Year One is an exciting year for your child and another small step in his/her journey towards independence. If your child loves school at the end of Year One, this is an achievement in itself.
We will provide a packet of scrapbook covers to your child at the end of Pre-Primary. The packet will also be available from the office for new students.
Please:
- attach front pages to scrapbooks and cover with clear contact
- label scissors
- all stationery items can be placed in the snap-lock bag from the pack ready to be stored. We will be sharing items in the Year 1 classroom, so we ask that you do not label stationary items.
Please help your children to be independent and self-sufficient by teaching them to:
- tie their shoelaces
- tidy up after themselves
- take care of their belongings
- carry their own bag (to school and otherwise)
- unpack their school bag
- open lunch containers themselves
- determine which is morning tea and which is lunch in the lunch bag
- have a routine of reading to him/her every day. This is one of the best ways of developing lifelong positive attitudes to reading and an understanding of print and books. This should continue as a practice until Year Four
- praise every effort in reading
- be seen as a reader yourself
- take the family to the local library
- give books as presents
- encourage the routine of reading in bed before lights-out
- encourage your child to make good use of the school library. Help to remember library day and to bring the library bag.
- provide lots of experiences. Set up a writing spot with paper, writing tools, envelopes etc
- provide a good model. Let your children see you write and make them aware of the many uses of print
- don't insist on correct spelling. Accept invented spelling
- encourage children to read you their writing
- In the pack is an example of the correct letter formations. The starting point of each letter is important
Take advantage of everyday situations:
- when shopping
- when cooking
- talk about daily events and the time
- discuss days of the week and annual events
- make use of a calendar
Orana has a Restorative Practices approach in place to help students and teachers deal with conflict. The program fosters relationship building, responsibility for their own behaviour, empathy, and focuses on fixing the harm done rather than punishing.
Please be aware that Orana has an 'allergy aware' policy. We have students with allergies in our classrooms and ask that you assist us by respecting this policy.
If your child is going to be absent from school on any given day please email admin@orana.wa.edu.au or use the link on the school website or App before 9.15am on the morning of the absence.
Throughout the year, teachers are consistently evaluating and monitoring the students' skills and development in academic and social areas. This is done through observation, anecdotal records, tests, checklists and work samples. Those who need consolidation of skills will participate in small group work with the school Literacy Support Teacher, Class Teacher or Education Assistant.
One formal parent interview will be conducted at the end of Term One. Interviews may also take place when the teacher or parent/carer requires discussion. You are invited to email the teacher at any time to request an interview.
Term1: Formal Parent Interviews
Term 2: Semester 1 Report
Term 3: Open Night
Term 4: Semester 2 Report
Our teaching programme is driven by the Western Australian Curriculum. It sets out the core knowledge, skills and general capabilities important for all Australian students to live and work successfully in the 21st Century.
We aim to make our programme interactive, hands on and to cater for many different learning styles. Although this is the beginning of formal learning for your child, there will still be aspects of play based learning.
Year One teachers programme and teach together.
R.E. has its own set of guideline topics for each year from Pre-Primary to Year 6. Year One have 12 topics to cover. We undertake daily prayer and talk about God in our lives. We learn about different bible stories and parables and how they relate to our lives.
Formal homework will commence in week 4. It is to be completed Monday to Thursday and handed in on Fridays. It will generally consist of reading a book, reading sight word lists and spelling, but other tasks will be sent home at different times. For the first three weeks we will send home a handwriting sheet for letter formation practice.
Your child will bring home a reading book to read each night. Please record in your child's reading log. Your child will be assessed regularly to ensure he/she is bringing home the appropriate level of book for practice at home. This is not the same level at the instructional level targeted in the classroom. Reading at home is an opportunity to practise reading, accuracy and fluency so the books may seem "too easy" for your child for this reason.
When reading with your child it could be helpful to have a picture walk through the book first, discuss what it might be about and name unfamiliar vocabulary.
Some of the following strategies may be helpful:
- Look at the initial sound of the word and look at the picture
- Sound out the word
- Chunk the sounds within the word
- Read on
- Ask yourself if it makes sense
- Go back to the beginning of the sentence and try again
- Ask some appropriate questions about the story such as who was in the story?, what was the setting?, would you like to go there or do that activity?Ask your child to retell the story in their own words.
- Remember to give your child time to self correct before jumping in, around 3 seconds. Learning to read is a complex process which requires lots of time, patience and repetition from everyone.
Your child will be given a list of words to learn to sound out correctly each week, based on the phonetic sound we are concentrating on in class.
This work will be completed in the Homework book with the words written inside the shapes. Each shape contains a sound - for example, sh in ship would be written inside one shape. Your child should not be copying the words from the list, but having the word called out to him/her and sounding out the words as they are written.
Sight words are the most common words used in reading and will assist children with their reading fluency. Please assist your child to read the list inside their Homework book. These are words just for reading, not for writing. As lists are mastered children will be given a new list. Please revise previous lists.
The classroom door will be open at 8.30am and the school day commences at 8.50. Please aim to have your child here within this time so he/she can get organised for the day. The children need to put their chair down, unpack their homework folder, change their reading book, read to an adult and sharpen their pencil ready for the day.
At 8.50 we will begin our classroom routines.
Pick up options include green shed, back gate and quad. Every family will be provided with a name tag to use for the green shed pick up, which needs to be placed on the sun visor on the passenger side of the car. This is to help with making the process more efficient and smooth. Children are asked to sit in faction groups. Children are supervised at all places.
If for any reason your child needs to be picked up early from school, you will need to go to the office before you collect your child from the classroom so that they can be signed out.
If your child arrives at school after 9am, you will need to sign them in through the office.
Italian - Thursday
Sport - Wednesday
Sport uniform to be worn on Thursday also for PMP
Music - Friday
Science and Library - Tuesday. Library bags are to be brought on this day throughout the year.
The canteen is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. A new menu is available each term. Your child needs to place their lunch order at the canteen before school. They will also be able to purchase morning tea and ice creams on these days. We are endeavouring to become a waste-wise school and ask that you keep packaging to a minimum in children's lunchboxes.
We will celebrate your child's birthday in the classroom on or close to the day. If you wish you may send along individual treats for your child's class to celebrate.
Assembly is held every Friday morning at 9am in the school hall. Junior awards are presented fortnightly. You will be notified by email, earlier in the week, if your child is receiving an award.
Each class has a parent class representative. To find out who your class representative is please visit the P&F Class Representative Page.
We require help with reading in the mornings and on the PMP roster. Please add your name to the roster which will be outside the classrooms if you are able to help. We also appreciate help with the toe by toe program held in the library in the mornings.
We aim to keep the lines of communication between home and school open. We will contact you if the need arises and encourage you to do the same. You can email us or arrange a time to see us in person.
Please keep in mind that if you have an issue or matter to discuss the process is that you contact your classroom teacher first. If further support is required the Assistant Principal Emma Bell will be available. Following this, the matter can then be taken to the Principal if required.
Classroom matters, notes and notification of merit awards will be communicated digitally to you or by note.
We will be using FreshGrade as a communication channel and a digital portfolio.
We also aim to keep you informed of what we are covering in class each term. We will provide you with a termly overview of topics and skills we are planning to cover as well as some weekly topics for revision or consolidation.
We will be using a progress book which will contain a range of work covered in class and some assessments, which will come home on most Fridays. We would like you to look at this work with your child, and return the book to school on Monday. This is to assist you with seeing your child's progress throughout the term.
On the 10th of every month you are invited into the school for an 'atTENdance' day between 9 and 10 am.
Our email addresses:
Year 1B: catherine.wall@cewa.edu.au
Year 1W: lucy.gilbert@cewa.wa.edu.au