Primary Classroom News

Foundation

It has been a busy start to school for the foundation students. There have been a lot of tired faces at the end of the day. Staring school is just like starting a new job as an adult. Everything is new, new faces, new routines and a lot to learn. Please make sure that you child is getting plenty of rest at home so that they are ready for all the learning they are doing at school.

In History the children have begun thinking about themselves. They have been reflecting on their own experiences and wondering how these might change in the future. It has been interesting hearing all about past birthdays and the interesting and exciting things children have done. Many have wonderful memories, often of special cakes and playing with friends.

In Mathematics, children have been learning how to count, write and recognise the numbers to ten. This has involved using various materials such as playdough, cards, counters, songs and the abacus. While mastering these skills, it is encouraged that parents support their child’s learning at home. Some suggested tasks may include

• Counting forwards and backwards (1 – 10) using different objects around your home.
• Writing numerals (1 – 10)
• Experimenting with different ways of representing numerals to 10, e.g. playdough.

In Literacy, our focus has been on learning the names and sounds of the letters;

• Mm
• Aa
• Ss
• Dd
• Tt

By the end of Term one, students will have learnt ‘Ii’,’ Nn’, ‘Pp’ and ‘Gg’. The children have used these letters to build three syllable words such as ‘Sam’, ‘am’, ‘sad’, ‘sat’, ‘dad’, ‘mad’ and ‘mat’. Practise these words with your children at home and highlight the beginning, middle and end sounds, rather than the names of the letters.

Week 6 is approaching and this means we will be starting to follow our formal timetable. Your child’s timetable will be given to you by their classroom teacher. Please be aware of the days that your child will have PE and library to ensure they are equipped with the required uniform/materials for the day.

Homework will also begin in week 6. This will consist of a booklet about your family, which will have a different activity for the children to complete each week. In addition to the booklet, you child will have access to activities on Reading Eggs and Mathletics. They have been set weekly tasks and their login details can be found in their yellow reading journals.

Foundation is a big year for learning and it will be exciting to see the children grow and change as the year progresses.

All the best for the rest of the term,