Kauri and Totara Hubs: Term 2, 2016
Welcome back to all students and their families.
We have had a great start to the term. Your child and their learning is very important to us so if you have any queries please don’t hesitate to come in or give us a ring or email:
Please check out the School Website for details on BYOD and Cyber Safety, School Newsletters. On our Totara & Kauri Hub Blog is where we will keep you informed and share the students’ learning.
First two weeks of Term 2
We have looked at our Term 1 programmes and assessments and identified a need to integrate our Reading and Writing programmes to more effectively meet the needs of our students. This means that students will change teachers for Maths as for Term 1. For Literacy the students will now have the same teacher for both reading and writing. Unfortunately Mrs Adams has been absent on bereavement leave and so this newsletter is a little later than usual.
Support Staff and Tuesday Rotations
We are very fortunate to have the assistance of Val Millington for extension literacy Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Also on Tuesdays we have Rotations for Room 6 & 7 Students. They are divided into 3 groups and work for 20mins slots from 9:10 to 10:10am. Mrs Millington takes creative writing, while Mrs McLocklan works with another group on spelling and Mrs Mathieson works with students on STEPS (online spelling programme). From 10:30 to 11:40 Mrs Millington works with developing the students’ knowledge of New Zealand Authors, Mr Rennie works with students on ICT skills and Mrs Mathieson will be in the Library.
We are also delighted (and also fortunate) to have the support of Erin Mathieson, Nicola Buik and Jenny McRobbie in various roles to support students with their learning.
Maths
We will be starting the term off with problem solving with a focus on subtraction, we will continue to develop basic facts knowledge, and we will be exploring strategies and knowledge for algebra later in the term.
Reading
In reading the children will read mostly nonfiction text to improve fact finding and summarising strategies to support their understanding of the text. Term 1 assessment data shows that our students are more competent at comprehending Narratives than finding information in articles.
Writing
Writing will be linked to our reading and there will still be an emphasis on Spelling, Vocabulary and Punctuation as in Term 1.
Inquiry
This term we are going to be focusing on Learner Qualities and Native Trees - Students focus on the learner quality of Relating to Others.
- I connect with others and form partnerships with peers, family and whanau and school community.
- I work with others.
- I care for people and the environment.
- I can learn from others.
- I can accept others have different opinions and ideas
We will also continue with our Cool Schools Peer Mediation Programme.
PE, the Arts, Music, Drama and Dance.
On Fridays starting from week 4 we will be introducing ACTION FRIDAYS. Students have been organised into groups for a range of learning opportunities.
Focus will be on:
Learning a second language
Sports- Large ball Skills (leading into the Winter Champs)
Visual Arts-(from construction to paint).
Music- Learning to play an instrument, Dance or Drama (all leading to a performance later in the year)
ICT
Focus will be on using our Google Apps for Education effectively in our learning. Getting the BYO Devices up and running and supporting students to develop their skills in using digital devices. With Mr Rennie.
Shared Learning (Home based learning)
Continuing with set expectations, completing work, online programmes and reading.
Students are expected to keep up with Maths Whizz, Read Theory, and STEPS by spending time on these programmes in their own time.
Library
Rooms 6, 7 and 8 will be using the Library on Tuesdays. Your child should have a range of reading materials, e.g. quick reads (magazines), easy reads(comics, joke books etc) and at least one fiction and one non-fiction chapter book which they need to read at school and at home.
Tech classes
Students in Year 7 and 8 will continue to attend Technology classes at Peachgrove Intermediate on Tuesdays. A bus collects them at 8:40 am and returns them to school by 11:10 am. A teacher Aide will accompany the students. Requirements for Technology include having covered footwear, and long hair should be tied back.
Reminders:
- Classrooms are open for students at 8.30 am so that they have enough time to prepare themselves for the start of the day at 8:50 am. As attendance is marked electronically parents need to ensure students that arrive at school after 8:50 am report to the office to sign in as the roll will have already been taken in class.If your child is going to be away could you please contact the school and let us know. All students leaving the school before 3:00 pm will need to be signed out at the office.
- As usual it is going to be important that we have your help in getting back information, permission slips and homework tasks on time. Please ensure that your child's clothes are clearly named.
- We will also be using Google Educational Apps. If your child does not have access to a computer at home they can complete activities at school from 8:30 am to 8:50 am. They just need to arrange this time with their classroom teacher.
If you have any expertise that you feel you could contribute toward our learning, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Regards
Chris Rennie,
Bruce Mitchell,
and Kerry Adams (Deputy Principal)
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