Grade One Term One Newsletter

This Term Newsletter will provide you with information about your children’s upcoming teaching and learning experiences in the new term. To find out what other year levels are doing, please refer to the school’s website. There is also plenty of additional information provided via Compass throughout the school year, so please make a point of touching base regularly.

General
Welcome to the Grade 1 Department of 2021! The students have made a great start to Grade 1 and have settled into their classes well. For the beginning of Term 1, we have focused upon setting up classroom routines and expectations. Together with the classroom teacher, students are developing an understanding of the different ways that they like to learn through completing a range of activities. They have also begun to recognise and respect differences within their classroom as students build relationships with one another and understand themselves as learners. Throughout the term we will incorporate Play is The Way games and Community Circles to immerse students in team building and problem solving activities to encourage a safe, productive and harmonious community.

This year we have 5 Grade 1 classes. The classroom teachers in Term 1 are Mrs Laura Kelson grade sharing with Mrs Jess Millard (1KM), Mrs Chelsea Bevan (1CB), Mr Gregory Quirk (1GQ), Ms Allison Scrivener (1AS) and Mr Stephen Hargreaves (1SH) who is our Team Leader for 2021, Mrs Tripolino will be working in Grade 1SH for some part of each day. We look forward to sharing an exciting and successful year of learning and fun with your child.

Literacy
What a start to 2021 it has been for Grade 1! We have been excited to get straight back into our classrooms, build our classroom libraries and begin our independent reading for the year. Each classroom will have a stylish, student created library for your children to select the books of their choice for their learning!
An important part of the literacy success of your child is to be supported at home and this can be done through weekly home reading. Reading aloud to your child can be one of your best parenting experiences! We hope that you and your child create many loving memories as you explore children's books together over the coming year.
The reading patterns you establish at home directly influence your child’s ability to do well in school. One of our major goals this year in Grade 1 is to help your child grow further as a reader. You have a big role to play in achieving this. The best way for your children to grow as readers is for them to read daily. At Lara Lake Primary School, we are very proud of the progress that our children make with their Literacy learning. With the support that we as teachers give in the classroom and the support that you provide at home, each child progresses at their own rate and we celebrate each achievement that is made.

This year there will be a strong focus on the Writing Workshop. Student choice and ownership of their own writing is often foregrounded in the Writing Workshop. Responsibility lies with the students as they plan, draft, revise and publish. The teacher scaffolds and models the writing process. The students keep a Writer’s Notebook to record their ideas and thoughts as they progress through the stages of writing. The application of the genres would depend on what the students chooses to write about.

Numeracy
In Numeracy this term, students have begun the year by asking simple questions about themselves and collecting data to make their own simple graphs which will link in with the Inquiry topic “Belonging to Our Community”. Students will continue to practice and develop their understanding relating to counting and place value. They will also engage in practical hands on activities to explore numbers up to 100 and be able to read, recognise and make models of these numbers. Students will count with number sequences to and from 100 by ones from any starting point. They will skip count by twos, fives and tens starting from zero and recognise and order numbers to at least 100 and locate these numbers on a number line. By the end of the term, students will use their number knowledge to investigate, describe and create number patterns. Families can support at home by playing games involving counting and number facts, and providing opportunities for your children to explore real life mathematics.

Inquiry
The Integrated Inquiry this term is ‘Learning to Learn/Belonging To Our Community.’ Throughout this unit, students will embrace themselves as individuals by sharing their interests. They will also learn more about their families and the different communities that they belong to. Students will develop their understanding of their school community including their roles and responsibilities. They will have the opportunity to not only learn about their roles and responsibilities but about the roles and responsibilities of the people who work at their school including the librarian, office staff and education support staff which will help the students to further understand their school community. By students understanding themselves, their friends, their families and their school, students will apply this learning to their local community, Lara.

Reminders
A reminder that Department of Education policy stipulates that phones, watches or other devices with communicative ability cannot be carried by students while on the school premises during school hours, without Principal approval. For further details please refer to the policy documents on Compass and the Lara Lake PS website.

Parent Helpers on Excursions

Just a reminder that if you are wishing to volunteer to assist on Grade 1 excursions, parents are now required to have a Working with Children Check. If unsure, check with the office to see what this entails.

Book Pouches/satchels

Please support your child to bring their Book Pouch and reading material to school.
Drink Bottles

Please ensure your child has a water bottle each day with their name clearly labelled.
Hats, Hats, Hats!

The weather remains warm and our No Hat No Play! Policy is in force. Please ensure your child brings their school hat, with their name clearly labelled, to school each day to protect them from the harsh UV rays.
Label all Clothes and Belongings

Please ensure that all items belonging to your child are clearly labelled with their full name and grade.
Class donations

We would appreciate any donations of tissues, paper towel and hand sanitiser.
Attendance
Please write a note via Compass, to your child’s teacher to explain your child’s absence.

The Year One Team