A Spotlight on Learning
A Spotlight on Learning in the JLC on Heights Campus
Students have settled in well as they return to school after the school holidays, demonstrating readiness for the term ahead. Reflecting on Term 1, students in JLC were busy building their skills in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics through hands-on and engaging learning experiences.
Reading: Students have strengthened their decoding skills using strategies such as picture clues, chunking words, and breaking words into sounds. They explored how different letters can make different sounds (like y and c) and used their growing phonics knowledge, including blends and endings such as -ing, to support their reading and writing. Rhyming words were also helpful for students in working out unfamiliar words and building confidence when reading new texts. This term, students are also starting to focus on retelling stories by identifying the beginning, middle, and end.
Writing: In Term 1, students have worked on writing simple sentences and gradually moved into creating compound sentences. They focused on using nouns and verbs correctly and practised writing about familiar experiences such as their weekends and school activities in a clear sequence. This term, students are exploring narrative writing. They will be learning how to create characters and settings and they will use these to write their own stories with a clear structure.
Mathematics: In Mathematics, students demonstrated enthusiasm for and dedication in working towards their individual counting goals each morning. Students explored time by comparing how long events take and developed an understanding of minutes and hours. They collected and displayed data using tally marks and bar graphs, and strengthened their number skills by working with place value (hundreds, tens, and ones). This helped them build confidence when ordering numbers on a number line.
This term, students are beginning to explore renaming numbers. Students are also starting to learn that numbers can be shown in different ways, even though they still have the same value. Understanding this helps children build confidence with numbers and strengthens their skills in addition, subtraction, and place value.
Events and Experiences: A highlight of Term 1 was celebrating Harmony Day with a Smoking Ceremony, parade, and cultural dances, where students came together to recognise and celebrate the diversity within our community.
Looking ahead to Term 2, students will enjoy a range of exciting experiences, including The Magic Pudding theatre performance at Bunjil Place, where they will explore storytelling and Indigenous artwork in the gallery. They have also enjoyed a visit from the ice cream van as part of our community connections and attend a performance of Hercules at Springvale Town Hall.
We look forward to a productive and engaging term ahead, filled with valuable learning opportunities and shared experiences.
Emma O’ Bryan
JLC Learning Leader
(Heights Campus)