Health - The Zone of Regulation
Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.     -Charles Swindoll

In Health we have been studying The Zones of Regulation, a curriculum geared toward helping students gain skills in consciously regulating their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem solving abilities.  Whilst self regulation comes naturally to some, for others it is a skill that needs to be taught and practiced.  I have included a link to the Zones website if you would like more information, and have included some photos of activities that we have completed as a class.

History - Reminiscence Boxes

In History we have been investigating artefacts from the past using the Reminiscence Boxes, loaned from the Perth National Trust.  The students had to try and infer what different items were.  The butter pats had them completely fooled, as did the wire toaster.

Parent Afternoon Photos
Thank you to those who could make it to the recent Parent Afternoon.  The students always appreciate an opportunity to share what they have been doing. I have included a slideshow of photos I took on the day.  Enjoy!

LA8 Assembly
I have included the music video that 'aired' at our assembly for those who could not attend.  If, like me, you are completely sick of listening to the Count by Fives Song (credit to Have Fun Teaching), please disregard!

Parent Open Afternoon - Thursday 28th May 
You are invited to the classroom this Thursday to view your child's work and to complete a small craft activity with them.  Please feel free to join us from 2.00pm onwards.  
I realise many may not be able to spare time off from work and/or cannot attend for the whole hour.  That's fine - the activity is one that the children can complete independently and there will be lots of other opportunities for them to share their work with you.

Lapathon - Thursday 4th June
Hopefully you have received the note and fundraising form for the Lapathon.  If not, please let me know as I have spares in the classroom if it has gone missing.

LA8 Assembly - Wednesday 10th June
Our assembly will be held in Week 8 of this term.  Students will need to dress as rockstars / rappers (think jeans, hoodies, sunglasses, rockstar bling).  Further information will be sent home in the Communication Diaries.

Apologies for the delay between posts.  Updating the blog always seems to fall to the bottom of the to do list! 
I have tried to include as many photos as possible from the latter half of the term. I will also post shortly regarding focus areas for Term 2.
I hope you are enjoying your holidays.

Regards,
Tamara Dominy

Science 
The students have been investigating different types of mixtures.

Chinese Dragon Incursion
Everyone got a chance to participate in a Chinese Dragon dance (apparently the dragon was very heavy and a little difficult to control).

St. Patrick's Day
Students engaged in a short writing activity: 'Who is worth more to you than gold?".  Some of their responses may surprise you!

Homework

I have had a couple of questions regarding the home reading programme.  To clarify, your child will receive one reading book for the week, which will be accompanied by a laminated comprehension sheet (the types of questions will vary).  Please ensure you listen to your child read for 10 minutes each day and make a note of this in their yellow Read It Diary.  

With regard to the comprehension questions, these can be completed as either a written activity or a verbal discussion.  If you want your child to write their responses please use the 'RED' exercise book.  Whilst you can write on the laminated sheet using a whiteboard marker, cleaning these sheets is one more task our wonderful parent volunteers then need to undertake before they can swap the books over.

Your child will return their reading book, along with the comprehension sheet, each Friday and will have a new book assigned.  

Similarly, with spelling, students need to write out their spelling words each night in preparation for Friday's test.  There was no spelling list this week but we will re-commence spelling in Week 6.  Your child should return their 'Look, Cover, Write, Check' book each Friday so that they can receive the next word list.

If you have any questions regarding homework please pop in to the classroom or make a note in your child's communication book.

Confidentiality and Excursion Forms

If you have not done so, could you please return this form as soon as possible.  If you did not receive a copy, or it has been misplaced, please let me know as I have spares in the classroom.  Thanks in advance.

What have we been doing?

Here are some of the activities we have completed in class (sorry it has taken me so long to post them). 

In History, the students worked in groups to make posters illustrating their thoughts on how different aspects of society have changed from the past to the present.

Our students of Chinese heritage shared with the class how they celebrate Chinese New Year.  We read the story 'The Great Race for the Chinese Zodiac' and made Chinese dragons.  I want to share traditions from as many cultures as possible over the course of the year.  Please let me know if your family has a special celebration and I will do my best to incorporate a story or activity so your child can share an aspect of their culture with the class.

In mental maths, students have been playing timed games to improve their fluency in basic addition facts.  All have set new PBs in their Mad Minute Maths test each Friday.

In Grammar, we have been looking at sentence structures and the students have been performing 'surgery' on sick sentences that need first aid (err... editing)!

Finally, I took some photos one morning.  Whilst I normally set an activity that needs to be completed, some days the students can engage in any of our classroom activities.  Many of these games or tasks are building important skills such as communication, fine motor, problem solving and working memory.  The Landsdale PS website has very relevant and practical information on the importance of working memory (and other early learning skills) and includes a range of activities that you can undertake at home to foster your child's learning.  As always, if you have any questions please let me know.

The students are all having a great start to Year Two and we have spent some time getting to know one another and building a sense of community.  Students have played a game called 'I mustache ask you a question';  worked in collaborative groups to brainstorm our class agreements; and shared the items in their 'All About Me' backpacks.

Parent Meeting
Thank you to those who attended the Parent Information Night.  If you have any further questions, or would like to discuss any aspect of your child's start to the school year, please contact me to make a time.

Library 
We will be visiting the library each Monday and children will need their library bags to be able to borrow books.  Mrs. Murray is desperately seeking volunteers to assist with book covering,  If you are an expert with a roll of contact please let either myself or Sharon know.

Homework
A reminder that reading, spelling and Mathletics homework will commence from this week.  Please refer to the homework tab on this website for further details.

What are we concentrating on for the next few weeks?

Stepping Stones Maths 

• revising place value for two-digit numbers
  
• writing, recognising and representing three-digit numbers
  
• skip counting in tens, both on decade (10, 20, 30 etc) and off decade (13, 23, 33 etc)
• Ordering and comparing numbers

Focus Maths

• Data collection, tables and graphing
  
• Solving word problems (addition and subtraction)
• 2D shapes and flips, slides and turns

Mental Maths Strategies

• Counting on (also known as start big, count small) - teaching students to flip addition equations to always start counting from the biggest number
  
• Doubles facts (10 + 10) and near doubles (10 + 11)

Writing

• Sentence structure
  
• Narrative stories - students will start by retelling narrative stories we have read in class, before progressing to writing their own narrative stories

Reading

• Students will be assessed for both fluency and comprehension
  
• Reading strategies will include finding details in a text, identifying the main idea and development of inferential skills
  

History

• Understanding the terms past, present and future
• Researching the history of the ANZACS and the importance of the ANZAC centenary

Science

• Investigating different mixtures - their ingredients and purposes.
  

This list is by no means exhaustive but I hope it provides you with some insight to the activities we will be completing in class. 

Welcome to LA8 and the start of another exciting school year.  My name is Tamara Dominy and I have the pleasure of teaching your child in 2015.  I hope you had an enjoyable holiday and are now ready for a busy Term 1.

This blog is an important part of the communication program at Landsdale Primary School.  Like all good things, it is a work in progress and I will be adding more detail over coming weeks. Please familiarise yourself with the layout and content of the blog and let me know if you have any suggestions to make it more relevant for you and your child.  Feedback is always greatly appreciated.

Just a couple of housekeeping items to kick off the new school year:

• Homework will commence in Week 3.  The homework requirements for Year 2 are outlined in the Homework tab on this website and will be explained in more detail at the upcoming Parent Information Session.
  
• Children are encouraged to bring crunch and sip everyday.  Please ensure students bring only water and that food items do not include nuts. I have provided a link to the Cancer Council website for details on the importance of crunch and sip and guidelines for what children may bring into class.  http://www.crunchandsip.com.au/why-crunchsip/