Foundation

During this term we have been learning about our local community and some basic features of the local environment. In particular we have discussed special places within our school and how we look after these places. We have further integrated our learning to support students’ understanding and skills in mathematics and reading and writing. Students have shown tremendous growth in their ability to focus and complete tasks that have required more critical thinking. Students have adapted their prior knowledge and skills to further enhance their learning and are making greater connections to real life situations.

Our students have demonstrated a keen interest in improving their knowledge of the M100Words and are definitely applying the words in class when reading and writing. A big thank you goes to all the wonderful help and support parents have given to students to aid their learning in this area, as well as with the daily reading. This support means a great deal to our students’ learning and confidence and we urge you to keep up with the daily reading practice and sight words recognition with your child.

In other areas, students have been participating in hands-on learning tasks to support their learning and social skills. They have developed further in their ability to take turns and resolve issues using simple strategies. In particular, students have discussed ideas about “Getting Along” and “Good Friendships” and what these values look, sound and feel like both in and outside the classroom. Students have used our developmental play sessions to further develop skills in communication, spatial knowledge, construction and problem solving. Students have particularly enjoyed building structures and features from our community, using Lego blocks and multilink cubes.

Students have also thoroughly enjoyed presenting their news during their scheduled ‘Show and Tell’ times. Students have further improved in their confidence to share their news, using good voice projection and greetings. We have also focused on body language and the importance of making eye contact when speaking to an audience. Students have been given opportunities to use the 5W prompts (What, When, Where, Who and Why) to ask good, open-ended questions to their peers and have demonstrated good skills in this area. Students are still developing in their knowledge and skills in presenting their information in a logical sequence and with sufficient detail. These are two areas which we will be continuing to practise next term, as the focus will be more on the telling rather than the showing.

The highlight of this term was our Community Walk excursion to Caroline Springs Lake and posting our personal letters to our families, as the photos show. Enjoy!

Finally, we would like to extend our many thanks and gratitude to the wonderful support of our parents and integration aides for all that they do for our students. Their assistance and support means a great deal to us. Thank you!

We would like to wish all our students and families a safe and relaxing holiday break. We look forward to another fantastic term working with you, facilitating your child’s learning and growth.