Curriculum- Teaching and Learning

School Wide Teaching and Learning

In each edition of our school newsletter, we share with our community an insight into the curriculum being taught within our classrooms. This reflects our school's strong focus upon continuous improvement. 

Each edition covers a different area of the curriculum, and is supported by our school-wide approaches to teaching and learning. 

In this edition we focus upon providing you an overview of the learning we have planned for the remainder of Term Four. 

Foundation Transition Information

INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES: Transition Program Dates for 2022 Foundation Students

We are very excited to be able to finally confirm the arrangements for our much anticipated Foundation Transition Program! Please be aware that this year's program required modifications in comparison to how we would normally conduct transition sessions. These modifications are required due to the Department of Education and Training (DET) Operations Guide and Covid-Safe Schools Plans. You will note alternating days are allocated to the below sessions, with the aim of accommodating the spread of kindergarten timetables, and parent/carer work commitments. 

Please note the dates below for your family calendar: 

Friday 19th November- Transition Session #1 (on-site)

• On this day, students and a chosen parent/carer are invited to attend a 30 minute on-site transition session. There will be seven separate groupings/timeslots.
• This session will be a mixture of outdoor/indoor activities allowing your child time to explore the Foundation play area and classrooms.
• These 30 minute on-site sessions will be held in groups of ~six students, with the addition of one parent/carer each.
• Parents/Carers are required to stay for the entirety of this 30 minute session. The intimate small group atmosphere will allow you an opportunity to freely interact with our staff and other parents/carers.
• Groupings have been arranged by the school, and are based upon friendships/interests/kinder connections which we have gained from our one-one Webex interviews held previously.
• Personalised email invitations for this session are being emailed to each family on Tuesday 9th November. This email will contain the finer details for the event, CovidSafe requirements, as well as what to do if you are unavailable during your allocated session time.

Wednesday 24th November 6:00pm- 7:00pm Online Parent Information Session (off-site via Webex platform)

• During this session we will provide you with the practical operational details which you may be wanting to know, such as timetabling, uniforms, care arrangements, etc. We will also be providing parents/carers with an overview of our approach to teaching Literacy.
• Personalised email invitations for this session are being emailed to each family on Tuesday 9th November. 

Wednesday 1st December- Transition Session #2 (on-site)

• On this day, students are invited to attend a 60 minute on-site transition session. There will be four separate groupings/timeslots.
• This session will be a mixture of outdoor/indoor activities and involve a visit from our Visual Art and Performing Arts teachers.
• These 60 minute on-site sessions will be held in groups of ~10 students, who will be grouped according to information we have gathered about each child/family.
• Parents/Carers are encouraged to allow their child to attend this session independently. The intimate small group atmosphere, with plenty of staff support, should allow your child to feel comfortable and confident. However, if a parent/carer feels the need to stay then you are of course welcome.
• Personalised email invitations for this session are being emailed to each family on Tuesday 9th November. This email will contain the finer details for the event, CovidSafe requirements, as well as what to do if you are unavailable during your allocated session time.

Thursday 9th December 9:30am-12:00pm: Transition Session #3 (on-site)  

• On this day, students are invited to attend for 2.5 hours, with all enrolled students being in attendance for the entire duration.
• Parents/Carers are encouraged to allow their child to attend this session independently.
• Each student will be required to bring a backpack/bag containing a snack and water bottle.
• This session will be a mixture of indoor/outdoor activities, with students having the opportunity to learn/play alongside both Mrs Peters and Mrs Dam.
• Personalised email invitations for this session are being emailed to each family on Tuesday 9th November. This email will contain the finer details for the event, CovidSafe requirements, as well as what to do if you have any questions.

For all of the above listed on-site sessions, please provide your child with a Sunmart hat. This may be a personalised hat which you already own, or you may contact the school office to arrange the purchase of a school hat. In reading the above information, we understand that some families may have additional questions/comments which they wish to address prior to the above sessions. 

We welcome your input, and encourage you to email Mrs Holly Peters   holly.peters@education.vic.gov.au We are so excited to finally be allowed to have your family visit us on-site. 

We cannot wait for the first session!

BEESWAX WRAPS -  SWPBL LEADERS

We are back on-site for the Beeswax Wraps initiative!

In Term Two, our SWPBL Leaders spoke at a series of assemblies about their Beeswax Wrap initiative. Facilitated and driven by Tess R, the SWPBL Leaders have been working hard over lockdown and are ready to launch for sales!!!

The SWPBL Leaders will be speaking to each class in the coming fortnight about a revised "market stall timetable" Each wrap is available for $6.00. 

The SWPBL Leaders will be visiting each Foundation- Year Two class in the lead-up top next Friday, to provide the teachers and students with finer details. 

Following the sale of Wraps to Foundation- Year Two students, the SWPBL Leaders will begin to prepare for sales for the Year Three- Six students. 

As we are wanting the SWPBL Leaders to experience the entire 'consumer' process we are asking for cash sales only, which will be handled by the SWPBL Leaders (under staff supervision). 

Check out the information below from Tess: 

Hi, my name is Tess R, and I am one of the SWPBL Leaders. 

LitterBuzz is my new initiative to reduce the amount of plastic rubbish in Upwey South’s lunchboxes.

We are making Beeswax wraps to sell to our students so that you don't need to buy overly expensive wraps from a retailer. A beeswax wrap is a piece of fabric which we have coated with beeswax. These are an alternative to having glad wrap in your lunch box. 

They come in one size (35x35cm), and many different patterns. They are reusable and last about a year, after which they can be composted. 

Each wrap will cost $6.00. We have calculated this price so that we cover our expenses only. We have donated our time in making them, and they are much cheaper than the ones you can buy from the shops. If there are any small profits, these will be donated to local environmental charities.

If you would like to purchase one, they will be for sale for $6.00. We will visit classes next week and send out a Compass post to advise families of the 'market date' for sales.  First in equals best-dressed for the best designs available!