The Prep/One students have had an outstanding start to Term Two settling back into the routine of school ever so smoothly. It has been lovely to hear about all the adventures that students got up to on the holidays and seeing them reconnect with their peers.

Our mornings are busy with learning as we work through our literacy activities. During our Sounds-Write program, the Prep students have continued growing their understanding of the Initial Code, becoming experts at blending and segmenting CVC words. Students regularly use their ‘say the sound, read the word’ strategies to decode new words, which has led to great success and growing confidence as they share their Dandelion Readers at home. Our Grade 1 students have continued working on the Extended Code with Miss Lowe each morning. As a class, we have also continued our Text Based Units, completing studies on The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base and Fang Fang’s Chinese New Year by Sally Rippin.

There has been lots of excitement in the classroom as the Prep students share their amazing growth and begin writing their own words and sentences independently. The Grade 1 students are continuing to extend their reading and writing skills, and it has been wonderful to see them using feedback to improve their work.

In numeracy, we have explored duration of times, starting each day singing our Days of the Week song and identifying what day it is today, what day it was yesterday and what day it will be tomorrow. We also explored different durations of time and compared events that would take more than and less than a minute. We have also been busy learning about patterns, recognising, creating and repeating patterns. The students have become experts at recognising and naming the repeating component.

This term, our Inquiry sessions are focused on the topic ‘Growing Well’. During these sessions, students are learning about what plants and animals need to survive. They are exploring how the habitat in which a plant or animal lives must meet its needs in order for it to survive. Students will conduct two simultaneous experiments, making predictions, recording observations and keeping detailed records of their findings. They will then apply their knowledge to create a diorama that demonstrates a habitat and explains how that habitat meets the needs of a particular plant or animal.

Our Respectful Relationships program is in full swing. We have continued exploring personal strengths through collaborative learning activities and games designed to build students’ understanding of their own strengths and the ways they can develop a range of personal strengths. Students have fully immersed themselves in these activities, and it has been wonderful to see their growth.

Our swimming program is underway, with students travelling to Bluewater each Friday for their lesson. There has been great organisation from families, ensuring all children are prepared for their swimming lessons. Swimming lessons are a key part of our PE curriculum this term, with students also participating in several water safety activities during their sessions.

It has been a fantastic start to the term in our classroom. I am looking forward to all the great learning adventures we will experience this term.

- Mrs Gray