Aquarium Excursion

We are very excited to be heading off on our upcoming Aquarium Excursion!

Please read the following information carefully to help ensure your child is prepared for a fun and enjoyable day.

Excursion Details

Date: Thursday 10th September
Arrival at School: 8:30am
Expected Return: Before 3:15pm

Students will need to arrive at school by 8:30am and head straight to the classroom so we can get organised and ready to depart on time.

What does my child need to bring?

Please ensure your child brings:

A small backpack
Lunch
Snack
A drink bottle
A hat
Full school uniform
Comfortable walking shoes

Where possible, please pack lunch and snacks in disposable packaging, such as snap lock bags or small plastic bags. This will make it easier for students to manage their rubbish throughout the day. Reusable drink bottles are absolutely fine.

A few reminders

Please make sure your child has their school hat and is wearing comfortable shoes, as there will be a fair amount of walking throughout the day.

The park lunch will be weather permitting, so please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.

We are looking forward to a wonderful day of learning, exploring and discovering the amazing world beneath the water!

Thank you for your support in helping us make the day a success!

School Swimming

Our swimming program begins on Monday 24th of August and will run every day for 2 weeks, finishing Friday the 4th of September.

Please see the flyer for more information!

Contact your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions.

Punctuality and Attendance

We have noticed an increase in the number of Grade 1 students arriving late to school.

A friendly reminder that our school day begins promptly at 8:45 am, and learning starts as soon as students enter the classroom.

Our morning routine includes changing readers, a rundown of the day and beginning our daily phonics block.

Arriving on time helps children feel calm, organised and ready to learn, while also allowing the class to start together without interruptions.

School gates open from 8:30 am, giving students plenty of time to arrive and get ready for line up.

Term 3

Important Dates & Specialist Timetable

Other key dates

Annual Book Week Dress-Up Parade and Celebration Day - Wednesday 14 October.

On the afternoon of Wednesday 14 October, we will be inviting Grandparents and Special People to join us as part of our MPS Book Celebration Day. With Australia's National Grandparents Day being celebrated on Sunday 25 October, this will be a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the important role grandparents and other special people play in our children's lives.

Meet the Teachers

1A - Miss Birkett

Hello everyone!

I’m so excited to be teaching Grade 1 for another year. I absolutely adore teaching in the junior years and can’t wait for the year ahead.

As a Grade 1 teacher, there’s so much to look forward to! It’s a year full of growth, curiosity, and discovery. It’s going to be an exciting year full of new learnings and fun adventures. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the progress we’ll make together as we learn and grow.

Here's to an amazing year ahead!

email: matilda.birkett@education.vic.gov.au

1B - Miss McFarland

Hi All!

I am so excited to be teaching Year 1 this year. After spending many years as the art teacher, I am thrilled to be returning to a classroom and building strong connections with my own class.

Year 1 is such a special year of learning, and I love being able to support students as they grow academically, emotionally and socially. It is incredibly rewarding to see their confidence develop, their skills strengthen, and their love of learning flourish.

I am really looking forward to a positive, fun and successful year together!

email:

shea.mcfarland@education.vic.gov.au

1C-Miss Stremski

Hi there!

I’m looking forward to teaching Grade 1 at Mitcham Primary School this year!

Grade 1 is such an exciting adventure filled with new experiences. I can’t wait to support each student as they gain confidence in their learning and reach their goals.

I’m excited to work alongside students and families to build a positive and welcoming classroom community.

Let’s make this a fantastic year together!

Email: Leah.Stremski@education.vic.gov.au

1B - Erena Cain (Friday's)

Hi Everyone!

After teaching the prep STEM program over the past few years I am excited to be returing to a classroom teaching role in Grade 1.

I am looking forward to following the learning journey for those students I taught last year, as well as getting to know those who are new to MPS.

Grade 1 is such a fabulous year, full of growth and learning discoveries. I can't wait to take this journey together!

Email: erena.cain@education.vic.gov.au

Keep an eye out!

Your child might bring home a class mascot or be selected for 'Star Student of the week!'

Class Mascot: Please enjoy some time with the class mascot and help your child let us know what you got up to! Photos are an added delight. Have your child bring the mascot back a week after receiving it.

Star Student: In lieu of show and tell, students will be selected to be student of the week. These students can bring three items to share on Monday and they will stay at school the whole week until Friday.

Take Home Readers

In Grade 1, readers will begin coming home from around Week 4 of Term 1. Below is a schedule that shows when your child will change their readers.

Monday- Students choose a book to take home to read.

Tuesday- Students read the same book, this time focusing on reading with confidence and fluency.

Wednesday-Students return their book and get a new one to take home and read.

Thursday-Students read the same book, this time focussing on reading with confidence and fluency.

Friday-Students return their book and choose a new one to read for 2 days over the weekend and bring it back to school on a Monday.

The idea is that all students read the same book for 2 days. However, if your child has brought home a longer book and needs to keep it for some extra time that is completely fine, they can swap it over when they are ready.

In the back of some books there are comprehension questions you can ask your child that will help develop their understanding of the text along with some tricky vocabulary words (you may like to discuss the definition of these words). Reading with expression, pausing at full stops and commas and learning new vocabulary words all contribute to being a successful reader. Please record your child’s reading in the yellow diary and keep the diary and take-home book in the clear plastic folder. This is also where you will find hard copies of notices and forms that will be sent home.

We understand it might be hard to remember to bring their reader and reading log to school every second day, so it could be a good idea to always keep it in your child’s bag!

Please continue to read other books too and with your child for enjoyment. These can be library books, fiction and non-fiction books and books of interest.

Questions to support your child reading

Before Reading

-What clues does the title give you?

-What do you think might happen in this story?

-Can you see any letters you know?

-Can you see any words you know?

-What predictions can you make?

-Do you think you will be interested in this story? Why? Why not?

-What do you already know about this topic?

-Looking at the front cover, what do you think this book might be about?

During Reading

-Who is your favourite character? Why?

-Can you tell me the main ideas so far?

-What information have you learnt so far?

-What do you think might happen next?

-What would you do next if you were the character?

-Has the setting changed? How?

-Is there a problem in the story?

-How is the character feeling? Why?

-What just happened?

After Reading

-How did this book make you feel?

-What was your favorite part of the book?

-Was there a new word you didn’t understand?

-Who is the most important character in the story?

-What was your favorite page/picture? Why?

-What connections did you make with the story?

-Has something similar happened to you?

-What other title could this book have?