Argus Community Report

WELCOME

We would like to congratulate all of the Argus students on a wonderful start to Term 1. Students have settled into the community positively and have developed great routines and expectations in their mentor groups. We are very proud of each of our students for adapting to different changes that have occurred this term in particular with the short period of remote learning, and we would like to thank all of the families for your support throughout these challenging times. We look forward to sharing our learning with you all this year.

Reading

In Reading this term, we have been focusing on concepts about print.  This is where students are beginning to understand the features of a book and how we read them. Students have been identifying the difference between fiction and non-fiction texts based on the front cover such as the title and the pictures. 

We have also been looking at what independent reading and buddy reading looks like in the Argus community.

This term students will be continuing to learn about choosing a just right book for them. A just right book is one students can read independently with minimal or no support.

Writing

In Writing students have been learning about how to write a recount. They have looked at the structure of a recount such as who, what, where, when and why and the language and tenses we use when writing a recount. Students based their writing pieces on favourite holidays, trips or experiences. They have been making use of their word book to help them with the spelling of words they are unsure of. 

Students were also asked to bring in some writing seeds for their writer’s notebook which will help them develop and expand on their ideas. 

For handwriting this term, we have been concentrating on letters that begin with the formation of the letter C. We have been focusing on the starting points of letters, letter formation and correct use of dotted thirds. 

Maths

This term students  will continue investigations in place value and counting patterns through games and activities to consolidate addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.  Students will be learning about renaming units and concepts about base 10. Developing a strong understanding of 2 digit number including partitioning into tens and ones, and recording in digits, words and expanded form.  We have also been investigating statistics  including collecting and interpreting data.  The emphasis during numeracy sessions will be to develop their understanding using concrete materials and opportunities for them to be able to explain strategies used and explore alternative methods to problem solve. 

Social and Emotional Learning 

In Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) the students have been learning about the ‘Zones of Regulation’. We have been looking at each of the four zones and exploring the actions and emotions we can experience in each zone. Students are developing an understanding that their emotions can change several times throughout the day - just like the weather. 

We looked at each of the zones in turn - Green, Blue, Yellow and Red. 

After learning about the zones individually, we looked at strategies that could be used to get ‘back to the Green Zone’, the optimal zone for learning at school. Students had a discussion about some strategies that may help to calm them down, regulate their emotions and get them ready for learning. Each student was then given an opportunity to make a ‘wheel of coping strategies’ to give them some ideas to refer to when they feel like they are in the blue, yellow or red zone.

Inquiry

In inquiry we are learning about being healthy. Students have been learning about the different food groups; fruits and vegetables, dairy, protein, and carbohydrates and sorting foods into these groups. Students have been learning about making healthy food choices. They designed a healthy dinner using the food pyramid, and also collected data about what fruits and vegetables they have in their lunch boxes.

Important notes to Remember: 

• Doors open at 8:40am
• Dismissal at 3:10pm
• Please bring a hat to school each day in Term 1 and 4
• Ensure your child’s belongings are clearly labelled. This includes clothing, drink bottles, hats and lunchboxes (lids too)
• Students are to come to school with a water bottle each day (labelled)

What you can do with your child at home

• Continue to read to and with your child each night.
• Encourage your child to develop more independence. (Help pack/unpack their school bag/lunch, or get their uniform ready)
• Encourage your child to take increased responsibility for their own belongings.
• Establishing a regular routine helps students to develop a positive approach to learning and will benefit them as they progress through their schooling.
• Encourage your child to practise tying their own shoelaces.
• We continue to promote healthy eating at school. We allow students to have a piece of fruit and vegetable break at 10:15am. We try to discourage highly salty, sugary and processed foods. We talk about these foods as ‘occasional’ or ‘sometimes’ food that can be enjoyed on ‘special occasions’ rather than as part of a child’s daily diet.
• If you need to speak to your child’s mentor teacher, please contact the office to pass on the message or organise this before or after school.

Kind Regard, Argus 1/2 teaching team

Carla, Fanny, Addy, Alex, Elin and Laura