Welcome to Week 2.

In Literacy, students reviewed split digraphs (bossy ‘e’) by identifying how the final ‘e’ changes the vowel sound in words such as make, time, and home. They practised reading and spelling these words through guided activities and interactive games. During procedural writing, students explored the features of a procedure by brainstorming action words, playing charades to act out verbs, and highlighting verbs in a model text. They then applied this understanding by writing their own short procedures with three clear steps, such as How to sharpen a pencil or How to wash your hands. Students also examined the structure of a full procedure through a PowerPoint about How to Make a Pizza, identifying materials and sequenced steps to consolidate their learning.

Mathematics

Science

CELEBRATING DIWALI

1EJ Assembly 

Welcome to Week 1. We hope that you all enjoyed your holiday break. The children have returned all refreshed and ready to learn!

In English,we learned the ‘ow’ (cow) and ‘ou’ (cloud) sounds and explored past tense verbs ending in ‘ed’. We also began procedural writing, identifying features, language, and examples of procedures. Students followed and created procedures for ‘How to Make Fairy Bread’ and ‘How to Make a Jam Sandwich’ using pictures and written steps. Eating the fairy bread was definitely the highlight!

This week, we began an exciting new topic all about shapes. We have been focusing on naming, drawing, and identifying 2D shapes. The children discovered that shapes are everywhere and had a great time going on a shape hunt both inside and outside our classroom. We also explored how shapes have different attributes and can be classified into groups based on size, number of sides, corners, or even their colour.

In Religion, students learned that the Holy Spirit is God’s constant presence with people and the world. They watched the stories of Jesus’ Baptism and Pentecost, discussed where they have heard about the Holy Spirit before, and identified two symbols of the Holy Spirit. Students then completed the sentence “The Holy Spirit can help me…” and illustrated their response with a coloured picture.

In Science, we began exploring how different amounts of force affect how far a toy car moves. The children learned to describe what happens when they push a toy car softly versus harder, and recorded their results. We measured the distance that the cars traveled and discussed forces like wind, water, and gravity.

In the Arts, students worked collaboratively with a partner to create and share a visual artwork inspired by a shared story. Together, they discussed and agreed on a story they both enjoyed, such as a favourite TV show, movie, or picture book. Using iPads, students drew their favourite part of the story, showing the main characters, their emotions, and what was happening in the scene. They demonstrated their understanding of how images can communicate feelings and ideas.

In HASS, we have been learning about how to care for our local places. We explored the topic of pollution and discussed ways we can help prevent pollution in our environment.

Congratulations to Jason for reading 175 nights! 

Welcome to Week 9.

LANTERN MAKING

We made lanterns in preparation for the Moon Light Festival Assembly on Friday in Week 10. Both 1IA and 3EV will be hosting it. Families are welcomed to attend.

In Literacy, we practised reading and spelling words with split digraphs a_e, i_e, o_e, e_e, and u_e, learning how the bossy ‘e’ makes the vowel say its name in words like cake, bike, bone, eve, and tube. We also planned our own persuasive texts by brainstorming ideas with a planning sheet and then drafted our writing using opinions, reasons, endings, and “because” to make our ideas stronger.

In Maths,  students continued exploring the concept of measurement, with a particular focus on length. They practised accurately measuring and ordering a variety of objects, using comparative language such as shorter than and longer than to describe their findings. We also began a new topic on measuring time, where students are learning to understand the concept of duration through ordering the days of the week as well as units of time.

In Religion, we learned that our families are safe and loving places where we are nurtured and supported. We listened to stories like When God Made You and We’re All Wonders to reflect on our own special gifts and why it is important to treat everyone with kindness. We then created an artwork to celebrate our uniqueness and titled it in a way that shows we are wonderfully made.

In Health, we learned about telling the truth and how tricks can hurt others. We read The Boy Who Cried Wolf, talked about what happened in the story, and wrote about the importance of being honest and making safe choices.

In Science, we learned about the two forces push and pull. We looked around our classroom to find one object we can push and one object we can pull. We drew the objects and described how we use them with a push or a pull.

In Religion, his week, students explored the idea that family is a special place where children are nurtured and begin to learn how to be part of the wider community. As part of our learning, we discussed how each person is unique and special. Students reflected on what makes them who they are and created beautiful artworks to celebrate their individuality. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to share and appreciate what makes themselves and others special.

In Hass, the students used the map keys they created last week to design their own maps of a city. They explored the different places in their cities, identifying whether each was natural, managed, or constructed. We also introduced positional language to help the children give clear directions from one place to another.

Welcome to Week 7. We wish all of our fathers a very Happy Father’s Day!

Father’s Day Crafts

In English, we have been learning about base words and suffixes, as well as different spelling patterns for the /er/ sound. Students explored ‘ir’ (stir), ‘ur’ (surf), ‘er’ (fern), and practiced reading two-syllable words with ‘er’.

In writing, we have been focusing on the features of persuasive texts. Students used the word “because” to support their opinions (e.g., “I think we should have a class pet because…”). They practiced this through sentence building, partner talk, and journal writing with drawings. We also explored strong and emotive words (like fun, safe, best). Students helped with shared writing, highlighted strong words in examples, and improved their persuasive sentences by adding adjectives before rewriting their class pet opinions with drawings.

In Maths, we are exploring the concept of length by learning to order objects from shortest to longest. The children have been observing things around the school that are narrow, wide, short, and long, and practicing using everyday language to describe and compare lengths. We have also been ordering caterpillar models based on their length to support their understanding.

In Religion, students have been learning that Christians are people who believe in Jesus and follow his example. They showed their understanding by creating posters to share what they know about Christianity.

In Technologies, students have been generating and communicating ideas through making. This week, they built their bridges from the designs they created last week, using the materials they had planned. They even tested their bridges with a troll to check how high and strong they needed to be!

In Health, students have been learning about protective behaviours to keep themselves and others safe. They discussed what violence means and learned that everyone has the right to feel safe. After listening to This is Our House by Michael Rosen, students talked about safe ways to manage anger and created strategies they can use to help others when they are feeling angry.

Welcome to Week 6.

In Literacy, students explored the ‘or’ sound in words like fork and snore, and practised adding suffixes ‘s’ and ‘ing’ to verbs to use them in sentences. In writing, we continued our learning about persuasive texts. Students read a model text, identified opinions and reasons, and wrote their own piece titled We Should Have More Play Time at School, complete with illustrations. They also practised writing short persuasive messages to different audiences such as parents, teachers, and the principal.

This week in Maths, the children have been exploring measurement, with a focus on capacity. They used informal units to measure various containers, then ordered them from smallest to largest. Using language like “more” and “less,” they explained their findings and compared the capacities with growing confidence.

In Religion, we learned that Christians are people who believe in Jesus and follow his example. We watched a short video about Christianity, discussed what it means, and explored the significance of different Christian symbols such as the cross and the fish. Students then drew some of these symbols and wrote about what they represent in the Christian faith.

In Technologies, Year 1 students used the story The Three Billy Goats Gruff as inspiration for their design challenge. They were asked to create a bridge strong enough to hold the goats and tall enough for the troll to fit underneath. Working in pairs, students drew and labelled their bridge designs on A4 paper, ready to build them in next week’s lesson.

In Health, we learned about protective behaviours and basic needs that help keep them safe and happy. After reading Mutt Dog, we discussed how pets and children feel when their needs are not met, and whose responsibility it is to provide care. Students shared ideas about what children need to feel safe, such as food, water, shelter, love, and friendship, before writing and illustrating their own lists of basic needs.

In The Arts, we practised the Waka Waka dance, focusing on showing confidence and respect while performing. We also learned about audience etiquette by watching, listening, and encouraging others respectfully during performances.

In HASS, we are learning to identify natural features of local places by exploring stories from First Nations Australians. The children watched the story of ‘The Rainbow Serpent’ and were looking for the natural places mentioned. We also had a go at reading map symbols for natural features and then used these symbols to create our own maps.

Working with our Buddies

This week, 1IA and 3EV enjoyed a fun afternoon together exploring art inspired by the full moon. We are getting excited as we prepare for our Moon Lantern Festival Assembly, which we will be hosting on Friday in Week 10.

Welcome to Week 5!

Bookweek Photos

We learned to add ‘s’ to words to make them mean more than one, and we learned the ‘ar’ sound like in the word star. We also learned that persuasive writing is used to convince others, and we learned to use persuasive words like “I think” and “You should.” We wrote a persuasive text on ‘Pick up your Rubbish’ in our learning journals and added a picture.

In Religion, we learned that Christians are people who believe in Jesus and follow his example. We listened to Gospel stories and shared how Jesus showed love to others. We watched the video “Jesus loves everyone” and wrote a sentence using “Jesus showed love when he…”. We also illustrated our sentences in our learning journals to show why we should follow Jesus’ example.

This week in Maths, we have been learning about capacity. The students have been using informal units like sand, blocks, and water to measure and compare how much different containers can hold. They enjoyed ordering the containers from smallest to largest capacity through hands-on activities!

In Technologies, we tested our boats to see if they could float with the Gingerbread Man inside for one minute. We learned which boats were strong and could stay floating. We were very excited to discover that all of our boats floated!

Welcome to Week 4.

In English,  we learnt the ‘ue’ sound like in glue and the ‘ew’ sound like in grew. We also practised editing our writing and creating a final recount about a familiar class event, with 1EJ and 1IA writing about their own Assembly.

In Maths, we continued exploring the concept of mass. Students discovered that bigger objects aren’t always heavier and enjoyed hands-on activities such as hefting, using balance scales, and comparing the weights of different items. We also began exploring capacity, learning how we can measure containers by how much they hold through fun, practical investigations.

Last week in Technologies, we designed a boat for the Gingerbread Man to cross the river, drawing and labelling the materials we would need. This week we made our boats according to our designs. Next week, we will test them to see if they will float for one minute and hold the Gingerbread Man safely.

In Health, we learnt about protective behaviours and how to keep ourselves and others safe. We talked about what safe touch is, what not safe touch is, and why it is important to respect others, then drew pictures to show each scenario and shared our ideas about how to speak up and tell a trusted adult.

In Science, we continued our learning about living things, focusing especially on animals. We visited Mudla, the fish farm, and the billabongs, and had a special talk from Mr McCarthy, who cares for the animals at our school. We got to touch, see, and listen to important information about these animals, helping us understand how they live and how to look after them.

Welcome to Term 3. We hope that you had a safe and joyous holiday break.

In Literacy, we are learning about the “bossy e” (also known as the “magic e”). This special letter sits silently at the end of a word but changes the vowel before it, making it say its name. For example, in the word cake, the “e” makes the “a” say “ay.” This is a fun way for students to learn how spelling patterns can change the sound of words.

This week in writing, we are exploring recounts. Students are learning what a recount is and how it is structured. They will listen to a personal recount shared by the teacher and read an example text together in class. We’re focusing on identifying the parts of a recount — the beginning (when, who, where), the middle (what happened), and the end (how they felt). Students completed a fun “Sort and Match” activity to practise recognising these parts. This helps build their understanding before they begin writing their own recounts in coming weeks.

In Numeracy, We have been learning to identify repeated patterns and describe how they are structured by finding the unit of repeat, recognizing the pattern, and counting how many elements are in each repeating unit. We also talked about how patterns are everywhere—can you find any patterns in your home?

This week in Religion, we explored the idea of belonging, especially in the context of the sacrament of Baptism, where the Church community welcomes new members.

Students are learning what it means to belong and identifying different groups they are part of, such as their family, class, school, and faith community.

The children also created a web of belonging, placing their name in the middle and drawing or writing the groups they belong to. This activity helped them understand that we are all part of something bigger, where everyone is welcomed, valued, and loved.

In Technologies, students are learning to communicate ideas through drawing. They designed their own cubby house by drawing a bird’s eye view (from above) and a front on view, using an A4 sheet to bring their ideas to life!

In Science, we are learning to identify different animal habitats and match animals to where they live by thinking about what animals and plants need to survive. We learnt that animals need five things to survive: food, water, shelter, air, and space.

In Health, We are learning to identify and explore ways to build respectful relationships by understanding personal space. We looked at pictures to decide if they showed personal space or not, and we talked about why it’s important to respect other people’s space.

In HASS,  we are learning to name natural, managed, and constructed places. A natural place is formed by nature (like the ocean), a managed place is cared for by people (like our school oval), and a constructed place is built by people (like a school or a bridge).

Congratulations to Sonny for reading 50 nights!

Welcome to the last week of Term 2.

OUR ASSEMBLY

Congratulations to Jason for 100 nights of reading!

In English, we reviewed the vowel digraphs ay, ai, ee, and ea, and introduced the new sounds ow and oa, along with learning about homophones—words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.

In Writers Workshop, the children had a few lessons to finish off their information books about their chosen animals. It was fantastic to see so many experimenting with features like diagrams, fact boxes, and glossaries.

In Maths, We explored the concept of equal sharing and learned that when our groups are equal, it means each group has the same amount. The children enjoyed using concrete materials to practice sharing into equal groups.

In Religion, we listened to the Gospel Story of Jessus and Zacchaeus. We thought about a time when we did something wrong, but learnt a lesson and knew what we needed to do to fix it. The students illustrated this moment and wrote sentences to explain it.

In Technologies, we focused on generating and communicating ideas through drawing. The children chose objects from around the classroom and worked on drawing both a front-on view and a bird’s eye view.

SANFL Clinic

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday! We look forward to seeing the children in 2 weeks 🙂

Welcome to Week 9!

Just a reminder the both 1EJ and 1IA will be hosting Assembly next week in Week 10. Families are invited to attend.

In English, we explored verbs while focusing on the ‘ee’ sound (as in tree) and the ‘ea’ sound (as in leaf). We also continued developing our skills in writing information texts, building on what we have already learned.

Congratulations to Oliver for 50 nights of reading! 

In Maths, This week, we wrapped up our subtraction learning with revision, focusing on taught strategies and solving worded problems. We then began exploring a new topic—equal sharing—where we learned that “equal” means the same and practiced sharing objects fairly while explaining our reasoning.

In Religion, we listed to the Gospel story of ‘The Good Shepherd’ and related it back to our own lives. The children spoke about ways we can care for others, share our toys, speak kindly using gentle words and help to tidy up so everyone feels safe and welcome.

SANFL Clinic

Assembly Preparation

In Health, Students explored the meaning of trust and discussed how it plays a role in building respectful relationships. They shared examples of how they demonstrate trustworthiness in their daily lives at school and at home.

In Art, we’ve been exploring how colour is created by light and how different colours reflect off objects into our eyes. We also learned about the colour wheel and discovered the difference between primary and secondary colours.

Just a reminder that NEXT FRIDAY (4th of July) is our double class Assembly. The Assembly will begin at 2:10pm in the Hall.

All are welcome 🙂