Monday 27 November 2017

Week 7 Term 4

Junior School Christmas Craft Rotation Week

Four afternoons will be spent on a variety of Christmas crafts. A great opportunity to give Room 3 some leadership as they help younger students to create their bits and pieces.

No Discovery this week.

Friday sees us enjoying an EOTC event with Room 4. Please make sure that you return your notice to school so that we can evaluate whether there are enough parents to assist us. I suspect as the number of people reading the blog is small, that some have not yet got this information. It was agreed earlier in the year that the blog was a clear way to communicate class information. The response is now urgent so we are asking for all notes to be back by Wednesday. Thank you to those who have already responded.

CRT - Jewellery making Thursday with Mrs Chamberlain while I complete testing. Exciting to see how much people have improved in their reading this year.

Thank you so much parents for bringing all those well loved pets to school on Friday. What a super Pet Day we had!

Homework
  1. Reading: your own choice, plus learn the words to the Christmas songs. Jesus Lullaby (for Discovery visits with Room 7), No Room For You Tonight (Room 3 song) and Christmas Is The Time (Whole school song). These should be glued into homework books. Those with no book at school need to see me to get these words.
  2. Eisteddfod Song: these should be 'humming along' now, ready to present next Monday or Tuesday 
  3. Spelling: yeah! last week! end of year test at some stage this week. Keep working on listening to the order of the sounds and sampling long vowel spelling patterns, then think "What looks right?"
  4. Morning Programme: a few people on the whiteboard



Sunday 26 November 2017

Rooms 3 & 4 Bike Trip - this Friday

Room 3 & 4 Bike Trip this Friday 1st December:
This is Room 3 & 4's Christmas outing. We will be biking to Mrs Beilby's house for a day of biscuit-decorating, mini-golf, cricket and sprinklers.
  • Bikes need to be at school this Wednesday morning for a bike safety check with Mr Milford at 10.30.
  • We require parents to accompany us if this trip is to go ahead. Please let Markelle or I know as soon as possible if you are available. Thank you, Rachael & Loren for confirming your availability.
  • It is a full day trip leaving school at 9.15 am and returning by 2.40 pm.
  • A hard copy notice will come home Tuesday. Please return this slip by Wednesday.

Tuesday 21 November 2017

Sprinklers


With the weather having been so hot. Mr Eastwood has agreed to putting the sprinklers on tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. We have all talked about not touching the heads of the sprinklers as they are very fragile and expensive to replace. Bring your togs and a towel.

Hi All

Remembered it is Pet Day on Friday so all those on Morning Programme can have another week to prepare.  Might be a bit much to squeeze in😀
We will present next Friday
Thanks 
Emma Stratford

Sunday 19 November 2017

Hi All 

Some neat photos to share and a recipe!
We had scientists, cooks, book reviews and favourite holidays.
Huge thank you to everyone who presented and the help from home😊
Enjoy!

Morning Programme for this week:
Amelia on Current Events
Aurelia, Jay-T, Quinn, Bella.B and Tara have all chosen
How To
Please do come and see me or flick me an email if you have any questions or need any help with this 
emmastratford@stgerards.school.nz








Delicious
Thank you Pippa😉

Kapahaka Notice

"Thank you to all those who returned Kapa Haka notices. Unfortunately there are quite a large number of our students, particularly our senior students, who are unable to attend Ben's Little Big Day Out. Because of this we've decided our Kapa Haka group won't perform this time. Thanks anyway and we hope many of you will turn up to support and enjoy the concert anyway!"

Week 6 Term 4

Week 6 already.  Congratulations to all those who shared their Winnie-the -Pooh drawings or their Revolting Recipes at assembly last Friday.
This week we move on to Design-a-Pet (Designer Pet) as we anticipate the fun of Pet Day on Friday morning. This will incorporate Poetry, creativity & art, description and a letter of persuasion - not aiming to get all of this finished this week.
Thursday - CRT and jewellery making with Mrs Chamberlain.

Last week Kapahaka people took home a note so that we could assess how many of our group would be available to perform at Ben Whitaker's Little/Big Day Out this Sunday. If you did not return your note please do so. The performance will be at some time between 11 and 1pm if we have sufficient numbers. A specific time will be available once the programme is confirmed. This is a perfect opportunity to take action towards our term 4 theme "Playing Our Part" in the community.
The school choir will also be performing. I hope that we all make the most of a wonderful day of music, food and entertainment and support Ben & his family as they raise money for his "Food For Thought" programme. Hmm - I think that's what it is called. Check the school newsletter.

Assembly on Friday lead by Room 6

Homework
  • Last two weeks of spelling.
  • Reading
  • Morning Programme
  • Singing Eisteddfod



Wednesday 15 November 2017

Singing Eisteddfod

Years 3 & 4 Singing Eisteddfods will be heard on Monday 4th & Tuesday 5th December - the time will be here before we know it!
Now is the time to be thinking about what you will sing, so the marking criteria is below.

Think carefully about the choice of song, especially the theme. As we are a multicultural class it would be wonderful if some people could sing a song from their culture. Singing is singing - it does not need to be in English. A song that you already know from Kapahaka can be polished up - after all, you already know all the words so you just need to think about the actions or costume.

Eisteddfod Assembly is Thursday 7th December at 1:30pm.



Singing Eisteddfod Criteria

WALTs:
·       Prepare and present a song using performance skills and techniques
·       Reflect on the live performances of the eisteddfod songs

Introduction
State the name of the song
Tell about who wrote it and /or who recorded it
Say why you chose it
      /5

Pitch
Staying in tune throughout the performance
     /5

Diction
Singing the words clearly so that we can hear each word
Remember to put the "t" or "p'' at the end of words
Sing loud enough for the audience to hear
     /5

Audience suitability
Choosing something that Rooms 3 & 4 will enjoy
Words suitable for our age group
Theme suitable for our age group
     /5

Preparation
Know the song off by heart
Actions?
Costume?
     /5

Total Score



      /25


Monday 13 November 2017

Week 5 Term 4

Well done to those who competed for the first time at the Central Otago Championship Athletics last Tuesday.  Thank you to those parents who supported our team.

Soccer Coaching: Wednesday 11:45 - 12:15 - with Tessa Nicol from Football South. Please wear school sports uniform and runners.

Wednesday afternoon: Mrs Stratford will be leading Discovery with Mrs Laidlaw, as I attend the last in-service Reading Recovery session for the year.

Thursday 11:40 - lunch our weekly jewellery making with Mrs Chamberlain while I am on CRT. Last week's reading testing showed some great gains - your children have been working hard!

Friday Assembly: 2:10 Rooms 3 & 4 will be leading this and we will be presenting some of our Winnie-the-Pooh drawings (from instructions) and some Revolting Recipes. Check out how we can lay out a piece of instructional writing and what amazing ideas we have for little treats. Maria - do you want some alternatives for the St Gerards Recipe Book?

This Sunday there is a group of children making their First Communion - please support them at mass. All Year 3's will have the opportunity to continue their faith journey next year through the sacramental programme. If you wish your child to take part in this and they are not already baptised please let us know. All are welcome.

Pet Day: Next Friday 24th - check the separate post.

In preparation for the Room 3 & 4 bike trip along the Rail Trail to my place on Friday 1 December, Mr Milford (NZ Police) will be checking bikes on Wednesday 29th at 10:30. We will need parents and an emergency vehicle to accompany us. Pleased to hear from you if you can accompany us. If you have a littlie, you are welcome to come out and join us for lunch.

Book Cubes: We will be creating book reviews on these. Some people have decided to use a favourite book from home - please remind them to bring them to school so that the information, author etc can be recorded. A bit of maths, reading, writing and art for the end of the term.

Art Auction: Thank you to those people who have paid Chrissy and collected their pieces of art. There are some on the table in the Reading Recovery Room - put there for safe keeping as the blue tac kept letting go, in case you were worried that your masterpiece was missing.

Yes, there is homework! Reading, Spelling, Morning Programme preparation.

Enjoy this wonderful week of warmer weather.

Pet Day

Pet Day - Friday 24th November 2017
Activities - on display in:
· Soft toy section: Room 1
· Sand saucer: Room 2 (bring flowers and a saucer)
· Decorated hats: Room 3
· Small pets: Room 5  NOT DOGS
· Dogs on fence along Tarbert Street
· Veggie animals: Room 7
·  Baking: Best cake Room 6
· Cats: Room 4
· Obstacle course near sandpit, dogs must be on a lead and times will be taken.
Rules
All pets must be on a lead and have someone with them at all times
All making activities must be completed by 10.30am
Judge = Vets
Prizes:
1st 2nd 3rd obstacle course
1st 2nd 3rd Dog section
1st 2nd 3rd Cat Section
1st 2nd 3rd Small animals
1st 2nd 3rd Farm animals


Most unusual animal
1st 2nd 3rd Best-dressed animal and owner
1st 2nd 3rd Sand saucer
1st 2nd 3rd Hats
1st 2nd 3rd Veggie animals
1st 2nd 3rd Soft toys

Special awards: Principal’s choice awards
Judging at 10.30am
Grand parade at 11.30pm
All pets must be collected by 12.30pm at the latest.
Prize giving to follow Grand Parade

Sunday 12 November 2017


Hi All

Some pictures from last weeks Morning Programme presentations.
Big thank you once again to all those who presented - very informative!
We have a couple to catch up on so hope to fit these in one morning this week.
This week for Morning Programme we have:
Pippa on How To
Jedi on Our Place
Jada on Famous Person
Charlotte K on My Favourite Holiday
Liam on Book Review
Do come and see me or send an email if you have any questions or are needing some help.
Have a great week!
Emma Stratford
emmastratford@stgerards.school.nz




Sunday 5 November 2017

Art Auction Artworks

Now is the time to pay and collect the piece/s of art that you signed up for. Chrissy is happy to collect the payment and will give you your piece of art.
Thanks for getting this sorted as quickly as possible.

Hi All

Sharing some photos from Friday's Morning Programme.
Thanks to all those who presented!
For this week we have:
Bella D and Eden on How To
Lily and Findlay on My Favourite Holiday
Ted on Book Review
Do come and see me or email me if you've any questions about Morning Programme.
emmastratford@stgerards.school.nz




Week 4 Term 3

A busy week for us last week, out and about. The liturgy at the cemetery to mark All Souls Day was special ,as was watching the respect the children had for the area, and helping some to find family members and place some rosemary for remembrance by the head stones.

What's on this week:
Monday Kapahaka - 11am - this term there is the opportunity for those thinking about joining the group to come and watch/participate, so that they have an idea of what is expected of them as a group member.
Tuesday: Central Otago Athletic Sports: Best of luck, Jack, Zack, Jay-T, Jada, Charlotte K, Pippa, Bella D and Amelia. Go and enjoy this experience of representing the school - we are proud of you. Be sure to wear your school sports uniform including your sunhat. Mrs Lyon will be the teacher looking after the team on the bank and Tyla O'Neill will look after the under 9 girls team, with Hannah O'Connor and Owen Gullick  looking after the boys as you go around the field rotations. Be at Molyneux Park by 9:00am. The long distance races for years 5 - 8 will start at 9:15 with the girls sprints and the boys field rotations at 9:30am. Check out the Central Otago Primary School Athletics Facebook page for more information.
Wednesday: We take our turn at 1:30 planting the native garden outside Rooms 5 & 6. Parish Mass at 9:00am.
Friday: Our assembly will be next week now, owing to there being a swap at the school of technology for Room 6.

Scooters: We have been so much better at taking responsibility for riding only on the court and storing our scooters on the grass at the end of the court.  Well done.  A reminder though, that scooters are not to be shared and that shores must be worn when scootering.

Homework:

  • Reading - well done Savannah on reading every night all term. What a star! Don't forget to record what you are reading in your logs. It is exciting to see quite a few people choosing to read their own material - go you! "The more you read the better you write!" and the more you know if you are choosing to read stuff that is really interesting to you. Don't forget that on the Sunshine on line site, there are books up to level 30, and lots of new non-fiction texts are appearing. Might be worth another look.
  • Spelling - a mixture of words to practise the skills we have worked on this year. Take the time to revise the spelling patterns that we have leaned this year as another test will be coming up. I know several people really keen to move levels - check out that you can use what you know on unknown words.  This week in class we are revising the long 'e' spelling patterns, working on sampling and looking to see what looks right.
  • Morning Programme - be sure that you are ready to share yours on Friday if it is your turn.
Looking forward to seeing what revolting recipes are written this week! Not sure that these will make the St Gerard's Recipe Book. We have been having fun learning about the structure of instructional writing.