Getting to know one another, learning new systems, setting goals, creating works of art, entering the Garden Show Competition, science experiments, Get New Zealand Writing, camping...
And that's not everything! We did a bit of core learning too! LOL It's no wonder that we all needed a holiday to recover. We hope your holiday with your precious children is going marvelously.Just thought we'd communicate a few important bits of information about the coming term...
1. Library folders will be required from this term on. Our children will be required to select one or two books from the school library to read at home, and they MUST carry the books to and from school in a folder please.
2. We have received several questions about Homework expectations in Wairere. Yes... we give homework. You will find it on the blog, Wairere Blog Click Here No, we don't expect too much for homework, as we believe whānau time is very important. As well, many children have after-school activities which keep them busy.
However, on the blog, if you click on the page Home Learning, you will be able to go to some H/W links . There's Spelling City, for which the children know their login. Mathletics, which the school has kindly subsidised, so please use this wonderful resource. We expect students to read for 15-20 mins each day. As well, there are links on the blog to Add/Sub Flipped lessons. Your child can watch these lessons once, or multiple times, until the concept makes sense. We find that when parents watch with their child, it helps them understand the way maths is taught these days. As always, addition and subtraction groupings within ten, then to twenty and then to hundred and beyond are very important. Students should also know their 2, 5 and 10 times tables and once they are secure, should move on to learning the others to 10.
If your child needs support in writing, you will see a series of lessons about punctuation to work through.
3. The cross-country is coming up in Week 2. The team did some practice in the last couple of weeks of Term 1. We hope the kids have been fit and active and training in the holidays. Just a reminder that your children will need running shoes everyday. Some found it difficult to run safely in gumboots and slip-on shoes.
We appreciate your encouragement of your child's running efforts, by careful consideration before writing notes to get them out of exercising! It is part of our NZ curriculum and as such, not a choice.
4. Now, a couple of things to mention that are coming up...
Book Week - Week 4 - reading related activities all week, culminating in a book character dress up day on Friday 25 May
New World trip - Week 5 - dietitian is coming to run the 'Food for Thought' programme. This culminates in a walk to New World on Wednesday 30 May, for which we will plenty of parent helpers. Small groups will move around the supermarket, applying their learning and reading nutritional information panels. We need a parent with each small group. (Don't panic... only 26 students will go at a time!) A letter will come out closer to the time, but you might want to see if you're free on that day... times are 1 and 1/2 hour slots between 9:30am and 1:30pm!
Storytelling Schools - We are excited to introduce this new programme to our students this term. Aim - to increase oracy to improve writing outcomes. Now and then your child will come home with a story to tell you. Enjoy!
Phew!! Looks like we will hit the ground running next week! Until then, remember we appreciate your support very much, as we strive to care for your child, in partnership with you.
Ngā mihi nui from the teaching team
By Fiona Smallridge
Photo Gallery
No comments:
Post a Comment