Prep - Year 2

Assistant Principal's Report

Hello, Springers' community - what a few weeks it's been.  Our Year 1 students were finally able to go on their first school excursion which from all reports went quite smoothly (regardless of the weather).  To hear the excitement in their little voices and high-pitched squeals when walking to the buses beforehand was wonderful, and with the news of this recent lockdown, it is something that I am grateful for that could occur for them.  Although this week will look a little different, please know that your child's teachers are working exceptionally hard to make learning as smooth and meaningful as possible at this time. Keep an eye out for Compass messages and make sure to check your class's newsfeed for Webex sessions and updates. 

In Reading, our preppies have been consolidating their skills in finding and saying the sounds in words and blending sounds together.  They have focussed on words with the letters 'j' and 'u' and have been naming these letters, finding them in words, and making their sounds.  In Writing, students have been sharing their ideas by creating and matching sentences with pictures.  They have also focussed on using finger spaces and correctly forming their letters.  In Mathematics, students have been learning about addition, including the use of strategies such as counting on and touch counting.  Students have enjoyed making and modelling the addition of 2 groups together to find the total.

In Year 1,  it has been a very exciting week with two excursions taking place on the 25th and 26th of May, to the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens.  At school, our Year 1's have been learning to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture.  Our trip to the Botanic Gardens was a wonderful way to celebrate our learning and have some new experiences!  Students made lemon myrtle potpourri, painted with ochre, practised an acknowledgment of country for the Boonwurrung people, and of course, admired the beautiful gardens. In Reading, students have focussed on the 'wh' and 'ph' diagraphs and have been learning to make inferences about events in a story.  In Writing, students have been publishing their narrative stories and in Mathematics, expanding two-digit numbers and place value have been the focus.

In Year 2, students are beginning to synthesise as they read.  That may sound tricky but really it is describing how our thinking has changed as a text goes on.  In Writing, students have been drafting the resolution of their stories and then reading over and editing and revising their work.  This has included accurately punctuating their sentences and is being followed by publishing.  In Mathematics, students have continued to find the difference between two numbers and solve addition and subtraction problems.  Classes have enjoyed using 'Number Talks' to promote mathematical discussion, using visuals like the one below:

How many dots do you see? How do you see them?

Looking forward to seeing everyone back on site very soon.  Until then, take care of yourselves and each other.  If your child needs any additional support please contact their classroom teacher through Compass. `

Regards

Scott McKinnon

Assistant Principal (Junior School)