Welcome to EY2 – DBIS Hub

Dear EY2 Families,

Welcome to EY2! We are delighted to welcome you all to what will be a year full of excitement, challenge and lots of fun for all involved. This year your child will have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of interesting learning experiences, develop their writing, reading and maths skills and enhance their personal enquiry skills.

The development of the children’s skills as enquirers will be supported through our exciting Discovery units. We will also begin the year with our whole school unit called ‘Learning to Learn’ where the EY2 children will develop their understanding of how we can learn most effectively and develop a growth mindset.

Our EY2 Home Learning programme will begin on Thursday 13th August. All learning will be communicated through Seesaw. Please see an outline below that details the online learning opportunities in EY2:

Thursday 13th/Friday 14th August:

-8:30am-9:00am – Google Meet session with all members of your child’s class. The purpose of these initial Google Meet sessions will be for your child to meet their new class teacher, class EA and classmates. During these sessions the children will also be given a couple of introductory start of year activities to complete. The Google Meet link for each class will be shared via Seesaw on Wednesday 12th August.

-As you are already aware, our initial Parent Teacher Conferences will take place in the afternoons on Thursday & Friday. More details about these conferences is explained below.

Monday-Thursday (from Monday 17th August onwards):

-From Monday 17th August, the children will be split into two smaller groups for their morning Google Meet sessions to allow greater interactions and differentiation within the lessons. The purpose of these Google Meet lessons will be to outline and model the learning for each subject for that day. This will allow the children to become familiar with their learning activities, which will then help them to work with greater independence. Groups and times will be communicated on Friday 14th August.

-Each day’s activities and daily slides will be available from 5pm the day before, with Monday’s activities set at 5pm the previous Friday. The daily activities will be communicated via Seesaw.

-Small group 10 minute RWI Speed Sound lessons led by our Educational Assistants. Groups and times will be communicated on Friday 14th August.

-Daily recorded stories each day. The stories will be recorded in the ‘Activities’ section of Seesaw for your child to enjoy at their leisure.

Fridays (from Friday 21st August onwards):

-RWI consolidation slides will be available each Friday. These slides will allow the children to practise the sounds that they have learnt in their EY2 RWI online lessons. They will therefore build cumulatively over the weeks.

-In EY2 the children are set weekly spelling rules to practise and learn. Spelling lists containing a particular spelling rule will be set online for the children to learn each Monday and a spelling quiz will be set the following Friday. The children will receive their first spelling rule on Monday 24th August.

-Your child will be allocated a 10 minute biweekly slot on a Friday to virtually meet with their class teacher. This is an opportunity for them to discuss any aspects of their learning from the week with their teacher. These 1:1 sessions will begin on Friday 21st August. Your child will also have the opportunity to join an online biweekly small group story or activity with their class EA during the weeks when they are not meeting with their class teacher. Your child’s 1:1 and small group EA time slot will be communicated by the end of the day on Monday 17th August.

-Each Friday, there will be an online assembly led by Miss. Cole & Mrs. Cassidy. The assemblies will take place between 12:30-1:00pm. The first assembly will be on Friday 21st August.

Overview of weekly online learning timetable from Monday 17th August:

Below is a timetable to show the learning opportunities available for each day. On Monday-Thursday there will be a new Writing and Maths activity set each day. On a Monday, two Reading and two Discovery activities will be set so that the children can work through these activities at their own pace throughout the week. We will discuss and model one of these Discovery and Reading activities in our Google Meet sessions each morning so the children may decide to complete one each day.

The learning opportunities will vary each day and the timetable may change slightly at times.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Google Meet Lesson Group 1 8:30-8:55 Google Meet Lesson Group 2 9:00-9:25	Google Meet Lesson Group 1 8:30-8:55 Google Meet Lesson Group 2 9:00-9:25	Google Meet Lesson Group 1 8:30-8:55 Google Meet Lesson Group 2 9:00-9:25	Google Meet Lesson Group 1 8:30-8:55 Google Meet Lesson Group 2 9:00-9:25	Biweekly 1:1 session with class teacher or biweekly activity with class EA
RWI small group EA led lesson	RWI small group EA led lesson	RWI small group EA led lesson	RWI small group EA led lesson	RWI Sounds Consolidation Slides
Maths Activity	Maths Activity	Maths Activity	Maths Activity	Spelling Quiz
Writing Activity	Writing Activity	Writing Activity	Writing Activity	Catch Up Time – Complete outstanding activities from the week
Reading Activity 1	Reading Activity 2	Discovery Activity 1	Discovery Activity 2	12:30-1pm – Assembly run by Miss. Cole & Mrs. Cassidy

Specialist lessons

In addition to the activities above, each class will also have live Music, P.E, Learning Technology & Mandarin specialist lessons. The timetable for these online lessons will be communicated early next week and will replicate the times in their weekly class timetable.

Expectations for Google Meet sessions:

We will outline the expectations for our Google Meet lessons with the children in our first session on Thursday 13th August. To allow the sessions to run productively, we ask for the children to join their Google Meet session at their specified times, with their microphone turned off. We kindly ask for the children to keep their cameras turned on throughout the sessions, to allow for greater interaction, unless they have otherwise informed their class teacher. We also ask for the children to ensure they have an adult with them before clicking on the Google Meet link.

Reading Books:

A pack of four reading books will be available for your child each Thursday and Friday at 12:00-2:00pm outside the gates at the Primary Campus. We kindly ask that the previous week’s books are returned before the next set are collected. The reading books will be at their EY1 reading level. Sometimes, the children may receive a book that they have previously read. Please use these familiar texts as an opportunity to develop your child’s ability to read with confidence and expression. Please also refer to the document copied below, to help develop your child’s comprehension ability by asking them questions about what they have read. Books will be available each Thursday & Friday starting from Thursday 20th & Friday 21st August. Children who have joined DBIS this term will be given four different levelled books. Please read these with your child and let your child’s class teacher know which level is most appropriate for them.

The online learning opportunities will cover the objectives that we would teach in school each week. We therefore hope that the children will complete as many activities as possible. Your child’s class teacher will provide feedback on their learning, during school hours, through video, audio and written messages on Seesaw.

Parent Teacher Conferences

As you are aware, you have been invited to attend a virtual Parent Teacher Conference with your child’s class teacher during the afternoons of Thursday 13th and Friday 14th August. If you have not already signed up, please click on the link below to arrange a time. These initial meetings are an opportunity for your child’s class teacher to meet your family and to also find out some information about your child.

https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code?code=n9n2p

When it is your time for your PTC appointment, please click on the same Google Meet link used for your child’s Google Meet lesson that morning. As our PTCs are being held online, we kindly ask that you do not click on the link any earlier than your appointment time. Each meeting will be 10 minutes but if there is anything in addition that you would like to discuss, please arrange an additional meeting with your child’s class teacher.

We all look forward to welcoming all our families to EY2 very soon. From Thursday 13th August, if you have any queries at all, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher through the online messaging function in Seesaw.

Kind regards,

The Year 2 Team

Emily Sharman Jane Broderick Lyndsey Coote Ciara Sasikumar

Vivian Ng-Yeo Grazyna Bobrowska Linda Taylor Jean Capito

Questions for parents to ask children when reading

When we hear children read in school, alongside their phonic skills, we also support their comprehension skills.

Below you will find a list of possible questions to help you when reading with your child at home. They are not intended to be used all at once or every time you read with your child. Use them at your discretion and where they are appropriate. Happy Reading!

Questions to ask before you read

Can you look at the pictures and predict what you think will happen in this book?

What makes you think that?

What characters do you think might be in our story?

Do you think there will be a problem in this story? Why or why not?

Does the topic/story relate to you or your family? How?

Questions to ask during the reading

What do you think will happen next?

What can you tell me about the story so far?

Can you predict how the story will end?

Why do you think the character did _______?

What would you have done if you were the character?

How would you have felt if you were the character? (use different characters)

As I read____________, it made me picture________ in my head. What pictures do you see in your head?

As you read, what are you wondering about?

Can you put what you’ve just read into your own words?

Questions to ask after reading

Can you remember the title?

In your opinion, was it a good title for this book? Why or why not? Can you think of an alternative title?

Were your predictions about the story correct?

If there was a problem, did it get solved?

What happened because of the problem?

Why do you think the author wrote this book?

What is the most important point the author is trying to make in his writing?

What was your favorite part of the story?

If you could change one thing in the story, what would it be?

Can you retell the story in order?
Can you choose a favourite word from the story?