Term Two: Week 3

 

Hi families,

Happy Week 3! 🌟

How fast is this term going already! We have had such an exciting start already and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the term has in store for us!

 

A few things for this week;

Morning Mats 

This week we are changing up the morning routine and asking the children to complete a ‘morning mat’ with their parent/family member when they come into the classroom instead of just their name. Each child will have their full name to practice with 2 small literacy and/or numeracy tasks to do. I went through the morning mats with the children on Friday so they know what to expect tomorrow morning! Please can you encourage your child to complete their morning mat when they arrive at school before finding an activity to do. Any questions or concerns please let me know.

 

Good morning

Please can you continue to encourage your child to say good morning to myself, Mrs Young or Mrs Bryne when they come through the door in the morning. We are continuing to teach them that it is a sign of a respect to look someone in the eye and greet them when they come into the classroom! Thank you so much for those parents/care givers that are doing this already.

 

Practise reading sheets

The children will receive practise reading sheets tomorrow just outlining the sounds we have already learnt. If you have time at home to practice what letters make what sounds as well as how to blend/make/write words that would be great. We understand that this may not always be possible therefore just do what you can! So many of the children are loving learning how to read and write words! It has been so amazing to see.

 

Parent help

Starting in Week 4, we would like to ask for a parent helper from about an hour (8:30/8:45 – 9:30/9:45) each day, each morning. Our helper will work one on one with each child revisiting learnt numbers, letters and sounds and words specific to each child. There will be a roster ready tomorrow morning for you to pop your name down if you’re available. It can be a grandparent or other family members as well. We thank you all in advance!

 

Literacy

So far we have learnt that letters have both a name and a sound. The children need to be able to recognise what the letter looks like, what it sounds like and how to write it. So far we have learnt : m, s, t, a, p and i.  Feel free to practise these letters at home. Look for them in books, write them in the shower etc. Mastering each letter will help with learning to read and write!

 

Maths

Currently in Maths we have been looking at shapes and their properties or attributes. We know that circles only have one side/edge and no corners! Both squares and rectangles have 4 sides and 4 corners but rectangles have 2 short sides and 2 long sides. Triangles have 3 sides and 3 corners. We have also learnt all about halves and what halves have to look like! They have been to be equal!

 

Science

In Science we are determining whether something is natural or man-made. You may see this new learning up in our classroom tomorrow!

 

HASS

We are experimenting with Inquiry based learning in our HASS lessons. Last week we looked at a lot of items in a ‘talking tub’. We saw photos, cameras, pictures of families, birthdays, weddings etc. I wonder where our inquiry will take us??? We will be recording our learning in our new ‘floor book’ that will be available in coming weeks for you all to have a look at so watch this space....

 

Important dates

Monday 15th April - Term 2 Commences
Thursday 25th April - ANZAC Day Public Holiday

Sunday 12th May - Mother's Day
Tuesday 14th May - Scholastic Book Fair
Wednesday 15th May - Scholastic Book Fair
Friday 17th May - Student Free Day
Monday 27th - 31st May - National Reconciliation Week

Monday 27th May - School Photos
Tuesday 28th May - School Photos

Thursday 20th June - OLC's Got Talent

Thursday 27th June - Whole School Mass

Friday 28th June - Last Day of Term

 

As always, we all thank you all for your ongoing support and can’t believe how well all the children have settled back into Term 2. We can’t wait for another awesome term together.

 

Many thanks,

Grace Anderson 😊

 

 

 

Term Two: Week 2

Hi families!

Welcome to Week 2!

What a gorgeous few weeks we have had together. The children have come back so settled and so excited to learn.

This week we have our Occupational Therapy screening. There will be visiting OT’s all week screening all PP children. Please see below the letter from the Potential Therapy Team or click here.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

We will be continuing our Mindfulness Morning’s on Wednesday and Friday’s this term as well as our Library visits commencing this Tuesday. News will also be starting this week so please double check when your child is rostered on. The roster is in the last blog post. 

Have a great week and we will see you all soon!

 

Many thanks,

Grace Anderson

Term Two: Week 1

 Hi PPA Families,

Welcome back to Term 2! The children had an amazing day today. They were so excited to be back. I really think they have all grown up in just 2 weeks!

I hope you have had an amazing break. We couldn't have asked for better weather. I enjoyed catching up with friends in Broome and some family time over Easter. Many of the children said today they enjoyed some time fishing and meals and play dates with family and friends! It was so lovely to hear all the special memories they have made during the holidays.

News telling begins this term - Speaking and Listening

Each student has the opportunity to tell news once a fortnight. Please see the following roster or use this link to open the file. News will start next week. 

Please remember to bring hats back to school if you haven’t already!

Mrs Byrne is away this week but will back next week. We also welcome back Mrs Hegney after her amazing time away in Spain.

I look forward to another great term!

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Many thanks,

Grace Anderson

 

 

Term One: Week 5

Dear PPA Families, 

Thank you again for a great week. It has been a busy one with testing still needing to be completed but we appreciate the support. I hope you all have some lovely family time planned for your long weekend.

A few reminders....

Long Weekend

Just a reminder that this Monday is a pupil free day for the long weekend.

Mindful Wednesdays and Fridays

Starting next week, Wednesday and Friday mornings will be dedicated mindful mornings. This means the learning space at the back of the classroom will be unavailable for play during this time. There will be QUIET activities for you and your child to choose from. Please respect the quiet space we have created to ensure a positive and calm learning environment for the rest of the day. 

Social skills and Manners

Learning how to greet people is an important social skill for children. We would appreciate it if you could assist your child to respectfully greet their teachers when they arrive at school by making eye contact and saying good morning using the persons name.

Gathering time: activity time/parent conversations

Our morning gathering time is an opportunity for you and your child to spend some one-on-one time together. We would appreciate if you could firstly assist your child in CORRECTLY writing their name and then spend time with your child playing a game or completing an activity. You don't have to wait for the pack up song to come on or for the bell. If your child is settled it is the perfect time to leave. As you would be aware the mornings are very noisy in our shared PP space so we would appreciate that you save your adult conversations for when you have left the room. 

Gathering Time: name writing

It is important that your child is practising their names using the correct letter formation. If you come into the classroom please sit with your child and assist them to write their name correctly using the correct letter formation and a capital letter for the first letter only. The name writing sheets include arrows to help with correct formation. It takes a lot of practising the correct formation to undo the habits they have formed already. Feel free to practise numerous times while you have the opportunity. Thank you for your support.

Library bags

On Tuesdays please have your child place their library bag (with the book still inside) into their drawer.

On Entry testing

PPA and PPT have started the mandated On Entry testing this week. We will share the results with you at the parent meetings in Week 8.

The kids have made amazing progress so far. They are getting into the swing of the PP learning environment and have settled into the new routines. Remember to allow your child to work on their independence when organising themselves for school in the mornings - at home and at school.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me via email with any questions or concerns! 

Thank you so much, 

Grace and the PPA Team 

Term One: Week 4

Hi PPA Families!

Thanks for another amazing week together. It has been awesome to see the children adapting so well to their new environment and routines. Hopefully in the new few weeks we will have access to the new Kindy playground for a new and exciting area to play in.

You may find this week that your child is coming home exhausted. This is understandable. They are engaged in activities all day and are attending 5 days a week now. This is really tiring for them. We have begun our English and Math learning lessons but are still keeping our afternoons free for less cognitively taxing activities and some free play time. We are also ensuring that our English and Math activities are as hands on as possible (as you may have seen on Seesaw!)

Parent Information Night

If you haven't already, please can you complete and return the parent survey. The information we gather is very helpful to us. Please also make sure you have connected to your child's Seesaw account! We have started uploading some of the children's work and photos from their days. 

Gathering time

We would like your child to practice writing their name every morning during gathering time. Each has a wipe off sheet with names to trace and then a line to practice on their own. If you are assisting your child please make sure they are writing the letters correctly. It is important that you direct them to use the correct letter formation. The children have all created their own way of writing letters and now we need to help them practice the correct way. Please can we encourage that you are actively sitting with your child and helping them write their name each morning! 

Separation anxiety; gathering time is a good time to engage with your child by doing one or two activities together. Make your child the focus and clearly tell them that you will be leaving once your 2 activities are completed. Be clear with what you are going to do and stick to it. Try not to negotiate with your child. The teachers and EA's are there to help you exit, just let us know. Although both myself and the EA's have said how much more settled the kids have been this week so let's keep this going! 

Sport Time

Our sport lesson is on a Wednesday from 11-12pm and it is encouraged that the students wear their sport shoes if possible!

Comprehension Packs

The children's comprehension packs will go home today and will need to be returned on Wednesday's please!

Character Strength

Parents, this week we are looking at developing the character strength of Bravery. St Oscar Romero is someone who when challenged with the decision between what was popular and what was right, chose to stand up for thousands of persecuted people, even at the risk of his own life. Do you speak up for what’s right? Do you embrace fear? Do you enjoy challenges?  

Canteen 

Canteen will commence in Week 3 and will run on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Students are welcome to purchase food and drink at recess without prior ordering. If your child would like a lunch order, you can order online or can be ordered directly at the canteen.  We must have volunteers to enable our canteen to be operational. This is particularly important with the addition of extra canteen days this year. Please consider getting involved and helping out. Your children will love it when they see you in the canteen. Please email pippa.walsh@cewa.edu.au. 

 

Important Dates

Saturday 17th February - First Eucharist Commitment Mass & Staff Commissioning Mass

Monday 4th March - Labour Day Public Holiday

Sunday 17th March -Sacrament of First Eucharist 

Thursday 21st March - Harmony Day

Friday 22nd March - Parent Teacher Interviews (Student Free Day)

Sunday 24th March - Palm Sunday

Thursday 28th March - Last Day of Term 1 

Friday 29th March - Good Friday

Sunday 31st March - Easter Sunday

Thanks

Grace, Deb and Bron 

Term One: Parent Information Night

Hi Families, 

Please see attached the Parent Information Night power point. A reminder to collect your take home packs from me if you haven't already and didn't attend the information night. 

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:a02227f1-30b8-39e6-9cf5-879a306231f9

A few students are yet to bring in their headphones, whiteboards and library bags. If this is your child can you please bring them in ASAP. In regards to library bags, they will need to be ordered through Perm-a-pleat which you can do through the office. 

Please connect to Seesaw using the Seesaw QR code that was in the take home packs over the next few days. We will start posting some of the children's work onto this shortly!

Lastly, I forgot to mention on Tuesday that the kids have Sport on Wednesday's and it would be best to wear their sneakers on this day if possible!

Here are a few pictures from this week's math treasure box activity!

Any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to reach out - can you believe it is almost the end of Week 2 already?!

Thank you so much, 

The PPA Team 

Term One: Week 2

Hi PPA Families,

Thank you so much for the most amazing first week. There is always so much to get used too; for everyone but all of the kids (and parents) took it in their stride!

This week may be a little more challenging for some as the reality of five consecutive days attending school sets in. We will keep our days at school as light as possible with a strong emphasis on play to promote social skills and learning curiosity. The process of self regulating all day can be hard work for most children of this age. They are trying to remember all the new rules, working to make new friends and dealing with being separated from their family every day which is huge for our little people.  Don't be surprised if you have melt downs and tantrums at home.  They will 'let it all out' where they feel safe... and that is with you.  You can support your child at this time by ensuring that they are off to bed at a good time each night and that their life out of school is simple and follows routines. If your child is an early riser and has breakfast early then make sure they have a snack before coming to school.  Waiting for recess is hard when your tummy is rumbling.

Parent Information Night

This Tuesday 6th February at 5pm is Parent Information Night for years PP to Year 2.  This will be followed by information session in the hall for all parents at 5.45pm. The PP session will be held in the PP room and will be a joint PPT and PPA session. Please make sure someone attends so you can be 'up to speed' with what happens in the PP year of schooling.

Term 1: Value of Compassion

Our OLC focus value for this term is Compassion. We will be talking about what compassion looks like and how we can be compassionate people. This can also be supported at home.

VIA Character Strength

Parents, this week we are looking at developing the character strength of  Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence.  St Francis of Assisi saw the beauty in all of God’s creations and in nature itself. His life was one of great respect and mercy for all of God’s creation – people, animals, nature. Do you enjoy the beauty around you? Are you inspired by the goodness of others? 

Friday Music

Every Friday PPA will have their specialist class of Music from 8:40am. It is important if possible, children are on time on Friday’s to make this a smooth transition for both the children, parents and staff. PPA absolutely loved Music on Friday and therefore would love to make sure they get to enjoy the full hour with Mrs Amy Sherborne.

Lastly, a reminder for those that have yet to bring in their child's book list items! There are still a few full lists and individual items that we are missing such as headphones etc.

Well done on surviving the first week of PP and the extreme weather we had. As always, if there is any problems please don’t hesitate to email me at grace.anderson@cewa.edu.au. We cannot wait for Week 2.

 

Grace, Debbie and Bron