Kindergarten

Bible

Term One: Genesis 1-3 Creation, Adam and Eve; The Gospel of Luke- Luke is a Doctor who carefully investigated the news about Jesus, so that we can know the truth that Jesus is God’s Saviour and King

Term Two: Genesis 4-50 Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph

Term Three: The Gospel of Mark - Jesus is the promised King who will die for our sins

Term Four: The Gospel of Matthew - Jesus is the Messiah, God’s saving king who will die for our sins

English

InitiaLit Foundation will be taught in Kindergarten classes. InitiaLit Foundation offers an explicit and effective model for teaching reading and related skills to children in their first year of school in a fun and engaging way. The main components of the program are phonics, vocabulary, oral language and listening comprehension.

View this 10 minute video explaining the key features of InitiaLit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtxB_LJtcyQ

Reading is a developmental process and children’s rates of learning will vary greatly according to their age and readiness.

Fine motor skills

In Kindergarten students are given opportunities to develop and strengthen the small muscles in their hands, improving their fine motor skills.

Handwriting

Students are taught:

NSW Foundation font
The correct way to form each letter
How to hold a pencil with the correct grip (We are using triangular pencils for all students.)

Ways you can help at home:

Read to your child

Read with your child

Listen to your child read

Encourage your child to sound out unknown words in writing and reading

Model correct pencil grip

Encourage your child to use lower case letters in their writing

(capital letters have a special purpose eg: start a sentence)

Mathematics

This is a critical area of learning as every aspect of life involves some form of mathematics. It includes the strands of Representing Whole Number, Combining and Separating Quantities, Forming Groups (patterns, grouping and sharing (position and length), Geometric Measure, Two-Dimensional Spatial Structure (2D shapes and area), Three-Dimensional Spatial Structure (3D objects and volume), Non Spatial Measure (mass and time) and Data. Teaching students to apply mathematical techniques to solve programs and to communicate their thinking and reasoning is an integral part of Mathematics.

Ways to practise Mathematics at home:

Counting objects in the environment while driving or at home

Identifying shapes in the environment

Using positional language e.g.: above/below behind etc. in your everyday conversations

Identifying the appearance and value of different coins and notes while shopping

Science and Technology

Term One: How Things Move

Term Two: Weather in our World

Term Three: Staying Alive

Term Four: What’s it Made of?

History and Geography

Term One: Geography - Special Places (learning about special places around the school and local area)

Term Two: History - This is My Story

Term Three: History - My Story, Your Story (learning about different celebrations)

Term Four: Geography - Caring for God’s World

CAPA - Creative and Performing Arts

Students will sing songs, perform and play a variety of musical instruments to a range of music.

Students use different media and tools such as pencils, crayons, oil pastels and brushes to produce artworks as well as learning about famous artists.

We will have opportunities to explore body language through imaginative and dramatic scenarios and mime.

PDHPE - Personal Development, Health and Physical Education

The focus for Sport and Physical Education will be to develop the fundamental movement skills, including jumping, running, galloping, hopping, leaping, catching, underarm roll, throwing dribbling, striking and kicking.

In Personal Development and Health students will explore things that help keep us safe (e.g. rules), how to interact and communicate in a caring way, how to make friends, how to regulate our bodies and how our bodies grow and change.

Second Step

“Second Step" is a well known social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum designed for students Prep to Year 8. The core principles of the “Second Step” program often revolve around three main themes: being safe, being respectful, and being responsible. These themes are essential in helping students develop healthy relationships, manage their emotions, and make informed choices. As a community we will be learning the skills for learning, empathy, emotional management, problem solving and friendships.

Students will participate in lessons throughout the year and there is an opportunity for this to be a partnership between school and home. By following this link https://www.secondstep.org/ you can create an account as a parent/carer. Please use the activation code SSPK FAMI LY70 to access information for your child's grade. In Kindergarten, family reflection sheets will be uploaded to Seesaw throughout the year for you to work through with your child.

Buddies

Every Kindergarten child will be given a Year 6 buddy who assists in many ways. At the beginning of the year they help show your child around the school. They make them feel welcome and safe. As the year progresses they read stories to their buddies, teach games for Kindergarten children to play in the playground and many other activities.

Homework

Begins week 5

The primary aim of homework is to develop a pattern of good habits and to practise the core skills taught in class. It is necessary for you to be involved in helping your child with their homework at this stage of their development. During Term One in Kindergarten, homework consists solely of enjoying books together with your child and reading to them. A Home Reading Diary will be sent home in Week 5. This is where you can record the titles of the books that you read together.

Home readers

Home Readers commence in Term Two. They are an integral part of our literacy program. Please make it a priority to spend 10 minutes each day reading with your child. A letter explaining how to make the most of your home reading sessions will be sent home with your child’s home reader folder.

Other Information

Birthdays

If you would like to send in something for your child’s birthday, it would be preferable if you sent in cupcakes or plain donuts. No candles or large cakes that need to be cut, please. Also, no nuts to keep our allergy students safe. The School Canteen has an option to order ice blocks or muffins for the class which you can order on Munch Monitor.

Food at School

Due to severe food allergies, please do not send in your child's lunch box:

foods containing nuts
any nut spreads (e.g. peanut butter, Nutella, cashew, hazelnut or almond spread)

Please check that your child can get their lunch box out of their bag by themselves. Some children struggle with boxes that are too big and some lunch boxes/packaging are too hard to open. If your child’s lunch box can not fit into their bag easily, the lunch box is too big.

Canteen

Please order from the canteen via munch monitor. Children in K-2 are not permitted to buy from the canteen.

Appointments/Interviews

If you wish to make an appointment, please send in a note or phone the Primary Office to arrange a suitable time. It would be appreciated if you could state the matter you wish to discuss. This helps us to collect any information or resources that could be useful in your interview.

RFF Providers

Your child will have a different teacher when we are off class for preparation and programming.

Library - Mrs Smith

Music - Mrs Lombard

Science and Drama - Mrs Cleur

Library

Students need to remember their Library Bags each week, on Tuesday. Their bag needs to be clearly labelled with their names.

Excursions

Term 3 - Excursion to Calmsley Hill City Farm. Information will be sent out closer to the date.

Seesaw

Each class will use the Seesaw app sharing the student’s learning and highlighting their achievements throughout the year.

Edumate

Notes and announcements will occur through the William Carey Christian School (Edumate) app.

Ideas for Learning at Home

Reminders

Students are to wear full school uniform, which includes a hat & school coloured hair ribbons only.
The only jewellery permitted is for girls to wear small stud earrings.
WCCS has a policy of No hat = Play in the shade. This means that your child must wear a hat to do Sport / PE or play in the playground. If your child does not have a hat they will have to play or participate in Sport / PE in the shade.
Please be on time for school. The students are unsettled and miss essential learning and announcements if they are not here in time for morning assemblies.
If you collect your children from car lines, the children are escorted to the basketball courts adjacent to the car park. ALL primary children are to walk with their teachers to this area before being collected by a sibling or adult. The K-2 children are to sit down and then say goodbye to their teacher. This is for the safety of ALL children.