What's Happening in Lower Division?

Lower Division are excited to welcome six new kindergarten students, Claire our SLSO and Ms Hahn to our class and school this year! Claire will be working with us for weeks 3 and 4 and continuing to work Tuesdays from week 5. Ms Hahn will be teaching Lower Division on Wednesdays after recess for Maths, PE & Science. Mrs Harper & Mrs Fortescue will begin kindergarten BEST Start assessments in Week 4.

English & Maths

This year we start using the new English and Maths syllabi for Kindergarten – Year 2.

In English, we will be learning about context, narrative, perspective, representation, character, perspective and argument using a variety of texts. Some of the texts include, Our Island by children of Gununa, Alison Lester and Elizabeth Honey; Under the Southern Cross, by Frané Lessac; A Bag and a Bird by Pamela Allen; The Great Rabbit Chase by Freya Blackwood; The Shopping Basket by John Burhingham and many more! Kindergarten will also be beginning to learn phonological awareness and Year 1/2 will be continuing their sound and spelling journeys. We will also be learning about oral language and communication, vocabulary, print conventions, reading comprehension, reading fluency, creating written texts, handwriting and understanding and responding to literature.

When learning in Mathematics we are focusing on representing whole numbers, as well as integrating combining and separating quantities, two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes, data, forming groups, length, area, volume and mass.

History

The topic this term for History is My History, meaning that we are learning about our own personal family histories. This will include learning the meaning of our names, special items from the past that are sentimental to ourselves and our families, and finally family stories about us. During this unit we will need help from parents and ask if it is possible to bring in these items each week.

· Monday 13th Feb (Week 4) – Photo of themselves as a baby and the meaning of their name.

· Monday 20th Feb (Week 5) – Their favourite toy as a baby and/or as a three year old.

· Monday 27th Feb (Week 6) – A special family object or photo of one

· Monday 6th March (Week 7) – Favourite family stories about the child and major stages in their lifetime such as learning to walk and talk.

All of these items can be brought in before the date and kept in student trays if needed. If any of the items are too precious to send into school, please feel free to email photos to jessica.brien6@det.nsw.edu.au instead.

PDH/PE

In Physical Education we are using a dance program called, ‘Footsteps’. The program has been specifically designed to allow students to practice and perform fundamental movement skills using different body parts. The students will incorporate the 4 elements of dance - Space, Time, Relationships & Dynamics/Energy whilst performing movement sequences. An opportunity for students to create their own moves has been included during the program. A range of dance styles and music is used throughout the program to ensure maximum engagement levels.

In PDH we will be learning about how it is everyone’s responsibility to create a respectful and inclusive environment. Students will learn to value diversity and foster connection with others through recognising similarities and differences within groups, develop social awareness through participating in group activities, explore ways to interact with others that promotes inclusion, and identify and demonstrate ethical behaviour that supports safety and fair play in movement settings.

Visual Art

Our visual art unit investigates the Elements of Visual Art. Demonstrations and artistic techniques are explored, with particular attention given to line, shape and colour to convey meaning in visual arts.

Music

In music this term, students will learn two songs which they will sing, play and move to.  Through learning these two core pieces, students will have opportunities to sing in multiple parts, developing their understanding of harmony. They will also use movement to understand the beat of the music, and to help them transfer musical skills onto instruments.  - Jess Suann

Science

This term’s unit is “The Changing Environment”. Students make observations and investigate how daily and seasonal changes affect us. They look at how people, animals and plants change depending on the time of day and/or the seasons. Students record daily weather patterns over a month. They investigate what materials provide shelter and protection from changing weather. - Kirrily Hahn

Kindy Buddies

Thank You students in Year 5 & 6 for helping our new kindergarten group settle in for their first week.