Week 7 has been another fun week in Kindy. We celebrated Harmony Day with a parade and activities with our Buddy Class. This year our buddy class is Mrs Laycock's Year 2/3 class. It was lovely to see the older students talking with and helping our Kindy children with the different activities. We will continue to meet with this class for different occasions over the year. This is a great school initiative that supports students' sense of belonging at Wattle Grove Primary.
Literacy
This week we are learning a new sound......Mm as in Mum, monkey and Mickey Mouse!
The process of finding an item at home tunes the child in to the beginning sound of the word. Ask your child "Can you see anything in your bedroom/playroom/living room that starts with Mm?" When your child locates an item, ask them, does ..(the item)...start with Mm?" Pause for a moment and then repeat the word before telling them yes or no. Another idea is to give your child the choice of two items. Ask your child "Does money-box start with Mm or does car start with Mm?". Stretch the sound mmmmmmmoney-box or car to help them tune their ears into the sound.
We will continue to review the sounds already covered - Ss, Aa and Tt - at school so please continue to revise these with your child's brain cards at home.
Numeracy
This week we are reviewing numbers 1, 2, 3, 4. Students are learning to recognise the numerals for these numbers and also the other ways we can show numbers e.g. dice dot patterns, tally marks, fingers and objects e.g. counters.
We are working on developing students skills in one-to-one correspondence. This is more complex skill than rote counting (counting aloud). One-to-one correspondence is an early maths skill that involves children counting each object in a set once, and only once, with one touch per object. For example, counting the number of marbles in a bag. Students need lots of practise to develop this skill, but it is an easy one to practise at home in the course of your normal daily activities. For example, asking your child "How many apples do we have left in the fruit bowl?". Encourage your child to touch each item once as they count them, ensuring they say one number for each apple they touch. Putting the items in a row makes this counting easier. At school we say "The last number counted tells us how many", so ask your child after they have finished how many apples there were. Another way to practise one-to-one correspondence is by asking your child to count and place a number of objects. For example "Can you put 4 strawberries in your breakfast bowl" or "can you put 3 cans of corn in the shopping trolley". Support your child to touch and count each item once as they go. Talking aloud to your child while you do things e.g. "I'm putting in 2 cups of flour....1....2....." is another good way of exposing your child to this concept.
Gratefulness Show and Tell
Thank you to families for supporting this learning activity. We are putting together a class book to share the things we are grateful of. If the book is not on display outside, the book will be in our book corner.
Parent Interviews
End of term parent interviews will be conducted on the afternoon of Monday 8 April. All parents will all be given a 10 minute appointment to meet with the classroom teacher. This is an opportunity for the teacher to provide feedback on your child's learning and progress at school and for you to ask any questions you may have. Please arrive on time to the meetings, we will do our best to remain on schedule. If you are unable to make this meeting time or would like to discuss your child's learning in more detail, please see me in advance to arrange an alternate meeting time.
