Prep

Reading 

Over the past two weeks, Prep students have continued to develop their reading and spelling skills through phonics lessons, text reading and independent literacy activities.

We introduced the long /ā/ sound and explored how it can be written as ‘ay’, as in play. Students practised listening for the sound, spotting it in words, and reading and spelling words that contain ‘ay’. They also read and wrote sentences using ‘ay’ words, helping them apply their new learning in context.

We spent time revisiting the sounds ‘wh’, ‘th’, ‘oo’, ‘ng’ and ‘ay’. Regular review helps students become more confident at recognising these sounds when reading and choosing the correct letters when spelling. Students also practised reading and spelling CVCC words, such as hand, and continued to work on their tricky words.

Independent literacy activities gave students the opportunity to revisit familiar skills, practise at their own pace and build confidence as readers and writers.

At home, you can support your child by looking for ‘ay’ words in books and everyday life, practising the sounds and tricky words they know, and making time to read together. Celebrating their efforts and progress can help keep reading enjoyable and rewarding.

Writing 

Over the past fortnight, our Prep students have been working hard to develop their writing skills and become more confident, independent writers! We have been focusing on correct letter formation, sounding out and writing CVC words, and using our phonics knowledge to spell words. Students have enjoyed participating in hands-on activities, including word-building games, writing rotations and letter formation challenges. We have also been learning how to write complete sentences using our Colourful Semantics approach. 

Students are learning to include who, what they are doing and where in their sentences, while remembering to use capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. Our Prep students have particularly enjoyed becoming Capital Letter and Full Stop Detectives, identifying and correcting punctuation in sentences!

It has been wonderful to see our students growing in confidence, applying their phonics knowledge and beginning to write sentences more independently. We are so proud of their progress and can't wait to see their writing continue to develop throughout Term 4!

Maths 

In Maths, our Preps have been busy exploring statistics and data! We learnt about what makes a question a yes/no question and practised answering these questions to gather information from our classmates. We then used our answers to collect, sort and represent data using two possible outcomes. The students enjoyed discovering what our class data could tell us and comparing the results to see which group had more or less. We have been developing our skills as little data detectives while learning how to organise information and answer questions about what we found!

We then set off on a new mathematical adventure as we began learning about positional language and giving directions. We practised using words to describe where objects were located and then put our skills to the test by moving squares around a grid and following verbal instructions to move objects from one place to another. To finish our learning, the students became little explorers and had to use their listening skills and follow a series of verbal directions to navigate their way around the school in search of some hidden treasure. The exciting treasure at the end of our journey? The playground! What a wonderful way to put our mathematical skills into action while having some fun along the way!

Integrated 

Over the past fortnight, our Prep students have continued exploring First Nations Australians and their connection to Country.We have been learning about the importance of Country, why it is special to First Nations Australians and the different ways we can care for and respect the land we live on. Students have enjoyed sharing their favourite activities to do on Country and expressing their ideas through drawings. 

We have also been exploring the Language of Country, learning about the traditional language spoken in our local area and discovering First Nations words for people, animals and places.

It has been wonderful to see our students developing a deeper understanding and appreciation of First Nations cultures, languages and their connection to Country!

Respectful Relationships

Over the past fortnight, our Prep students have been learning about the importance of being strong and gentle, as well as being fair and friendly when playing with others. We explored how we can be strong and gentle at the same time, using our words and actions to show kindness, confidence and respect. 

Through discussions, drawing and role-playing, students identified different situations where they might need to be strong, gentle or both! We have also been focusing on fair and friendly play, discussing what it looks like and sounds like to include others, take turns, follow rules and treat everyone fairly. Students have enjoyed participating in games and activities where they have practised being kind, respectful and inclusive friends.

We are so proud to see our Prep students continuing to develop positive friendships and demonstrate our school PROUD values both inside and outside the classroom!