Week 9 Term 1 (class newsletter)

What a great week we have had in Prep. Very calm and lots of fun. I think the kids are starting to understand the routines and are making friends.

I am looking forward to meeting with some of you next week at parent teacher interviews..  Sorry the note has gone home late. Do not worry if you can’t make these times I’m sure we can make other arrangements.

Transport

Thank you so much for all the great photos of Prep possum that are coming in. I am busy making a blog so you can all see them.  On the blog I am also planning on putting all the newsletters so you can regularly visit, comment or check up on information.

Please keep the emails coming in  tcumming@bne.catholic.edu.au

If Prep possum comes to your place, it would be very much appreciated if you could

Take a photo of the possum with your child on or near a form of transport.

Also if it is easier for you I check my emails regularly and you are welcome to email me rather than use the communication book.

Happy Birthday

No birthdays this week

Religion

This week we start to look at the events leading up to Easter.  The Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of Holy Week. It celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.

Talk Time (Show and tell)

MONDAY – Billy, Biar, Jemima B., Joshua, Theresa

TUESDAY – Finn, Annaliese, Oscar, Caelen, Callum

WEDNESDAY –Clancy, Finley, Nino, Henry, Jemima O

THURSDAY – Keira, Adam, Daniel, Darcy, Bronte,

FRIDAY – Hannah, Georgina, Tahu, Will, Harvey.

Perceptual Motor

Maths

This week we are looking at numbers 3.

Here is the rhyme to remember it.

3. Around the tree and around tree, that’s the way we make a three

Here are a couple of good websites to check out.

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Flash.aspx?f=ladybird

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Flash.aspx?f=TeddyNumbersv2

http://www.poissonrouge.com/

 

Alphabet

This week we are focussing on the capital and little letter of Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm and Nn.

I am attaching the letters for you to practice with.

Go Fish, concentration, matching the big and little letter,

Assembly

It will be Year 1 assembly and awards will be presented to .

Theresa Dihn, Bronte Rhodes, Nino Meagher, Darcy Ralph.

Please help us to find

Lost library Books from Brisbane City council

I am too absolutely small for school (Charlie and Lola)Child,Lauren

Miss Mingo and the 1^st day of school (Harper, Jamie).

Overdue library Books from St Sebastian’s

OldTom’s Holiday

Diso Sailors

Sir Joshua and the Unprofessional Dragon

Hippo Solves a Mystery

Harry and the Dinosaurs  at the Museum

Andy’s Secret Weapon

Wuradi

If you wish to check back on any old newsletters.  Please check the blog at this address: http://prepcstsebs.blogspot.com/

Theresa Cumming.

Week 8 Term 1 (class Newsletter)

WEEK 8 TERM 1   21^st – 25^th March 2011

Dear Parents

My sincere apologies for my absence in the past week.  I have been fighting illness and only just recovering.  I have very much missed the children and am excited to back in action.

Transport

So far the children have looked buses, trains and boats in the past week.  This coming week will be a mixture of boats and planes.

Thank you also to the families who have taken home prep possum.  The photos that came back were wonderful.    If you get a chance please could you email them to me tcumming@bne.catholic.edu.au

I am creating a blog for the children to follow.

We were lucky to have a real possum visit us last week so all the children were delighted have a look.

If Prep possum comes to your place, it would be very much appreciated if you could

Take a photo of the possum with your child on or near a form of transport.

Happy Birthday

Keira 16^th March Finley 18^th March

Religion

As we continue our journey through lent we look at some bible stories. (ways that we can be like Jesus) and through boats Noah’s ark, Jesus Calms the Storm etc.

We will also look at places we pray and how we pray.

It is important even as small children that we find time to be still, and spend time talking to God.

Talk Time (Show and tell)

MONDAY – Billy, Biar, Jemima B., Joshua, Theresa

TUESDAY – Finn, Annaliese, Oscar, Caelen, Callum

WEDNESDAY –Clancy, Finley, Nino, Henry, Jemima O

THURSDAY – Keira, Adam, Daniel, Darcy, Bronte,

FRIDAY – Hannah, Georgina, Tahu, Will, Harvey.

Perceptual Motor

A huge thank you to parents who have been helping out.  We couldn’t run this without you and the children get so much out of it.  This will continue until the end of term.

Maths

This week we continue to investigate numbers. Some of you may think my child can already count to ten but numbers are so much more.  It is recognising the symbol, being able to make a group of, showing 1 to 1 correspondence, being able to write the letter and understanding the relationship with the other numbers, bigger than, smaller than.  Here are some rhymes we use to help them write the number.

1. A straight line down is lots of fun, a straight line down in number one

2. Around and back on the railway track. Two! Two!

3. Around the tree and around tree, that’s the way we make a three

4. Down and across and down some more, that’s the way we make a four

5. Over and down and then go around, A fat old five is what you've found

6. Six is found by going down and around
7. Across the sky and down from heaven that's the way to make a seven
8. We make a snake but do not wait to climb back up and make an eight
9. A loop and a line and that is nine
10. A straight line down, its fun, its one, but with a zero beside it makes ten more fun

Alphabet

This week we are focussing on the capital and little letter of Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm and Nn.

Next Week we will celebrate harmony day.  Harmony Day is celebrated around Australia on 21 March each year. It's a day where all Australians celebrate our cultural diversity.  We will make a graph of all the different countries that we are from.  If you family connection to another country please tell your child.  Or email me as I am preparing clip art from those countries so we can make a pictorial graph.  I know we have children with background from Australia, Sudan, New Zealand, Denmark, Vietnam, Thailand and Canada. Please let me know any I have missed.

It will be Year 2 assembly and awards will be presented to

Keira, Georgina, Callum and Adam. 

Have a great week - Theresa Cumming.

Week 7 Term 1 (Class Newsletter)

Week 7 Term 1

Learning in prep

This week for our transport unit we will be looking at trains.  We will explore different types of trains that are used to travel our vast world.  Some being locomotive trains, passenger trains, high speed trains (bullet), freight trains and inner city trains.

This week we will continue our literacy focus on the letters of alphabet, both Capital and lower case.  This week we are just focusing on the letters Aa - Gg.  I have attached flash cards for this week’s alphabet letters.  It is important that the children spend 5 – 10 minutes playing a game with these cards as it helps to reinforce the letter names and activities that we are doing within the classroom.


In numeracy we will begin looking at numbers from 0 to 10.  This will be explored through a range of hands on activities and games. 
The perceptual motor program has been a big hit with the children.  This will continue every Tuesday and Thursday until the end of the term.  Thank you to all the parents who have offered assistance and made the rotation run so smoothly.  Here are some photos from last week’s perceptual motor rotation.

The children enjoyed making pancakes for Shrove Tuesday

Last Wednesday we began a very special and significant event in our religious calendar “LENT”.  Each child orally made a Lenten promise that they hope to fulfil in the next 40 days.  Please come in and read their Lenten promises. 

Library

Our library day is on a Wednesday.  Preps are allowed to borrow 1 book.  They need to return it weekly to borrow another.  There is a green container in the room which the children can place their library books in so they can be returned to the library.

Before School

Just a reminder about the before school routine.  Children will need to wait in the undercover area until the teacher comes on duty at 8.20 with their bags. Then the teacher on duty will tell the children to put their bags outside their classroom.  They do this, put their hat on and go out and play on the netball court or undercover area until the bell rings.  When the bell rings the children come to the classroom, unpack their bag and sit down ready for prayer.  It would be greatly appreciated if you reinforce this morning routine

Construction urgently needed

Here is a list of construction/collage bits and pieces which would be greatly appreciated;

• Boxes (any size)
• Containers (yoghurt, butter etc – any size)
• Magazines
• Buttons
• Ribbon/Material
• Lids

Boxes, containers and lids are in great demand as the children begin to make modes of transport.

Assembly Awards for this week:

Due to our Ash Wednesday Liturgy last week (no awards), the following children will receive awards this Wednesday at assembly.

Annaliese, Will, Oscar

Please feel free to approach Melissa, Sylvia or myself if you need to ask any further questions or concerns. Have a great week because we will. Theresa C

Week 6 Term 1 (Class Newsletter)

WEEK 6 TERM 1   8-12^th March 2011

Transport

We made a great start on transport this week exploring the different modes and how they move.  This week we are looking at trains. A couple of fun facts for you… did you know;

·         The longest straight stretch of railway is in Australia. The part without any curves is 478km long.

·         The fastest passenger train in the world is the Shinkansen in Japan. (travelling at 300 km/h)

·         Every time a Virgin Pendolino train brakes it returns enough energy to the power supply to brew 2.6 billion cups of tea, or make 3.5 billion pieces of toast in a year!

I hope your child will be able to tell you some new facts by the end of the week.

http://www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/cardholders/kidszone/railway-facts/fun_facts

There is also a very special guest who will play an important part in our class unit. This is Prep Possum (you may already have heard of him).  He is a travelling possum who loves to go on different forms of transport.  Each child will receive one of the 2 prep possums for a couple of days and it would be greatly appreciated if these possums could get a photo with a mode of transport.  You and your family may be as creative as you like.   We will put these photos both on the website and in our newsletter so we can all see how these possums like to travel.

Getting along with others

One of our curriculum goals this semester is

“Social and Personal learning”.

Specifically we are developing;

·       acknowledging and negotiating rights, roles and responsibilities in a range of contexts.

·       cooperating with others in social situations.

·       developing a sense of personal identity as a capable learner

·       acting with increasing independence and responsibility towards learning and personal organisation.

In implementing a child-responsive curriculum, children

For children this involves

• making decisions

• solving problems

• developing thinking processes

• developing effective communication

• developing collaboration strategies

• developing positive dispositions towards learning

• developing a positive sense of self.

          

This is being promoted through

·  Pointing out positive behaviours

·  Role playing inappropriate behavior and getting the children to show us how to do it properly.

·  Creating rules, expectations and having routines

·  Having a buddy in the school that we can model our behaviour on.

·  Supporting the children to play, explore and investigate in an appropriate manner.

·  Supporting your child to follow the rules and look at the natural consequences (e.g. if you hit someone they won’t want to play with you)

·  Following only 1 rule a week, and reinforcing it with a behavior chart (you may have heard about the ticks)

Please be aware that starting Prep can be a daunting and challenging change in your child’s life.  Be assured that they are settling in REALLY well. Some behaviours you have not seen before may occur but that just means that in this different situation your child may need help to find a solution. They may be striving to work out how best to overcome frustration, or cope with a lot stimulus in the busy school environment, or the making of new friends.  The expectations at school will be different from Kindy.  Also know that when I contact you it is to keep you informed about what is happening at school.  It is not a reflection on you and your parenting but a means of you and I working together to help your child with their situation. 

Some of the language we use is referred to as belonging and non belonging behaviour.

The rules that we have stressed so far have been

·  Hands and feet to yourself

·  Speak to please not to tease

·   Sit on your bottom and don’t wander around(at specific times)

·  When the teacher is talking you are not

Our main 3 school rules are

Respect for Self  Respect for Others, Respect for the Environment

engage in a plan-do-reflect process that encourages the characteristics of lifelong learning.

Happy Birthday

Jemima B.7^thMarch Georgina 9^thMarch

An Ash Wednesday liturgy will be held instead of assembly this week.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.

Shrove Tuesday

We will be having pancakes on Tuesday

Also known as "Pancake Day", always falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent.  It is the day of preparation for Lent, when the eating of pancakes was necessary to use  up the eggs and flour, the eating of which were prohibited during the forty days of Lent. 

Talk Time (Show and tell)

Thank you for the amazing and interesting show and tell you have been sending in.  We loved Finn’s plane,Tahu’s bus, Keira’s plane, and Georgina’s horses just to name a few.

 MONDAY – Billy, Biar, Jemima B., Joshua, Theresa

TUESDAY – Finn, Annaliese, Oscar, Caelen, Callum

WEDNESDAY –Clancy, Finley, Nino, Henry, Jemima O

THURSDAY – Keira, Adam, Daniel, Darcy, Bronte,

FRIDAY – Hannah, Georgina, Tahu, Will, Harvey.

Perceptual Motor

Tuesday 9.00-9.45am

Thank you to Rebecca Ralph (Darcy’s mum) and Nick Harrison (Finns Dad) who are helping on Tuesday.

Thursday 9.00-9.45am

Thank you to Julien Frachisse (family friend of Adam and Daniel) and Alison Lee Tannock (Tahu’s Mum) (17^th, 31^st March and 14^th April, and David Peirce (Keira’s Dad) and Angela Wishart (Will’s Mum) (10^th 17^th 31^st March) and Angela Nicholas (Henry’s Mum) and Emma Ross (Harvey’s mum) who will be helping on Thursdays.

Another person is needed for Tuesday.

This program developing the children’s gross motor skills, comes in 7 short 5minute rotations. 

It would also be a great help if a parent was able to help with fine motor rotations on Friday morning 9-10.15am.

OR on a Monday morning.

Maths

This week we are starting to investigate numbers.

Alphabet

This week we are focussing on the capital and little letter of Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff and Gg. I am sending home a chart for use at home and some letter you can cut up and have some fun with.  Perhaps you could-

• Play concentration with the letters
• Match the little and big letters
• Have a game of snap with the letters

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJEA0jzloK0

Or check out these fun activites.

http://www.learningplanet.com/act/abcorder.asp

http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/kids/antics/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsO__o4Ezjw&feature=relmfu

http://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/

Construction/collage/dress up needed

Here is a list of construction/collage bits and pieces which would be greatly appreciated;

• Boxes (any size)
• Toilet rolls
• Containers (yoghurt, butter etc – any size)
• Magazines
• Buttons
• Ribbon/Material
• Lids
• Hats/scarves/dress up clothes

Anything will do, preps love to create and can find a use for everything.

Week 5 Term 1 (Class newsletter)

WEEK 5 TERM 1

Transport

This week we start our integrated unit.  We will be looking at transport.  This seems to be an interest of many of the children.  We will be looking at

• Exploring different modes of transport
• Looking at how different transport moves
• Looking at the safety aspects of transport
• Looking at the people who help is in our community who use different transport.

School Photos

School Photos are on Wednesday and Thursday.  Children need to be dressed in their dress uniform.  For girls the dress, for boys the dark blue button up shirt.  You may like to put a comb in their bags.  Make sure you have returned the photo slips money envelopes.

Program Achieve – Getting Along

With assistance of Gabby Get Along, we can help the children internalise helpful ways of thinking in their self talk.  We will eliminate four ineffectual types of self talk that makes it harder for young children to get along. They are

Being tolerant of Others means thinking “A person who behaves badly or different from me is bad”

Being Intolerant of Limits means thinking “Rules are stupid. I shouldn’t have to follow rules.”

Acting without Thinking means that the child does not think how to act when s/he wants something someones else has but simply reacts aggressively.

Social Irresponsibility means asking “I only care about myself. I don’t care about others.

You will want to rely on your own behaviour specific feedback to acknowledge your children when you observe them getting along. Examples of things you can say at these times include.

“Good for you. You really are trying to get along.”

“You are good at helping others”

“You didn’t try to lie.  Being honest is important.”

“Wow you cleaned up everyone’s mess! Thank you.”

“You play by the rules”

“Listening while someone else is talking is a good quality to have”        “You talk politely to others”

“You have learned how to solve a disagreement without fighting.

Happy Birthday

Tahu 6^th Keira6^th   Jemima B. 7^th

Talk Time (Show and tell)

It would be great to bring in anything related to transport. (A photo of your trip somewhere on a plane, Dad’s workplace and machinery, a toy car, my little pony horse etc) There will be a bucket in the room that the child is to place their item in.  It will stay there and will only be taken out during show and tell time.

 MONDAY – Billy, Biar, Jemima B., Joshua, Theresa

TUESDAY – Finn, Annaliese, Oscar, Caelen, Callum

WEDNESDAY –Clancy, Finley, Nino, Henry, Jemima O

THURSDAY – Keira, Adam, Daniel, Darcy, Bronte,

FRIDAY – Hannah, Georgina, Tahu, Will, Harvey.

Assembly.

Year 4 will be presenting assembly this week.  Awards will be given to Tahu and Clancy.   Assembly starts at 2.05pm

Perceptual Motor

The perceptual motor program will start in a week’s time.  There will be a note coming out with all the details.  This program develops the children’s gross motor skills.  We work in small groups and rotate around activities.  So it works best when we have parent volunteers.  Prep C’s program will be at 9am on Tues and Thurs.

Literacy

This week is an introduction to the alphabet and the capital and little letters.  It is just an introduction and help children start to recognise letters.  We will look at each letter in closer detail as the year progresses.  It will be running around the theme of “Chicka, chicka, boom, boom.”  You can find it if you Google it.

Maths

This week we are finishing shapes and looking at big and small.

Don’t forget

·      library books need to be returned every Wednesday

·      hotdog Friday is every week ($4)

·      tuckshop is on a Monday and Wednesday

Theresa Cumming.