Foundation News
Welcome to Term 2
Welcome back to Foundation for Term 2! We hope you had an enjoyable holiday break and are ready for a new and exciting term of learning. This term we continue to focus on organisation and getting along well with others. We encourage each child to unpack their own bag, read the daily schedule and organise themselves for the school day. This includes changing their own take-home book and putting away their lunchbox and other personal belongings.
This term, we welcome parent helpers into our learning space. It has been great to see parents and grandparents come in and work with students in Foundation. The children and teachers appreciate the support and guidance parents provide during formal instruction sessions. If you have yet to volunteer as a parent helper and would like to assist in our learning space, please email your child's homeroom teacher. It is a prerequisite that all parent helpers attend the Parent Helper Induction session, have a WWC check and are triple vaccinated.
FOUNDATION TERM 2 CURRICULUM ENGLISH:
This term Foundation students will consolidate their alphabet knowledge and continue to develop their knowledge that texts are made up of words and groups of words that make meaning. The children will be involved in reading sessions that focus on developing their ability to use a variety of strategies to help them become skilled readers. Small guided reading focus groups will continue as part of the Foundation reading program. During this time the students will have the opportunity to discuss unknown words, be introduced to strategies to help improve their reading and be involved in discussions about the books they have read.
The Foundation students will continue to complete writing tasks aligned with our SMART Spelling program. They will continue to learn the difference between a letter, word, and sentence with the appropriate punctuation needed to create a sentence. As the children become more confident they will begin to take risks in their writing and be willing to 'have a go' before asking for assistance. Students will be encouraged to apply letter/sound relationships, sound out unknown words and write learnt sight words. Letter formation, pencil grip, and posture will continue to be a focus.
How to Support Your Child at Home
*Reading daily with your child (this includes spelling-weekly focus & common words).
*Noticing details in the pictures and talking about these will help your child to understand what the story is about and to anticipate words in the text.
* Continue to encourage your child to write for authentic purposes. They can write cards, shopping lists, invitations, labels, and recounts of special events.
*Support your child to write by assisting them with sounding out the words, rather than spelling the words for them.
*Encourage them to draw pictures and then label the picture and/or write about what they have drawn.
*Model writing practice. Ensure your child sees you writing for particular purposes to show them that there is a need to learn how to write
*Talking about stories that happen in your own family's life. Telling stories orally helps to support the structure of stories in written form.
*Encourage their fine motor development by providing opportunities to complete threading, colouring in, play-doh, craft, and cut and paste activities.
FOUNDATION TERM 2 CURRICULUM MATHS:
This term Foundation students are continuing to work on an understanding numbers to 20. They will be matching the number name, numeral and collection of objects, and reasoning with number sequences. Students will develop fluency counting forwards and backwards in meaningful contexts, including stories and rhymes. We will begin looking at whole-part whole relationships of numbers, using lots of hands-on activities and manipulatives, in readiness for addition strategies and skills.
This term, students have begun to explore 3D objects. They have learnt to identify different solids and have found examples of these in our learning space. Students are becoming familiar with the features of 3D objects including edges, corners/vertices and faces.
Recently students worked in groups to use different manipulatives to build structures using different 3D solids. We invite you to peruse through the photos below.
How to Support Your Child at Home:
*Including your child in everyday mathematical situations e.g. counting objects in a shopping bag, getting the right number of cutlery to set the table etc.
*Whenever your child is practising maths in a real-life scenario such as counting their toys or helping to make a cook, encourage them to talk about the strategies and skills they are using.
*Encourage your child to represent a range of numbers in lots of different ways. They can use toys, food items, or even outdoor materials.
*When you or your child see a number in your environment, e.g. on a sign, ask your child to identify that number and ask what would be one less or one more.
*Talk about the days of the week and also the months of the year. Talking about events that you have on particular days or times of the year will help your child to begin to understand the concept of time.
*Identifying simple 2D shapes and 3D objects around your home and the environment. *Chat about the features, purpose and function of 3D objects.
We wish all our Foundation Mothers a very happy Mother's Day. We hope your children spoil you with love and affection!
Important Dates
Mother's Day Picnic-2-2:30pm Greenland
Outdoor games- 2:30-3pm.
Mother's Day School Assembly-3 pm Friday 6th May
Mother’s Day-Sunday 7th May
Timetables- Term 2, Week 3 & 4 (including parent helpers)
Click on each attachment to find out what is happening during Week 3 & 4 this term.
Term 2, Week 3 & 4 Learning Intentions
Contact Details
Lorraine Uzunovski (FL) uzul@srprestonwest.catholic.edu.au
Michelle Slattery (FM) mslattery@srprestonwest.catholic.edu.au
Please note, we will respond to emails Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8am- 5pm