What's Happening in the Classrooms

Junior School

Prep

Find out what we have been doing this term!
Find out what we have been doing this term!

As we reach the end of Semester 1, it is clear how far the Prep students have come in learning daily routines, following school expectations and playing positively and appropriately in the schoolyard. Many teachers have often praised these behaviours, which has been fantastic to hear! I hope that the students will continue to work hard in this way as the year continues. Well done, Preps. Keep up the great effort!

 

This term, students have been investigating change within them and in the world around them. Our whole-school Inquiry learning topic of 'Change' has sparked curiosity for students in Prep about 'Why does the weather change."  'How do animals grow and change?' and 'What changes do I see at school?' These questions have also helped us think deeply about our most recent Mathematics topic of 'Time'. The Preps have learned about changes over time, including days of the week, months of the year and seasons. We have been completing our classroom countdown to 100 days of Prep, which we look forward to celebrating in the first half of term 3. 

 

We use kind words. We are kind to one another.
We use kind words. We are kind to one another.

In Social and Emotional Learning, students reflected upon how they verbally communicate and how this may positively or negatively impact themselves and others. As a class, we discussed how communicating with one another in a ‘nice’ way helps us make and sustain friendships, ask for help, solve problems and talk to others respectfully. From this learning, there has been a wonderful sense of kindness and consideration adopted by the Preps to make sure they are using their words carefully.

 

Students participate in phonological awareness lessons. The lesson incorporates rhyming, alliteration, and segmenting sentences and syllables. Our daily Phonics review is also one of the class’ favourite parts of the day. Daily Review involves students learning familiar sounds that letters represent and how to apply these sounds to reading and writing simple words and sentences, which mostly follow the consonant-vowel-consonant structure, such as in the words ‘sip, tap, pin, sat’ etc.

 

Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark

In Religious Education, students have enjoyed reading Scripture, learning about characters in the Bible, discussing the meaning or significance of these people and events, and then reflecting upon how to use these lessons in their daily lives. These teachings are also often connected or related to other curriculum areas. For example, students could think about Jesus’ journey in the desert or the rainfall in the story of Noah’s Ark and reflect upon how long 40 days and 40 nights are in their own lives through comparison during Mathematics. This connection engaged students further in both aspects of their learning by wondering how it must have felt to endure those hardships for such a long period.

 

We have shared such a wonderful and fun-filled term, and I look forward to continuing to support the Prep students to learn and grow in Semester 2!

 

I am wishing you all a restful winter holiday break. Stay safe and stay warm! 

 

Prep Classroom Teacher

Miss Marnie Newbound