Term 4, 2025
The Year that Was…
We are coming to the end of the Chinese Year of the Snake and, like a snake, we are getting ready to bake in the sun over Summer and cool off in the water. Also, like the snake we have displayed these qualities: strong problem-solving skills, and great strategic thinking and determination. As we have grown over the year, we can now shed the skin that can no longer contain us – limited thinking (no more “I can’t do it”, no more “it’s too hard for me”, no more “I’m just not that smart”) and now we can grow into our new, can-do mindsets!
What Do We Do in the Primary Classes?
Gaining proficiency in English Skills is more than phonics. Here’s a sample of what we could do in an hour long session in the Primary Groups:
Warm Up Activity – related to the content we are about to explore. This gives students a chance to connect, chat and create, so that they can re-set from school to Ms Calleja’s Classroom. It gives us time to welcome each kid as they arrive. This activity is about 10 minutes at the beginning of each session. An example of this was painting WRapping paper with cheRRies and beRRies for ChRistmas (the r phonics grapheme variations).
Phonics – this term we covered the following:
Silent Letters (mb, kn, gn, pn)
Review a-e a (as in apron) ai ay ea (as in break)
t/ed/tt/th
short /i/ i/y/ui/u
n/nn/kn/gn/ne/pn
c/k/ck/qu/que/q/ch
Short /e/ e/ea/ei/eo/ai
r/rr/wr/rh
m/mm/mb/mn/me
g/gh/gg/gu/gue
revision of sounds in our peace word list
Reading (decoding) for accuracy – this is where our phonics instruction comes into play
Reading for fluency – fluency is important for making meaning of what we read
Reading for comprehension – critical thinking, finding information in a text
Reading for interest and discussion – generating “I wonder” questions and sharing opinions and ideas
Reading for grammar, sentence structure and stylistic choices – exploring how language works and how we can use it effectively in our writing and speaking.
Writing Activities – worksheets, sentences, paragraphs, stories, short answers and many other writing activities for different purposes.
Maths – some of the older kids have time allocated for maths skills at their year level
Lower High School Kids
Homework club always fun. Students bring their own work and we have different goals and topics to focus on each term. Some students need help with extending their writing, others need phonics support and grammar. Others need to work on comprehension or organisation. Everyone brings a positive attitude and a sense of fun. Well done to all the kids in this group!
Upper High School Students
This was a very fast and very intense term for the 10’s and 11’s. This group were finishing content and assignments, studying for exams, applying for leadership positions, working on passing OLNA (which they did!) and even getting their driver’s licence. Well done to this group for their hard work and grit. You are a formidable bunch.
Next Year
2026 is the Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse. The Fire Horse year is known for ambition, passion and drive, new ideas and opportunities, breaking free from old patterns and channelling energy effectively for balance.
Some Final Thoughts on Learning
Learning is messy. Learning is Active. Learning is not linear. Learning is interest driven. The process of learning is part science, part magic and is always about connection and relationship. Thank you to all parents for choosing me to partner with you in the development of your child’s learning life, I won’t always do it neatly but I will do it with care and pedagogical best practice in mind. Merry Christmas and see you in the New Year everyone.
Evidence of wonderfully messy learning
At Ms Calleja’s Classroom we care about your kids and strive to create a learning environment where everyone can shine to their full potential.
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