Ulysses Community Report

We want to say a big welcome back to all of our families in the Ulysses community. Our students have started off the term extremely well and we are very excited to continue our learning journey together. We look forward to celebrating all of our successes, achievements and learnings with you throughout the term. 

What we have learnt in July/August

MATHS 

So far this term we have explored 2D shapes, skip counting and multiplication. Students completed lots of hand-on learning. 

We began looking at 2D shapes where students were learning to identify the features of 2D shapes by comparing 2D shapes, creating 2D shapes using other 2D shapes and they learnt about transformations (slides, flips and turns) using 2D shapes.  

We then began exploring skip counting and how skip counting can help us in other areas of mathematics. For example, addition, subtraction, multiplication (groups of), counting ahead and counting backwards.  Students looked at skip counting forwards and backwards from different points by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's.

Students then began learning about multiplication. They had been practising making equal groups, creating arrays and using repeated addition to show their understanding. The students have been actively recording and explaining their thought processes using a variety of methods. This approach allows them to gain a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and strengthens their problem-solving skills.

READING

In reading, the students have been learning to interpret images. They have learnt to describe what is in the image and explain how an image adds to my understanding of the written words. Students have been learning to express and justify their feelings about the text. They learnt to state how do they feel about the text like what do they like, preferred or enjoyed about the text and why. Students have been learning to make text to self connections to identify similar things that they do the character. They have been learning about adjectives, noun groups and verb groups. Students learnt to explain how the verb group conveys the characters emotions and to describe how the noun groups added to their understanding.

Students have been learning to compare how similar characters are described in a text.

They learnt to find the similarities between two characters and justify if the two characters are different.

WRITING

In writing, the Grade two students have been learning about persuasive texts. The purpose of persuasive texts, the different types of persuasive texts and the structure of persuasive texts.

Students have been discussing the difference between facts and opinions and effective persuasive language, identifying opinion sentence starters and language of sequence such as firstly, secondly etc.

Students have been following a persuasive plan in which they choose a topic, write an opening statement if they are ‘for’ or ‘against,’ add arguments to support their opinion and include a concluding statement.

INQUIRY

This term, the Ulysses Community has embarked on an exciting Inquiry journey focusing on Exploring Weather, Climate Change, and Living Things. Our students have been actively engaging with various aspects of these topics through hands-on activities and critical discussions. They have been exploring how weather patterns are formed and predicted. Students were able to identify different climate changes and explore their impacts on animals and plants. They have created visual representations and written reflections on how climate change influences various species. Students have been working on developing their understanding of characteristics of living, non-living, and once-living things and classifying different species.

Activities and Highlights:

• Immersion Stations: Students rotated through different stations to explore various concepts. At each station, they wrote observations on A3 sheets and later made connections in their books between the different activities.
   
• Hands-On Tasks:
  • Living, Non-Living, and Once Living Things: Students sorted items under the headings ‘living’, ‘non-living’, and ‘once living’. They then discussed and recorded their findings in a mind map.
  • Bird Classification: Students labelled and coloured pictures of birds, noting unique features and differences.
  • Amphibian Exploration: Students learned about amphibians, their features, and their roles in the environment.

Our Inquiry sessions have fostered curiosity and a deeper understanding of weather, climate change, and living organisms. We are proud of the students' enthusiasm and the insightful connections they have made through their explorations.

Stay tuned for more updates on our Inquiry activities and other exciting projects in the Ulysses Community!

SEL 

Over the past few weeks, our Social and Emotional Learning sessions have provided students with valuable tools to manage stress and enhance self-regulation. They have been exploring various self-calming strategies and practicing relaxation exercises to find what works best for them. Students have learned to recognise how stress manifests in their bodies and identify experiences that trigger these feelings. By drawing and writing their own self-regulation strategies, they are developing a personalised approach to managing their emotions.

In addition, they have practiced relaxation techniques to address fears, anger, and sadness, and wrote thoughtful letters suggesting relaxation exercises for Wibbly, our fictional character. An exciting part of our sessions involved understanding positive affirmations—powerful ideas and phrases designed to combat negative thoughts and feelings. Students crafted their own lists of positive affirmations, providing them with personalised tools to uplift their spirits and reinforce a positive mindset.

The SEL sessions also introduced students to the concept of therapy dogs, highlighting the expected behaviour during therapy dog interactions and the benefits of having a therapy dog at AHPS. The presence of a therapy dog can offer comfort, reduce anxiety, and enhance overall well-being, creating a supportive environment for all students.

Victorian Curriculum

Below is the link to the Victorian Curriculum if you would like to take a look at what we cover throughout the year.

https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/level2 

Friendly Reminders

• The Ulysses community are having an excursion to the Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary on the 9th and 10th of September. Please ensure you have paid and given permission for your child to attend by the 20th of August. The event can be seen under 'Events' on Compass. 
• Doors open at 8:50am and dismissal is at 3:20pm.
• Ensure your child’s belongings are clearly labelled. This includes clothing, drink bottles, hats and lunchboxes (lids too).
• Please ensure that your child is reading their home reader for 15 minutes every night and that their reading log is filled in and signed by a parent/guardian.
• We strongly encourage students to bring along some brain food (fruit and vegetables) that they may eat in class. It is important that this is included as an additional snack in their lunchbox.

Best wishes,

The year 2 Ulysses Community Teachers

Britt, Belinda, Scott, Amandeep, Natalia, Amanjot and Dafina.