Foundation Newsletter 15th February 2018

A great big warm welcome to Foundation 2018!

We have had a wonderful beginning to 2018! Our Foundation students have transitioned into school life with enthusiasm and a readiness to learn. We are very proud of the way they have settled as a group and look forward to the year ahead!

Today is Day 10 as we count down to the first 100 days of Foundation. As we reflect over the first 10 days of the students’ schooling we are amazed at how far they have already come - connecting with old friends, making new friends, negotiating carrying rather large school bags, independently (mostly) organising their belongings including unpacking and packing their bags (no small achievement), undoing sometimes tricky cling wrap, choosing a Discovery task to undertake, reading their take home books, having a go at writing, learning about numbers (what is a 2-digit number?) ... the list goes on.

 Language

We have been reading stories about families and pets to help the students feel connected to the stories we read and to begin learning about each other’s families and pets. We have started to learn about individual sounds: s, a, t, p, i, n by looking at flashcards, video clips and completing work in our Sounds and Letters Book. We have also had fun looking at and listening to rhyming words and building on single sounds - a-t, c-a-t, p-a-t, s-a-t and so on. The children are also learning the 'cued articulation' signs that go with individual sounds which helps them to not hear but see a sound. This helps them to distinguish between sounds - ask your child for the 'signs' for the sounds they have been introduced to so far.

Students have been learning about the difference between letters and sounds and what makes a sentence (many will be able to articulate that it is a group of words that make sense). The children have also been tracing simple sentences and even having a go at writing or copying a full sentence with a capital letter at the beginning and full stop at the end.

 Maths

Our students have been involved in lots of counting from 0-20 and even above. They are learning to count forwards and backwards, record digits and make a chosen amount using counters. We are also discussing the order of numbers by focusing on what comes before and after a given number.

Inquiry

Our Inquiry topic this term is Me and My Family and we are doing a range of activities to encourage students to get to know each other’s name as well as information about their families, pets and the activities they enjoy.

Buddies

We have thoroughly enjoyed our first few sessions of Buddies. Our students met with the Grade 6s in the first week and created a very cute book about themselves. If you haven’t had a look, come in and see them! Students now know who their buddy/buddies are and we will continue regular sessions throughout the year. The children love having a specific 'big person' to seek out in the playground which helps their confidence - it is wonderful to see the interactions between the students at either end of their primary school journey.

Contacting your child's teacher
Please download the FlexiBuzz app and sign in to your child's class to ensure that you are receiving all relevant updates. Using the chat function on the app is a great way to connect with the teacher but if the matter is urgent, please phone the office as we are not always able to receive or act on messages during the day.

ITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/flexibuzz/id558791155?mt=8

ANDROID: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.au.elicere.tiqbiz&hl=en

Working with Children Check

All parents/guardians, visitors & volunteers to the school MUST sign in & out of the school and display their WWCC in a lanyard, which is available at the school office. The Department of Education requires any person involved in an activity where children may be present to have a current WWCC or have supplied proof that they have applied for a WWCC with the Department of Justice. All schools are required to comply with the Working with Children Act 2005. Volunteers are expected to carry the WWCC card with them at all times when working or volunteering at the school or during school related activities. There is no fee for this check. Apply now by visiting: www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au  The Junior School encourage and appreciate parent helpers. Please see your child's teacher if you are able to assist.

Important dates & notices

Tuesday 20th February: Meet the Teacher 2:00pm-7:00pm

Tuesday 27th February: Information Evening (Junior School 6:00pm-6:45pm)

Monday 12th March: Labour Day Public Holiday
Thursday 29th March: Term 1 Ends
Monday 16th April: Term 2 Begins

Monday 23rd April: School Swimming Begins  

Wednesday 25th April: ANZAC Day Public Holiday

Reminder

• Please ensure enrolment forms (white) and permission forms (yellow) have been returned to your child's teacher.
• Please ensure you have sent in your child's art smock and library bag.
• The children are now learning which food to take out at fruit break, recess and lunch times. Fruit break is eaten while the students are working on the floor or at their desk and so we do encourage fruit that needs to be cut up be put in a small/separate container so that the students can bring that to their desk or the floor instead of bringing their whole lunch box. They can also begin to put that in their own tub in the classroom as part of their morning routine when they arrive at school. This will help with smooth transitions during the day.