Thursday 7 th February 2013
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the new school year. This year our whole school theme is ‘Love with your head, heart and hands.’
As explained in the school newsletter, the children will be encouraged to work hard and to help those around them.
We hope you find the following information valuable which will be expanded on at the Prep Information Night on Wednesday 20 th February at 5:45pm in the Prep neighbourhood (classrooms). This is followed by Chris
Daicos speaking about “Building Success” in the Multipurpose Room.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION & INQUIRY STUDIES
Our topic this term is ‘All About Me’. The children will learn about themselves, their families, getting along, school rules and growth and change. The children will explore the following understandings:
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Lent and Holy Week are special times in the Church year that have rituals and customs.
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Jesus teaches people about God’s love, how to be kind and loving towards others and how to live out his message of love in family and community.
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Families share meals together.
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When people pray they talk to and listen to God.
We will be attending Liturgies throughout the year, please check the newsletter for dates, you are very welcome to attend. Our first liturgy is with their buddies at 10:30am mass Sunday 3 rd March. It is an expectation that all children attend as it is an integral part of the Religious Education program as well as your child’s faith development.
BOOK POUCH
If your child does not have the school Book Pouch, please see Dian at the office. The Book Pouch is our daily correspondence between school and home. Children are required to bring it to school each day. It will contain their Reading Folder, class work and any notes, ie school newsletter, notes from home to teacher, etc. The
Book Pouch needs to be checked each night and returned to the child’s bag ready for the next day.
LITERACY
At the moment we are beginning to introduce a letter a week. On Monday, your child brought home their
Alphabet Book. Please help them by following the directions in the front of the book. This consolidates their learning from class. Throughout the year we will be focussing on one letter per week, so please continue with this meaningful homework task.
At this early stage we are encouraging the children to use correct pencil grip, it would be helpful if you helped reinforce this at home.
HOME READING
The children will bring their reading folder home from next Monday. As well as the alphabet book we are also focussing on teaching the children high frequency words in context. You can assist your child learning these words by practicing them every night, practicing writing them and typing them on the computer, finding them in books, making them into cards to play games like Snap and Memory.
The children must read at home at least five nights a week. Please remember to record reading activities
(words and/or take home book) in the yellow reading diary as this is a record of daily reading. Take home reading books will go home at the beginning of March, following the Literacy Interviews.

PARENT HELPERS
We really value your help in our Literacy program. It is particularly beneficial during Reading time. If you have completed the Parent Helper ’s Course and have a Working with Children Card we would love you to come and help in your child’s class. There will be a roster on the notice board of your child’s classroom where you can commit to a timeslot to help. This roster will be up at the conclusion of the Parent Helper ’s Course. The dates for the Parents Helpers Course are Tues 26 th Feb 9:00am-10:00am or Wed 6 th March 2:00pm-3:00pm see
Dian in the Office.
NUMERACY
This term we are focussing on counting forwards and backwards from 1 to 20 and beyond and exploring patterns in numbers. We will be exploring two dimensional shapes and the language of location. We will learn about time, days of the week.
YOU CAN DO IT
You Can Do It is a social and emotional learning program that is used throughout the school. This program teaches the children life skills to help them get along at school. This term our You Can Do It focus is on
Getting Along .
Children learn about Getting Along through the character Gabby Get Along who likes to get along with other people. She works and plays nicely with other children. She takes turns and shares with them. If she disagrees with someone, or if someone is mean to her, she will try to fix the problem by talking not fighting.
She follows the rules and helps make our school cleaner and safer.
SPECIALIST CLASSES
Our specialist timetable operates on a fortnightly basis. All children will need to wear their Sport Uniform on
Mondays and Thursdays . If the children do not have PE (Physical Education) that day, they will do Sport with their own class.
Monday – PE and Performing Arts (even weeks) – wear Sport Uniform
Tuesday – Japanese and Art (each week)
Thursday – PE and Library (odd weeks) – wear Sport Uniform
If your child has not yet brought their named art smock and/or named Library Bag to school, please do so as they are required for Art and Library.
ASSEMBLY
Every Friday at 2:30pm the classes attend School Assembly. Every second week one class performs an item at this Assembly. You are more than welcome to attend these Class Assemblies. You will be informed when it is your child’s Class Assembly. Alternate weeks the Assembly is about school housekeeping issues, parents do not attend these assemblies.
FOOD
No nuts are to be brought into the classroom at any time or products containing nuts (eg peanut butter, nutella).
PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL FRUIT IS CUT UP if you want your child to eat it. Water is the preferred drink during school time. Stella Maris has a NUDE FOOD policy which requires that no wrappers i.e. glad wrap, paper, foil, packets, cartons etc. are brought to school in their lunch boxes.
CAKE RAFFLE
At each Assembly there is a Cake Raffle (and mystery prize). Tickets can be purchased from your classroom teacher on Fridays for 20 cents each or 3 from 50 cents.
We are looking forward to meeting you at the Meet & Greet next Wednesday 13 th February in the classrooms,
Terry Hobley and Katrina Graham.