Prep Community News

Dear Prep Families,

We are delighted to recognise the outstanding progress our preps have made in their learning journey. Their enthusiasm and dedication to learning are truly inspiring, and we are excited to share some highlights from our classroom activities.

Initialit

In our InitiaLit program, we have been revisiting some familiar sounds and tricky words while also introducing new ones. A particular focus has been on the letters 'n' and 'g' together, which make the /ng/ sound. This sound appears at the end of words such as “swing,” “ring,” “king,” “sang,” and “long.” To support your child at home, consider using flashcards with different sounds and asking them, “What sound?”

Additionally, our preppies have been enhancing their reading and writing skills. They are now confidently blending sounds to read CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words. Recently, we learned about plurals and how adding the suffix ‘s’ indicates more than one— for example, ‘cat’ becomes ‘cats.’ We will continue to build on these skills in the coming weeks.

Storybook

This fortnight, we enjoyed reading “Superworm” by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Our target vocabulary includes the words “mope,” “mutter,” and “cunning.”

During our storybook sessions, students have the opportunity to predict the story and engage in discussions about the text based on its cover and illustrations. You can support your child at home by asking them questions about the story and encouraging them to define the new words or use them in sentences.

Writing

In writing, we have been delving into imaginative texts that entertain and engage readers. This fortnight, we have been reading about "The Gingerbread Man," exploring its beginning, middle, and end. An excellent way to assist your child at home is by encouraging them to retell the story’s structure and express it in sentences. Please remind your child to ensure they strive for 5-star writing!

Maths

In Maths, we have been comparing durations—the time it takes for events from start to finish. Engaging in pair-share discussions, students have been using sentence starters such as, “Walking to school takes longer than packing your bag," to express their understanding of duration.

We also introduced digital clocks and the term “o’clock.” In the upcoming week, we will be exploring analogue clocks, which is going to be super exciting for our preps.

Health

In Health, we have focused on recognising the individuals who keep us safe and healthy. Students need to know who they can turn to for help, fostering a sense of security and an aspiration to be helpers themselves as they grow.

Reminders

As the weather warms up this term, please ensure to send your child to school with a labelled hat. This supports our SunSmart policy and helps us protect students while they enjoy outdoor activities.

Swimming

We would like to remind everyone that the consent and payment of $25 for our upcoming 5-day swimming program at Saltwater Swim School are due via Compass. As independence is key, we encourage you to help your child practice changing their clothes and managing their belongings for swimming lessons.

Take Home Readers

Reading at home is essential for our students’ development. Please encourage nightly reading and kindly ask that students return their book bags on assigned days, for classroom teachers to check reading journals and provide new books.

We are extremely proud of the hard work and confidence our students have shown this term. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to witnessing further growth as our preps prepare for Grade 1 next year!

Warm regards,

PLC Prep