In the pursuit of life-long learning at New Gisborne Primary School we value:· Respect and Integrity in all dealings with others.· Providing the skills and knowledge to become life- long learners· Using initiative and taking responsibility for actions· Effective partnerships between teachers, students and parents and the broader community· Setting high expectations and striving for excellence while recognising, understanding and catering for a diversity of needs across the school.

School Values

Curriculum Areas

• Literacy• Maths• Inquiry Learning

– Term 1 – Me, My Family and My School– Term 2 – Toying with Technology – Term 3 – Healthy body healthy me– Term 4 – Parks and Gardens

• You Can Do It• Specialists

Weekly Specialist Programs

• This year students will attend weekly Art, Music and Phys Ed lessons. Please refer to notes already sent home for days and times.

• The students will attend the Library on a weekly basis.

Reading and viewing• whole school approach • one hour reading block every day• explicit teaching (mini lesson),

independent reading, individual conferences, purposeful reading activities, share time

Explicit Teaching• targeted focus with learning

intention and success criteria

Independent Reading

Behaviours•get started straight away•stay in the one place•read for the whole time•increase stamina•choose and read Just Right texts

Classroom Libraries

Just Right Books

• Students can read most of the words• Students can understand what they are reading• Students enjoy reading the book• Students can read the book with smooth fluency but

there are some choppy places• Reading rate is just right- not too slow and not too fast• Students can figure out the tricky words and still get the

meaning of the story/text

Individual Reading Conferences

The teacher and student engage in a conversation about :

• the student’s reading – discuss previous goal, Just Right book selection,

• the student reads aloud • a new goal is negotiated (sometimes current

goal remains)

Purposeful Reading Activities

• The time when students practice the session’s focus

• Each day a select group of students, with parental assistance, will change their Just Right books

Small Teaching Group

• students also participate in small teaching groups, the focus determined according to needs

• each day one group of students work with the teacher while the rest of the class are doing a purposeful reading activity

Share Time

• usually at the end of the daily reading session• students verbalise how they have become

smarter readers

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

• Our students are taught how to be active listeners with the focus on routinely displaying the following 5 behaviours :

• look• listen• legs crossed (or 2 feet on the floor)• hands in lap• lips locked

Speaking and ListeningEvery day students are engaged in a range of speaking activities with the focus on looking at the person you are speaking to and using appropriate volume, pace and clarity

Writing• Students have the opportunity to write everyday.• Students will write most confidently about what they know

- such as reflecting on personal experiences or making lists. • Formal Guided Writing sessions assist students to learn the

mechanics of writing – recording sounds as letters, learning the concepts of print such as left to right, spaces between words and basic punctuation.

• Spelling

Over the course of the average week students may take part in a range of writing activities such as:

•Guided writing

•Handwriting

•Reflective or journal writing

•Creative writing

SPELLING

• ‘Have a go’ writing is very important for early writers. Students need LOTS of practice learning the written symbols.

• As students build their skills they will have their attention drawn to words they are using frequently so they can learn common letter patterns and correct spelling of common words.

• Frequently used words are kept in books and on charts for reference.

• When students are ready they are taught formal spelling strategies such as ‘taking a mind photo’, stretching out the word to hear the sounds, checking lists and referring to previous stories.

Mathamatics At NGPS, like Literacy, we have a whole school approach to Mathematics. AusVels is the curriculum framework that all schools across the state use.

Our approach is based on understanding, problem solving and hands on activities. Our school is working with a leading Maths consultant, Michael Ymer to further develop this approach.

A save the date for your diary is Wednesday 23 April – Michael Ymer will be conducting a Parent Information Session

8

Count to 8

Write

88Recognise models

of 8

Make a collectio

n of 8

8th

eight

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

4 + 4 10 – 2

7 + 1 9 – 1

2 4 6 8

over under around

through in front behind

a typical Maths activity

Lolly Jar

You Can Do It

We reinforce our ‘You Can Do It’ program, especially ‘Resilience’ throughout our day at school. It is important to teach the children to bounce back from minor set backs and not let the little things upset us. We can do this by teaching the children independence, such as letting them carry, pack and unpack their own bags.

Brain food

Thank you and well done