Grade 2/3 Newsletter

Term 1, 2018

Haddon Primary School

Address: 398 Sago Hill Road, Haddon Phone:53 424487

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome back all families. We are very excited about the learning opportunities we have planned for the year ahead.

This term we will be focusing on being respectful inside and outside of the classroom. In both 2/3C and 2/3M we will be using mentor authors to help get messages across with picture story books. These books have been carefully selected to align with the values and skills we will be covering. We hope to draw on many themes for discussion.

Encourage your child to plan, think ahead and be independent. We have discussed using our initiatives – thinking for ourselves and completing tasks without being reminded or told. Students can be responsible for returning notes, money, permission forms etc to the classroom teacher who will collect these in the morning when they mark the roll.

Important Dates

Please put these on your calendar or in your diary.

FEBRUARY

28th– Grade 1-6HPS Twilight Sports

MARCH

6th- School Photos

12th- Labour Day Holiday – no school

13th– Pupil Free

29th-Term 1 Finishes (1:30pm dismissal)

APRIL

16th- Term 2 Commences

25th- ANZAC Day Holiday

MAY

4th – Pupil Free

15th-17th – NAPLAN (Grade 3)

30th – 1st(June) - Grade 3/4 Camp (Cave Hill Creek)

Swimming

Our classes have commenced swimming lessons. Students will be learning stroke techniques and survival skills over the term. Please remember that our swimming day is Thursday. Students need to pack a towel, bathers, googles (if required) and thongs. Many students change into thongs prior to leaving Haddon PS because taking school shoes and socks on and off can prove to be an issue, especially if feet are a little wet! Also, please note that lunch orders are not permitted on Thursdays due to students requiring an earlier lunch on the day.

Rules for inside the Main Building

By taking careful consideration of these rules we can maintain a safe environment together.

  • no running;
  • shoes on in Term 1 & 4 unless the weather is poor;
  • clean hands (we encourage everyone to wash their hands to help prevent allergic reactions -especially after eating);
  • netbooks are not to be borrowed by others;
  • no one inside classrooms or corridors before the 8:50am bell. All students should go straight to the back of the school and stay inside the blue fence;
  • we also ask that parents/guardians wait outside the main building to collect their children just because the corridors can become quite congested;
  • no entry at recess and lunch time without gaining permission from yard duty teacher;
  • no animals (unless approved by classroom teacher);
  • drink bottles should be filled with water, no juice or cordial please; and
  • school bags and personal belongings to be kept neatly in bag area and clearly labelled.

Allergies

Please be mindful of our students who haveSEVERE ALLEGIES when packing your child's lunch.

The following is a list of foods to avoid:

  • nuts and products containing traces of nuts for example: Nutella
  • bananas
  • kiwi fruit
  • raw egg

Punctuality

Early arrival -bags should be placed outside your child’s shoe area door (against brick wall, not in the door way) and studentsmust move around the back of the school to the quiet area. This is a whole school rule for all students, as teachers are unable to supervise before this time. Please remind your child to move around to the back of the school to avoid them getting their names entered into the red behaviour book.

At 8:50am, students can enter their classrooms where they will be supervised by their classroom teacher. No students should be loitering in corridors or wandering around the office area.

Late arrival - after the 9 o’clock bell studentsmust obtain a late pass from the office. If your child is absent from school, a signed note is required when they return to school to explain their absence or please see Lisa at the office. If for some reason your child leaves the school grounds for lunch, could you please ensure that they arrive back at school before class commences, 2:25pm at the latest.

If you need to pick up your child at any time during school, all children MUSTbe signed out at the office before leaving.

Education is important, “It’s not ok to be away”, or to be late!!

Please phone student absences in by 9am 5342 4487

Notes

Please be aware that there will be many notes going home with children at the beginning of the year. Please sign these and return to school as soon as possible to help assist with the organisation of excursions and for the update of important information.

In addition, the Student Information sent home needs to be thoroughly read, changes made where necessary and returned to school ASAP. Regardless if changes have been made or not, this note still needs to be signed and returned so that Lisa can keep all records up to date.

Medication Forms- asthma, allergies, anaphylaxis

If your child requires ANY medication (including asthma puffers) a medical form must be filled out at the office as soon as possible. It is vital that all the information is correct and this needs to be up-dated each year.We cannot at any time administer medication to children until these forms have been completed with very detailed steps for what needs to be done. For some children, it can be a matter of life or death and we take this very seriously. Please help us, to help your child, by being proactive and organised with this vital information. Medical forms can be obtained from the office.

Uniforms

It is expected that children come to school in full school uniform at all times (unless stated). If for some reason your child needs to be out of uniform, please send a note along to school.

PE and ART

Students require an art smock or an old shirt (labelled), which will be kept in the classroom for art classes and runners during P.E classes (to be worn on designated P.E days). Please check your child’s timetable to find out when these sessions are (please be patient as timetables are still being finalised).

ICT

ICT plays an important role in our classrooms. It is expected that all children respect the school’s property as well as their own. Throughout the year students will be using netbooks and these can be purchased through the school. Any issues concerning netbooks, please see Dave in his office as soon as the problem occurs.

It is expected that all netbooks are charged each night and are ready for the next school day. As a school policy, students are not permitted to charge their devices at school. We discourage use on the floor and dust can impact the functioning of the system.

Library Borrowing

Students have the opportunity to borrow and return books from the library most mornings from 8:50-9:00am. Please feel free to come in and assist your child in choosing a suitable book.

We have discussed the 5 Finger Test in class and encourage students to use their bookmarks as a reference when selecting books. ‘Just Right’ texts can be read by a student independently, exposing them to a few words that are unknown to them. They provide a little bit of a challenge for the student. They should be a book that the student finds interesting and can be read with a small amount of assistance with the text. Spending time reading just right books during independent reading time will help students become stronger.

2/3M Library Time – 3:00pm Friday

2/3C Library Time – 3:00pm Tuesday

Home Reading

Please ensure that your child develops a routine for regular reading. We also encourage parents to read to their child and discuss text vocabulary and themes. Students are encouraged to take home ‘good fit’ books from the library and their classrooms. Some students may be taking home ‘dot books.’ Ask your child to summarise what they are reading, to define words from the text and to answer questions with evidence obtained from the text to support their responses.

All reading diaries must be signed each night and returned to school every day. These diaries are important as they are a form of communication between home and school.

Dot Book Levelled Reading

To encourage students to experience different authors and series, we have a section of levelled books in the library that are easily identifiable by a coloured dot. The books cater for all reading levels. Teachers will indicate to students the coloured dot books that they are to read. Students will progress to the next dot level as their reading ability develops. Dot books are suitable for home reading. Please be aware that there can be some difference in the degree of difficulty of books within a level. If the dot book seems to be too difficult or too easy, encourage your child to return the book and choose another book from that dot colour level. Students need to choose books carefully, taking into account their purpose for choosing them.

Author of the Term

Both 2/3M and 2/3C have selected the wonderful author, ‘David Walliams’ to share in class. His novels provide many discussion points and we will be completing activities surrounding themes in the text.

Home Time

Please be mindful of student safety and walk into the school grounds when collecting your child from the front of the school. If your pick-up point is near the bus stop, please make sure your child is near you as this will make it easier for teachers to recognise who remains to be collected. Those students without parents should be waiting against the brick wall and not playing on the raised grass area or near cars.

SchoolTimetable

Lost Property

Please ensure that all items are clearly named; especially hats and jumpers which are easily lost. If your child does lose anything please get them to check the lost property bin first, which is located in the main building outside Ms. Carrigan’s officebefore asking the teacher. Also please get your child to check that they have brought home their own jumper, as sometimes students mistakenly pick up the wrong jumper.

Sun Smart Policy

During Term 1 and Term 4 every child is required to wear a broad brimmed school hat when outside. Children will need to wear a hat every day during this term for all playtimes and sports sessions. Please ensure that your child’s name is written clearly inside his/her hat. If your child has no hat they must sit in the shade of our quiet area. There is always sunscreen available for children to use.

Twilight Athletic Sports

Our School Athletic Sports will be held on the school oval, Thursday 28th February, 2:30pm-7pm. Students are reminded to wear their house colours and hats on the day. All family and friends are invited to come along and show their support. Please read the newsletter to find out more information closer to the date. If you can offer help in any way please see Mrs Beseler as we need lots of volunteers on the day and leading up to it.

In the meantime, raid your cupboards for house coloured t-shirts and shorts.

Excursions/Camps

Grade 3/4 students are heading to Cave Hill Creek on the 30th of May. They will be returning to school on the 1st of June.

Our major excursion is a trip to Melbourne and our minor excursions include Sovereign Hill. Please keep an eye out for more information.

Homework

Homework is set in accordance with the school’s homework policy guidelines. It should take no longer than 30 minutes. Students in Grade 2 and 3 are expected to:

  • Read every night and return reader and reader diary to school each day
  • Become familiar with high frequency words (in reader bag)
  • Practice number facts to the point of automatic response- ie instant answer with no finger counting. By the end Grade 3 students should understand 2x 3x 5x and 10x tables.
  • MathMates Homework is due on Fridays (Grade 3’s only).
  • Any other task when given, which will be related to current classroom work or individual needs of your child.
  • Discuss with your child what they have learnt at school that day or review Seesaw together.

What You Can Do at Home - Maths

Promote a positive attitude towards maths – maths is fun and I can do it, we learn from our mistakes etc.

Model solving everyday problems by thinking aloud and sharing your thoughts with your child. Demonstrate your short cuts and strategies with mental maths.

Discuss the importance of Maths. To be numerate is as important in our daily lives as it is to be literate.

Engage with money – adding, giving change and discussing different currencies.

Read both analogue and digital clocks – discuss 5 minute intervals, quarter to and past times and talk about the duration of activities.

Explore measuring length, mass, volume and temperature.

Discuss mapping skills and direction (Never Eat Soggy Weatbix).

This term, we will place a big emphasis on Place Value. We will focus on reading and writing numbers, ordering numbers, breaking up numbers, manipulating numbers (adding/taking away10, 100 or 1000). Many opportunities exist in everyday life for parents to reinforce what is being taught.

Subject: Sign up for Seesaw to receive important updates from your child’s class.

This year we are using Seesaw to share and communicate with families! Your child will post to Seesaw to share their learning. Teachers will also use Seesaw to send you messages and reminders. Seesaw is private; you'll only see posts created by your child.

Please Sign Up Now

  1. Click on this link: (2/3M) (2/3C)
  2. Choose your child from the list
  3. Create your account
  4. Once we approve you, you can see content from your child

After you sign up, download the free Seesaw Family app and sign in. You can also access Seesaw from a computer at

If you used Seesaw last year or have more than one child using Seesaw, follow the link above, then click the 'Sign in' tab at the top of the screen. You do not need to create a new account.

Thank you for supporting your child's learning!

Final Note

Please make an appointment with the classroom teacher if your child is having problems and you are unable to help your child resolve these issues.