Term 3 - Week 1 Happenings

Monday
First Day Back

Tuesday
8:55 Assembly and Coffee Cart

Wednesday
9:15 Scienceworks Excursion

Thank You!

The Prep team would like to thank all the parents and grandparents who have helped out in our Neighbourhood this term. PMP would not have been the success it was without all the parent involvement. The program has now finished, but will pick up again in term 4. We will continue to require helpers during Learning Agreement in the mornings.  

Action Required: Intensive Swimming Program

This program will commence on Monday 19^th August and will be on Mon/Wed/Fri each week until the last session on Fri 30^th August (6 sessions total).  As costs cannot be established until ALL Expression of Interest forms are returned, the deadline has been extended to Tuesday 16^th July for the paperwork to be returned. If you have not returned your form by that date, we will assume your child will NOT BE participating.  Unfortunately,  no late bookings will be accepted.

 

Geoff Ratcliffe

Phys Ed

Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews – Thursday 27th June, 2013

Please ensure that you have registered for the Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews this Thursday.

The icon for this system is on the right hand side of the home page on our website (link on the side of the blog). We encourage that you bring your child to the interview so we can all celebrate their learning together. If you are unable to make the interviews please make speak with your child's homegroup teacher to make an alternate time.  

 

Week 11 Happenings

Reports go home this week

Tuesday
8:55 Assembly and Coffee Cart (open assembly)

Wednesday
Library
1:15 Footsteps dancing

Thursday
11:30 - 7 Parent/Teacher/Student interviews: Celebration of the learning this semester
Student Free Day

Friday
Final day of term 2 - finish @ 2:30.

High Frequency Words

More words have been added to the High Frequency Word tab, please take a look.

Making 10

This week the children have been exploring what combinations make 10 (compatible numbers). Today some children made 10 using materials found around the room and photographed the combination using the app Skitch. Here are some examples of what the children did.

Action Required: Intensive swimming

This week a notice is going home about the Prep Intensive Swimming program that will be held in August. This note is asking if your child will be/will not be attending so Geoff can get numbers and organise groups. At present no money is required. Can you please circle the appropriate statement and return by Week 11. Thank you.

Learning Agreement: Balancing Constructions

Today boys and girls from across the Neighbourhood were taking part in construction during Learning Agreement. Many of these constructions were cleverly balanced, so conversations were initiated by Jessica about the balance of the constructions.
Many of the children used trial and error to see what would balance and what would not. Other children seemed to understand that the base had to be solid and making the constructions symmetrical was helpful.

Miro: I used all the same blocks. The base helps to stable it.

Zachary and Ames: The big blocks help everything to stand up. It is all connected.

Many of the constructions that were made in the large block area fell down.
Jessica: Why do you think your constructions have fallen down?
We had it for a while
It may have been unstable
People walk too close, there are lots of constructions

The girls in the block area have started to build a big pool construction. When asked why the girls made the following statements
We want to make something big, instead of lots of little things.
It will be more stable.

New Page: High Frequency Words

Above you will find a new tab for High Frequency Words.  The golden and red words can currently be found under this tab with more words to come. 

Going on a Word Hunt!

Today the Neighbourhood read The CAT in the HAT. As Jessica read the book the children listened for rhyming words. After reading the book the children in small groups complied lists of 'ot' words. Words ending in the rime 'ot' e.g. hot, not, shot. We have complied a list but we need to find more words. The children have been asked to search for 'ot' words when reading at night with their parents. If the children find any 'ot' words we ask that they write them down and bring them in to school to share with the Neighbourhood.  

Week 10 Happenings

Tuesday
9:00 Assembly and Coffee Cart

Wednesday
12:10 Library
1:15 Footsteps dancing
2:30 Final PMP for the term

Friday
2:30 Singing with Nicola

Reading Comprehension: Headlines Routine

On Tuesday Sia read the story ‘The funny old man and the funny old woman’ by Martha Barber and illustrated by Gillian Campbell. 

The children were asked to capture the essence of the book in a headline. The Neighbourhood first discussed, 'What is a headline?'

Children worked in pairs to write a headline. The children wrote some amazing headlines. This thinking routine involves some high level thinking and all the teachers were amazed with what the children wrote. Below are just a few examples of what the children came up with, if you would like to read them all please come and take a look. The display is near the Junior School Library.  

This routine helps children capture the core or heart of the matter being studied or discussed. It also can involve them in summing things up and coming to some tentative conclusions.’ - Visible Thinking @Harvard Project Zero

Garden Videos

Today Alexandra showed the Garden Club some fun and interesting videos. The links to these videos have been added below for everyones viewing pleasure.

Parts of a Plant

Mung Bean seeds sprouting

The Needs of a Plant - song

Blame it on the Boogy!

 

 

Today the Prep neighbourhood learnt a new dance called "Witchdoctor".

Link to the song "Witchdoctor":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYgOlqinH7A

Video of the Prep children in action:

The Preps have been learning a dance to "Blame it on the Boogy". They are getting very good at remembering the dance moves. Perhaps they could show you their moves tonight!

Link to "Blame it on the Boogy":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0EI1rVs2Lc

Great work Preps!

Action Required: Scienceworks Excursion

Today the children received a blue permission form for our excursion to Scienceworks in term 3. Please sign and return the form as soon as possible. If you have paid the excursion levy no money is required. Parent helper sign up sheets will be placed in front of each homeroom so if you would like to join us on the excursion please add your name to the list. If you require more information about the excursion please speak with a member of the Prep team. 

The Garden Club

On Wednesday Alexandra and Kate took The Garden Club around the school on a leaf hunt. The children collected a variety of leaves and discussed their features, created patterns and drew what they saw.

Week 9 Happenings

Monday
Queen's Birthday Holiday

Tuesday
Assembly and coffee cart (3/4 Neighbourhood hosting)

Wednesday
12:10 Library
1:15 Footsteps dancing
2:30 PMP (parent helpers needed)

Friday
2:30 Singing with Nicola

Ah, choo! We need more tissues.

As the cold and flu season is upon us the Prep Neighbourhood have been using lots of tissues. We therefore need more boxes of tissues. If you haven't brought tissues in this year could you please bring a box in for the Neighbourhood. Thank you.

Learning about Fossils

On Wednesday Oliver B's mum Belinda visited the Prep Neighbourhood and spoke to some of the children about fossils. The children worked with clay and made their own dinosaur fossils which they placed around the volcanoes that have been developed in the Science and Maths Room during learning agreement.

Science Workshop - Bubbles

Today some of the children in the Prep neighbourhood participated in a workshop about bubbles. We brainstormed what they know about bubbles. They learnt the science behind why a bubble is occurs. The children created their own bubble wands and made their own bubble solutions. The children hypothesised how a good formula would be made and then tested it out.

The Preps discussed what they know about bubbles.

• You can eat them (bath bubbles).
• You can blow them.
• They are a circle and clear colour.
• You dont have to blow into them the wand to make bubbles, you can move your arm and the air gets trapped and still makes a bubble.
• Air is trapped in the water and the sea because the fish blow the air out.
• We find bubbles in the sink when we wash our hands.
• There are bubbles trapped inside fizzy drinks.
• We can easily pop bubbles with our finger.

How are soap bubbles made?

 

Bubbles are pockets of soap and water that are filled with air.

When soap and water are mixed together and air is blown into it, the soap and water forms a thin skin or a wall that traps the air creating a bubble.

 

Here are links with bubble experiments that you might like to try at home.

http://chemistry.about.com/od/bubbles/Bubbles.htm

http://www.superchargedscience.com/documents/Bubbles.pdf

Thinking Routine: Connect, Extend, Challenge

This week Sia introduced the Prep Neighbourhood to the Visible Thinking Routine, Connect, Extend, Challenge. Sia read the big book Caterpillars by Robin Green to the Neighbourhood and after reading the book everyone discussed, what they knew (Connect), what they didn't know (Extend) and what was really hard to understand (Challenge). Below is what was recorded from the rich discussion.

You could try this thinking routine at home after a shared reading experience. Please click on the link below if you would like to read more about the Connect, Extend, Challenge.
http://www.old-pz.gse.harvard.edu/vt/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03d_UnderstandingRoutines/ConnectExtendChallenge/ConnectExtend_Routine.html