Prep change animations

Here is a sneak peak at some of the animations some preps are experimenting with in learning agreement time. There are new tabs at the top of the blog, one is the 'Animations' Tab. Click on the Animations tab to view more animations.

Welcome Picnic

All families are invited to attend the school welcome picnic on Thursday 27th of February . Please bring some food to share. The forecast is looking good this week.
When: 6pm onward
Where: Princes Hill (near the playground and the cricket oval)

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Mathematics Information Evening with Professor Di Siemon

Thank you to all parents who attended the evening. There have been requests by parents to share some of Di’s work with the community. In the tab labeled Dianne Siemon's slide show is the extended power-point Di uses to present the key concepts behind mathematics teaching and learning. We hope that this will support you with how we approach learning here at PHPS and provide you with ideas to work with at home.

Research on teaching and learning and developments in our technological society have prompted considerable changes in how mathematics is taught. School mathematics NOW involves interaction and negotiation of the „big ideas‟. Contemporary approaches include: extended investigations, rich tasks, open-ended questions, games, discussion of solution strategies, mental computation, and visualisation

These are the ‘Big Ideas’ that address key concepts which, if not understood, will undermine students’ capacity to engage meaningfully with core aspects of the Number Strand in subsequent years. The first four are largely addressed in Primary school and are introduced in Prep as initial concepts and developed throughout the learning journey to Year 6.

Big Idea	Description
Trusting the Count	Developing flexible mental objects for the numbers 0 to 10
Place value	Moving beyond counting by ones, the structure of the base 10 numeration system
Additive to Multiplicative thinking	Moving from a count of equal groups (eg 1 six, 2 sixes, 3 sixes, 4 sixes, …) to a constant number of groups (eg 6 ones, 6 twos, 6 threes, 6 fours, 6 fives …), the key to understanding rational number and developing efficient mental and written computation strategies in later years
Partitioning	The missing link in building common fraction and decimal knowledge, understanding and confidence
Proportional reasoning	Extending what is known about multiplication and division beyond rule-based procedures to solve problems involving fractions, decimals, per cent, ratio, rate and proportion
Generalising	Skills and strategies to support equivalence, recognition of number properties and patterns, and the use of algebraic expressions

 

 

 

Animations!

Some children are beginning to explore using animations and have created animations of things changing to show their understanding. Other children are starting to challenge themselves to change  a story that they have read and show what could happen at the end instead.

 Animating how the blocks can change as they are built.

Animating a new ending to Calvin and Hobbes.

Sharing things relating to our inquiry.

It has been fantastic to see that our inquiry into change is being thought about at home. Children have been bringing in things to share with the neighbourhood that involve change.

You can change from one character to another by changing into a costume. My transformers can change shape from a ball into different things – Arlo

You can change these blocks into different shapes – Griffin

I have changed from my kinder photos to now. I have grown bigger and my hair is different. My face looks younger. – Poppy

We can change the way we look at something by rearranging it. Things look different when they are all mixed up and then put into an order – Frankie

Changing Calvin and Hobbes

The students have been looking at a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip that does not have any words. We focussed on what was happening in the pictures and discussed 'if it did have words what would it say?'. After viewing the story, the children were challenged to change the ending using their imagination. How could it end differently? Does Calvin's desk turn into something else?

In the Art Room with Hannah

Please click on the link below to see what the children have been doing with colour in the Art Room with Hannah.

 

Art with Hannah

Kimochi Workshop - Bossy

The Prep neighbourhood learnt about Cat in last week's Kimochi workshops. Cat likes to be in control and sometimes needs to be reminded to be helpful and not bossy.

We read "Cat's not so perfect sandcastle".

We discussed the importance of respecting other people's opinions and considering their feelings when you have a plan to do something. Plans can always be changed and with other people's imput they can be made even better!

The Prep's then participated in role play of a situation at school that might involve someone being a bit bossy. They practiced they right way to act and the wrong way to act. We discussed the feelings experienced in both scenarios.

Inquiring Into Change: Seed Growing

During Learning Agreement the Preps have been exploring the concept of change through the growth of plants. This week we have created our own stocking heads with grass seeds and soil. Each week students will ensure their stockings will have enough water, sunshine and care so that they can grow and change.

Have you filled a bucket today?

On Friday the Prep Neighbourhood read Have you filled a bucket today? by Carol McCloud as part of our discussion about the protocol 'We use kind words'. The book is about how we all carry an invisible bucket that contains our feelings. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When our bucket is empty, we feel sad. A bucket filler is someone who says or does nice things to other people. By doing this, they are filling other people's buckets and filling their own bucket at the same time. On the other hand, a bucket dipper says or does things to cause other people to feel bad. A bucket dipper empties their buckets when they say and do mean things. In Prep we are learning to be bucket fillers not dippers! 

Thank you To Poppy K's family for sharing the book with the school.

 

 

The Jigaree

The Preps have continued to learn about the various strategies that can be used when reading to predict the text.

We read ‘The Jigaree’.

 

“I can see a Jigaree. He is jumping after me.

Jumping here. Jumping there.

Jigarees' jump everywhere”

We discussed the repetition within the story. The Jigaree follows the astronaut and copies what he does; going swimming, climbing, dancing and skating.

The story concludes with

“Jigaree Jigaree.

I will take you………”

The Preps had to predict what would happen on the last page. Where was the Jigaree going to go? They drew pictures of where they thought the Jigaree would end up.

 

Week 5 Happenings

In Week 6 the children come to school everyday.

Monday
Curriculum Day: The children don't come to school.
6:00 - 7:00  Mathematics Information Night in the Gym with Dianne Siemon (please read the blog entry from last week for more information)

Tuesday
Assembly and Coffee Cart

Wednesday
Preps have the day off
One on One interview between teacher and child. If your child has an interview this week please check to see what time they need to come in. Timetables are in the Prep Courtyard

Thursday
Prep H & Prep M have Italian with Anne-Maree

Friday
Specialists
Prep J & Prep E: Italian/PE
Prep M & Prep H: PE/Visual Art

Welcome Picnic Postponed

Dear Parents,

Due to the unfavourable weather forecast, the welcome picnic at Princes Park playground will be postponed until next Thursday 27th of February after school.
Kind Regards,

Keith McNeill
On Behalf of the Community Relations Subcommittee

Action Required: Junior School Library

The Junior School Library (JSL) computer system is up and running and a group of parents are ready to help out, but we are looking for more helpers. We are encouraging the children to borrow before or after school with their care givers. The children are to return their junior school library books into the tub (see picture below) before selecting new books. Once the children have selected their books they are to see one of the parent helpers at the computers (see picture to your right), give their name and the books will be scanned out.










If you can assist in the mornings (845 - 9:10) or afternoons (3:25 - 3:40)  with the borrowing and returning of books in the junior school library please speak to Jessica.   

The library is also looking for volunteers to shelve books, if you could give 10-15min any day of the week after or before you pick up your child/ren please speak to Jessica.



Prep Reporters

During Learning Agreement 4 children will be asked to be reporters for the Neighbourhood. The role of the reporter is to investigate what learning is taking place in the Neighbourhood.  At the end of Learning Agreement the team of reporters report back on the learning they saw.The children have a notepad for recording, an iPad for taking pictures, a blue lanyard pen and special ID to identify themselves to the other children. The children are very excited to take on this role. Different children will be selected to take on this role each LA to give everyone the opportunity to be a reporter.

Parent Representatives

If you are interested in being a Parent Rep we ask that you speak to one of the teachers in the Prep Neighbourhood. 

Parent Reps help to promote communication with the parents of the Prep Neighbourhood and assist in asking for volunteers to support school-related events, activities and excursions. Please talk to a neighbourhood teacher if you would like more information.

Generally there is one parent rep per roll group. 

Bits & Pieces Needed

Over the coming weeks children in Prep Neighbourhood will be making Grass Heads (see picture below) and watching them grow. For this project we are asking for empty, clean yoghurt containers and old stockings. There will be a box in the torus to collect the items. Thank you in advance for your donations.

Week 4 Happenings

Monday
Prep J & Prep E have Visual Art with Hannah

Tuesday
9 - 10am Assembly and Coffee Cart


Wednesday
Preps have the day off
One on One interview between teacher and child. Please sign up for an interview with your child's home-group teacher, timetables are in the Prep courtyard.

Thursday
Prep H & Prep M have Italian with Anne-Maree


Friday
Specialists
Prep J & Prep E: Italian/PE
Prep M & Prep H: PE/Visual Art

MATHEMATICS INFORMATION NIGHT

MONDAY 24^TH FEBRUARY

6:00 – 7PM

SCHOOL GYMNASIUM

PRESENTER: DIANNE SIEMON

Dianne Siemon is a Professor of Mathematics Education in the School of Education at RMIT University (Victoria). She is involved in the preparation of pre-service teachers and the supervision of higher degree students. Di has been responsible for a number of State and Territory-wide numeracy research projects involving Prep (Transition) to Year 9.  She is a popular professional development presenter whose interests include the development of the ‘big ideas’ in number, the teaching and learning of mathematics in the middle years, and the use of rich assessment tasks to inform teaching. Di is a past President of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers and the Mathematical Association of Victoria.

 

Di will present to parents what they can do at home to support teachers build mental objects for numbers (looking at strategies such as part-part-whole, doubling etc.) She will discuss strategies for mental computation and importance of these, link briefly to 'algorithms/processes' and then spend some time unpacking multiplication and strategies for learning number facts based on understanding.

AS THIS IS A FORMAL PRESENTATION WE DO ASK THAT THIS IS AN ADULTONLY EVENT.

CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE MADE FOR SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN THROUGH MANDY AT OHSC.

What Changes?

The prep neighbourhood has participated in a 'Texta Talk' where they were able to share what they know about the word change and what they know changes. As the whole school inquiry focus this year is 'Change' we are starting to gather what the children know and what they are interested in about change. There were some interesting ideas that came from this activity.

Reading Response

This week the prep neighbourhood has also looked at different ways to reflect on or be inspired by a text. After reading 'The Night Garden', the children used a variety of  materials to reflect on the story and also had a go at writing the title.

Reading Workshop - Making predictions

This week the Prep neighbourhood took part in a reading workshop with a focus of making predictions. They looked at the cover of "The hungry giant' and made predictions of what the story was about.

"I think the giant is going to eat the children" - Jordan

"I think that there is going to be a superhero tracking down the giant" - Rocco

"Maybe the giant is trying to eat them" - Juliette

"I think that they hurt the giant and now the giant is chasing them" - Harriet

"I think that they might have taken the giant's food, now he is angry" - Rufus

As we started reading the story, their predictions about the text changed. The hungry giant gets the children to fetch him some bread, then fetch him some butter and the preps predicted what might happen next.... Could it be Vegemite? Honey? Crunchy peanut butter? Jam?

We discussed various strategies that can be used to help read a story.

• Using illustrations
• Identifying the pattern within the text
• Bringing our prior knowledge to the text

The children enjoyed working with partners and making predictions together.