Wednesday 8 May 2019

Foundation Term 2 Week 3 2019

                     
                                   Term 2 Week 3

A great big welcome to Term 2! The children are again settling into the routines of school - albeit routines that are currently out of the ordinary due to the current swimming program!! They have adjusted admirably! We have been focusing on the reading, writing and numeracy during these rather hectic weeks!

The children have done themselves proud - and us - during the swimming program.Those children who were rather unsure at the beginning of the swimming experience became more confident and happy in the water. The children who had some level of swimming skills, whether from lessons or family experience, benefited from guidance and encouragement to hone these skills further.  As said before, the benefits of the swimming pool reach well beyond the pool. The children thoroughly enjoyed going on the excursion with their peers, choosing who to pair up with to walk safely to and from the bus, who to sit with and remembering to take and bring back their swimming gear ...and take it off the bus! Out of the pool, not only did the children come to realise the relationship between drying themselves thoroughly and the ease of dressing - getting undies over damp legs is very challenging - but they also learnt to manage their belongings. We are very proud of the children.




Many, many thanks to the parents who were helped and assisted us in supporting and encouraging the children to get themselves dressed.

This week the children have been thinking about their mothers and other special people in their lives such as their nanas, grandmas, aunties and friends. With much love, they have created a special memento. The children were also very excited to choose a special gift for the special person at the Mother's Day stall. They tried to figure out their 'high finances' as they worked out just how many coins they needed for their presents.

We wish all the mothers, grandmas, nanas, nonnas, yayas, babas, aunties and loved friends a wonderful day on Sunday.

As mentioned last term, this term we would like to invite parents into the classroom during literacy times to assist small groups of children with their learning. If you would like to assist, please fill in the timetable that is in the 'walkway' between our 'discovery' and 'formal learning' areas. (Parents will require a WWCC. Unfortunately siblings are unable to attend during these sessions.) If you have a spare 15 minutes or so, we continue to encourage you to come and listen to the children read their take-home books from 9:00 to 9:15ish Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday - siblings are most welcome during this time.








Language

As the children settle back into Writing sessions, they have continued to write about their personal experiences or simple 'statement' sentences (e.g. I like to play at the park.) They are constantly reminded to revisit their writing to ensure they have commenced with a capital, finish with a full stop and left spaces between their words. 

Guided Reading sessions have already commenced this term. Children are grouped according to their individual needs into 'fluid groups' and rotate through several differentiated activities. On any given day this may include a focused reading session with the teacher, a book response (expectations vary for each group), iPad games (again appropriate to individual needs) phonic games or another activity to support or extend their learning. The children are developing an understanding of what it means to work independently during these sessions.


Maths

The children continue to focus on recording numerals 0-9 and beyond (depending on skill levels) with correct formation, starting from the right spot and trying really hard not to reverse them.  They also continue to learn that numbers can be made up of different parts eg. 8 can be made up of 2 and 6 or 7 and 1. The children have also begun to focus on 'Doubles' e.g. 2 and 2 or 3 and 3 or 4 and 4 and so on. They are developing and/or consolidating their understanding of the complexities of numbers e.g. 23 is made up of 2 tens and 3 ones.This will help build their mental computation and aide their addition skills.









Thursday 9th May Mother's Day Breakfast
Monday 13th May Walk Safely to School Week begins
Tuesday 14th - Friday 24th May NAPLAN for Grades 3 and 5
Monday 20th May Curriculum Day
May 19th – 25th May Education Week
Wednesday 22nd May Open Night 6-7:30pm




 






  • Can we please ask that students only drink water at school and bring two fruit (fresh/raw) breaks each day
  • We have a 'no nuts' rule for our classroom including peanut butter
  • Being a 'healthy-eating school' we ask that lollies are not brought to school, instead kept as a nice treat for home time.
  • If your child is having a birthday and you would like to bring something in for the class to help us celebrate the very special occasion, could you please just bring one item per child and remember our 'no nuts' rule
  • Please return the 2019 Payment Summary Sheets to the office or the classroom as soon as possible
  • We always welcome parent/family helpers in the classroom. If you are interested, please ensure you provide a copy of your Working With Children Check to the office. More information can be found at: http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/  
  • Take Home Books - Could you please ensure your child is reading their Take Home Book every night and that you sign their Reading Journal. We also encourage you to continue to read picture/chapter books to your child on a daily basis to really instill a love of reading. Daily reading is essential to help your child improve their reading ability and oral language! Thank you for your support
  • Staff Car Park - 
    Just a friendly reminder that the staff car park is for staff only. Please make sure you use another safe spot to park in the mornings and afternoons. Thank you. Please note that some parents have permission to use the staff park.
  • No Trash Tuesday and Thursday -Thank you to the parents who are ensuring their children have 'no trash' in their lunch boxes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our Green Gang would be very proud of you! Lets keep trying to reduce the amount of plastics we use and bring to school!