Prep

Dear Prep families,

The Prep team have enjoyed supporting students through their first 13 days of school. It is fantastic to see the students' confidence grow as they familiarise themselves with their new learning environment. Students are already showing initiative in demonstrating our Learner Profile Attributes in their learning.

It was a proud moment for us all to have the Prep cohort join the whole school in their very first assembly. They all demonstrated their most principled selves and sat in their 5 L's of Listening for the duration of the assembly.

Reading

In Reading, students have been developing their understanding of Concepts of Print through modelled and shared reading in the classroom. They have been risk-takers when engaging in learning about our 'Good Reader Strategies' with a focus on how pictures help us to read, getting our mouth ready to make the initial sound of a word, as well as, sliding through the whole word when decoding unfamiliar words.

We would be pleased to see students love for reading continuing at home. We encourage students to read daily at home which can be done through a variety of texts, including their Take Home Readers, books from their local library, magazines and newspapers etc. Similar to reading practices within the classroom, it is encouraged that, after reading, they are asked about their text to promote critical thinking and improve their comprehension of the text. Here are some example questions:

What happened at the beginning of the book?
What happened at the end of the book?
How is the character feeling? Why are they feeling this way?
What was your favourite part of the book?

Writing

In Writing, students have practising their Special Writing Book routine which incorporates our high frequency words of the week. Through this practice, students are developing their skill to express themselves through pictures and words. Students have been open-minded when attempting writing tasks by using their learnt knowledge of letter recognition and sounds, initial sounds and high frequency words, to attempt writing full sentences.

Students have also been developing their thinking skills through our Think, Draw, Write, Share model where they are encouraged to discuss their own ideas with peers, when exposed to rich mentor texts connected to our learner profiles. They draw a picture of their idea, using the text as inspiration. Students are then prompted to have a go at expressing their drawing through words and sentences. Finally, students are encouraged to share their writing with the teacher and their peers.

Mathematics

In Mathematics, students continue to explore the concepts of number and location. Students are developing their understanding of representing numbers in different ways using concrete materials in the classroom. They are also encouraged to explain their thinking of how they chose to represent a number using mathematical vocabulary.

In location, students continue to focus on the use of vocabulary to describe different locations such as above, under, over, behind, in front of, next to, inside, on top of, etc.

Attendance. Every Day Counts!

As presented in our information session, our school has an important focus on attendance. We want our Prep students to have the best opportunity to settle into school routines, connect with their teachers and peers and engage in their learning. Please remember that every day counts and that unless there is illness or a significant reason, children should be attending school. If your child is absent, please be sure to follow up with the school and explain the absence. A child's first year of schooling sets the tone for the remainder of their school life, let's make it a positive one.

School Song

Last week, our Prep students practised and rehearsed our school song in order to sing along with the whole school at assembly. Here is a link on YouTube, for your perusal should you wish to practise with your child. School song - with lyrics and vocal guidehttps://youtu.be/Ua5RnSttwyY

Reminders

The first full week of Prep begins on Monday 27 February.
Students are expected to bring their satchel to school EVERY DAY. If your child has not received one, please speak to your classroom teacher.
Hats are to be worn when outside for the whole of Term One. Please ensure to put sunscreen on your child before arriving at school.
Please ensure all of your child’s belongings are clearly labelled with their first and last names.
Snack and lunch times are 15 minutes long. Please encourage your child to eat snack/lunch within 15 minutes as this will help them to follow school routine. Practise doing this at home to assist your child.
Please pack a change of underwear and shorts/pants in case your child has a toileting accident. These items should be stored in your child's bag and clearly labelled.
Please ensure your child is wearing the proper school uniform, especially closed toed shoes. If they are out of uniform for a given reason, please provide this in writing to the classroom teacher.

Warm regards,

The Prep Teaching Team