04 Dec 2018
Below is an overview of information provided at our Kindy to Year 1 Transition Parent Information Session held today. We hope to create transparency and deepen our communication about the changes in curriculum, class structure as well as social and emotional changes that children typically experience at this stage of development.
Further information on these topics will be provided at the beginning of the 2019 school year at our Parent Information Evening.
First Week of Year 1
Students will have their first day on Wednesday 30th January 2019. They need to line up in their current Kindergarten lines. During the first day, teachers will show children where to line up for the following days. They will line up there at recess and lunch as well.
To start the year, they will mostly with the same group of students as in their current Kindergarten class to complete our Healthy Lifestyle rotations.
Healthy Lifestyle rotations
- Health and Personal Development curriculum (Road Safety, Sun and Water Safety, Cyber Safety, Bullying, Bounce Back)
- During these days, classes will stay with one teacher up until approximately 12:30pm, learning about one topic. They then move to another teacher on Year 1 for the remainder of the day.
Year 1 General Information
Line Up
· Year 1 line up under the COLA, in front of the coloured equipment
Pick Up
· At the end of the day, Year 1 will be taken to the basketball court for pick up. Once new classes have been established, we will inform you where your child’s pick up location will be. Before and After School Care (BASC) children make their own way to BASC with others from their class. This is the same procedure for students who attend external after school care activities.
Curriculum
Stage Outcomes
The Department of Education organises our curriculum into two year cycles, except for Kindergarten. Outcomes for Stages 1, 2 and 3 are taught over a two year cycle.
- Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten)
- Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2)
- Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)
- Stage 3 (Years 5 and 6)
English
Literacy Groups
- We usually have 3 rotations during literacy groups, leading to 2 rotations at the end of the year. The focus for literacy groups changes throughout the year as each student progresses through the developmental stages of reading and writing.
Writing
- We have a strong focus on sentence structure and writing for a purpose through imaginative, informative and persuasive texts.
Reading
- Students progress through readers and continue with our home reading system.
- Our teaching strategies are based on current research using 5 areas of reading development: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension and fluency.
Sound Waves
- A spelling program that focuses on the 45 phonemes in the Australian English language. This program promotes students making ‘good spelling choices’, rather than rote learning of how to spell words.
- ‘Magic Word’ program continues informally in class as ‘sight words’. Teachers use sight words as part of a broader spelling program.
Mathematics
Mathematics content deepens as students progress through Year 1. Students learn a variety of new strategies and start to use these as part of a toolkit. Teaching Mathematics has changed significantly in recent years.
- Number sense - what makes up a number?
- Addition and Subtraction - a variety of strategies are explicitly taught for students to use flexibly in Year 2. This is a significant difference to the addition and subtraction concepts taught in Kindergarten.
Other Key Learning Areas
- PE (Sport) - Each term has a different focus to teach gross motor skills.
- History and Geography - Focus on our local area.
- Creative Arts – Students continue to engage in our Dance program, Drama, Music and Visual Arts activities. Music may be taught by another teacher.
- Science and Technology – Students engage in the processes of Working Scientifically, and Design and Production.
- Homework – An example of weekly homework requirements: reading, maths mentals, speaking presentations.
Reports
Early Stage 1 outcomes are based on state expectations and achieved within the school year. They have a slightly different school report than students in Years 1-6. Stage 1 are outcomes based on state expectations and are achieved over 2 years. During these two years, students progress through a range of syllabus indicators to achieve stage outcomes. Reports for grades 1-6 have 5 levels of achievement:
- Limited (E), Basic (D), Sound (C), High (B), Outstanding (A)
Sound (C) demonstrates that a child is achieving an outcome at grade level against state expectations.
Visible Learning
Visible Learning allows for teachers to see learning through the eyes of their students and support self-motivated and engaged learning. We are building students from Kindergarten to Year 6 who:
- Articulate what they are learning
- Explain the next steps in their learning
- Set learning goals
- See errors as opportunities for further learning
- Know what to do when they are stuck
- Seek feedback
Friendships and Play times
New classes mean new friends. Classes are formed with the intention of where students will learn best academically, socially and emotionally.
Lunchtimes
- All school play areas are now available to Year 1 students to play in during recess and lunch except for the designated Kindergarten areas.
- Lunchtime clubs available- Jam time, Literacy and Numeracy area for board games, oval on Fridays (less primary students), computer lab, library, coloured equipment (Thursdays)
.Kind Regards,
Jenni Milburn and Theresa Fuller
Year 1 and Kindergarten Assistant Principals
Julie Organ
Principal