Welcome to theYear 1

Parent Information2020

We dream of a school where education is for all,Where each member will read, write, compute and be

filled with an intrinsic love of learning.Where all achievements are celebrated – cultural,

sporting, social and academic.We dream of a school where there will be laughter

and love.Where new students feel welcome,

Where all students feel safe and included,Where all members of our community look after each

other.Where divisions are ended and where each and every

person will be accepted and valued for who they are and the special gifts they bring to our

community.We dream of a school where what we read in the

Gospels comes alive in our life together,Where each person will pray daily to grow in faith

and hope.That is only of strong deeds and gentle words –

bringing the living presence of Jesus into everything that we do.

We pray

We are calm

We meditate

We tell the truth

We talk and listen to each other with respect

At St Mary’s we journey together guided by gospel values. Religion is an integral part of

our everyday teaching.

The children will participate in four units of work:

Units are taught that include the different strands:

Beliefs

Morality

Prayer

Sacraments

Prayer is also an important part of our day. We pray at the start of the day, before breaks

and again at the end of the day.

Units

Term 1 – Sacrments, Lent

Term 2 – I wonder what happened at Easter, I wonder if I can be forgiving and caring like

Jesus

Term 3 – I wonder about God

Term 4 – I wonder about being Church, Advent and Christmas

RESTORATIVE PRACTICEResearch informs us that students are happier, more

productive and more likely to make positive changes in their

behaviours when those in positions of authority do things

with them, rather than to them or for them.

At St Mary’s we have adopted a Restorative Practices

approach to teach our students to:

• Understand the importance of positive and functional

relationships

• Take responsibility and be accountable for their

behaviours especially those that harm relationships

• Find ways to restore broken relationships

• Separate the wrong doing from the wrong doer

• Become more resilient and confident

Punitive responses concentrate on

punishment. The harmful behaviours may

cease for a while, but can return.

A restorative approach concentrates on taking

responsibility and being accountable for the

harmful behaviour.

It focuses on the healing of the relationship

and the needs of the victim and the

wrongdoer.

Punitive versus Restorative

Punitive Responses Restorative Responses

1. What rule has been broken?

2. Who is to blame?

3. What is the punishmentgoing to be?

1. What happened?

2. Who has been affected?

3. How can we fix it?

To further assist in the building of a restorative

practice community and promote social and

emotional well-being, every class in the school:

• Has Playground and Classroom Commitments.

• Will conduct a weekly Circle Time.

• Practice meditation and mindfulness.

• Will participate in Way2Go lessons.

▪ Newsletter

▪ Email - Please feel free to email any time

▪ Please make an appointment if necessary –please avoid Tuesday afternoons when teachers are required to attend staff meetings

▪ Seesaw

Before School Procedures

Children should arrive at school by 8:35am.

On arrival the children hang their school bags outside their classroom. Between 8:00am – 8:20am, students must go to the multipurpose court where they remain seated under teacher supervision.

At the change of the teacher on duty at 8.20am, the children are able to play in the designated areas. Handball can be played.

At the 8:40am bell the children are to come to the Undercover area for whole school prayer

Any child arriving at school after the 8.40am bell is to sign in at the office before going to class.

Any child not at school by 9am will be marked absent for the morning sessionunless prior notification is given to the class teacher.

After School Procedures

2.45pm bell, children catching the early bus are released from class

3:00pm bell, children are dismissed. After School Care begins. Students

whose parents are not waiting for them outside the classroom, will be

sent to the blue seats at the front of the school. This area is supervised

until 3:20pm

Assembly – Monday 8.40am

Liturgies – Friday 9.00am

Tuckshop – Wednesday and Friday

Sports Uniform – Tuesday and Friday

Brain Break – 10.00am – Fruit and Veg.

Please send in a SMALL piece of fruit (half

an apple is the perfect portion size).

Australian Curriculum strands:

Language, Literature, Literacy

English Units

Term 1 – Me and My FamilyTerm 2 – Eric Carle Author StudyTerm 3 – FairytalesTerm 4 – Journeys through Australia

Children in Year 1 are beginning to understand that they can write a

message that others can read. They start to use their knowledge of

letters and sounds and we encourage them to have a go at writing

words.

We will be modeling, teaching and assessing different text types such

as:

• Personal Recounts

• Narratives

• Information reports

• Descriptions

Handwriting is taught concentrating on fine motor skills,the correct pencil grip and the correct letter and number formation.

We use a handwriting text book, Queensland Targeting Handwriting, which utilises the Queensland Beginner’s Alphabet.

Here is a copy of the correct way we teach children to form our letters.

What strategies do effective readers

use when they read?

Repetition – is there a pattern of words in the book?

Pictures

Initial sounds

Sounding out

Reading on

Re-reading

The ultimate goal is that children can choose from and use these

strategies effectively when appropriate to comprehend what they

are reading and above all enjoy reading.

When your child is reading try to avoid:

Covering the pictures – children need to integrate using

the picture clues with the letters and sounds on the

page in order to progress to the next phase of reading.

Saying “sound it out” at every word they stumble on -

this makes it difficult for the text to make meaning and

places too much emphasis on getting it right.

Avoid saying things like “you just had that word on the

page before”.

Your child will take home two ‘dot’ books which are

levelled readers. These ‘dot’ books will be kept in their

reading folder. Parents will need to fill out the home

reading journal when the books have been read.

Children will receive awards after they have read 25

books, 50 books, 100 books and 200 books.

Home readers will be exchanged on:

Year 1 – Tuesday and Thursday

We still start sending home readers in Week 3.

Sight Words

Sight words are a vital part of reading. The core sight

words are based on the 200 most commonly used words.

Your child will take home a set of sightwords which can be

practiced at home using a variety of different strategies.

Once a week the children will be tested on their

sightwords. The classroom teacher will advise which day

this is in the coming weeks.

If your child can recite each word consistently, a new level

will be sent home. Every child will learn their sight word at

their own pace. The children will also be learning these

sight words at school. Please do not mark these sight

words, as it makes it trickier when we are tracking which

sight words they have grasped and which they haven’t.

Homework for Year 1 each day includes compulsory

practice of reading and sight words.

Sight Words will be sent home in Week 4. We will advise of

the testing days closer to this time. Due to teacher aide

funding, sight words will be tested weekly.

Australian Curriculum strands: Number and Algebra,

Measurement and Geometry, Statistics and Probability

In Year 1, we want the children to have the ability to think,

reason and work mathematically in these strands:

• Number and Algebra (includes number, operations,

number, patterns, equality, facts, money)

• Measurement and Geometry (includes length, mass,

volume, time, positional terms, 2D and 3D shapes)

• Statistics and Probability (includes picture graphs, and

the language of chance)

The children will learn Mathematical concepts in a variety of ways, including focused teaching and learning and hands on play with materials and games. Repeated exposure assists in developing their understanding of these concepts.

Assessment of Mathematical concepts will be done through work samples and observations of and consultations with the children.

The Australian Curriculum: Science provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of important science concepts and processes. In doing this, they develop critical and creative thinking skills and challenge themselves to identify questions and draw evidence-based conclusions using scientific methods.

Science UnitsTerm 1 – Sounds Sensational – Physical SciencesTerm 2 – Biological SciencesTerm 3 – Changing Materials – Chemical SciencesTerm 4 – Day and Night and Seasons – Earth & Space Sciences

History: The Year One curriculum provides a study of present and past family life within the context of the students’ own world. Students’ learn about similarities and differences in family life by comparing the present with the past. They begin to explore the links and the changes that occur over time.

Geography: Students learn that places can have natural, managed and constructed environmental features. The concept of environment is introduced, as students study the daily and seasonal weather patterns and natural features of their place and of other places. This includes how seasonal change is perceived by different cultures. Students start thinking about the concept of space.

UnitsTerm 1 and 2 – Families (History)Term 3 – Local Area (Geography)Term 4 – Journeys (Geography)

During Investigation Time children:ExploreCommunicate Make meaningful connections to Literacy and Numeracy content taught in classDevelop a positive image of themselves as learnersCooperateDuring investigation time students are linking their Literacy and Numeracy learning to a meaningful context.

Students will have a 40 minute computer skills lesson in the Lab each week. There are also laptops in the classroom for student use.

IPads will also be utilised in the classroom.

Our Year 1 specialist lessons are held every Tuesday…

• Music with Mrs Sweetapple

• Physical Education with Mr Honor

•Swimming lessons – Term 4 once a week

We will attend a library session once per week. It is a requirement that the children return their library bag and book on their library day in order to borrow a new book. If your child wishes to borrow more often, they may do so Monday – Thursday during lunch or before and after school when Mrs Lorraine Knott is available.

1R - Wednesday1E – Wendesday

Term 1 – Informal Interview to discuss how your child is settling -into Year 1 – end of Term 1Term 2 – Report Cards will go home late in Term 2 Term 3 – Parent Teacher Interview Term 4 - Report Cards will go home in the last week of school

You are always welcome to make an appointment to see us at any time regarding your child’s learning and progress.

Thank you for your time this

evening.

We look forward to working with you and your child throughout 2020.

Eliza Rehbein and Regan Russell