We made a drum

Monday September 1st Skipathon

When: after lunch
Where: St Gerards School
Why: To enjoy physical activity, have FUN and show off your amazing skipping skills.

You will need to wear your sports uniforms, dark track pants, and school jerseys to school on Monday.

If you have sponsorship, the money needs to be in to school by Wednesday please.  If you don't have any sponsors yet you have the weekend to get sorted.  Remember this is a fundraiser for a great cause.  All of the money raised goes to the Heart Foundation.

Check out the bright yellow note in your child's bag.  Some Room 3 people were absent and others left early on Friday afternoon so won't have these.

Years 3 & 4 Camp Information from Room 4 Blog

Important Dates: 

• Year 3/4 Camp: Tuesday 2^nd – Thursday 4^th September.

·        School Mass – Sunday 7^th September at 9 am, Father’s Day.

·       Confirmation Mass – Sunday 14^th September, 9 am.

Year 3 & 4 Camp:

Final arrangements regarding our upcoming camp:

• Our meeting time will be 8 am at the Church Car Park on Tuesday 2^nd September. Come prepared with your three items of luggage (day pack, main bag, sleeping bag). Your day pack should contain your morning tea, a full lunch, water bottle, swimming gear, notebook, pencil and jacket.
• Our expected arrival time back home is between 3.30 and 4 pm on Thursday 4^th September, also at the Church carpark.
• A reminder that baking and lollies should be handed in to class on Monday 1^st September, along with personal named medications.
• I will supply the following items to avoid all students carrying these separately: shampoo, insect repellent, sunblock, hand sanitizer, and liquid soap. We will be travelling with a fully equipped First Aid Kit at all times.
• Each child will have a number so that taking a roll throughout the day and evening is quick and easy. We will do some activities this week to learn our number and practice assembling quickly when necessary.
• Please note that payment for camp is required by the end of this week. If there are any issues with this, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
• Groups - The following groups of students have been allocated to each parent helper for day-time activities. For sleeping purposes, groups will be adjusted so that males are in one area and females are in another.

Mrs Scobie Amber    Maggie   Jade    Mia	Mr Healey Max    Rafferty    Lauren  Kayla	Ms Jeffries Libby   Mayce   Millie
Ms McNaughton Olivia   Charis   Grainne   Hannah	Mrs Brown Ella   Sylvie    Lydia	Mrs Mitchell Thomas M    Mika   Harry    Imojen  Shannon
Mr Diver Thomas P  Mac    Patrick	Mrs Tyrrell Lucas   Jacob  Rafe

Please let myself or Mrs Beilby know if you have any questions or concerns about camp.

Have a great week.

Markelle Ward 

Writing Buddies

WALT:   Work with a writing buddy to share ideas and help each other

We worked with a writing buddy to share our ideas and opening sentences for our "From cocoon to butterfly" writing. Lots of amazing opening sentences were written to grab the reader's attention.  Thank you Olivia for sharing your book about the ordinary caterpillar to help us with this.  We found the author used lots of different ways to start sentences. 
Once we have finished our writing and checked our work against our WALTs, we are  using writing buddies again. We have found that reading our work to someone else has helped us 'fix up' our fullstops and capital letters and we have noticed places where we have missed out words. Mrs Beilby is delighted that so many of us are becoming independent authors and excellent buddies. The conversation between children is: "we are not finished until we have checked our work against the WALTS".

We are "talking to learn".

What's happening Week 5 Term 3

Thank you to those people who have brought bits and pieces for our musical instrument making.  If anyone has access to beer bottle tops or old broom handles I would be grateful as we could make some "speightophones"!!  Remember that the theme is "New From Old".  We can be as creative as anything.
On Thursday we looked at a few ideas on making instruments on the internet and talked about the sound being made by shaking, hitting, plucking, strumming, blowing, rattling - they came up with lots of ideas - check out the Discovery Board in Room 2.  We are now the inventors.  Once the instruments are designed and made, we need to make some music so will be writing songs, putting together percussion rhythms etc - there is also Garage Band on the computers.
As part of being creative designers we are designing "Dog Minding Machines" - our visualisation of this week's poem.  Yes those of you with dogs will need one of these.  What amazing ideas and it is only day 1.
Skipping: an information sheet about Jump Rope For Heart will come home this week.  There will be further information in the newsletter. The date for our "Jump Off" is 1st September so all classes are teaching skipping skills for fitness and many children are skipping away their play and lunch times. We have all improved so much since we started last week.  If anyone has their own rope at home, it would be good if they could bring it.
Friday Mass: Room 3 & 4 will be leading the Friday mass at 12:00 in the church.  Thank you Joshua for taking part in Sunday's mass - the offertory.
Assembly: 2:10 led by Room 5.
Musical: we are all working hard on learning the songs for this.  This week the first song will come home for everyone to learn by heart - many will already know it.  The new performance date is Thursday 16th October 6pm at the Alexandra Memorial Theatre. With our growth in numbers we just can't fit everyone into the hall.  We were unable to make a booking at the theatre this term owing to the Blossom Festival musical.

Homework

1. Reading every night please.  Great to have so many read before school - many of these people are really flying with their reading.  Keep this up.
2. Spelling long 'a' pattern again this week for most groups - get your child to show you the long 'a' spelling pattern in each word. Be sure to say, tool, listen and record each word each day.  This is not about learning the words by heart but is about having a strategy to spell words.
3. Mihimihi will come home in books this week.  Year 3 need to try and know theirs by heart before camp.  Year 2 are amazing as they are managing to say the year 3 mihimihi which is a progression from the year 2 version.

Year 3 Camp Information

Year 3 & 4 Camp: 

*The Clothing and Equipment List has generated plenty of questions and discussions with the children. They are obviously very attached to their puffer jackets, and will be hoping to squash them into their day bags. However a thinner, fully waterproof jacket will be more practical for the few occasions when we will need it, ie. on the walking tour of the Marae area, and at the Orokonui Ecosanctuary. There is no way anyone is expected to buy a jacket for this… I suggest that you borrow one or use a sibling's waterproof jacket – even if it is a bit big.

Likewise it would be impractical for a regular-sized pillow to take up precious space in your main bag. A pillow pet, small cushion, or pillowcase to fill with clothes would be better.

*All Health & Safety Forms were due in last week. Please get these in urgently if you haven’t already J.

• Mihi – Please practise your mihi every night now. We don’t know exactly when we will be presenting them at the Marae, but we need to  be prepared.
• The Chores list in the homework clearfile is due in this week. Some of them are still empty, so make sure you are being a great help at home and practised some good self-management skills!

From the Room 4 Blog page

What's Happening Week 4 Term 3?

Each week seems to fly by faster than the last.  Week 4 already. Thank you to everyone who visited the Book Fair and made purchases.  We have a tidy sum of money with which to purchase new texts for the library.  Congratulations Zaria, the Room 3 winner of the "guess the number of bugs in the jar" competition.

Our class led Monday morning prayer, thank you Tadhg, Zaria and Sully for your contribution. Our leading of the song was outstanding.  Well done everyone, I felt very proud of you.  Remember, parents are always welcome to join us at 9:00 in the church on Mondays.

Along with Rooms 1 and 2 we are starting Discovery Time this week on Thinking about Music and Sound. We will be planning and creating musical instruments from old or recycled material, experimenting with sound and making music.  Could people please bring clean plastic, cardboard, wooden material to school that would be suitable for instruments.  Thank you to those who have already sent bits and pieces from my request at the end of last term. Also is there anyone who would be able to come and teach a group of children ukelele for the next 4 weeks?

This Wednesday afternoon there is an Open Day starting at 1.30 in the hall for prospective preschoolers and their parents. Reuben will greet everyone then the Kapahaka group will welcome the visitors with a waiata. Tadhg will represent the junior school and present his eisteddfod poem. 

PMP/PE will be at the normal time.  If there any extra  parents that are able to help for PMP this week it would be much appreciated.  Please let Julie know.

Friday is the Feast of the Assumption. There will be a short Liturgy in the hall at 9:00am.  Everyone is welcome.

Year 3 Camp Information From Room 4 Blog

Year 3 & 4 Camp:  Each week I will include snippets of camp information in the newsletter or on the blog for your information. This week: Clothing and Equipment List:

A Clothing and Equipment List for camp will come home with the students homework this week. We constructed this list together so hopefully we haven’t forgotten anything. I have yet to see whether there is any real need for the students to have a torch each – will let you know.

A letter, and important Health & Safety Forms went home with the students on Friday. The health forms are due in today (Monday). Any problems with this please let me know. After our meeting on Wednesday night with parent-helpers it seems preparations for camp are ticking along nicely.

We are visiting the town library on Friday morning after the liturgy to look at their resources about Marae protocols. Let me know if you are free to join us to walk.

Have a great week….. Regards, Markelle Ward 

Thank you to the one person who returned their Health & Safety forms today.  Five more to go from Room 3 Year 3's.  Organising a camp is a huge undertaking - it is so important that we get forms back when we ask as we plan time to collate them all.  We need this information before those organising food meet - there are often people who have specific needs.  Tomorrow please.  Parents who are travelling with us took their forms with them on Wednesday night.  It is important that parents also complete the Health Form.

Thanks for your help with this.

Chris

Maths Learning

WALT: Describe shapes using mathematical language

As a final activity in our learning about shapes, we buddied up to play, "what is my shape?"
Each child had an attribute shape,  they needed to describe it by talking about its size, thickness, colour, number of corners, straight edges, even sides, curved line etc.  Their buddy had to name the shape from this description, e.g.: you have a large, thin, yellow square.

How do you think we are going?

Cross Country

Our training paid off, with everyone doing a great run. I was amazed to see that both Grace and Kimberley even had enough energy left to have a sprint race along the last part of the Rail Trail to sort out the winner.  Thank you all for your support.  It is wonderful to see so many people come to encourage your children and to help us by being marshals for events like these.
We also need to be extremely grateful for the sunny afternoon.

The year 1 and 2 boys are racing!

Book Week Dress Up Characters

"The Lorax" - "Catch the Reading Bug"

What amazing characters arrived in Room 3 for our book week dress up parade.  Thank you mums and dads for helping us with our costumes.  I am learning how to upload photos - I ended up with a page of gobble-de-gook to start with, but seem to be successful now, having I thought gone through the same process.

Thank you so much Mrs Rendall and her band of willing mums who have helped to make the Book Fair so successful again this year.  A representative from Ashton Scholastic popped in on Thursday and he was really stoked to see what a fantastic display we had and was really impressed with the competition.  Photos of our display will be on the wall at their office when he gets back.

Charlie, Thomas M and Olivia (Loraxes) under the last remaining Truffula Tree. 

Primary School Band Performance

Today we all attended a performance where 4 primary school bands played for us. These bands were the result of a "music mentoring programme' taught by Matt Lahood, where students from several primary schools auditioned and then spent 10 hours working with each other to form a band, then use their creative talents to write songs for their band. Brieanna, Celia and Ella are members of "Gold star". They are amazing.

These bands are performing 2 concerts - Friday 8th and Saturday 9th 7pm at Dunstan High School.  The cost is $5 - tickets are available from our school office and also as door sales.
Proceeds from this concert will go towards music initiatives in our community.

What's Happening Week 3?

WOW, the library looks amazing filled with a fantastic selection of books, as part of the annual Book Fair.  Don't forget that you can browse and buy each day from 8:30 - 9:30 in the  morning and again each afternoon between 2:30 and 3:30, except for Wednesday when it will not be open in the afternoon after the cross country.
Last week we had an informative Thursday afternoon with a Room 1 parent who does chimney sweeping.  A clean chimney does help your fire burn more efficiently and prevents chimney fires.
Thank you PTA for a fantastic disco on Friday night - complete with a fire alarm evacuation - great practice for our learning.  I hear that many spent the time outside watching a large fire on the Old Man Range.  Well done to all those who knew exactly what to do, even though it meant going outside into the dark.
Wednesday: We have someone from Wastebusters coming to talk to us at 10am.  Thank you for organising this Mrs Rendall.
Wednesday 7pm Year 3/4 Camp Meeting in Room 4 for those parents who are travelling on camp.
Thursday 10:45: Will be a band performance from primary school bands.  Matt LaHood has been working with students from the local primary schools.  We have several students who have been involved, so it will be great to see what skills they have learned from this talented musician.
Friday = Dress Up Day as the culmination of Book Fair Week. The parade will be at 11am on the tennis court.  Costumes can be bugs or characters from "The Lorax" or anything to do with conservation.
Please note that due to Father saying a mass for the sick on Friday that Room 3 & 4 will not be attending and leading this.  Some children would have already told you that they are doing prayers of the faithful which we arranged last Friday.
Good luck to anyone playing Rippa Rugby at the warm up game before the NPC game at Molyneux Park on Friday afternoon.  If you are intending to take your child out of school to this could you please let me know as soon as possible.

Homework

• Reading each night - please record this into your reading log.  Many of you now could be recording some of the chapter books that you are reading from the library.
• Spelling - tool and record each night.  I will do some testing shortly as I feel that there are several people ready to move up a level- what great work you are putting in to listening to the sounds and recording what you hear.  Level 3 you have been amazing at learning some really tricky parts of difficult words.
• Year 3 You have a "Many Hands Makes Light Work" sheet in you homework book which is part of getting ready for camp. Check out that you are being part of the 'team' at home and practising looking after your own gear and doing those little things like brushing your teeth without being reminded.