We have had another busy and productive few weeks in our Grade 2/3 classroom as we move towards the end of Term Two. Students have continued to demonstrate our school values through their positive attitudes, persistence and commitment to learning. We are very proud of the effort students have shown, particularly as they complete assessments and prepare for their Semester One reports.

In Literacy, students have continued exploring our class novel Matilda by Roald Dahl, responding to the text through discussions, comprehension activities and vocabulary work. Our writing focus has included narrative and persuasive texts, with students learning about text structures, conclusion paragraphs, topic sentences and supporting details. We have also explored figurative language, dialogue, persuasive devices and the four sentence types to help make our writing more engaging and effective. It has been wonderful to see students developing greater confidence as writers and making thoughtful choices about language to suit their purpose and audience.

In Maths, students have been investigating division by sharing and grouping, learning how multiplication and division are connected through fact families, arrays and number sentences. More recently, we have been exploring the properties of 2D and 3D shapes, identifying parallel sides and using mathematical vocabulary to describe and classify shapes based on their features. Students have enjoyed the hands-on opportunities to build, sort and discuss different shapes and objects.

In Inquiry, students have been learning about the experiences of people living in the British colony at Port Jackson and investigating the early interactions between First Nations Australians and British colonisers. These discussions have encouraged students to think critically about different perspectives and experiences from Australia’s history. Students also enjoyed celebrating Education Week by reflecting on what makes Birregurra Primary School such a special place to learn.

Students have continued to work hard during Sounds-Write lessons. Grade Two have been learning new Extended Code units, including /d/, /ee/ and /i/, while Grade Three students have been exploring morphology through suffixes such as -able, -y, -en, -ed, -ing and -ly to strengthen their spelling, vocabulary and understanding of word meanings.

Outside the classroom, students have thoroughly enjoyed our weekly swimming program and recently participated in Water Safety Week, where they practised important water safety skills while swimming in clothes. We were also fortunate to take part in National Simultaneous Storytime, where our Grade 6 students shared the story Luna Roo with us. Our Grade Two students additionally participated in the Responsible Pet Ownership Program and learnt valuable information about caring for animals safely and responsibly.

To finish, students have been very excited to enjoy our special lunch orders, including Nachos and Nasi Goreng. We congratulate all students on their hard work and positive attitude throughout the term and look forward to celebrating their achievements as we head towards the holidays.

- Miss McLaren