Around the Classroom

Silo Art - On display at Barastock Silo Mooroopna

Foundation

Semester One has been a journey filled with routine, structure and procedures.

I am so proud of all the Foundation students as becoming a learner at school requires focused effort. The children proved themselves Wednesday morning when we had workmen outside our door doing their thing. It was loud and disruptive … but the children were inside doing their thing!! It really was wonderful to observe the boys and girls completing their activities with hardly a glance at the what was going on outside. How far they all have come in almost 5 months of school. 

This week in Reading we have been learning to retell a fact from a non-fiction book.  We have used EPIC as our source of this genre.  To coincide with the letter Zz, we have searched Zebras and Zoo Animals. Building our world knowledge through non-fiction books is something the children really do enjoy.  Faces of amazement are often expressed.

In Numeracy we have been working on counting backwards from 20. Some have risen to the challenge of 100 using visual chart as cue. We have also revised days of the week and making number stories with unifix. Well done to Victoria Davies and Jordan Cadmore. Their learning with the unifix task was commendable and was completed with much effort.

Happy Holidays are here … recharge, relax and refresh!!!

You Can Do It! Education

During You Can Do It! Education, students in Grades 1 and 2 discussed the characteristics of a good friend and then set themselves the goal to practise being a good friend.

Examples of what makes a good friend:

• They treat you nicely.
• You have fun with that person.
• You like some of the same things.
• You work well or play well together.
• They follow the rules in class and at home.
• They follow the rules of a game.

The students also discussed friendly behaviour they would like to practise through the coming weeks. Some examples included:

• Making sure everyone feels included in a group or a game.
• Helping a friend who needs help.
• Listening to a friend when they are talking.
• Saying “Hi” in the morning.
• Taking turns and sharing.

In You Can Do It! Education throughout the school, we have focused on strategies for dealing with problems. We discussed the importance of making a conscious effort to stop and ‘think first’ about the best way to solve the problem. We also discussed the importance of treating people with respect, communicating clearly and calmly and looking for the most appropriate and best solution for everyone involved. 

Next term in You Can Do It! Education, we will focus on the habits of the mind that help build resilience.