Scoresby PS Level Newsletters

Year 1/2

Level Newsletter

Teacher Email Address Contacts

 

Upcoming Important Dates

 

From The Team

Hello to our wonderful Year 1/2 families!

 

Wow – we can’t believe we’re already at the end of Week 3! Time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing in Year 1/2. Our classrooms have been buzzing with energy as we’ve settled into our routines, made new friends, and jumped headfirst into our learning.

 

From learning new Maths games, revising our Write2Read codes, reading new books and participating in our Learning Community unit, it’s been a fantastic start to the year. We’ve enjoyed seeing all of our students approach new challenges with enthusiasm. 

 

A huge shoutout to our students for showing our Scoresby HEART values and teamwork as we get back into the swing of things. We can already tell that 2025 is going to be a year filled with growth, laughter and lots of fun.

 

We can’t wait to see what the rest of the term brings!

 

- Jordyn, Kate and Jarren

 

 

On the holidays…

Mrs Fox: I had a really lovely break! My family and I had a great time in Apollo Bay, visiting the 12 Apostles and spending many hours exploring rock pools at the beach. I enjoyed spending time reading and gardening, and catching up with friends and family. I am so excited to be back teaching Year 1/2 this year!

 

Miss Whittington: I had a fantastic break! Over Christmas, I spent lots of time celebrating and catching up with friends and family. After that, I travelled to Thailand with my partner, Giordan. We spent almost two weeks relaxing by the pool, going for walks, and enjoying delicious food! I’m absolutely thrilled to be teaching Year 1/2 this year and can’t wait to continue getting to know all the wonderful students in our level!

 

Mr Boyd: During the break I enjoyed some important family time. My brother visited from the USA and my sister visited from Queensland. We all stayed at our family home with our mum. Our family played a cooking game where each person made a meal from a different country. I cooked French food for French Night, and my sister cooked Japanese for Japan Night. Basically, we ate a lot of food! I’m excited to be working with the 1/2 team for one day per week, as well as continuing with our Performing Arts program.  

 

Jenny: During the holidays I went to Phillip Island with my family. I had a great time going to the beach and going for lots of walks. I also spent a lot of time with my nieces going shopping and swimming in my pool. It’s great to be back in 1/2 this year!

 

Donna:  I had a wonderful break spending quality time with my family and tackling a fun home project. I redecorated my bedroom and gave all my furniture a fresh new look with a fresh coat of paint!

 

Tania: I'm thrilled to be back in 1/2 this year! My holidays were so relaxing - I spent them by the Delatite River in the High Country with my family. I can’t wait to see what adventures and learning we have in store this year!

 

What We Are Learning

 

What We Are Learning In Specialist Classes              In Term 1

Visual Arts

This term, Year 1/2 students will further develop their fine-motor drawing, cutting and colouring skills. They will experiment with soft pastels to create a still-life art piece, and practise using  their observational skills to draw a bottlebrush. Students will also view, discuss and create their own mushroom art inspired by Yayoi Kusama.

 

We will be using dyes, watercolours and soft pastels this term, so students must bring an art smock to school to protect their school uniform. Smocks can be bought or made from an old, oversized top. The smocks must be clearly named and will be kept in a classroom tub for the children to wear when using messy art materials. 

 

Robotics

This term in Robotics, the students in Year 1/2 will be using a Beebot to learn about coding and programming. They will learn the different functions of the Beebot and how to apply these to various tasks and challenges. Students will learn to debug simple codes and develop their vocabulary for this subject. We will also spend time discussing the importance of cyber safety, focusing on the importance of keeping personal information private.

 

Science

This term in Science we will focus on the area of Biological Science. Students will learn about the different parts of plants and their functions. They will grow their own plant to investigate what plants need to survive. Students will explore the parts of plants that we eat. We will learn about the importance of bees and ways that we can help bees to survive.

 

Performing Arts

In Performing Arts lessons this term, students will be rehearsing and performing multiple parts on the xylophone (bass and melody), responding to and replicating rhythmic patterns using 4/4 timing, singing and playing the major scale using classroom instruments, and developing their skills within a musical ensemble.

 

Physical Education

This term in PE, Year 1/2 students will be completing different movement challenges to explore how their bodies can move. Students will participate in minor games to develop their teamwork skills. They will learn and practise some of the games and activities they will enjoy on our Twilight Sports afternoon. Students will focus on the Fundamental Motor Skills of run, jump, leap and dodge.

 

Reminders

  • Communication folders: Please remember to bring these to and from school each day

  • Yellow Reading Log: Record your child’s nightly reading.

  • Library bags: Students will need to bring a library bag to school and may borrow one book per week. Wednesday is our level’s library borrowing day.

  • Art smocks: Please bring an art smock to school if you haven’t already.

  • Brain food: Please pack some fruit or veggies for your child to eat each morning during our ‘brain food’ time. We request no ‘drippy fruit’ please.

  • Annual Consent Form: This form covers permissions for things such as local excursions, photos in the newsletter, etc. Please return as soon as possible.

  • Acceptable Use Agreement: This agreement needs to be signed and returned ASAP.

     

Learning at Home

At school, we are working hard to build strong, confident readers — and your support at home makes all the difference!

 

Home Reader Program

Each Monday, your child will bring home five carefully selected books to read throughout the week. These books are designed to be easy to help develop fluency, confidence and a love for reading.

Here’s how you can support your child:

- Read one book per night, or repeat the same book for two nights to reinforce learning.

- Keep reading fun and relaxed, offering lots of praise and encouragement.

- Fill in the yellow Reading Log each night and use the provided stickers as a fun way to track progress!

 

Our class also has a reward chart to celebrate reading milestones!

 

If the books seem too easy or too difficult, please let us know so we can adjust accordingly.

 

High-Frequency Words

Your child will also bring home a word list with specific words to practise, including a fun activity grid with engaging ways to practise their words.

 

Once your child is confident with their words, they will be tested and given new ones. Please spend a few minutes each day practising together to help reinforce these important skills.

 

Thank you for your ongoing support!

 

F-2 Code Dress-Up Day

We are excited to announce that the F-2 students are having a 'Dress Up as your Favourite Code Day' on Friday 28th February. 

 

We have been learning and revising different codes as part of our Write To Read and Phonics Plus programs and, as a fun way to celebrate this learning, we would like to invite the students to come dressed as something that represents one of their favourite codes e.g.

  • monkey for the ‘M’ code

  • queen for the ‘QU ‘code

  • a king for the ‘NG’ code

We would like to invite all families to meet in their child’s classroom at 3.00pm. Students will showcase their activities from the day, as they will have been completing special writing, reading and craft activities, focussing on the codes.

 

If you have any questions, please just ask.

 

Try This...

STAR Mathematicians

There are 3 different stars below. Can you work out what number each star represents?

 

Jumping Into The Junior School Day and Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Last Friday, the Foundation and Year 1/2 students had a fantastic time celebrating Jumping into the Junior School! The morning was filled with specialist classes and, after lunch, the fun continued with bubble blowing, a special teddy bear headband craft, and lots of dancing!

 

To finish the day, students and their families joined us for a Teddy Bears' Picnic in the undercover area. Families brought their picnic blankets and afternoon tea to share while the students enjoyed a teddy bear hunt, searching for hidden teddies around the school. They also had a blast decorating their very own teddy bear biscuits with icing, Smarties, lollies and sprinkles!

 

It was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of our Learning Communities unit and the first two weeks of school. Seeing so many happy faces and families join in made the day extra special—what a great way to start the year!

 

What’s New In 1/2!

We’ve had a fantastic start to the year in Year 1/2! Our classrooms are buzzing with excitement, and we have some wonderful new displays outside for you to explore. One of the highlights is our colourful elephants, created together during our transition session at the end of 2024 — each one unique, just like us!  

 

As part of our Learning Communities and Writing lessons, we have been reflecting on who we are and developing a Growth Mindset. Students have been exploring what it means to embrace challenges, learn from their mistakes, and to keep trying. They’ve also written about the best part of themselves, celebrating their strengths and individuality.  

 

In Mathematics, students have been learning new games to build their number skills and deepen their understanding of counting and addition. We have introduced two engaging games, ‘Tower to 20' and ‘Please Get Out of My House’, where students practise working cooperatively with a partner. Along with learning the game rules, we are focusing on the expectations of playing fairly, taking turns and supporting each other in a positive way.

 

Please come and take a look at our displays with your child — they’ll love sharing their learning with you!