Prep

Welcome Back, Prep Families!

Welcome back! It has been a wonderful start to the term, and we are so proud of how well our Prep students have settled into school routines. They are becoming more confident each day, building friendships, and showing great enthusiasm for their learning. It’s been a joy to see their independence grow and their excitement for school continue to shine.

Take Home Readers

We are excited to let you know that students will soon begin borrowing books from the school library to take home! To ensure your child can borrow books, please make sure they bring their blue reader bag to school each day. Students will not be able to borrow books until they have their reader bag at school. Our library session is every Friday  and library books will be changed weekly. Alternatively, students will receive access to the MultiLit digital library where they can read additional books (student log-ins will be provided and placed in their reader bags shortly). Students will be able to record their reading in a reading diary, which will be provided soon. We ask that students care for their library books and ensure they are returned safely in their blue reader bag each week.

Reading

In Reading, students were introduced to a new Sound Friend, Rosie Rabbit. We started with the sound /r/, learning to hear it at the start of words and linking the sound /r/ to the letter ‘r’. To support this learning, students ran on the spot while saying the “rrrrr” sound, helping them remember it in a fun and engaging way. They practised identifying words that begin with /r/, sorting pictures, and listening carefully for the sound in spoken words. We also focused on correct letter formation, learning how to accurately handwrite the letter ‘r’ using the correct starting point and formation. This is being reinforced during writing sessions, where students practise applying what they are learning in reading.

Maths 

In Maths this week, our Prep students have been developing a deeper understanding of numbers by exploring partitioning—that is, breaking numbers into smaller parts. This important skill helps build strong number sense and lays the foundation for addition and subtraction. We have been learning to partition numbers up to 5 and 10 into two and even three parts, using a range of hands-on materials such as counters, teddy bear counters, and dice. Students practised identifying the parts and the whole in different combinations, for example, 3 and 2 make 5, or 4, 3 and 3 make 10. We have also been working on subitising, which helps students recognise parts within a number set without counting. This supports them to quickly and confidently see how numbers are made up, especially when working with small collections. It has been fantastic to see students confidently experimenting with number combinations, explaining their thinking, and using materials to demonstrate their understanding in creative ways. Keep an eye out for their growing ability to talk about numbers and their parts—you might be surprised by what they can explain!

Writing 

In Writing, students have been learning to form the letters m, s, a, and t using correct letter formation. We are focusing on building strong handwriting habits by encouraging students to:

• start their letters in the correct place
• use the correct formation
• ensure letters sit neatly on the line
• hold their pencil correctly

Each session begins with a “finger gym” warm-up to strengthen fine motor skills and prepare hands for writing. We also use our sky, grass, dirt letter templates to help students understand where letters sit on the line. As part of a fun warm-up activity, students play “Where does this letter go?”—reaching up tall for sky letters, stretching their arms out for grass letters, or crouching down for dirt letters. This helps reinforce letter positioning in an engaging and active way.

Students practise “sky writing” to build muscle memory before transferring their skills to whiteboards. We explicitly teach letter formation using simple prompts:

m – down, up, down, up, flick

s – start at the top, slip, slide, stop

t – start at the top, down, flick, cross at the top

a – start at the top, around, up, down, flick

Students then apply their learning by writing each letter on their sky, grass, dirt whiteboards, focusing on correct placement and formation. We have also begun introducing new letters p, i, and f, following the same structured approach of modelling, sky writing, and practising on whiteboards. It’s wonderful to see students building confidence and pride in their writing as they develop these important foundational skills.