Grade 1 Fortnightly Snapshot - Week 2/3

Welcome

The Grade 1 Team would like to extend a warm welcome to you and your families for 2021 at Brighton Primary School. We have been very impressed with how seamlessly students have transitioned into Grade 1 and acknowledge the Prep team and your support as parents in helping them to be so well prepared. We are enjoying getting to know your children in the first few weeks of school and look forward to helping them achieve their learning goals. 

The Grade 1  team pride ourselves on our strong communication with parents and are asking that you use email as the preferred form of communication. 

This Snapshot will give you an outline of what your child will have learnt in the subject areas in the last week and will learn in the week ahead. We also aim to provide you with any videos or explanations you may need to practise certain skills such as the 'codes'. 

English

Reading 

This week in reading the focus has been the setting up our classroom library. The purpose of the classroom library is to create lifelong readers.  A large, varied and often refreshed collection of books in the classroom is a vital ingredient in improving reading performance. Students have shared the types of books they like to read, what types of books they would like in their classroom library and how to organise them. 

Next week students will  set up their individual book boxes.  They will learn how to pick a 'good fit' book and increase their reading stamina.

Writing 

This week students have enjoyed 'Pencil Aerobics' to help strengthen their fingers to aid their pencil grip. The correct grip pencil grip and sitting position for writing was also revisited. Students have also shared how they feel about writing and the types of environments they enjoy writing in.

Next week students will be learning to recognise the difference between a fragment and a simple sentence using the book 'The Gruffalo'. 

Word Work 

This week and next week students are revising the first 30 codes each day. They also take part in a handwriting boot camp where they practise the formation of their letters. This year at BPS we are trialing print instead of Victorian Modern Cursive. 

Below you will find the handwriting script and the codes for your own use at home.

Mathematics

This week in mathematics students learnt to count forwards and backwards to and from 100 and beyond. Students played warm up games such as 'Buzz' and 'Guess my Number' and had lots of opportunity to be 'hands on' when counting collections of a variety of objects. 

They also played games with a partner to consolidate their understanding of skip counting such as 'School Bus Bump'.

Next week students will explore data collection and recording.

Unit of Inquiry

Our current unit of inquiry - Who We Are has the central idea Choices affect our health with the concepts of connection and responsibility. \

This week students identified a connection they had with another class member, such as the same colour eyes, to create a connection string web. After reading the book 'Have you Filled a Bucket Today', students brainstormed ways they could be bucket fillers rather than dippers.

Next week students will learn more about physical, social and mental health though expert groups led by Grade 1 teachers.

Wellbeing 

Each week grade 1 students will focus on an area of the personal and social capabilities. This week students began exploring their unique strengths and identifying what they like about themselves. 

Through shared discussion and collaborative processes, each class has agreed upon a unique set of expectations that will form their Essential Agreements for the year. Essential Agreements will be revisited though out the year. 

Each day students practise mindfulness to create calmer classrooms. The Smiling Mind App is a useful tool to practise mindfulness and can be downloaded for free via the App store.

Reminders

• School Photo's for Grade 1 Wednesday February 10th.
• Pupil Free Day Friday February 12th
• Pastoral Care Interviews February 15-18
• French Mardi Gras and Cultural Celebration Day (Carnevale) February 18th
• Labour Day Holiday March 8th
• Last Day of Term 1 April 1

Grade 1 Team

Tessa Woodgate 1A

Nicole King 1B

Zoe Picton/Jewel Jackson 1C

Michelle Flood 1D