Week 22 and 23

Dear Parents,

In Week 22, we extended our learning by exploring the topic of animals, with a particular focus on their homes and habitats. The children developed their understanding of how different animals live and the environments they need to survive.

As Lunar New Year approaches, we have enjoyed learning about the rich cultural traditions and special customs associated with this celebration. The children completed activities related to the 2026 Zodiac animal, the Horse, and created a beautiful artwork inspired by the moon. We were also delighted to take part in a parent presentation, which was both engaging and meaningful, enriching the children’s understanding of this important cultural celebration.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Mrs Lily, Mrs Natasha, Mrs Wina, Mrs Caroline, Mrs Feli, Mrs Jane, Mrs Ingke, Mrs Anna, Mrs Stephanie, Mrs Linda, Mrs Angelica, Mrs Cindy, Mrs Siana, Mrs Nathalia, Mrs Christina, Mrs Riva, Mrs Nissa and Mrs Melisa who organised these lovely presentations. We greatly appreciate the care and effort that went into making each one so special.

The lion dance show was a wonderful addition to our festivities. The children were able to visualise what they had previously seen in books. We would like to thank Harvey’s parents for volunteering to share this special experience.

We wish you a happy Lunar New Year 2026. The school will resume on Thursday, 19th of February.

Year 1 additional learning covered – Week 22 and 23

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 –
Story: ‘This is our house’ by Michael Rosen
We discussed and looked the options for retelling the story where George includes everyone from the start. The children each wrote sentences retelling a new ending to the story.

Lunar New Year – Writing
The children learned how to write a fact file about ‘horses’ by researching information using books and hand out notes. We also learned some interesting facts about horses such as they sleep standing up.

Maths – 
Subtraction – take away and counting back
The children used a variety of malleable materials to find the answer to their number sentences.

3D shapes 
We identified and described the shapes by learning their names and the properties of each shape.

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

3 & 4 Mar – Montessori 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 Jun – End of Year Performance (parents are invited)

Kind regards,
Montessori Team