Personal Items

Hi Parents,

Just a quick post regarding a couple of issues.

1. Pokemon cards
There appears to be a love of pokemon cards in Year 3, which is fantastic! However, we have had a few issues this year. I have instructed the children that if they have one more issue, they will banned from school. One of the main problems myself and other teachers have noticed, is the using of the cards whilst the children are eating their food. I have told them that they are only allowed to use the cards once they have been excused from the eating area. Could you please have a chat with your child about the boundaries that have been set. I would also encourage the children to leave any cards, that are of greater value, at home.

2. Homework Folders
There are still some children that don't have a homework folder. It makes life a lot easier if the children have a folder that travels to and from school each day. In this folder, you would be able to find their diary, reader, mental maths and spelling journal / LSCWC pad.

That is all for now, enjoy the rest of the week.

Mr Jones

Term 1 - Week 5

Hi parents,

Well, I have officially moved all my belongings to Dunsborough after I decided to pick a 40 degree Saturday to venture up to Perth and pick up the rest of my things. Luckily, I took an oxygen tank with me due to the lack of it up there and I managed to make it home in one piece. Can't see myself going back up there any time soon!  

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.” – Wayne Dyer

CLASS READERS

The stickers I mentioned last week have been made and you will notice these in your child's diary. They are a way to track where all the readers are going. Mrs Jasper and myself will change their readers on a Monday so there is no need for you to change them during the week. 

Repetition is a great way for children to become more efficient readers, however, if you feel your child has mastered the text they were given, you can have them read their library book for the remainder of the week.

Can I ask that you monitor your child's reading and consider reviewing a different reading strategy each night after they read. We have learnt about 3 strategies (review previous posts) so they should keep you busy during the week.

BOARD GAMES

Thank you to all the families who have donated some games during the week. The kids had fun playing with them on Friday afternoon.

PARENT HELPER ROSTER

A parent roster will be up in the classroom, if you would like to donate your time. I have limited it to a maximum of 2 parents for any one session. One session (09:30am - 10:00am) will be to help with our reading groups and the second session (10:15am - 11:00am) will be to help out with our writing. Every now and again I may require some help during our other learning areas, but I will let you know in our weekly blog posts. Thank you to those of you who have already expressed their interest.

HOME LEARNING WEEK 5

The following tasks should be completed each night:

1.    Reading (readers) - 10mins

2.     UNIT 5: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4 of mental maths. (Day 5 will be completed on Friday during class) please note that your child may complete more than 1 day on any night, however, it is necessary that you mark their work with them once completed.
3. Times Tables: (x 3)

The following tasks are only required to be completed once:

1.    Physical activity (includes team or club sport, dancing etc) - 15mins

2.    Teach your parents something you were taught at school.

3.    Draw or paint a picture.

4.    Housework - You decide.

When a task has been completed, your child is required to tick it off in the diary.

COMPREHENSION STRATEGY FOCUS

The strategy mentioned below was the focus for last week.

Making Connections: When readers connect the text to something they know or have experienced, they understand it better. For example, by making text-to-self connections, a reader might be able to understand how a character feels and the motivation behind their actions.

Below are some examples of think alouds that can be used to model or to prompt making connections.
Text-To-Self:

1. This reminds me of a time when I...
2. This is similar to my life because...
3. This is different to my life because...
4. The same thing happened to me when...
5. I know about this topic because I...

Text-To-Text:

1. This reminds me of a book I read...
2. This is similar to [book title, TV program, movie, etc.] because...
3. This is different to [book title, TV program, movie, etc.] because...

NUMERACY FOCUS

This week we will be learning about time.

Enjoy the week,

Mr. Jones

Term 1 - Week 4

Hi parents,

What a great weekend! Fantastic conditions to get out of the house and amongst nature. I look forward to all the children's stories on Monday morning. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." Mother Teresa

HOME LEARNING CLARIFICATION

Thank you to all of you that monitored your child's home learning last week. Just a quick reminder that each task should be written and ticked on the day it has been completed. You can sign your name at the end of each day or just once at the end of the week.

CLASS READERS

The class readers are boxed and ready for your child's home reading. Every Monday, Mrs Jasper or myself will change your child's reader so there is no need for you to do this. I am currently having some stickers made up, which will go into their diary on a Monday. The stickers are a way to track where all the readers are going and they will have a space for Mrs Jasper or myself to write what they are returning and what they are taking. 

BOARD GAMES

Another quick reminder that if you have any suitable games that are gathering dust at home, Year 3 would love to borrow them for the year. If you do have any, just bring them into class during gathering time.

PARENT HELPER ROSTER

A parent roster will be coming soon and will begin in Week 5. If you are interested in donating your time for an hour in the morning (maybe the odd afternoon), let me know what days you are available.

HOME LEARNING WEEK 4

The following tasks should be completed each night:

1.    Reading (readers) - 10mins

2.    Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4 of mental maths. (Day 5 will be completed on Friday during class) please note that your child may complete more than 1 day on any night, however, it is necessary that you mark their work with them once completed.

The following tasks are only required to be completed once:

1.    Physical activity (includes team or club sport, dancing etc) - 15mins

2.    Teach your parents something you were taught at school.

3.    Play a game with an adult.

4.    Housework - Help mum or dad prepare a family meal.

When a task has been completed, your child is required to tick it off in the diary.

COMPREHENSION STRATEGY FOCUS

The strategy mentioned below was the focus for last week.

Visualising: Visualising (or painting a picture) is one of the easiest strategies to teach, as children are usually doing it already as they read. It is important to help students understand that we all have our own unique way of seeing and there is no right or wrong way. Visualising can be a very sensory experience. Some questions you could ask your child during or after reading are: 

1.    When you read those words, what can you see in your mind?

2.    What can you imagine?

3.    What can you feel?

4.  What can you hear?

1. 
   

NUMERACY FOCUS

This week we will be learning some mental addition strategies and investigating length and area.

Enjoy the week,

Mr. Jones

PLD

Hi Parents,

On Monday, we will begin the PLD Spelling program. The program will run on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (09:05am - 09:25am) of each week. After our initial testing, we have found some gaps in the children's phonological awareness. This means, that your child may appear to be in a lower group for Term 1. However, it is necessary for your child to review those sounds for them to progress further throughout the year.

I appreciate your understanding and if you have any concerns, feel free to come and see me. I will explain this to the children today, ready for a Monday start.

Have a great weekend and keep an eye out for the Week 4 Post.

Mr. Jones

Term1 - Week 3

Hi parents,

I hope you had a great weekend, despite the unusual weather. I managed to get a few waves in, so I am happy and ready for a week in the classroom and the pool. Below, you will find some useful information to help make the week as smooth as possible.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.” – Wayne Dyer

HOME LEARNING CLARIFICATION
As discussed at the parent information night, your child's home learning will take place over a four-day/night period beginning the Monday of each week. Their diary (with your signature acknowledging that it has been completed) will be cited on a Friday. If any of the home learning tasks have not been completed, the class 'Golden Time' on a Friday afternoon will be made available for them to finish it off.
The home learning tasks are designed to not only consolidate the academic skills taught within the classroom setting but also encourage the development of life skills through positive family interactions.

HOME LEARNING WEEK 3
The following tasks should be completed each night:

1. Reading (until readers are ready next week, library books will suffice) - 10mins
2. UNIT 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4 of mental maths. (Day 5 will be completed on Friday during class) please note that your child may complete more than 1 day on any night, however, it is necessary that you mark their work with them once completed.

The following tasks are only required to be completed once:

1. Physical activity (includes team or club sport, dancing etc) - 15mins
2. Teach your parents something you were taught at school.
3. Be read to by another member of the family.
4. Housework - Clean up an area of the house i.e. bedroom, play room etc.

When a task has been completed, your child is required to tick it off in the diary.

COMPREHENSION STRATEGY FOCUS

Each week, I will introduce a comprehension strategy for you to discuss with your child after they have read a text. The strategy mentioned below was the focus for last week, so this shouldn't be a new concept for your child.

Summarising: Summarising is when readers determine the important ideas in a text and tell it in their own words. For a narrative text, this strategy focuses on summarising story elements (i.e. beginning, middle and end).  Some questions you could ask your child are:

1. Who are the characters of the story?
2. Where is the story set?
3. What problem did the characters have to solve?
4. How did the characters solve the problem?

NUMERACY FOCUS

This week we will be learning about odd and even numbers.

SWIMMING REMINDER

Swimming will continue this week. Can I please ask that your child has all necessary items in a bag ready for their swimming lesson. The bag should contain a towel, goggles, bathers (can be worn under uniform), jumper (if cold) and a pair of thongs. The less items your child takes to swimming, the less chance they have of losing something and the quicker we get on and off the bus. Thank you for your help on this matter.

If you are still reading this post, that is all for now!

Enjoy the week,

Mr. Jones

Online Learning

Dear Parents,

Thank you to those of you that have introduced yourselves and welcomed me to the school. I feel I have the children's names all sorted, so I will now endeavour to learn all your names, however, please be patient because I find this a much more difficult task.

Just a quick post to let you know that your child will be receiving some handouts this afternoon regarding the online learning for Year 3. Please have a quick read to familiarise yourself with the different websites, which are designed to support and consolidate the learning that occurs in the classroom.

I will talk in a little more detail at the parent information evening next Tuesday at 5:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Mr Jones