Wednesday 25 March 2015

Harmony Day

Harmony Day is held every year on 21 March to coincide with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The message of Harmony Day is everyone belongs. It's a day to celebrate Australia's diversity – a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home.

Room 13 had a wonderful day celebrating Harmony Day. Thank you to the parents for providing your children with such beautiful costumes. We have so many different nationalities represented within our class and it was lovely to see children so proud of their traditional dress.

The children were excited to see each other and parade at the assembly where we got to see so many more wonderful costumes. 

We practise inclusive behaviours and work hard to develop a sense of belonging within our classroom and the wider school community everyday, but it is so nice to have a day dedicated to celebrating the diverse nature of Australia.

We were very lucky to also work with our buddy class (Room 21) in the afternoon. 
Such a lovely day!


























Room 13 News









Welcome to another year at Wattle Grove Primary School. I am so excited to be teaching a Year One class again this year.

I was very happy to see my class list and be able to recognise so many wonderful children I worked with in the Kindy.

We have had a successful start to the year  with many new and exciting programs to implement. As you will be aware, we are using PR1ME mathematics books to develop a strong foundation in this learning area. I was lucky enough to be the only Year One teacher to trial this program last year. A program I believe to be very valuable in developing mathematical knowledge and problem solving skills, but more about that later.

Thank you to all the parents and carers who took time out of their busy lives to attend the Parent Information Evening. I find these sessions to be very valuable as they enable me to explain my program and expectations for Room 13.



Student Councillors

What an outstanding group of Year Ones we have in Room 13 this year! The call went out for class Student Councillors and almost every child in Room 13 nominated themselves. It was such a joy to see so many confident individuals! As a result and ensure it was fair, we had to write all the nominations on a piece of paper, but we could only draw two names.

I would like to introduce you to our Room 13 Student Councillors for Semester One…
Ansh Arya and Natalia Ierace

Ansh and Natalia will be responsible for running class meetings and attending councillor meetings where they will have to present our ideas.





Literacy 

This term in Literacy we have been very busy learning about:
· Synonyms and antonyms
· Speech marks and speech bubbles
· Full stops and capital letters
· Recount writing
· Phonics sounds
· Sitton Words
And much, much more.

A vital part of literacy learning is our Literacy Blocks that run each day in class. The different components of the Literacy Block are designed to ensure that all students can learn to the best of their ability.

To begin our literacy block we start with a ’Warm Up’. The Warm Up is a fast paced revision of things like sight words, word meanings, phonics and reading strategies. This can consist of flash cards and/or Power Point. Having these warm ups caters for all different learning abilities and is a great way to develop instant recall.

After the Warm up we move on to ‘Explicit Instruction’. This is where the teacher teaches a new concept to the whole class and we learn it together.

Next we do ‘Group Rotations’ where each group has been assigned a specific task. The tasks vary from spelling tasks, writing tasks, phonics tasks and comprehension activities. One group is always reading with the teacher. The students behaviour during group rotations is beginning to improve which really shows their dedication to their learning.

The ‘Plenary’ is last, but very important. This is when we review what has been learnt.

The students are thoroughly engaged during these rotations and successfully retaining the information required to complete the tasks again.


Mathematics

As a part of your child’ booklist this year,  you were asked to purchase PR1ME mathematics books. This purchase entitles your child to four maths books, two for semester one and two for semester 2. We have begun our semester one books and the engagement I have seen from the students thus far has been a joy to witness. This program
explicitly teaches math concepts in order to ensure all children understand the knowledge and skills required before they attempt to complete tasks independently.
We will be sending home practice sheets later in the term.


History

This term we will learning about how families have changed from ‘A long time ago’ and how they compare to families ‘now’. We will start with the most important person in our lives...ourselves. We will then be looking at families and the different types of families we experience in modern day society compared to the typical family dynamics of ‘long ago’. We will be looking at old artifacts found in family homes and how these items have changed over time. We will then analyse whether these changes have helped us in our daily lives and what impact they have had on family life.

As a class we will be brainstorming types of questions we can ask in order to gain valuable information about the past. As a result of this learning we will be developing a questionnaire for each child to bring home. It would be most valuable to enable your child to speak to an older family member to gain a deeper understanding of how life has changed over time.



Parent Communication

It is very important that teachers and parents work together as a team to create the best possible outcomes for all students. Please help me by informing me of any changes within your child’s life that may affect their ability to fully engage in their learning.
I ask for your assistance in following up on any notes or homework that may have been given.

It is also imperative that you feel comfortable to communicate any concerns or queries with me. I am available for meetings, by appointment, before or after school, except Tuesday afternoons.

Reading - books will go home on Mondays and will need to be returned Fridays. It is imperative that your child develop fluency with their reading. Fluency enables children to comprehend the text. Comprehension can only occur when the text is easily read.

Spelling - new spelling words will come home every Monday also. Please practice these daily and send the folders back each Friday also.

Math - concept practice sheets will eventually be sent home and need to be returned Fridays also.



Homework Reminders
 

Home reading  will be sent home on Monday and needs to be returned Friday. 

Reading is to be done each night. Please ask your child questions about the text to

help them develop comprehension. The reading books your child brings home should be easy for them to read as our focus is on comprehending the text, in order to this the text needs to be easy to read.



Spelling words should be practiced daily.


Wednesday Word Problems are to be completed each Wednesday night and
returned to school Thursday (once we begin).

 


I look forward to working with your children this year. 

Mrs Kirsty Campbell
Class Teacher