satchel or red reading bag to school on their designated reading day so they can exchange their take-home readers and library books.

Labelling Belongings

Please ensure that all clothing, lunch boxes, drink bottles and personal belongings are clearly labelled with your child's name. This helps lost items quickly find their way back to their owners.

School Times

Students begin entering classrooms from 8:45 am to unpack and prepare for the day. Learning begins promptly at 8:55 am, so arriving on time helps students settle in and make the most of every learning opportunity.

School finishes at 3:10 pm.

Thank you for continuing to encourage your child's independence by allowing them to enter the classroom on their own each morning. If you need to pass on information to your child's teacher, please contact the school office and your message will be forwarded.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We are incredibly proud of the wonderful start our prep students have made to Term 3 and look forward to another exciting fortnight of learning together.

PLC Prep