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.