WELCOME TO WHALE - MRS ANNE MCCARTHY
Dear Parents and Students,
I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all our parents, guardians and of course our lovely students who will be part of Whales class for 2020. My name is Ms Anne McCarthy and I will be teaching your child this year on Monday-Thursday. Mrs Stephanie Cook will be teaching the children on Fridays, as I am also Relieving Assistant Principal and Stage 1 Supervisor and am kept busy with these duties on Friday. Students will attend Assemblies every alternate week (even weeks) on Friday afternoon, beginning at 2:20p.m. in the Hall. Assemblies for K-2 will begin in Week 4 and our class will be running this first Assembly. Our LIBRARY day is also Friday and the children will have SPORT on Wednesday.
Our class is a composite Year 1 and 2 class of mixed abilities across each year. I have 35 years teaching experience and have taught many composite classes so please don’t be overly concerned if you are new to this class set up. My goal is to work carefully with your child to help them achieve their best academically, physically, creatively and socially, to enhance their self-esteem and produce a happy well-adjusted child, capable of taking on new challenges and eager to learn new things.
Below is a list of requirements for the year. Thanks to all parents who have purchased the additional items that we require for our class this year. When items are clearly labelled, they are much easier to return to their rightful owner. Thank you to all parents who have already purchased their child’s book pack, as this assists the smooth running of our classroom in the very important first weeks of school when we are setting up expectations.
Stationery Requirements for 2020
The items below will be required in addition to the items in the book packs:
- Packet of coloured textas (labelled)
- Eraser (labelled)
- Pencil sharpener (labelled)
- Art shirt (labelled)- Could be a smock or oversized T-shirt
- Sturdy plastic A4 envelope for home readers (labelled)
- Library bag (labelled)
- 2 boxes of tissues and 2 rolls of paper towel
Students are encouraged to develop good self-management skills by taking responsibility for their own belongings. This includes making sure they come to school each day prepared for learning, returning Library books on correct days and completing all homework. It is their job to look after their equipment (stationery), lunchbox, drink bottle, jumper and hat, so please make sure these are clearly labelled.
It was lovely to meet so many of you on our Goal Setting Evening and I look forward to working collaboratively with you to achieve the best outcomes for your children. Below is a brief outline of the concepts your child will be learning this year.
Topics Covered This Year (Key Learning Areas)
English: Speaking & Listening Skills, Reading & Viewing, Writing & Representing
emphasis on learning all our sight words, reading smoothly and interpreting higher level texts, writing neatly and composing texts using correct punctuation and interesting language.
Mathematics: Number & Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, Statistics & Probability
adding & subtracting to 20 and beyond, working with numbers up to1000, place value, length, mass, capacity, volume, area, 2D & 3D shapes, time (1/2 past for Year 1, ¼ to & ¼ past time for Year 2), graphs, position.
Science: Semester 1 -Material World-What are objects made from? What are the best materials to use to make clothing, furniture, toys etc. Can you invent a new product? What materials will you use?
Semester 2- Weather in Our World What are our seasons? What causes weather? The Water Cycle etc
History: The Past in the Present – What buildings and artefacts are around to remind us of the past? Indigenous perspectives – the importance of the past to present day living.
Geography: Features of Places- Looking at the environments around us and beyond-home, school, suburb, state, country, other countries. Indigenous perspectives-caring for the land. How can we take good care of our environments?
Creative & Practical Arts: Visual Arts, Drama, Music, Dance
Personal Development/ Physical Education (P.E. & SPORT), Health
Technology: specific IT lessons by Mrs Cook, as well as technology embedded across all Key Learning Areas.
If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via Dojo. If you need to change home travel arrangements on any day, please notify the Office as I don’t always get time to read Dojos throughout the day.
Looking forward to a great 2020.
AnneMcCarthy
Relieving Assistant Principal
Stage 1 Supervisor