Welcome back to the new school year. This newsletter is to help keep you informed about the curriculum for the grade and the day-to-day activities of the grade.

This term the following teachers will be supporting learning in Year 2:

*Teachers work under the structure of an Enterprise Agreement that includes a number of entitlements. One of these is the engagement in Profession Planning Time (PPT) where they are released from class to carry out other professional responsibilities. Each full time teacher is entitled to the equivalent of 2 hours PPT each week, or a pro-rata thereof for part time teachers. Therefore, all students operate across the school week with at least two teachers engaging in the classroom program of learning.

This Curriculum Outline is designed to communicate what your child is learning so you can support them at home this term. At Good Samaritan, we believe that the partnership between you as parents and our teachers are the most important influences on your son’s or daughter’s education.

At Good Samaritan we have a K-6 Scope & Sequence of learning which supports the implementation of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA )Syllabuses. Below, is an outline of the Key Learning Area content & skills being taught this term.

This term in Religious Education, Year 2 will:

All students take part in Religious Education Programs. The school also provides other opportunities for students to express and deepen their Faith through school Masses, liturgies, prayer and in Christian service and witness within their school environment and the wider community. 

Religious Education follows a curriculum set and approved by the Bishop of the Diocese in conjunction with the Catholic Education Office.

This term in Religious Education, Year 2 will study two units:

1. The Easter Season - This unit is all about Easter. After recalling the Resurrection story it explores light as a symbol in the Easter Vigil. The unit also highlights the place of Baptism in the Easter Vigil. In recalling Pentecost, the students will explore the presence of the Holy Spirit.
2. Signs of God’s Love - This unit introduces the Church’s liturgical year, relating the key seasons and symbols to the events of  Jesus’ life, death and Resurrection. The unit also presents the story of the Exodus, a foundational story in which the People of God pass from slavery to freedom through the waters of the Red Sea. The significance of water and other key liturgical symbols is explored. 

English is the Key Learning Area where students develop knowledge, skills and understandings about English language and literature. The students will be actively engaged in the development of skills through:

This term in English, Year 2 will be engaging in the following components:

Speaking & Listening - Students will engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening behaviours, showing interest, and contributing ideas, information and questions. Weekly Talk Time will continue this term with a weekly listening and speaking focus. This will assist students to develop confidence when speaking in front of an audience.

Reading & Viewing - Students will respond to a range of literature and discuss the purpose and audience. Different roles of readers will be explored focusing on – decoding words and punctuation, making meaning, understanding the purpose of texts. Students  will be exposed to a widening range of texts for enjoyment and pleasure and discuss reasons for their choice. Students begin to learn and to use some of the Super Seven comprehension strategies to read and respond to texts - activating their prior knowledge, visualising, predicting, making connections and summarising.

Writing & Representing - Students will learn to write quality imaginative texts to engage the readers. They are learning how to write simple and compound sentences using the appropriate structure. In conjunction with this, students will be practicing speaking and listening, spelling and punctuation, grammar and vocabulary skills. 

Spelling - Letters & Sounds programme will be used for spelling activities. Lessons will focus on using various spelling rules and strategies including oral segmenting and blending of familiar words. New graphemes and alternative pronunciation for these words will be consolidated. New learning will be on adding suffixes to base words.

Grammar, Punctuation & Vocabulary - Formal lessons on grammar, punctuation and vocabulary will be consolidated during writing activities. Students will continue to develop a greater understanding of simple and compound sentences using the appropriate structure.

Handwriting & Digital Technologies - Students will practice handwriting skills using the correct NSW Foundation handwriting style in their everyday book work, incorporating the components of posture and pen grip. 

Each Monday, focus spelling words will be posted on Seesaw. Please practice and revise reading and writing these words.

It is important for your child to read to you for at least 15 minutes each day. Please send the reading folder back to school every day so the students can change their readers.

It would be appreciated if you could complete the reading log daily. The students will have a Talk Time topic to share on their allocated day each week. It is essential that the students have prepared for their oral presentation so they can speak to the class for two minutes about their topic. A Talk Time overview will be shared on Seesaw. 

As COVID restrictions have now eased, we welcome parents/caregivers to come to the classroom to listen to students in year 2 read in the morning session. If you would like to volunteer for this, please send an email to your child’s teacher to organise a day/time.

An essential component of Mathematics is the development of students’ ability to Work Mathematically. This includes the skills of Communicating, Problem Solving, Reasoning, Understanding and Fluency. 

Students’ ability to work mathematically is developed through the achievement of outcomes and working with content of the Mathematics K-6 Syllabus. Content is organised within the following content strands: 

This term in Mathematics:

This term in Mathematics, Year 2 will:

Students will be encouraged to investigate, problem solve and develop ways to record understandings. Practical activities and open-ended tasks will be the basis of learning experiences. Our mathematics lessons will have the following elements: Number Sense, Modelled instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice. 

Number & Algebra - Patterns and Algebra (identifying missing numbers), Whole Number (grouping, partitioning and rearranging collections up to 1000), Addition and Subtraction (split strategy) and Multiplication (groups and arrays).

Measurement & Geometry - 2D Space (describing and drawing 2D shapes), Position (mapping skills), Area (comparing and ordering shapes) and Volume and Capacity (comparing and ordering with informal units).

Each Monday, the Maths weekly focus will be posted on Seesaw for your information. Students at this stage benefit from lots of practice counting, including forward and backwards and counting by 2’s, 3’s, 5’s and 10’s.

The objectives and outcomes of the Geography Syllabus are based on courses of study across Kindergarten to Year 6. The organisation of content for the stages in primary school is as follows:

Geography is taught in Terms Three and Four.

The outcomes, concepts and skills of the History Syllabus are based on courses of study across Kindergarten to Year 6. The organisation of content for the stages in primary school is as follows:

This term in History, Year 2 will:

 Identify and describe significant  events, places and sites in the local community and how these have changed over time, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ places of significance. Students will explore questions such as

• What aspects of the past can you see today?
• What do they tell us?
• What remains of the past are important to the local community? Why?

The outcomes and content in the Science and Technology Syllabus are organised in the following strands and substrands:

This term in Science & Technology, Year 2 students will participate in a unit of work called “Watch it Grow.”  The students will learn about the life stages of living things, understanding about the way living things grow, change and have offspring similar to themselves, and to introduce current scientific views.

The Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus is organised within the following strands: 

This term in Creative Arts, Year 2 will: Explore a unit of Pitch. 

This unit will investigate children's ability to discriminate between higher and lower sounds and to create simple melodic patterns. The unit is broken up into 3 sections:

• WHAT IS PITCH?
• HOW CAN WE MAKE SOUNDS HIGHER/LOWER?
• HOW CAN WE USE HIGHER/LOWER SOUNDS?

Throughout the unit students will explore their musical learning through singing, the use of instruments, composition, group work, aural skills and performance.

Students at Good Samaritan engage in Physical Education/Sport each week. All students participate in the School Athletics and Cross Country Carnivals. Eligible students participate in the Swimming Carnival. After these carnivals squads are chosen to represent the School at Regional and Diocesan Carnivals. Students can then be selected to compete at MacKillop and State levels. Good Samaritan has a clear policy regarding student participation in sporting gala days and representation at competitive sports. Parents are asked to become familiar with this policy. 

This term in PDHPE, (Physical Education) Year 2 will be participate in: 

Physical Education (Sport) - 

The practical component comprises sessions where students will be learning fundamental movement skills (FMS) incorporating ‘Passing’ and ‘Catching’ within a Basketball/Netball context. They will be practising the skills and playing individual, small sided and group games. 

Personal Development/Health - 

Students develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to empower them to make healthy and safe choices and take action to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of their communities. 

Physical Education (PE) - Unit: Game On!

Students will participate in games with and without equipment. They will try different techniques and ways to move in order to solve movement challenges and make positive choices when moving. They will learn to identify rules and fair play when participating in physical activities. Students will participate in Athletics, and explore games that involve throwing and catching.

Oral Presentations - Students have been allocated a specific day to present an oral presentation to the class which will help develop confidence with speaking and listening skills. An overview for the term will be sent home outlining the topics for each week. Students will present a 2 minute presentation focusing on a specific listening and speaking focus.

Home Reader - The students will be given a home reader to take home daily. Students are encouraged to read to an adult for 10-15 minutes every day and parents are encouraged to complete their child’s reading log daily. Home readers need to be returned to school every day. Use this opportunity to ask your child questions about their book to help and improve their reading and comprehension skills.

Sight / Spelling Words - A list of high frequency sight words and spelling words will be sent home each week to assist the students build speed and fluency when reading. Accuracy, speed, and fluency in reading increase reading comprehension. Sight words should be recognised without sounding out the letters.

• Developing independence in your child. Where possible make them responsible for putting or checking that their lunch box, , hat and/or reading folder is in their bag
• At home asking you child to follow two step instructions such as asking them to take their clothes to their bedroom and put them away in their drawers. 
• Where possible, arrive at school on time by 8:45am as it helps the children settle into the day.

Some children may need to have their school supplies replenished:

• Glue sticks
• White board markers 6 pack
• 6 Lead pencils HB

Please ensure all your child’s belongings are marked clearly with their name and class.

PB4L in Year 2:

• Our school rule Respectful, Responsible and Safe
• Our Term focus is “Love of Learning”
• Mission Behaviours

 Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School operates the Positive Behaviour 4 Learning framework to  assist in improving student behaviour and enhancing learning within the classroom. The PB4L  framework recognises individual student needs on both our playground and in learning spaces.  

PB4L enables the school to identify areas of need where work is able to be done with students who  are unclear of expectations and appropriate behaviour whilst developing empathy within their  relationships. This process may include the key principles of Restorative Practice. In this way Good  Samaritan is making our school and playground a friendly and enjoyable place for all our students.  

At Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School, we are proud of the positive behaviours displayed by  our students. Recognition and celebration of these behaviours occur both within the classroom and  at school assemblies.

All students are expected to be neatly dressed in their school uniform or sports uniform each day. Classroom teachers will monitor the wearing of the uniform on a day-to-day basis and inappropriate dress will be brought to the attention of the student and, where necessary, parents. 

This term students are to wear the correct Summer/Winter uniform.

GOOD SAMARITAN CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL UNIFORM

Students are also expected to wear the correct Sports Uniform on sports days:

ALL ITEMS OF UNIFORM MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED WITH THE CHILD’S NAME

Ongoing communication between school and home is essential. The school aims to work in partnership with the home and recognises that parents wish to be informed of any problems. Likewise, there is a need for parents to keep the school informed of any events that may impact on the life of their child at school.

Through this mutual communication we aim to provide a safe and supportive environment for your child.

1. If you have any educational/behaviour concerns about your child always contact your child’s classroom teacher in the first instance. Your child’s classroom teacher will always make contact with you if they have any concerns regarding your child’s education or behaviour.  Appointments can be made via Compass - not SeeSaw - or by calling  the office. 
2. Grades and classes across the school are supported by Middle Leaders. You are welcome to contact the Middle Leader/s responsible for your child’s class/grade if you have continued concerns regarding your child’s education or behaviour. The Middle Leaders will also contact you when and if necessary.

Middle Leaders 2022

3. If the issue remains unresolved beyond the Middle Leader then please address your concern/s to the Assistant Principal or the Principal.

4.Parents may contact teachers by email via the school office (info@gsfmdow.catholic.edu.au) but are asked to understand that a response may not be immediate and certainly cannot be expected beyond the regular hours of the school day or week. 

At Good Samaritan, we believe it is important to speak with parents either in a face-to-face meeting or over the phone when responding to emails that may be of a sensitive nature or that may require a lengthy response. Therefore, the email response you receive may be of a generic nature.

5.Parents are asked to understand that the teacher’s primary responsibility throughout the school day is towards the students. Therefore, teachers are unable to engage in discussion when they are in direct supervision of students.

For any absence the school must receive notification of the reason for the absence within 7 days of the return to school. This applies for partial absences as well as whole day absences. Please supply the reason via Compass. In the event that a notification is not supplied the absence will be recorded as Unjustified/Unexplained.

Tuesday 10 May Winter Uniform

Monday 30 May - Friday 3rd June

Friday 10 June PB4L Day

Tuesday 21 June Parent / Teacher Interview Week

Friday 1 July Whole School Run & Picnic