Term 1 Curriculum Newsletters
Prep
Our Prep cohort has embraced school life, and have made an impressive start to term 1. They have displayed enthusiasm and awe as they delve into each new day exploring their new surroundings both inside and outside the classroom. They have truly embraced life as a KEFAR learner and have embodied the KEFAR values. It has been a pleasure to watch the students grow and learn, as they develop trusting bonds with their peers, teachers and buddies to help them develop a sense of safety and connectedness to school.
Literacy
Our Literacy learning this term will support students in building, writing and reading simple words with two and three sounds. They will do this by breaking the words into individual sounds and then blending the sounds back together to read and write the word. Students will be learning how to hold a pencil with a tripod grip to help them form the letters correctly. Handwriting will be a strong focus this term and will be practised daily.
Each day, students will engage with a wide variety of picture books and rich classroom discussions. This provides students with opportunities to develop their oral language skills such as how to communicate orally by speaking in full sentences. They will learn to take turns when speaking and listening in small groups and whole class discussions. They will also learn how to communicate how they are feeling to their peers and teachers.
Numeracy
This term in Numeracy, we are building our fluency when exploring numbers up to 10 and beyond. Students will be naming and representing numbers to 10 using counters and objects. We will practise counting strategies to ensure we can trust our count. Students will also practise handwriting numbers daily. Accurate formation of numbers 0 to 9 will be our main focus this term. We have been using these skills to help us track and count our ‘days at school’ as part of our daily routine, linking this learning to the order of the days of the week. We have also explored 2D shapes and their properties as well as exploring how we can categorise and sort objects based on their attributes.
Marvellous Me and The Resilience Project
This term, our Inquiry unit of study is “Marvellous Me”. We will learn about the Zones of Regulation and how to recognise and regulate our emotions. We will support this learning by linking it to our KEFAR values developing the students' understanding of what it means to “Be like KEFAR”.
Independence
Our prep students have shown such responsibility and resilience when building their independence this term. We have already seen our preps displaying confidence as they enter their classrooms independently each morning. Our goal is for all students to walk into the classroom independently and confidently by bringing in their own bag and waving goodbye to you at the door. As we further assist our preps to develop their independence skills, you can assist at home by encouraging them to help get their school bag ready for the day packing all their essentials such as hats, drink bottles and lunch boxes. This will help our preps have a greater understanding of their belongings and how to take care of them throughout the school day.
Thank you for your support,
The Prep Team
Grade 1
Welcome to Grade One!
A very warm welcome to all our Grade One families. We are so proud of the way students have settled into the routines and expectations of the classroom. They are learning how to organise their belongings, follow class procedures, listen carefully and participate positively in their learning. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow each day.
Thank you to parents and carers who have supported your child in building independence. This makes such a difference in helping students feel capable and ready for learning. We encourage families to continue developing independence by saying goodbye at the classroom door or before the bell goes. All teachers greatly appreciate your support in helping the day begin calmly for your child and for others. A smooth and settled start allows everyone to transition confidently into their learning.
English
This term, students are continuing to build their knowledge of letter–sound patterns through the Sounds Write program. They are strengthening their reading and spelling skills as they learn to segment, blend and manipulate sounds in words.
Students are practising important handwriting skills, focusing on correct letter formation, sizing and positioning on the line. They are also exploring morphology—how words can change and grow—alongside essential writing skills such as punctuation and grammar. We are encouraging students to apply these skills in their daily writing.
In Literacy, we will be engaging in two rich picture book studies: A Year on the Farm and Seasons: Ask Aunty. Through these texts, students will develop their comprehension skills, build vocabulary, make connections and explore themes related to seasons, the natural world and Indigenous perspectives.
Numeracy
In Numeracy, we are continuing to build students’ number fluency and confidence with number facts. Students are strengthening their understanding of numbers through hands-on activities, games and targeted practise.
A key focus this term is developing problem-solving strategies. Students will learn how to think through problems carefully, choose appropriate strategies, explain their reasoning and reflect on their solutions. Building these skills supports confidence and deeper mathematical understanding.
Inquiry & Wellbeing
As part of our Inquiry learning, students will explore identifying and regulating their emotions. We will be learning the language of emotions, recognising how feelings affect our bodies and behaviour, and developing positive wellbeing strategies.
Students will practise strategies such as calm breathing, positive self-talk and seeking help when needed. A strong focus will be placed on growing resilience—understanding that challenges are a natural part of learning and that we can keep trying, adapt and improve.
A Special Note from the Grade One Teachers
To support a calm and successful start to the day, we kindly ask that students visit the toilet before music begins. This helps minimise interruptions and allows learning to begin smoothly.
Mornings are a very busy and important time as teachers prepare for the day of learning—where every minute truly counts. If you need to speak with your child’s teacher, please arrange an appointment so we can give you our full attention. Any urgent messages can be passed on through the school office and will be communicated promptly.
Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support. We are looking forward to a wonderful Term One filled with growth, confidence and a love of learning.
Grade 2
We’ve had a wonderful start to the year in Grade 2! Students are doing a fantastic job settling into routines and showing great enthusiasm for their learning.
In Reading, we are exploring imaginative texts including The Shop Train and The Fabulous Friend Machine, focusing on characters, key events and important themes. Students are practising retelling, predicting and answering questions using evidence from the text. We are also reading informative texts including Under the Southern Cross and The First Scientists, building vocabulary and learning how information texts are organised.
In Writing, students are creating imaginative and informative pieces connected to our class texts. We are focusing on clear structure, strong sentences and adding detail. Our word study lessons include exploring prefixes and suffixes such as a–, for–, –ion and –ure to strengthen spelling and vocabulary.
In Mathematics, students are building confidence with number and place value, practising addition and subtraction strategies and solving worded problems. We are also focusing on Measurement, with students making their own tape measure, comparing lengths and learning to estimate and measure using a ruler.
Through Wellbeing, students are developing emotional literacy and respectful relationship skills through Respectful Relationships and The Resilience Project. We are learning about asking for help, understanding respect and personal boundaries, and building strategies to manage emotions in positive ways.
It’s shaping up to be an exciting term of growth and learning in Grade 2!
Grade 3
Welcome to Year 3, 2026! We’ve had a fantastic start to the year, with routines and expectations well established across the cohort. We’re excited to see all of our students continue to grow and thrive academically, socially, and behaviourally throughout the year.
In Reading, we are currently completing a novel study of Matilda by Roald Dahl. Students are enjoying exploring the characters, themes and rich language within the story. During Writing sessions, students are focusing on narrative and persuasive texts. They are learning about the purpose of each text type, how to form and express their opinions clearly, and how to support their ideas with strong reasons and examples. We are also working on making writing more descriptive and engaging through the use of interesting nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Handwriting sessions continue throughout the term, with a focus on correct letter formation to support fluency and legibility. Students also participate in daily partner reading to help build confidence, reading rate and overall fluency.
In Mathematics, students are developing and strengthening their understanding of place value, which forms the foundation for addition, subtraction and multiplication. They are modelling, reading and ordering numbers into the hundreds and beyond. This term, we are also focusing on telling the time using both analogue and digital clocks, including o’clock, half past, quarter past and quarter to times, as well as five-minute and minute intervals. If you have access to an analogue clock at home, practising this skill with your child would be very beneficial. We are also excited to be using the Times Table Rock Stars app to help build fluency and confidence with multiplication facts.
As part of our Inquiry unit, we are exploring and celebrating cultural diversity within our community. Students are learning about a range of celebrations, languages, family traditions and cultural practices, helping to build understanding, respect and appreciation for the diverse backgrounds within our classroom.
This term in Wellbeing, students are learning through The Resilience Project, developing skills in emotional literacy, empathy and gratitude. They are learning to identify and name their emotions and are exploring strategies to move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
We look forward to a wonderful term of learning as we continue to build strong connections, deepen our understanding of one another, and develop empathy within our diverse Year 3 community.
Grade 4/5
Welcome back to another fantastic year at Altona Green Primary school. The Grade 4/5s have had a settled and studious return to school this year. It has been wonderful to see their dedication to being KEFAR role models in senior school and tackling the learning challenges the term has brought them so far.
Literacy:
Our Literacy learning this term focuses on our shared novels: The Arrival and Black Cockatoo. They are enjoying listening to the texts and engaging in thoughtful discussion about the story, themes, characters, and plot twists. Students will be using the ideas and themes explored from the novel to plan and write narratives and poems. Students are also enjoying learning a host of new vocabulary and putting it to use in their writing.
Numeracy:
This term in Maths, students are learning a variety of exciting and challenging of concepts including fractions, multiplication, division with remainders and perimeter. Such topics continue to build on a strong foundation for computational skills and problem-solving abilities. Daily review continues to be a key part of our daily routine that helps us to move our skills and knowledge to long-term memory, ensuring students are confident and proficient in applying what they have previously learned.
Inquiry:
Inquiry in Term 1 focuses on health and personal wellbeing. We will explore some complex topics including equality and equity, diversity, culture in media, and stereotypes. Our Inquiry unit aims to equip students with the ability to think critically about the challenges different groups of people may face, and how to create an inclusive and accepting community for all.
Grade 6
Welcome to an exciting first term and final year for our grade 6 students!
In Reading this term, the students will read through the Sonya Hartnett novel, ‘The Silver Donkey.’ The novel is set in France during World War 1 and it tells the story of a soldier, blinded by the war, who is found by two girls named Coco and her older sister Marcelle. These two girls go to enormous lengths to hide the soldier from danger and then making a daring attempt to help him get back to England.
The second half of the term, our focus will turn to our second novel, written by Barbara Henderson, ‘Rivet Boy.’ This story is set in 1888, and it follows the life of a twelve year old boy, John Nicol who has a job at the Forth Bridge construction site. John knows its dangerous, as four boys have already fallen from the bridge into the river below. But with his father gone, he must provide an income for his family. The students will analyse the stories, look for key words and find out the true meaning of both novels.
This year we are beginning our writing unit by planning and writing a fable. Some of the components that we will include are adding speech, including two pairs of adjectives and including a clear beginning, problem and a resolution that matches the problem. The latter part of the term will be dedicated to persuasive writing, where we will focus on sentence expansion, using words of high modality and articulate clear reasons for why one opinion is more appropriate than another.
In Maths, the students will develop their understanding of number and place value. We will cover topics ranging from division to fractions to decimals. BODMAS and learning about problem solving strategies will also be a focus this term. When doing problem solving, students need to check and prove answers and we always modify and extend tasks to challenge each individual.
This term our Inquiry unit will be focused on health and wellbeing. An external organisation, Elephant Ed, will be running five health lessons between weeks 5 and 9. In class, the students will also be learning about how to identify and manage emotions and how to identify and manage stressors. As usual we will continue running the schoolwide ‘The Resilience Project.’ This is an extension of our school KEFAR values, which the school employs.