Week 18 and 19

Dear Parents,
Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful break and wish you all the best for the year ahead.

The additional upstairs drop off and pick up routine has been going well. Thank you for your support. Kindly note that we aim to start our day promptly at 8:00 a.m., as late arrivals can be disruptive to the learning environment.

We recently completed an important drill aligned with the school’s emergency procedures, specifically a lockdown drill. The children did very well, listening carefully to instructions and calmly following guidance to our safe room.

Thank you to everyone who attended the maths workshop. We hope you found it informative and helpful.
To commence Semester Two, the children engaged in discussions and shared their personal experiences of celebrating the New Year. This was complemented by enjoyable activities such as decorating a 2026 mini poster and baking delicious pizza rolls. We wish all our families a very Happy New Year.

In our second week, we introduced a new unit of inquiry entitled Houses and Homes. The children explored the various rooms found in a home, as well as the furniture and appliances used to create a comfortable living environment. This provided a valuable opportunity for children to connect their learning to their everyday experiences.

Year 1 additional learning covered – Week18 and 19

Phonics   
To identify sounds represented by more than one letter, for example /ch/, /th/, /qu/, /ng/, /ay/
Some children are beginning to learn about alternative sounds such as /ee/ can also be written with ‘ea’.
To use phonic knowledge to read decodable words. Reading and writing CVC words,words with adjacent vowel / consonants using sounds covered, words with double consonants such as bell, mess, mitt, back.

Language / Literacy – Reading. Guided Reading groups – Practising fluency of reading and gaining the confidence to recognise sounds and blend them to read words and sentences.  Reading comprehension, to be able to answer direct questions about the book.

Language / Literacy- Writing / Speaking – My holiday The children got to review the important features to include when writing sentences as they shared some special events and experiences they had during the school holidays.

Language / Literacy- Reading / Writing Story: ‘This is our house’ by Michael Rosen
We discussed the sequence of events of the story after listening to it. The children wrote some sentences to create a simple story map: beginning – middle and end.

Maths – Addition – We had a review on how to add by combining two sets and adding on from a number.

CapacityThe children used familiar language to describe capacity including, empty, full, half – empty / full, nearly full / empty
We had fun with practical activities, pouring water in various containers. The children reinforced their learning by completing some written activity sheets in their Maths notebooks.

IMPORTANT DATES
Below are the important dates for Semester 2. Further information will be shared closer to each date. Please note that unless otherwise stated or indicated as ‘parents are invited,’ these events are for children only. Thank you for your understanding.

11 Feb: Montessori Lunar New Year presentation (a group of parents will be invited)
13 Feb: Lunar New Year celebrations
3 & 4 Mar: Student-led presentations (parents are invited)
2 Apr: Easter Egg Hunt
13 Apr: School Photos
23 Apr: World Book Day
22 May: Fun day
4 June: End of Year Performance (parents are invited)

Kind regards,
Montessori Team