Life in Year 1
The Year 1 children have hit the ground running, beginning this term eager to learn and investigate new topics and gain new knowledge and understanding. The excitement of the new outdoor learning space has resulted in the Year 1 children digging, building and creating. We are using this learning space during class time as an extension of our classroom because we love learning outdoors! This week we were practising our reading fluency in nature. 

Family Focus Week
In Year 1 we value working collaboratively with our parent community. Building relationships with our families is something we value very highly at St Mary’s. In Kindergarten and Year 1 each week we welcome our families into our learning space to share their hobbies, interests and passions. During term 2 we welcomed many of our families into the classroom. This is a very beneficial learning experience for our students as they learn from their peers and their families. We look forward to welcoming more families into Year 1 this term as part of our Family Focus Week initiative. 

Religion
This term in Religion we are learning about Prayer. We have been sharing our thoughts on the reasons why we pray. The students have been learning about different ways we can talk to God. We have discussed places we can pray; school, the Church, our homes and special places in nature. 

I pray to ask God for his help. Phoebe.

I pray to thank God for all the wonderful things in my life. Harper. 

I talk to God when I am sad or worried about things. Zayne. 

I pray to Jesus to thank him for my friends and family. Olivia. 

English
English lessons in Year 1 are fast paced and engaging, as we begin each day with Spelling Mastery before jumping into our InitiaLit lesson. We engage in a series of writing, reading fluency, vocabulary and sentence level writing tasks throughout the week. The students are making outstanding growth in their reading and writing skills demonstrating a love of literature. We have just begun reading our first class novel, The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. The children are highly engaged during shared reading time as we unpack new vocabulary, discuss character traits and describe the settings using adjectives and adverbs.  

Maths
This week the students have begun our school maths program, Connecting Maths Concepts. This is a whole school initiative that involves the children working within their zone of proximal development. The children are highly engaged, working through a series of number tasks that are taught using direct instruction. As a school community we look forward to sharing the successes of this program in the coming months. 

Science
During our science unit this term we are learning about space. The students are very excited about this topic as we will be learning about planets, stars, the International Space Station and satellites. This week we heard from astronauts about what daily life is like in space. The children were wondering about how they brush their teeth, what they eat and how they exercise without gravity. Our science investigation zone in our classroom is a place of interest this term as the students are researching facts about our universe. 

NAIDOC
Next week the St Mary’s community will celebrate NAIDOC week. The 2023 national theme is For the Elders.  In preparation for our learning next week the Year 1 students are creating a contemporary collaborative artwork which comprises traditional Aboriginal symbols. Once complete this artwork will be on display in the office for the school community to enjoy. At our Cultural Zone in the classroom the students are enjoying creating pictures and story maps with Aboriginal symbols. 

The Year 1 children have had an outstanding start to term 3 and I look forward to working with them and their families in the second half of the school year. 

Mrs Jessie White
1 Blue Teacher