WOW!! The last few weeks have really flown by!!
We are so excited to be in our new classroom!! It is hard to get used to having so much space but we are definitely not complaining!!
A few reminders....
Mission Markets and Feast Day (this Friday)
This Friday, we build appreciation and understanding of Mary as our Patroness; to understand and celebrate the Feast of the Assumption; to raise awareness of those less fortunate in the world, and to “give” as an antidote to need.
Each class will be holding a 'stall' to raise money for those in need in our world. The students will move around the school with their Year 4 buddy and visit the stalls to purchase things or engage in an activity, such as:
- temporary tattoos
- bags of popcorn
- biscuit decorating
- bracelet making
- silent disco
- basket ball shoot out.
Students are allowed to bring no more than $20 IN COINS. They should bring the coins in a clearly labelled snap lock bag (or labelled purse/wallet). It would be good idea to also bring a small shopping bag to take home any goodies in.
Following our mission markets the whole school will be involved in multi-aged group activities in run by the teachers in various rooms.
We look forward to a fantastic day!!
Gathering time reading and writing
Thank you for your amazing support during gathering time in the mornings. It is so nice to see mums, dads and kids sitting together to read and I am really impressed with how the kids are tackling writing. They are putting together their knowledge of letters and sounds to make words. It's really impressive.
Home readers
Just a reminder to bring home reading folders in on a Monday and Wednesday. We will change your child's book if it has been read twice so just remember to tick each time it is read. Reading success has a lot to do with reading mileage so the more your child reads (even if it is the same book a number of times) the more success they will achieve.
Literacy
We are powering through the alphabet sounds at a fast pace!! We are currently learning about 'digraphs'. This is when 2 letters join to make 1 sound. eg: 'ck' in Jack.
Did you know that the digraph 'ck' is only found at the end of words - never at the start. We have been trying to find words that end with a single 'k' but so far have only found the word 'look'. Do you know any?
Maths
It is important that we know our numbers to 20. Keep practising at home. At the moment we are looking at patterning. Today we created AB, ABC and AAB patterns using coloured popsticks.
Kimochis
During our Kimochi program we are learning about:
- Communication Key: Getting Someone's Attention
- Feeling: Kind
This week, your child is learning the first Kimochis® Key to
Communication: Get someone’s attention. Your child will learn that when we want to
get someone’s attention, it is important to call that person’s name. This
alerts the person to look. If your child waits for the person to look or make
eye contact before speaking, it increases the odds that the people
communicating will really listen to each other. Sometimes calling someone’s
name is not enough. Your child will learn to use a gentle tap on the shoulder to
get attention. When your child knows that the listener is ready to listen, the
likelihood of having a positive connection is increased. These are the three
communication habits your child will learn:
-
1. Call the person by name.
2. Wait for eye contact before speaking.
3. Use a Communication Tap (a gentle tap on the shoulder two or three times) to gain attention or eye contact. Now it’s time to speak because we are both focused on the communication interaction.
Some activities to practise at home
• Practice with your child. Don’t make eye contact when your child speaks until he/she calls your name. Say, “Oops, you forgot to call my name to get my attention.” Turn and make eye contact when your child calls your name.
• Show your child that you will use these communication habits by being in the same room as your child, calling his/her name, and waiting for eye contact before speaking.
• Show respect by waiting to get your child’s attention if they are speaking to someone and/or focused on something. Stand near so your child notices you and say, “Jamal, I see you are coloring. Is this a good time to talk about our day?” Clearly, if you need your child’s attention, get it. But children learn by observing, so modeling respect through the use of these communication habits is an indirect way to teach your child to use them.
• When children start to use the Communication Tap, acknowledge them directly: “I just noticed that you used the Communication Tap when someone cut in line. That worked nicely!”
• Smile and compliment your child when he/she uses the new communication habits effectively.
• You can also encourage eye contact by having your child tell their story to your eyes. You can prompt your child by saying, “Tell Mommy’s/ Daddy’s eyes what happened on the playground.”
Kimochi Feeling: Kind
- This week, your child will learn about kindness and the Kimochis® kotowaza—or Japanese proverb—that accompanies this feeling. “Take the time to be kind” is this week’s kotowaza to encourage kindness. This kotowaza inspires people to say and do kind things. Research has shown that there is a close association between kindness and happiness. Kind people experience more happiness and have happier memories. Kindness also helps children make and keep friends. Kindness builds patience and tolerance because we can learn to think kind thoughts when others make mistakes or hurt feelings. This week, we will talk about how children can use their eyes and ears to look for opportunities to be kind. For example, a child might see that a teacher has dropped something and pick it up without being asked. Your child will learn two new communication habits: “Say it” and “Do it.”
Pre Primary Playground
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