Grade 1/2

Hello and welcome to Term Three! We hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing holiday break and is feeling refreshed for another exciting term of learning. We finished Term Two with our Learning Showcase, where students proudly shared their work and celebrated all they had achieved throughout the first semester with their families. It was wonderful to see the excitement on their faces as they became the teachers for the afternoon! We also wrapped up our swimming program with a Swimming Celebration Day, where students showcased their new skills, cheered on their teammates, and competed proudly in their house colours. Term Three has already begun with plenty of excitement, with Clubs underway and our PJ Day fundraiser bringing lots of smiles while supporting a wonderful cause.

Our literacy mornings continue to be filled with rich reading and writing experiences. During Sounds-Write, students are continuing to strengthen their understanding of the extended code while developing confidence reading and writing increasingly complex words. Currently, our text-based learning centres around the theme of friendship, with a focus on adventure, discovery, and belonging. We began with the beautiful mentor text The Stone Lion by Margaret Wild, where students explored the features of imaginative narratives, retold stories, built their tier 2 vocabulary, and learnt how personal and possessive pronouns help make writing cohesive. Next, we will dive into The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson. Through this much loved story and its accompanying poem, students will sequence and retell events, continue building their vocabulary, and use their creativity to plan, write, and publish their own narratives. They will also experiment with poetry by innovating on a stanza and confidently presenting their work to others.

In Mathematics, students are exploring the fascinating world of two dimensional and three dimensional shapes. They are learning to identify, describe, compare, and sort shapes according to their features, while investigating quadrilaterals, polygons, and parallel lines. Through hands on activities, students are combining and splitting shapes, constructing three dimensional objects, and discovering how different objects can be created using the same number of blocks. It has been wonderful to see students using mathematical language with increasing confidence as they explain and justify their thinking.

Our Inquiry unit, ‘My Place on the Map’, is helping students develop an understanding of the places they belong and how they are connected to the world around them. Students are learning early mapping skills while exploring different types of places, from their classroom and school to their local community and beyond. As part of this learning, they are also developing an appreciation of First Nations Australians' deep and ongoing connection to Country and the importance of caring for the places we live.

In Respectful Relationships, we have begun our new topic on Stress Management. Students are learning to recognise situations that may cause stress and are exploring a range of positive coping strategies to help them manage their emotions. Through discussions, stories, and practical activities, they are developing self-calming techniques and learning how these strategies can support their wellbeing at school, at home, and in their relationships with others.

We are looking forward to another fantastic term filled with learning, creativity, and new experiences. Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We look forward to sharing another wonderful term of learning with you and your families.

- Miss Lowe