Classroom News

Foundation

Decoding

This week in Decoding, students are reviewing their Set 1 sounds. We have learnt all of these sounds over the course of the Term and now we are working to commit them to our long term memory. Students have continued their quick fluency drills that focus on seeing the sound and saying the sound. With the introduction of take home reading, we are having a strong focus on blending the sounds together in words. It helps to stretch the sounds out, which can be hard with stop sounds such as /p/, /d/ and /t/.

Content Knowledge

Our Content Knowledge focus continues to explore families — how families can be similar and different. We have enjoyed learning about step families and how some people have a family forest instead of a family tree!

Text Construction

In Text Construction, students have been practising correct formation of the letters of our Set 1 sounds including capital and lowercase letters. We have introduced dictation into our daily routines, where students use their phoneme fist to identify the sounds in words and attempt to write these words. They include simple VC and CVC words using our Set 1 sounds eg it, dip, pat. Students have co-created sentences, expanding on a kernel such as “He tap”. Our sentences have evolved and we have introduced a “when” eg “In the morning, Sam taps”.

Mathematics

In Mathematics, students have been introduced to the numerals 0-10. We have represented these on tens frames and have counted collections up to 10, identifying which collection has more or less. Students are working on their ability to subitise (seeing a collection a saying its value without needing to count it… think the dots on dice) and how that can help us to determine the value of a collection.

Personal Learning

Students have focused on our TPS Behaviour Matrix and how it can help us with the way we play and interact with others. We have zoomed in on Respect- We use kind words, Resilience- Reset learning spaces and Friendship- share and take turns. It has been great to see students enjoying playing with each other whilst practising showing our focus values.

What can you do to support your child at home? 

• Read with your child each evening and encourage them to identify Heart Words and focus sounds they have learned. It is meant to become easier the longer they have had their book. Change take home readers on Monday and Thursday.
• Talk about your family — do they have any uncles or aunts, a step family and begin to discuss what celebrations you enjoy as a family.
• Discuss how collections of objects can be made up of parts eg I see 4 blocks and 3 blocks and I know 4 and 3 make 7.

Junior School

Literacy

In Literacy, Junior School students have been focusing on long vowel sounds such as ‘ai’, ‘ee’ and ‘igh’, and reading fluency passages that include these sounds.

In Content Knowledge this week, students are reading The Little Refugee by Anh Do. The text explores the themes of immigration, resilience and hope. It tells the story of the author’s childhood experiences when he escaped Vietnam during the war and came to Australia.

In Text Construction, students have been learning to plan and write narratives about the Gold Rush. They were provided with a scaffold to help them plan their story and ensure the inclusion of a character, setting, problem and solution. Sentence starters were also provided to help them begin their sentences in an interesting way. After planning, they drafted, edited and finally published their stories, which will be displayed in the classroom.

Numeracy

In Numeracy, students have been learning about addition and subtraction and have been using resources such as connecting blocks and number lines to support their understanding. Last week they learned about Tens Facts and the relationship between addition and subtraction. They have been encouraged to use strategies for addition, such as starting with the bigger number and counting on the smaller number (rather than the other way around) for greater efficiency.

Indigenous Studies

In Indigenous Studies, students have been learning about the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag, and what the different symbols and colours on the flags represent.

Reminders

Junior School students have a busy few weeks coming up. This Friday, the 20th of March, is the Sovereign Hill excursion. Please make sure your child has a hat, water bottle and lunch in a small bag that they can carry with them.

Our whole-school Athletics Day is in the following week on Wednesday, the 25th of March, and swimming lessons will take place in the final week of term, starting on Monday, the 30th of March.

Middle School

Literacy

This week in literacy, students are continuing to build their reading fluency and comprehension while learning about mountains, maps and time zones. Students have been practising reading with accuracy, expression and appropriate pace through partner and choral reading activities.

We are also learning about word study and vocabulary, focusing on how words are formed and how suffixes can change meaning. Students are developing their spelling skills by breaking words into syllables and recording sounds carefully.

In writing, students are learning how to take notes using symbols to help them capture key ideas from a text. Symbols such as arrows, slashes and equals signs help students record information quickly before turning their notes into full sentences.

Reading at Home Reminder Please continue to support your child by practising fluency reading at home. A helpful way to do this is by asking your child to read aloud to you each night. Listening to your child read helps build confidence, accuracy and expression. Even 10 minutes each evening can make a big difference!

NAPLAN

Students will be participating in NAPLAN assessments this week. These assessments help us understand how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy.

We encourage students to simply do their best, take their time and remember that these tests are just one way we measure learning. Thank you for helping your child come to school well rested and ready to try their best.

Students who are not involved in NAPLAN have been working on persuasive texts about their heroes and creating a theme park!

Numeracy

In mathematics, students are continuing to develop their understanding of addition and subtraction using the vertical algorithm.

This strategy helps students organise numbers clearly so they can accurately calculate the difference or total. We are practising how to line numbers up correctly by place value and apply strategies such as renaming when subtracting.

Students are also continuing to develop their problem-solving skills through collaborative tasks that encourage them to think mathematically and explain their reasoning.

Discoveries

Students are enjoying a range of Discoveries subjects:

· House Sports: practising teamwork and baton exchanges for relay races

· Performing Arts: planning and creating mime performances

· Digital Technologies: planning a short stop motion film using materials such as Lego, paper or playdough

· Indigenous Studies: exploring artefacts and placing events on a timeline to understand history and culture

These activities help students develop creativity, teamwork and problem-solving skills across a variety of learning areas.

Important Events

Odd Socks Day – Down Syndrome Awareness Students are invited to wear odd socks to celebrate and raise awareness for Down Syndrome. This is a fun way to celebrate everyone’s differences and uniqueness and promote inclusion in our school.

Athletics Day – March 25 Our Athletics Day is coming up on the 25th of March. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a range of events and cheer on their house teams. Remember to wear

Senior School

Content Knowledge: In Content Knowledge we have started a new topic ‘Understanding Business’. So far we have learnt so many facts about money, bargaining and how money works. Although it is a bit confusing at first, we’ll get the hang of it! -Porcia  

Text Construction: This week in Text Construction, we have been working on a variety of skills. This includes appositives, notes to complex sentences and paragraphs. We have learnt a lot so far and we have definitely improved! -Hazel 

Maths: So far we have been learning about fractions! We have been adding and subtracting them to get a mixed numeral. We have also been halving and doubling them to get the same denominator. -Tex

Reminders: A reminder for students to bring a drink bottle to school each day. Please also support your child by ensuring they complete their home reading each night and bring their iPad to school charged and ready to go for the day’s learning.

Science

The Teesdale students have started the year by showing great curiosity and deep thinking during our weekly Science lessons.

The Junior School students have been learning how to take care of our Earth. They learned about reducing, reusing and recycling to limit waste on Earth. They shared their knowledge with the school by creating informative posters for each classroom, telling students what they can and cannot recycle at school. They are now learning about sustainability and how to conserve water.

The Middle School students are learning how to recognise different types of soils and rocks. They enjoyed getting their hands dirty while doing a ‘ribbon test’ to find out how sand, clay and silt soil react differently when mixed with water. A rap song helped them to learn the difference between weathering, erosion and deposition. The students will end the term by investigating and classifying a variety of different rocks and minerals.

The Senior School students started the term by learning about the different physical characteristics of Earth’s many biomes. They are now conducting a series of investigations to identify how changing physical conditions of a habitat can affect plant growth. They discovered that salinity levels can negatively impact plant growth. The students are currently working in pairs to plan and conduct ‘a fair test’ which will test and measure one chosen changed variable (water quantity, sunlight exposure, temperature etc.), to see how a broad bean seed will grow.