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 9^th May Mother's Day Breakfast

Monday 13^th May Walk Safely to School Week begins

Tuesday 14^th - Friday 24^th May NAPLAN for Grades 3 and 5

Monday 20^th May Curriculum Day

May 19^th – 25^th May Education Week

Wednesday 22^nd 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!

Foundation Newsletter Term 1 Week 9

                      
                                   Term 1 Week 9

Done and dusted! Unbelievably the Foundation children have almost completed their first term of primary school! It has been a wonderful term that has seen the children settle into the routines of school life, making new friends, understanding new rules and rising to the challenges of a learning environment. And having fun! And getting very tired!

We would like to thank you for your support this term whether it has been listening to the children read, helping to organise the Easter Egg raffle or in whatever capacity you have been able to assist! Your help has been greatly appreciated. Teaching is definitely a team job!

Next term we would like to invite parents into the classroom during literacy times to assist small groups of children with their learning. Please fill in the timetable that will be placed outside the classroom in week one of next term. (Unfortunately siblings are unable to attend during these sessions.) We continue to encourage you to come and listen to children read their take home books - siblings are most welcome during this time.

Language

The children have continued to develop their understanding of phonics, vowels, consonants, bossy es and cheeky ys. Some children have been introduced to digraphs (2 letters making one sound eg. ch, sh, th) and CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant words eg. cat, bat, fat). Other children continue to practise and develop their understanding of initial sounds. The children have also been developing their handwriting skills, remembering the correct starting point for each letter and the correct formations.

How far the children have come with their writing this term! Each child had a 'different starting point' when they arrived at school and it is so exciting to compare what they were doing a mere 38 days ago to what they are now doing. You are most welcome to come in and see their Writing Books.

Maths

This week is our last of a three week unit on Addition. The children continue to practise 'Friends of 10' which are two numbers that add to make 10: 5 and 5, 4 and 6, 3 and 7, 2 and 8, 1 and 9 and 0 and 10. We are also learning about Doubles e.g. 5 and 5 is 10 and 2 and 2 is 4. The children have been learning that two numbers added together make a bigger number.  The students have been using a range of hands on resources to practise this skill. For example, there were 6 teddies at the park and then 5 more arrived, how many altogether? Ask your child a simple addition story and see what they can do! Learning mental computation skills such as Friends of 10 and Doubles will be a feature of our Maths program for the entire year, mostly practised during Warm-ups at the beginning of our Maths lessons.

Harmony Day
We had a fabulous time on Harmony Day. The children rotated through three activities in the morning with different teachers and were all placed in the same group as their Buddy. We also spent time during the day singing our Harmony Day songs and were ready for our performance at assembly. We hope some of you got to see it! Thank you so much to the parents who brought in food from their cultural background. We had so much to enjoy! It was very much appreciated. 



Rotations with Grade 1/2s

The children thoroughly enjoyed our rotations with the Grade 1/2s. In the STEM room they were introduced to, and excitedly engaged by, the Scratch App which is a precursor to learning coding. To further develop the children's language skills, they walked around the school honing their listening skills, hearing and identifying the range of noises within our environment. During the library session they began to learn how to choose 'the just right' book. Each child now has a book box in the classroom that they can browse at various times during the week. This box contains 3 picture story books and 2 non-fiction books that each child has selected for themselves. These book boxes will be renewed every couple of weeks and are in addition to the library books that they take home.

Inquiry/Wellbeing

We continue to build an understanding of the Golden Rule and the children are striving to ensure their choices reflect an understanding of this value - Treat others as you would like to be treated.

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!

Swimming 
The children are very excited to hear about swimming next term. It is going to be an invaluable experience for the children as attending swimming lessons with their peers teaches them skills well beyond the pool. Further information is being sent home today with your child and you will receive more at the beginning of next term in regards to our class time. We would love some assistance to supervise the children dressing themselves but to do this you will require a Working with Children Check. If your child is not currently dressing themselves, this could be something to work on in the holidays. 

Monday April 1: School photos
Friday April 5: Last day of Term 1
Monday April 22: First day of Term 2
Monday April 29th - Friday 10th May: Swimming Program

 

• 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/  

• Term 1 is a SunSmart term - please ensure your child has a MPPS wide brim hat for recess and lunchtimes. Students without hats will be asked to play in the shaded areas.

• 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!

Harmony Day 

Working on the letter and sound of 'b'

Junior School Term 1 Week 9

 Term 1, Week 9

As our first term together rushes towards a close, it's time for another edition of the Junior School newsletter!

The students have enthusiastically participated in our new STEM, Language and Library rotations, attended a fantastic Fresh Food Discovery excursion at Woolworths and embraced diversity on Harmony Day. We have also worked together to explore healthy eating and participate in yoga sessions as part of our Healthy Humans unit. What a busy first term!

We wish everyone a safe and restful Easter break and look forward to building upon the learning and teamwork we have developed during the first term.

Friday April 5: Last Day of Term 1, Final Assembly & Easter Egg Raffle (NB School finishes at 2:30pm)

In READING this week, we are are learning to analyse a range of picture storybooks to determine the important elements of a narrative. We have made notes on the characters and settings of these stories while thinking about the beginning, middle and ends. Some of our advanced readers have also thought about the problems and resolutions within these stories.

During WRITING this week, we have continued to develop our recount writing skills, while experimenting with a range of connectives to make our writing more interesting. We have continued to share our work with our classmates.

In MATHS, we have made connections between addition and subtraction by exploring fact families. The students have worked at their own ability levels to develop their own written and mental addition and subtraction strategies.

* Please ensure that all students wear helmets if they are riding or scooting to school. If students are not wearing a helmet, they risk serious injury in the event of a crash. 

* 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/  

* Term 1 is a SunSmart term - please ensure your child has a MPPS wide brim hat for recess and lunchtimes. Students without hats will be asked to play in the shaded areas.

STEM Rotations (Coding)

Woolworths Excursions

“On Tuesday, the 26^th of March, all the Grade 1/2s went to Woolworths supermarket to learn about healthy foods. First, we went to a corner at the top left. When we were at the top left corner we had to guess the vegetables. After someone guessed the vegetable, we got to touch it. Later we got to spray the vegetables so they stay fresh.” Harry 1/2B

“Today all the 1/2s went to Woolworths. We went in the freezer and they turned the lights off. It was cold and the floor was slippery. We got to see the cardboard get crushed and it was fun! At the end, we had some fruit. Do you know what fruit we had?” Jordan 1/2B

“On Tuesday 26^th of March, all of the Grade 1/2s went to Woolworths supermarket to learn about healthy humans foods. My favourite part was when we went into the freezer. In the freezer, it was freezing cold in there. Next, we had some fruit in a bottle. After the fruit, we got show bags. In the show bags, there were water, apple, cards and a booklet. On the way back, people were very chatty.” Zane 1/2B

The Junior School thank our parent helpers; Ron, Beth, Kate, Michelle, Marnie, Gwenda for attending our excursion with us!