Year 1

MEGAN THOMAS

Year Level Coordinator

In reflection upon the very busy and short year that was 2015, we would like to congratulate all the Year 1 boys on their achievements and hard work. It is hard to believe it has been a year since we saw their little faces walk through our doors on the first day looking so worried, yet excited, quiet, but full of questions and anxious about getting started.

TERM ONE The boys hit the ground running as they took on the extra responsibilities and formalities of Year 1, with no-one to help them remember to do their jobs, unpack their bag and change their readers. They were straight into learning about Science and exploring ‘change’ through cooking pasta and melting ice-blocks. The boys were surprised to see how different products changed during the heating or cooking process. Homework, spelling and high-frequency words were also introduced. THRASS played an important role and the boys thrived on learning all the tricky terms such as Phoneme, Grapheme, Digraph, trigraph, syllable, GCA (Grapheme Catch All). The boys loved the handson approach and challenge of THRASS and loved teaching their parents a thing or two, who were quite confused about the words and statements the boys were bringing home. The boys were also very excited to travel across to the ‘Big School’ for swimming.

TERM TWO During Term Two the boys continued investigating and researching the past and present lives of their families, looking at how family roles, traditions and objects such as phones, toys and cars had changed. The boys posed many questions about the past and discussed them with grandparents and parents. Another highlight for the boys was learning all about Geography. Many discussions about natural, managed and constructed features were had and how to best look after these places. Boys graphed, discussed and explored how and why people use different places for different reasons.

TERM THREE All four classes were taken over by Minibeasts. The boys spent hours inside the classroom learning, but lots of time outside in the gardens on hunting expeditions too. The boys had to complete individual projects on a chosen Minibeast of their choice and turn their research into a PowerPoint presentation. The boys were so proud to present their work to their class and friends. Term Three was finished off with our annual Sports Day. Running, jumping, throwing and hurdling. A morning enjoyed by all, especially the spectators.

TERM FOUR Before we knew it, it was Term Four. Swimming played a big role in the boys’ excitement of this term, being able to show off and fine tune the great moves they had learnt in the pool during Term One. This term I’m sure all would agree has been the quickest term of all. Before we knew it Christmas activities and carols were upon us. Looking back at the beginning of our year and comparing learning letter formation and numbers, to now practising spelling, writing and problem-solving, you realise where the year has gone and the distance travelled by our young learners.

On behalf of Miss Chapman, Mrs Chatfield, Mrs Corbett and I, we would like to congratulate the boys on such an enjoyable and fantastic year and the progress the boys have made. Well done, boys! We wish you all the best in Year 2 and becoming the leaders of the lower primary school.

YEAR 1A

SEATED ROW: L. HENNOCK, S. RONALDSON, H. BABBAGE, S. BARNES, K. OMOMO, H. PYKE, N. HON, M. THOMPSON, H. HOGAN SECOND ROW: R. ZHANG, L. HUGHES, A. GHOUSSAIN, C. MARLAND, D. SINGH, H. POWELL, L. EVANS, C. WHITEBROOK ABSENT: L. ONG TEACHERS: MRS T. STIBBE (TEACHING ASSISTANT), MRS A. CHATFIELD

YEAR 1C

SEATED ROW: J. MANTON, I. LEWINSMITH, C. MAHER, K. BEATTIE, J. LYNTON, J. CUMMINGS, H. SMITH SECOND ROW: J. BLAIR, B. DOBSON-MILLER, N. JEFFRIES, C. SNELLING, H. KEMM, H. WALSH THIRD ROW: S. HIRABE, M. MCKENZIE, L. CRAIN, J. STAPLETON, J. COUSINS, M. ALVAREZ-CALDERON TEACHER: MRS L. CORBETT

YEAR 1S

SEATED ROW: P. SA, S. CONNELLY, M. KEMP, L. WILSON, H. BROWN, R. WAN, L. BACKWELL SECOND ROW: T. FABER, C. BROWNING, O. VAN RIET, C. PHILLIPS, J. BIGG, Z. JONES THIRD ROW: K. WHALA, C. ELL, B. BARNES, R. MCFARLANE, L. NEOPHYTOU ABSENT: J. LEICESTER TEACHER: MISS S. CHAPMAN

YEAR 1T

SEATED ROW: D. GILL, C. COLE, E. SINGH, H. RAMACHANDRA, M. NASH, K. DRYSDALE, W. CHEN SECOND ROW: P. PARAKA, V. STRAMARCOS, A. LEES, T. HUDSON, L. BOUGHENOUT, I. LAI THIRD ROW: T. ROGERS, O. BOS, C. CLINTON, M. DOWLING, M. MERRIMAN ABSENT: J. CORBETT TEACHER: MRS M. THOMAS