Level 2 (Prep)
The Week Past
We have had yet another amazing week of learning on Level 2! In Maths, the children in Prep have been developing their skills in subitising. Subitising is the ability to recognise the number of objects in a small group without the need to count them. Think of the dots on a dice, we never need to count them because we ‘just know’ how many there are. Preps had great fun applying their subitising skills by playing games such as ‘Bingo’ and ‘Get out of My House’. These engaging games also allowed the children an opportunity to practise turn-taking, playing fairly and organising equipment. You can practise subitising at home by showing your child a small collection of dots, fingers or objects and asking them to identify the number without counting.
The children have also started to consider position and the language used to describe it such as ‘in’, ‘next to’, ‘on top of’, ‘behind’, ‘in front’. They practised this skill by listening to instructions on where to position objects on a drawing. You can help your children to apply these skills outside of school by talking about the position of real life objects and buildings. For example, the post office is ‘next to’ the bank or the yellow car is parked ‘in front’ of the house.
Key Dates and Information
Please note that excursions are now live on Compass. Please ensure that you have paid the excursion levy and open Compass in your browser to give consent by the deadline date.
Monday 20th May 10 at 12pm
School Open Day
Thursday 23rd May PM
Excursion - Port Melbourne Beach Litter Pick Up
Wednesday 5th May AM
Prep D, E and F- South Melbourne Market
PM
Excursion Prep A, B and C- South Melbourne Market.
Monday June 10th
Queen's Birthday Holiday
Thursday June 27th
Parent Teacher Interview day- no children in school
Tissues- Thank you to those who have brought boxes of tissues for use at school. We appreciate your support and continue to welcome boxes of tissues for the classes in the coming winter months.
High Frequency Word Activities at home
The ability to recognise high frequency words is integral in supporting early reading. At the beginning of the year, we sent home a list of the first 100 high frequency words. We strongly encourage regular practise of these words at home. Below are some examples of games and activities you can try with your child to keep things fun and engaging:
Scavenger Hunt- To play the Scavenger Hunt game, write 10 words on a large piece of paper. Next, write the same words on ten sticky notes and hide them around the room. As your child finds a word, they read it and place it directly on top of the matching word. Can they find and read them all?
Three in a Row- Draw a 3x3 grid and write 9 different high frequency words in each square. Take it in turns to read a word and place a counter on that square. The first to get three counters in a row is the winner!
Pairs- Choose 10 high frequency words and create flashcards by writing each on a small piece of paper. You will need to create two sets of each word for this game. Place all of the words face down on the table. Take it in turns to choose two cards. If they match you get to keep the pair. If they don’t, put them back. The winner is the one with the most pairs at the end of the game.
Circle Solutions
We mixed things up in Circle Solutions this week and joined together with another Prep class to make new friends and practise turn-taking. The children told their new friend a little bit about themselves before playing a whole-class game of ‘Pass the Clap’. They also developed their teambuilding skills when they worked in small groups to complete a puzzle challenge. When reflecting on this task, they considered how they could be more inclusive when working as a team so that everyone can make a fair contribution. We hope that the children will begin to remember these important lessons when playing games in the yard.
Excursion to Port Melbourne Beach
Next week is our first ever Prep excursion to Port Melbourne Beach, where we will learn about ways we can help to keep the community neat and tidy. Children will be travelling to and from the beach by tram. Please note that they will not require a Myki card.
On the day:
- Children should wear full school uniform including a jumper and/or coat.
- They should also bring their lunchboxes as usual however, for ease of carrying and in the spirit of being helpful community members, we will transfer our lunches into recyclable paper bags ready to take to the beach (the school will provide these). With this in mind, please avoid packing heavy cartons and packaging that day. Something light like a sandwich will be much easier for your child to carry.
Please note that you child will only be able to attend this Excursion if the excursion levy has been paid in full and if consent has been granted via compass. Thank you for your understanding!
Writing
Every Monday, we enjoy hearing about the children’s weekends during our Writing sessions. First, they are given the opportunity to talk about their ideas and then to draw a simple picture. With an idea clear in their mind, they are encouraged to write what they want to say with as much detail as possible. You can support this learning by having a conversation with your child on the way to School on Monday. What event from their weekend will they write about? Who was involved? How did they feel?