Week 6 Term 1

Thank you all for your understanding and support over the past two weeks.  I believe everyone swam well at the swimming sports - well done. Both Mason and Jack S also had BMX trophies to show me when I called at school on Wednesday - Congratulations boys.
Last week spelling came home in homework books which I tested on Friday. Your child's results are recorded beside their lists. We will spend this week in class time learning how to conduct and tool the lists that come home in books. The spelling lists that I send home are to practise the skills of "saying, tooling and recording" the sounds in order, in the words of the list. They are not words that need to just be learned by heart.  Spelling Alive is about learning skills and then using these skills and knowledge to be able to spell unknown words. The focus at the top of the spelling sheet will be the class learning focus which at present is hearing and recording clean sounds in Plan One words, (words that are spelled using one sound = one letter).  It will say 'decodable'. We are also working on being able to articulate and hear the vowel sounds in words, at times these are really tricky.
Now that all the swimming is over, we will begin to look at our Inquiry for the term. The Big Idea is that "events from the past have a huge impact on today and the future. We need to remember them and celebrate what they gave us. Commemoration".  Our class focus will be about "Me and My Family". We have started by drawing some fantastic portraits of ourselves, and measuring ourselves. Next we will begin to find out all we can about our families. We will be sorting questions to ask at home or of our relatives and eventually may find out whether any of our great grandparents or great, great grandparents went to either of the wars, as we look at the meaning of Anzac Day and the 100 year commemoration. Along the way I'm sure that we will find out lots about our local community and what it was like here in the past.
I have checked all the homework books that were at school on Friday.  Please be sure that homework books are at school on Fridays and that poetry books come back to school on a Monday.  It's hard catching up with individuals.  Thank you to those people who have signed the poem after it has been shared.

As part of the science learning with Mr Hogue, he left a blog address on the whiteboard for anyone who wants to take a look.      hoguesblog2013.blogspot.co.nz

Homework

Reading: - please record the reading every night.

R.E: there is a sheet for home discussion which relates to the class learning in the Jesus strand.

Hard to believe that we are already in the second half of the term - time is flying.

Week 5 term 1

This week has a very busy start!!

Tomorrow is the swimming sports!!

All children if possible need to be dropped at the pool at 8.55am.

Junior sports will start at approximately 10-15am.  Children are to sit with their house and cheer on the swimmers in the big pool. Once the junior sports are completed children are able to get dressed and then go back and sit with their houses. Children are to wear house colours. School uniform does not have to be worn tomorrow at all. Children will be bused back to school just before lunch.

Mrs Lyon is in Room 3 teaching. 

The reading programme will be continuing this week and children will have reading homework all week.

Please pack the children togs if the weather looks like it will be hot and the children might need a cool down.

Have a happy and safe week

Julie

Newsletter

Sorry for the problems with being able to view the newsletter. This should now be fixed!!!
If you have problems please ring the office.
We are hoping to have the link to the newsletter link up on the Facebook page very soon. We will keep you posted.
Many thanks

Julie

week 4 term 1

Thank you for your support at the School Mass.  Thank you also to those who managed to get to the Family Meet-and-Greet evening on Thursday. 

This week we have Ash Wednesday Liturgy at 12pm at the church, all welcome.
Also on Wednesday we have the Playhouse theatre this will be at 1.30pm and the PTA pay for this performance. 

Mrs Beilby is away and Mrs Cooney is teaching in Room 3.

Tee ball on Tuesday the 2 St Gerards teams are playing each other and will play at St Gerards starting at 3.15pm. PLEASE NOTE THIS GAME BEING PLAYED AT SCHOOL

Reading will be happening all week for homework.

Swimming sports are on Monday next week and children are to be dropped at the pool for a 9am start.  House colors to be worn and points will be awarded for the best dressed house. Please no crepe paper!!! More information on this will be in the school newsletter.

Have a happy and safe week

Julie Flannery

Science Learning With Mr Hogue

Please check our window - somehow the super photos that Mr Hogue had with our learning journal have not copied across.  I am still a learner in how to get stuff on here, sorry.

We are learning to be scientists by:

Observing carefully

Asking questions

Using evidence

 

Observing

We looked at photos of Otago Skinks to observe carefully

what features of lizards we could see.

Sully then suggested we could draw our own diagram of a skink.

Questions we wanted to find out about.

- How do we know they are nearly extinct?

-Why are the Otago skinks are endangered of becoming extinct?

- How can we protect them?

Evidence

-Scientists monitor and keep track of Skinks and Lizards to find out how many are left.

- To learn more about them so that we can help protect them

- To find out about the predators.

They do this by photographing and trapping lizards and recording the results.

- We also learnt that scientists must let the lizards go again back to their homes,

and handle them with care.

                                                                          

Some of the Otago skinks were housed in a special enclosure at Mokomoko reserve to protect them from predators.

Lizards and skinks like living in and around rocky places.

Why?

Scientists can monitor and keep track of the skinks by taking photos.

Thank you Mr Hogue for exciting science learning.

Perhaps you can take a walk around the Alexandra area with your family and go on a "skink hunt".  Remember to be scientists and conservationists, "leave only footsteps, take only photographs".

Stepping Out Assessment

Thank you so much to Mrs Jenkinson, Mr Morrell, Mrs Ryan and Mrs Ballantyne who helped Mr Milford today to assess the individual practical elements of the learning over the past week.
Congratulations to Annajhay, Sophie and Kimberley who passed all components. Keep remembering everything that you have learned when you are out and about on the road.
Each child will bring home their assessment booklet which indicates the areas that they are competent in and those that they need more assistance with.  In the middle of this booklet are the specific skills, and what each one entails. There is also a place for parents to sign this booklet once you are happy that your child is able to demonstrate the necessary components of each skill.  Thank you for following up on this teaching.  Our aim is to have very student knowledgeable about how to walk safely on our footpaths and roads.
Well done - everyone had their hi viz vest at school for the test. We need to see these on every day now as children come to and from school.

Week 3 Term 1

We are certainly in to birthday week.  Nicolas 8th, Otis 9th, Quinn and Jacqui 10th and Jelena 14th.  We are learning to sing Happy Birthday in Maori and French as well as count to 6 or 7 in these languages.  Great that some of these people had stunning weather to celebrate their birthdays.
Waitangi Day Family Day: thank you Maggie for organising this get together at Pioneer Park on Friday.  What a shame that the weather was more like the middle of winter.  From what I hear this morning, those children who met up really enjoyed the opportunity to get together for fun and friendship.
This Sunday - 15th February is the opening school mass and everyone needs to be seated in church at 8:55am Correct school uniform needs to be worn. Please contact me if your child is unable to be there.  As part of our contribution to the Alexandra community, each family is asked to bring one item for the food bank.
Tuesday - Safe Walking Assessment: This was postponed from Monday until 9am.  There is one parent who has indicated that they are able to assist us with this.  Ideally we could do with 2 more so that each child gets feedback about the skills that they do well and the ones that they need to work on.
The assessment will cover:

• Stop, look, listen, decide
• where to stand - one step back from the kerb
• crossing the road safely, walk steadily checking for traffic as walking
• crossing between parked cars - check for drivers, then stand between the cars to see clearly
• walking on a footpath - choose to walk as close to the fence as possible

All children have been issued with Hi Viz jackets now, so they need to have them here to wear in the morning.

Swimming: Tuesday 1:30 - 2:30.  We will travel by bus to and from the pool.  The bus leaves the school at 1:15.  Togs please and a note if your child is not swimming.  We are practising for the swimming sports to be held on Monday 23rd February.  Any helpers to dress children at the end of their swim would be most appreciated, as the bus returns to school at 2:40pm.

Science/CRT: Tuesday and Wednesday mornings Room 3 will have Mr Hogue as their teacher while I begin assessments in preparation for report writing.  We are looking forward to learning to be scientists by asking questions, sharing ideas and observing carefully.  Mr Hogue will be sharing his science passion throughout the school this year.

Meet and Greet Evening: Thursday at 5:30 - bring your tea. Mrs Eastwood will speak to parents at 6pm, there will be an opportunity to have your say via "post its" about the school strategic plan as well as the EOTC programme.  Remember we need to hear as much as possible - what you really like and feel is going well, as well as ideas and suggestions you have.  I may or may not be at this meeting as I have an appointment in Dunedin. Information about class routines etc will however be available.

Homework:

Reading: Great to see how well everyone is going with their reading.  Please be sure to sign the reading log at the back of the homework book. Some people have word lists for you to go over with them.  Having a set of well know high frequency words gives everyone a firm scaffold to attempt harder texts, where reading strategies to solve unknown words are practised.  I am pleased to be hearing many children their favourite page before school. This week with Science, books from reading boxes will come home, or children can choose to read from a book at home.

Study Ladder: everyone is on and some people have made great use of this over the weekend. 

We have made a great start to the year - well done everyone.  Super to see so many people have picked up the routines really quickly and are self managing getting ready for the day.

Study Ladder

I have been in and logged in under the names of children who have not already done so, or who have had difficulties doing this.  Thank you so much to everyone who has already done this.  Next up comes the learning curve for me to set homework activities.  We are working on Statistics at the moment so will try and load up some activities to support this learning.

I have received an email from Study Ladder offering 10 reward coins for every correct answer on the site this Saturday - February 7th.  Go to it. if you have access over this holiday weekend.

The class as a whole now has the free upgrade to the extra activities.  To keep this, we need to make sure that 40% or more of the class log in and work on the site each month.  At present I am setting up the classroom access under my name.  Mrs Wright has advised that this is the easiest option, and I agree with the older computers that are in the room.  If we log off sites we often experience difficulties getting back on again quickly.

Week 2 Term 1

Well done Mason on your excellent reading and also Hayvin and Annajhay who were excellent prayer leaders at church this morning.
Congratulations to Jack O (gold) and Alia (silver) medallists at yesterday's Duathlon at Molyneux Park.
Study Ladder: fantastic, 14 people have logged in to their names.  Remember that to get the best range of access at home to this free on-line learning site, each child needs to log in before Friday.
Safe Walking: We began our road safety learning today with bus safety.  Due to Mr Milford having a commitment on Wednesday, our other sessions with him will be tomorrow at 2pm, Thursday and Monday at 2pm, then the safe walking assessment where we need the assistance of some parents will be on Tuesday 10th at 9am rather than Monday as originally planned.
Thursday 12 February = Meet and Greet Evening starting with BYO tea. As well as hearing about class expectations there is the opportunity to share your ideas - check out the poster and stick-it notes in the foyer - have your say.
Waitangi Day - 10 am Pioneer Park - St Gerards Family Day initiated by our Maori/Pasifika School Community. A time to share and enjoy being a New Zealander. More details in the school newsletter.
Sunday 15th February: Opening School Mass

Homework

This week reading books will come home. Please complete the reading log at the back of the homework book. If you didn't sign the note at the front of the homework book last week, could you please do this so that I know you have read the information.

Homework books will come home every night Monday to Thursday. On Friday the poetry book will come home instead for the children to read their poem over the weekend. Some children may need you to read this poem with them. Please sign the bottom of the poem when it has been read. Some poetry books are still at home after last weekend, could you please make sure that they come back on a Monday, as this is when we usually put our new poem into our books.

Some people will have lists of words in their books to learn. Please take the time to help your child with these - tick them as they are known instantly. I will also be checking these regularly.

Each morning I like children to come and read a favourite page of their reading book to me before they put their book bag in the yellow box.

Spelling will become part of the weekly homework as the term goes on. At present we are working on reviewing the clean sounds, and making new words by changing the medial vowel e.g.: hat, hut, hot, hit. These are all Plan 1 words. One clean sound = one letter.

We have all made an amazing start to a busy term, and the children are quickly picking up the classroom routines.

Keeping Alexandra Beautiful Gardening

Keeping Alexandra Beautiful are having a tidy up of the area beside the Rail Trail on Tarbert St at 7pm on Wednesday 4th February.  Weeding and a general tidy up.  As a school we indicated an interest in this area as it is close to the school and we have been involved spreading the initial mulch as this area was established.  There may be some families who might pop up for a short time.