Class News

Pre-Primary News

The Pre-Primary children were very eager and excited to be back this term.  They came to school at the start of the term ready for lots of learning and also extremely excited to be presenting their first assembly!

In Religion, we will be focusing on three units, beginning with the ‘Gift of Life’. We will reflect on many things that we are able to do because we have been given the Gift of Life. Moving on from this unit, we will begin to explore how God loves us and ways that he has shown that he loves us. We will also look at how our memory works and the way we remember special times and events in our lives, which then ties in to the final unit ‘Waiting’. We will think about how we need to be patient and wait for things, such as special events and celebrations, like Christmas. We will have many opportunities to engage in and learn the Nativity Story and discuss the importance of Christmas.

In English, the children will continue to consolidate their sound and letter knowledge, and use this knowledge in their writing as they sound out words to spell them phonetically, and to also include high frequency words. We will also continue to consolidate concepts of print such as capital letters, spaces between words, full stops and writing left to right across the page. This term we will encourage the children to write longer sentences and include more detail in their writing. Children will have the opportunity to engage in modelled, guided and independent writing experiences, using both creative and informational writing approaches.

This term we will further develop our reading skills and strategies, as the children show a growing interest and love of books and are excited to take home reading books to share with their families. Children will use a range of comprehension strategies, decoding skills, and letter and sound knowledge in their reading. They will be exposed to a range of books, and will participate in modelled, shared, independent and guided reading.

In Mathematics, we will reflect on and revise familiar concepts, to deepen and expand on this knowledge. We will refine counting skills, number recognition, 2D and 3D shapes, days of the week, subitising, measurement, patterning and problem-solving skills. Children will also work with both addition and subtraction sums and learn new strategies, such as counting on, to help them work out the answer.

In our Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) program this term, we will centre our learning around Aboriginal history and dreamtime stories. Through our explorations, children will use skills learnt throughout the year as they discover, observe, discuss, describe, collaborate, experience, reflect, consolidate and gain new knowledge about this topic. The children will engage with many dreamtime stories, focusing on the message and meaning from them.

In Health, children will take part in a number of learning tasks that will promote health, safety and well-being. They will sort food into various categories discussing which healthy foods are necessary for lasting energy levels. The children will come to understand the importance of personal hygiene practices, including hand washing, face washing, nose blowing and toilet routines. They will identify household substances that can be dangerous and suggest examples of how they can be stored safely in the home. The children will recognise and follow safety symbols and procedures at home.

In Science this term, we are following the theme of chemical sciences ‘What is it made out of?’ We will be focusing on the properties of materials and objects that can be observed using our senses. They will do this by using the following guidelines:
– engaging (walking around the school to see what objects are around our school environment and what they are made out of),
– exploring (hands on experiences of what materials are made out of)
– explaining (they will represent and explain their understanding of the properties of materials in our environment)
– elaborating (they will make an outdoor object for our school environment that will be water resistant)
– evaluating (they will represent what they know about objects in the school environment and the materials used to make them)

During Technologies sessions, the Pre-Primary students will be learning all about the processes involved in milk going from ‘the farm to the fridge’. Working with a partner, students will recreate the main steps using a medium of their choice. They will then use the iPads to create a short Clip by combining their images with voiceovers. Their finished Clips will be shared with parents via SeeSaw.

In Physical Education with Miss Witkowski, the Pre-Primary children will be focusing on the fundamental movement skills of kick, catch, hop and gallop. These skills will be developed in station activities and through simple games.

In Music, we will continue to learn a wide repertoire of songs and rhymes, which aid in the practical development and understanding of ‘high and low’ pitch, intonation, beat, rhythm and movement. Through singing, we develop our God given instrument — our voice! We consistently focus on consolidating our understanding of beat and simple rhythms through a variety of songs, games, body percussion and rhythm reading. In Pre-Primary we have a focus on recognising the interval between ‘so and mi’ — being able to hear, sing, and recognise this interval and sing with solfa hand signs. We continue to explore simple tempo and dynamics, and the children are exposed to a wide variety of classical music, responding to this music through expressive movement, encouraging imagination, creativity, and a personal connection and appreciation for music.

Congratulations

Allyra Quartermaine (6B) has received the Western Australian Basketball League 2018 Under 12, Championship Women, All Star. This was presented at the Bendat Stadium in Floreat.  This accomplishment is for top 10 best top scorers to make this All Star team. She is the only one from her Under 12 Team at the Morley Eagles Club to be presented with this All Star Award.  What a great accomplishment.