Prep | Kindergarten News
Father’s Day
The room was buzzing on Monday morning as boys welcomed their fathers and special guests into our Kindergarten world. We drew portraits, took selfies in the photo booth, decorated a coaster, played soccer and even watched a special Kindergarten-made video with popcorn! We thoroughly enjoyed bridging the connection between home and school by providing opportunities for social connections and special one-on-one time. We hope all boys enjoyed the opportunity to make Dad feel special on this special day.
Writing
Kindergarten boys are becoming expert writers! From using correct letter formation to sounding out unfamiliar words to generating interesting ideas, students are becoming master multitaskers as they juggle the breadth of skills required to communicate through written language. Each week, students engage in a wide range of engagements designed to support this complex process.
Fine motor engagements support your son by strengthening his hands and ensuring correct letter formation. This includes pencil and paper tasks, cutting, threading beads, Play-Doh and other multi-sensory experiences. You can support your son by providing opportunities for him to draw, cut, squeeze, squish and write at home.
Small group guided writing instruction involves applying phonic knowledge to build words as well as use known high frequency words and conventions of print to create sentences. We focus on capital letters, spacing, full stops and line spacing to support written communication.
Unit of Inquiry – Sharing the Planet
Is water a living or non-living thing? How do we know what is living and what is not? Is my phone a living thing? If I don’t charge it, it will die. These are all questions posed by our kindergarten students as they use their critical thinking skills to analyse and categorise the world around them.
We have explored the needs of plants such as water and sunlight, as well as transferred our knowledge of plants to humans. We realised that people have increased needs and that it is important to ensure that all of our needs are met.
You can support your son’s inquiry into the world around him by encouraging continued discussion around living and non-living things.
Music
In Classroom Music Kindergarten have continued their inquiry into the stand alone unit of inquiry presented by Musica Viva called Timmy and the Breakfast Band. Throughout this unit they have made connections between music and emotions, music and movement and folk music using the Musica Viva stimulus material. They have learnt the art of becoming a Foley Artist by providing appropriate sound effects to a given silent movie scene from Peter Rabbit. They have also developed literacy skills by creating graphic notation scores and critical analysis and creating skills by using the GarageBand App to enhance the exploration of sound. The key concepts of connection, change and perspective have been explored.
