Welcome to the 2010 Grade Two

1. Welcome to the 2010 Grade Two Parent Information Evening

2. Parent Information Night:Purpose We would like to extend a warm welcome to you at the beginning of the school year. Our aim is to give you an insight into what happens in our classrooms and discuss ways in which you can help your child at home. The following information delivers an overview of the grade 2 program, which we expect will provide an exciting and challenging learning environment for your child.

3. The 2010 Grade Two Team is: Merelina Pappas

4. The 2010 Grade Two Team is: Dave Williams

5. The 2010 Grade Two Team is: Louise Bradshaw

6. To provide a stimulating classroom program that fosters development in children of all abilities. • To develop students as independent learners who take responsibility for their own work and behaviour. • To continue to promote effective work habits and study skills. • To develop students’ interpersonal skills, fostering a cooperative and harmonious work environment. Our Aims:

7. School begins at 9.00am and ends at 3.30pm. Arriving promptly (before 9:00) supports a successful beginning to the school day for your child and their entire class. School Hours General Information

8. If your child is absent from school please email (clifton.hill.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au) or call (9489 8333) the school office or send a written note when your child returns. Absences General Information

9. The wearing of hats while outdoors is compulsory during Terms 1 and 4. Students who do not have a broad-brimmed, ‘bucket’ or legionnaires hat will be directed to sit in the shade for the duration of lunch or recess. Students need to wear hats to all outdoor sessions such as physical education, sport and on excursions. Sunsmart General Information

10. Swimming will begin on Tuesday March 9th and will continue each day until Friday March 19th with the exception of Wednesday March 17th. Due to the redevelopment of the Collingwood Leisure Centre during 2010, this year’s grade 2 swimming program will comprise only this block. Swimming General Information

11. As a central component of our school’s camp program, grade two students will undertake a sleepover on the school premises. The sleepover is aimed at building peer relationships, independence and resilience. It will provide students with an enriching, rewarding, enjoyable and memorable experience, and will help prepare them for camp programs held in the future years of schooling. Detailed information will be provided at a later date, with the sleepover to be scheduled for late term three or early term four. Sleepover General Information

12. If you require a time to discuss any social, emotional or academic concern regarding your child, please note that class teachers are available for meetings. It is essential to make an appointment so that we will be able to give you our undivided attention. As professional development and school meetings occur after school, teachers are available to meet from 8:20 to 8:40 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Please remember, just prior to the bell at 9.00am is not a good time as teachers are usually busy making final preparations for the day. Teacher Contact General Information

13. To arrange a meeting or discuss any concerns with us we are more than happy to be contacted by email. Our email addresses are:  Louise Bradshaw bradshaw.louise.l@edumail.vic.gov.au Merelina Pappas pappas.merelina.m@edumail.vic.gov.au Dave Williams williams.david.d@edumail.vic.gov.au Teacher Contact (continued) General Information

14. We would greatly appreciate the assistance of parents in the classroom and at home. We would love to hear from you and have your support in implementing our classroom program. Your classroom teacher will provide further information regarding the commencement of the Classroom Helpers program. At home you can assist your child by supervising and encouraging nightly home reading. Parental Help General Information

15. The Reading and Writing programs follow the Early Years Literacy program, and require students to work both collaboratively and independently. Literacy will predominantly take place in the first two hours of the school day. A variety of teaching strategies will be implemented to develop children’s skills in speaking and listening, reading, writing, spelling and handwriting. English Curriculum

16. The aim of our spelling program is to assist students in developing strategies that will support them to become independent spellers. A range of different spelling strategies are modelled to students and children are encouraged to ‘have-a-go’, utilising the strategies they have been taught. Students will continue to be supported in developing phonological awareness through the THRASS program, a whole school literacy initiative. English Spelling Curriculum

17. Children will be focussing on correct letter formation and pencil grip, presentation skills and layout of work. Teaching focus times will be used to introduce or revise handwriting elements. English Handwriting Curriculum

18. Students will participate in shared, guided and independent reading, encompassing many text types. Reading instruction will focus on strategies for decoding; such as self-correction, referring to visual cues, rereading to check meaning and utilising punctuation to enhance understanding. Students will also develop reading strategies such as predicting, summarising and identifying the author’s purpose for writing a given text. An emphasis will also be on developing fluency and expression when reading. English Reading Curriculum

19. Library sessions will be held weekly where children will be encouraged to borrow a range of books and reading materials. These will be brought home and reading with your child will be most beneficial. Please send a library bag to school with your child, as placing books in school bags can cause damage. Library bags do not need to be fancy, even a grocery bag would be appropriate. English Library Curriculum

20. Writing sessions will support students in planning, drafting, editing and publishing written pieces. Opportunities will be provided for students to write in a variety of styles and genres and for a variety of purposes. Incidental and focus teaching sessions will be used to develop grammar and punctuation skills. English Writing Curriculum

21. A feature of our approach to teaching writing will be our utilisation of the Writer’s Notebook strategy, providing students with a wide range of different source materials as a stimulus for writing. Students will regularly be encouraged to share their written pieces in order to develop confidence and presentation skills. In term one students’ writing will focus explicitly on the genres of descriptive and narrative writing, although students will be encouraged and supported to write in a range of genres and contexts. English Writer’s Workshop & Writer’s Notebook Curriculum

22. Students’ mathematical skills and understandings are developed in the dimensions of: • Number • Space • Measurement and Chance and Data • Working Mathematically Mathematics Curriculum

23. The importance of mathematical knowledge will be highlighted through open-ended challenges and tasks that relate to everyday life. Activities involving concrete materials are very important at this level in order to enhance mathematical concepts and understandings. Emphasis is placed on developing effective and efficient mental strategies and consolidating students’ understanding of place value. Mathematics Curriculum

24. Mathematical skills and concepts will be taught using a variety of strategies, including hands-on activities, maths games, problem solving activities, written work, mental arithmetic practice and integrated activities (where appropriate). Children will work independently, in pairs, in small mixed ability/ability groups and as a class, depending on the purpose of the activity. Mathematics Curriculum

25. In term one our primary focus will be on the Number dimension, specifically: • Counting • Place Value • Mental Strategies • Addition • Subtraction • A focus on time, an aspect of the Measurement dimension, will also occur in term one. Mathematics Term One Curriculum

26. Heroes and Villains is our integrated unit of work in term one. This unit will explore the way power is exercised in society. It aims to develop students’ understanding of the values that underpin the responsible use of power and inform them to make powerful choices in their own lives. Students will investigate what a hero or villain is, explore characteristics of heroes and villains and identify heroes and villains both within the community and in a range of different text types (films, picture story books, novels and comics). Students will also examine characteristics that they share with heroes. Heroes and Villains Integrated Curriculum

27. Our integrated units of work for the remainder of the year are: Term Two – The 4Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink) Term Three – Evolution Term Four – Communication Further details regarding these units will be provided at the beginning of each term respectively. Terms 2, 3 & 4 Integrated Curriculum

28. Habits of Mind is a way of thinking that all students at Clifton Hill Primary School will begin to use in 2010 Habits of Mind Habits of Mind are 16 habits (or dispositions), originally identified by Arthur L. Costa and further developed by Costa with Bena Kallick A Habit of Mind is knowing how to behave intelligently when you DON'T know the answer. A Habit of Mind means having a disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems, the answers to which are not immediately known. Curriculum

29. Technology will be used as a tool for learning; developing and sharing students’ thinking and presenting their ideas and understandings. Computers are available for use in each classroom including four desktop PCs and portable MacBooks. Access to the Internet is provided. Each class has a weekly session in the newly expanded MacLab, with Karen Dileo providing educational support. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Curriculum

30. The school homework policy states that homework shall not be given for students in grade two. However, students are expected to read (with parental supervision/assistance) for at least 20-30 minutes each day. From time to time individual students may be given home tasks to strengthen areas of weakness. You will be notified in advance if this is deemed appropriate Homework Curriculum

31. All students attend weekly specialist physical education, music, art and LOTE (French) sessions. Specialist Classes Curriculum

32. Kerrie Moulding PHYSICAL EDUCATION 2010 The Physical Education program is designed to cover the movement and physical activity dimension of the school curriculum. The program allows all students to develop their personal fitness, coordinated movement patterns and the development of basic and complex motor skills. The program aims to develop students’ confidence in using movement skills and strategies to increase their motivation to become active, to improve their performance and maintain a level of fitness that allows them to participate in physical activity without undue fatigue. The course also aims to provide opportunities for maximum participation, cooperative play, leadership and fair sporting behaviour. A supportive environment is fostered in which students are encouraged to strive to reach their potential in all that they attempt. All students will receive at least one specialist Physical Education session each week. Each specialist session is of 40-45 minutes duration. In addition the Preps will participate in a Perceptual Motor Program for 30 minutes once a week. Senior students will experience a range of activities outside the general curriculum including selection trials in Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics and Competitive Sport for District Schools Competition. Specialist Teachers Physical Education Curriculum

33. Roz Girvan Children in grade 2 will learn a variety of folk songs from a diversity of cultures. In keeping with the principles of the ŒOrff-Schulwerk‚ approach to music education, students will be encouraged to participate in music making through singing, movement and the playing of classroom instruments. They will also learn songs and respond to music relevant to some units of work that they are pursuing in the classroom. Students will also be introduced to the first elements of music literacy, appreciation and composition. There will also be an ongoing discussion about the role of music in story telling. In this discussion, students will develop an increased vocabulary for and understanding of music appreciation. Specialist Teachers Music Curriculum

34. Rosy Green VISUAL ARTS – 2010 During 2010 each student will attend one visual arts session per week. The length of each lesson will vary according to year levels. Prep and grade 1 45 minutes Grades 2 – 4 1 hour Grades 5 and 6 1 ½ hours Students from all year levels will be working on developing a range of skills using a variety of mediums such as drawing, painting, modeling, textiles, construction and print making. Students will also explore the life and work of various artists and will be encouraged to discuss both their own artwork and that of others. The program aims to develop aesthetic awareness and to foster creativity and self-expression. Emphasis will be placed on working appropriately in groups, respecting the property of the school and others and participating in the general clean up at the end of each lesson. Students will be required to bring their own named art smock to each lesson as some of the materials that we will be using may stain clothing. Smocks made from tightly woven fabric are the best choice. We welcome the donation of any materials that you think would be useful in the art room. During the year there will be times when we may ask for donations of specific items such as cardboard boxes or plastic bottles. Pleas look out for displays of your child’s artwork around the school. We will let you know when and where these are via the school newsletter. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us. Our office is located on the ground floor of the Organ Factory. Rosy Green (grades 1 – 6) green.rosemary.j1@edumail.vic.gov.au Kind regards Rosy Green (grades 1-6) Specialist Teachers Art Curriculum

35. Sophie Gammon Explanation of the French program Bonjour, les parents! Welcome back to another year. We look forward to having lots of fun learning French with your children. We will continue to use the Histoires en action! pour les tout petits program this year. The program uses an approach which is based upon the use of stories and music for the teaching of French. Specifically designed stories that are written in the form of plays become the focus for a range of motivating language activities that help students develop confidence and competence in the language as they progress through each story unit. For young students, the use of stories is a very important way to contextualise vocabulary. It allows language development to be supported and nurtured within the familiar, predictable context of a story that is the focus for the unit’s work. Music is integrated with the story, and in each unit of this program, students will learn to perform a play and a dance to accompany that play. There are songs, chants and raps that help students who learn well through rhythmical activities. They also become aware of rhyming words in the language. The vocabulary that is taught has been carefully selected as it is essential vocabulary for students during this next stage of their language learning. We will continue to use the Gesture Approach; this technique that uses hand signs to help students learn and remember important vocabulary found in the plays, songs and other activities has proven very effective. Each word is associated with a gesture, so that the language is represented visually and kinesthetically for the benefit of those students who learn best this way. There is an equal, strong emphasis on the development of all four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) through this program. The students will continue to do a lot of oral work but they will be introduced to more complex written work also as the year progresses. Activities are varied, so that students have the opportunity to work individually, in partners, in small groups and as a whole class. In order to do well in French this year, your child will: • participate actively in class, trying to only speak French; • memorise the plays; • work cooperatively with others in the class while answering questions; • learn the gestures covered in class; • learn the gesture associations; • participate in songs, dances, chants, raps and games with enthusiasm; • complete class work; • seek help when needed. Specialist Teachers French Curriculum

36. Parent Information Sessions This term two parent information sessions have been scheduled: Raising Resilient Children With Tena Davies, School Psychologist Thursday February 18th, 7:00 pm Supporting Your Child’s Learning at Home: Practical tips for Home Reading and Maths in the Early Years With Nerida Mellerick, Alex Clover, Sharon Gilchrist and Jenny Hemphill (Prep and Grade One Teachers) Monday March 15th, 7:00 pm All parents and carers are more than welcome at both of these sessions.

37. We are trying to save paper and communicate electronically a lot more in 2010. To this end, check out our grade 2 wiki: http://chpsgrade2.wikispaces.com/

38. Timetable A copy of your class’s timetable is available on our wiki. A hard copy is also available on request from your child’s teacher at the beginning of each term.

39. Questions ? ? ? ? ? Now is a good time to ask questions about the grade two program for 2010. If you want to ask specific questions of you child’s classroom teacher, we are happy to book appointments for meetings at the end of this session. At the end of this session if you would like to view the 2DW, 2LB or 2MP classrooms you are also welcome to do so.

40. A big thank you to everyone for their attendance at the Grade Two Parent Information Evening We hope you found this evening informative.