Dear Readers,

Well done to Readeville for another positive week!

1. Learning highlights: In maths, we started an investigation around counting and calculating. This included the children showing their thinking and explaining their working out by creating a poster to convey their learning. We have talked a lot about maths being about team work, creativity, conversations, sharing ideas, depth and connections, rather than about speed, ‘getting the right answer’ and a quiet classroom!

We’ve also explored estimating as an explicit mathematical skill to help us work out how many. The children have been practising estimating by visualising a previous collection and comparing to predict an amount (rather than simply guessing). We have thoroughly enjoyed using the website Estimation 180 to help practise estimating skills. Here is the address if you would like to explore estimating together at home: www.estimation180.com

We’ve also started our geography inquiry into how and why places change. For health, we have been investigating the nature of fair play and team work. The children also participated in a road-safety presentation by the RAA.

For writing, we have been discussing this question: What makes a great story? We look forward to working with our teacher-librarian, Simone, to bring this question to life through rich, engrossing narratives.

Lapathon: Please keep collecting sponsors if possible for our school Lapathon next Friday (August 4). The children can wear fancy dress if they would like, as long as their costume is still safe for running.

2.Assembly reminder: A reminder that Room 23 and Room 24 will be hosting the lower-primary assembly next Friday (August 4), from 11:10 in Langley Hall. Please join us if you can.

3.School swimming: Just some ‘forward notice’ that school swimming will be held in week six of this term. Please look out for more information and swimming consent forms, which will come home during the next few weeks.

4.School photos: Please note, the form for school photos was sent home this week. School photos will be taken on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16^th of August (watch this space for confirmation of photo days for Readeville).

We hope you enjoy the photos below.

Rachel and Michelle

Dear Readers,

A huge congratulations to all of the citizens of Readeville on a fantastic term of learning! Some recent highlights have included:

1. Special Person’s Day: Well done to our singers and actors for a stellar performance and thank you to all of their special people for making the day such a hit.
2. Readeville garden: The children have harvested the beetroot, carrots and peas that they planted and raised in our garden. We also did a taste test between produce that comes fresh out of the ground and vegetables that come from the supermarket. The children loved feeling, smelling and eating their own crops – and we now have more space for new garden plantings next term.
3. Toy inquiry: The students have been busy designing a toy for our inquiry ‘What is the best toy ever?’ The children had to follow design criteria to ensure that their toy was environmentally friendly, inexpensive, long-lasting and could be played by children everywhere. There were some highly creative suggestions, including variations on Scissors, Paper, Rock, a version of skittles involving dice and marbles that were made out of non-toxic paper-mache so they would not harm any animals that may eat them if they accidentally ended up in waterways.
4. Maths: We have been exploring how ones become 10s and how 10s become hundreds as part of our work on place value. The children have been very enthusiastic exploring the value of digits.
5. Disco: There were some seriously funky moves on display at our school disco! For many children this was their first experience of going out independently after school. Their attitude and behaviour on the night were exemplary.
6. Farwell Minjae!: Another of our Readeville citizens left us this week. We will miss Minjae’s positive outlook and strong friendships with others and we wish Minjae and his family all the best for their move interstate.
7. Early dismissal and pupil-free day: Just a reminder that tomorrow is early dismissal (the children will leave at 2:10). It is also a casual day – children can wear footy colours (no gold coin required). Please note, day one of term three is also a pupil-free day.
8. Assembly: Room 23 and Room 24 will be hosting the lower-primary assembly on Friday, August 4 (week two). It will start at 11:10 in Langley Hall. Please come along if you can.
9. Lap-A-Thon: A friendly reminder about our school lap-a-thon on Friday of week two (August 4).
10. We hope that you enjoy a rest with your child. If you are looking for homework ideas, please keep reading and practising basic number facts. We will also send home children’s passwords for Storybird so they can create stories during the holidays if they would like to.

We hope you enjoy the photos below. Wishing you all the best for a safe break ahead. Thanks for your support in the classroom and at home. See you next term!

Rachel and Michelle