Foundation News

High Expectations

We've been very impressed with how many students are going the extra mile with their learning and already showing that they can step outside their comfort zone.  High expectations is something we know will only improve the growth and development of your child. 

Some of the expectations we have spoken to students about recently are:

* CARRYING THEIR OWN BAG. This is certainly something that they CAN do independently.  Having this ownership gives them responsibility and a sense of belonging to the school environment. 

* TAKE-HOME BAGS & BOOKS. We strongly encourage you to prompt or remind your child that it is their responsibility to pack their black take-home bag and exchange their book. Even if they forget to do it, they can still do so the next day.  If they have packed it, they should know if it's in their bag when they get to school.

* SHARING KNOWLEDGE.  Often when you ask students questions they can respond with "I don't know." Our expectation is for them to have some more thinking time and to share what they think they know.  There is nothing wrong with not knowing but the expectation is that they process information with an effort to verbalise their thoughts. 

* LISTENING. We've worked daily on our expectation of whole body listening. We listen with our eye, ears, heart and brain. Students have many opportunities to collaborate and share knowledge however, when it's learning time sitting on the mat there is the expectation that they listen (without distraction) to their learning.  Ask your child how they can show whole body listening. 

* ROUTINES.  Some of the work I am doing with the Junior school teachers is working through an inquiry cycle on data and evidence.  We are focusing on routines and transitions for a calmer learning environment. Students are expected to line up in an orderly manner (on our black painted feet) before they enter the classroom.  We are now working on our transitions from our tables to when we sit on the floor. 

AFL Clinic

We've been working with Mel and James from AFL and AFLW to learn basic footy skills. Last week we had a great time handballing, kicking and various tag team games.  The students loved it! This week was our last session.  Flyers have gone home for AusKick in your local area.

Lunchboxes

Thanks to those families who have been packing nice healthy lunches for your child.  We promote lots of fresh fruit for their day and less of the packet foods with high sugar content.  

When selecting a drink for your child, please can we stick to water bottles (named). 

Thanks for your understanding.

Excursion

Please make sure you give permission for your child to attend the Melbourne Zoo on Sentral and make payment at the school office or via bank transfer.  I will let you know what the students will need in the next newsletter. 

Check out our learning!

We've continued on our learning journey. 

Maths we are counting, matching numbers to quantities and writing our numbers.

Reading we are focusing on our goals and reading from left to right and pointing to one word at a time.

Writing we've been beginning to write our ideas even if we don't know how to spell or form our letters correctly. Having the high expectation that they try does great things for their confidence. 

I hope that you've found your home learning packs useful and can draw on activities as a support for your child.  We would love students to be able to recognise their name, the letters in it and write it!

HAPPY WEEKEND!!

Enjoy the sunshine and some downtime.

See you Monday for week #5!