It is hard to believe it is already March and halfway through term 1! A warm welcome to 2014 is extended to you and your family and a special welcome to those families who are new to our Junior school. The children have had a great start to the year. They have settled quickly into their new classrooms and their learning. Please support your child by ensuring that they are at school in their classroom before 8.40 a.m. and for making sure they have all the necessary items i.e. morning tea, lunch, water bottle, sunhat, sweatshirt, stationery, and bookbag with them so that they feel confident and prepared ready to begin their learning. Children who are late feel embarrassed and usually take longer to settle into the daily routines which disrupts both their learning and that of others.
INTRODUCING THE JUNIOR TEAM -
Room 1 - Mrs Barbara Ryan ryan@muritai.school.nz
Room 2 - Mrs Margs Mills mills@muritai.school.nz
Room 3 - Mrs Maureen Buckley buckley@muritai.school.nz
- Mrs Liz Sullivan sullivan@muritai.school.nz
Room 5 - Mrs Gabrielle Heath heath@muritai.school.nz
- Mrs Sue Steele
Room 6 - Miss Morag Roberts roberts@muritai.school.nz
- Mrs Jo Salisbury
We are also very fortunate to have the following adults working in our junior school classrooms alongside the teaching staff - Mrs Fiona Lamb, Mrs Liz Alderson, Mrs Carolyn Murphy, Mrs Diane McRae, Mrs Hilary Beadle, Mrs Sandra Blair, Mrs Romy Anderson and Mrs Lorna Lane. Mrs Mikaela Cody will be back to teach Room 4 (currently working in room 1 with Mrs Ryan) nearer the end of this term then Mrs Ryan will teach our next New Entrant class in term 2.
This term, each classroom, has been focusing upon creating a supportive and safe learning environment, identifying roles and responsibilities and has begun observing life cycles. We have been creating class treaties and have begun working on two of our values - kindness and respect. Throughout the term the children will be exposed to many interesting and motivating learning experiences in the different curriculum areas that have been planned. We also use the Inquiry approach where children have the opportunity to explore through questioning and discovery and then reflect on what they have discovered.
FITNESS
All classes in the Junior School continue to have daily fitness from 8.40 a.m. which is when the first bell rings. Please ensure that your child is at school in time, each day ready to take part. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays the children go to the hall or outside if nice weather and do Jumpjam, which is an exercise programme to music. Parents and caregivers are very welcome to join in the Jumpjam routines alongside your child but please refrain from talking. The children need to have quiet so that they are able to fully concentrate and follow the movements correctly and in time and not be distracted. We do Jumpjam first thing in the morning as this warms up their bodies ready for learning and especially helps the children progress faster in mathematics. On Thursdays and Fridays, children participate in whole class fitness activities ranging from team games and relays, to using equipment in different ways to music and movement skills. This term the focus will be on getting to know each other, working together and large motor movement skills.
MATHEMATICS
Throughout this term, the children have been spending a large amount of time exploring number and numeral identification. For the first five weeks they will have been focusing on number knowledge and statistical investigations. They are about to start learning about two and three dimensional shapes as part of a unit on Geometry. They will also be taking part in some problem solving activities each week. All children are signed up to the Mathletics programme. Please go to www.mathletics.co.nz and get your child to do the assigned activities many times to practice their knowledge. Each activity involves an aspect of mathematics and the same activity can be repeated as the concept stays the same but the questions alter. Please ask your child's teacher if you have any queries.
LITERACY
The key to all learning is oral language and this is a focus for each child. It is really important that they know how to speak clearly, learn how to question and also how to listen to others. They will be taking part in lots of discussions throughout the day like news, current events, school values, inquiry and books for example.
Each day your child learns to read and is exposed to reading independently where they practice and increase their reading mileage, read with a group where they have teacher support with the strategies they are learning and do shared reading where the whole class enjoy enlarged texts and poems. They also take part in a rotation of literacy activities that are designed to cater for each child's learning style. Letterland and Smartphonics programmes operate in each classroom. Many of our children can decode the words but we work on widening their comprehension skills before putting them to higher levels. Year 1 children will not be having Reading Rockets this year but will have a new system starting in a few weeks instead.
The children also learn to write each day. They will be focusing upon writing recounts and about their personal experiences. They will be learning how to brainstorm their ideas and then write a well structured story to match. All children have spelling programmes in their classrooms and as well as this the Year 2 children will have a spelling rocket. The words that are practiced in the classroom and at home are ones that are essential for each child to be able to spell automatically in their writing. Spelling is a written skill so it is important that they write the words down not just orally recall them. In handwriting, the children are focusing on using the correct pencil grip, forming letters and number accurately and keeping them to a consistent size and shape. It is essential that children hold their pencil correctly as it is unable to be undone when they are older and impedes the speed in which they write.
INQUIRY
Throughout the term we do lots of inquiry based learning. This term the children have been working on understanding that people have roles and responsibilities as they grow and participate in different groups and that these roles change over time. They are learning to work together as a team. Following on from this they are learning that all living things go through a life cycle that involves a pattern of change that happens over and over again. Our Junior school garden is planted with particular plants as they are ones that attract monarch butterflies.This gives the children an opportunity to see the entire life cycle of the monarch. Each Junior class is responsible for the care of a garden as part of being a Green/Gold Enviroschool. Later this term we will be having the Life Education mobile classroom come to school as part of our inquiry. I.C.T. is part of our daily programme and is used to further enrich your child's learning. Each classroom has Ipads and they are used in each curriculum area.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Along with the fitness programme the children also learn and practice a range of physical skills. The first part of the term has been learning swimming skills as part of our Aquatics programme. The qualified swimming instructors in the pool alongside each child has been beneficial as they build the children's confidence and can show them the correct positions for their bodies in water. The progress each child has made is amazing and we hope that this was demonstrated in our successful Swimming Carnival. The programme finishes this week when the pool closes. Once swimming is finished the children will be taking part in activities that involve running in preparation for our school Cross Country that we will be having in early April.
THE ARTS
During the term the children will be exposed to a wide range of media to create visual arts in their classrooms with a focus on drawing. They will be doing a range of sketching and portraits and will be focusing upon drawing what they see and not what they think they see. Each class is involved in a music programme and this term the focus is singing.
TE REO
All the students will be learning and practicing some te reo with the focus on greetings, farewells, feelings, colours and numbers as well as some waiata. They will be learning our school song and the National Anthem as part of this.
HOMEWORK
Homework is designed to support your child's learning that is occurring at school.All children bring home a reading book to share with you from Monday to Thursday and a poem on a Friday. We know that the book is easy for your child as the book that they bring home is designed to be at least one or two levels lower than what they are reading. The focus for homework is on daily practice and enjoyment of books and to practice reading orally so that they are fluent and expressive. It is important that home reading is a positive experience for both you and your child so if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher. It is also important for adults to read aloud to your child daily as well as this is where they hear and enjoy good models of reading. Children who are read to and have questions about the story that has been read make faster progress in all literacy areas. Year 2 have spelling rockets and may be relearning words that they have forgotten from last year while Year 1 will have a new system. Each child is also on the Mathletics programme and five minutes of this daily would be beneficial. If you have lost your child's details please contact me. Children also can subscribe to Reading eggs which supports literacy.
GENERAL
Classroom blogs, the Bird's eye view and Junior Jottings are ways to help keep you informed about school activities that your child is involved in. Please feel free to leave a comment on the blogs. If you are unsure of how to do this please don't hesitate to ask. The children enjoy reading the comments that are left.
Pre school visits are Thursday mornings in room 3 and during this term we are also having some of the children from East Harbour Kindergarten joining us for extra visits.
If you have a preschool child and they will be turning five this year can you please phone our school office with your contact details?
If at anytime you have any queries about school or your child's learning please do not hesitate to contact us.
Yours in partnership on behalf of the Junior School team
Kind regards
Maureen Buckley
Deputy Principal
INQUIRY
Throughout the term we do lots of inquiry based learning. This term the children have been working on understanding that people have roles and responsibilities as they grow and participate in different groups and that these roles change over time. They are learning to work together as a team. Following on from this they are learning that all living things go through a life cycle that involves a pattern of change that happens over and over again. Our Junior school garden is planted with particular plants as they are ones that attract monarch butterflies.This gives the children an opportunity to see the entire life cycle of the monarch. Each Junior class is responsible for the care of a garden as part of being a Green/Gold Enviroschool. Later this term we will be having the Life Education mobile classroom come to school as part of our inquiry. I.C.T. is part of our daily programme and is used to further enrich your child's learning. Each classroom has Ipads and they are used in each curriculum area.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Along with the fitness programme the children also learn and practice a range of physical skills. The first part of the term has been learning swimming skills as part of our Aquatics programme. The qualified swimming instructors in the pool alongside each child has been beneficial as they build the children's confidence and can show them the correct positions for their bodies in water. The progress each child has made is amazing and we hope that this was demonstrated in our successful Swimming Carnival. The programme finishes this week when the pool closes. Once swimming is finished the children will be taking part in activities that involve running in preparation for our school Cross Country that we will be having in early April.
THE ARTS
During the term the children will be exposed to a wide range of media to create visual arts in their classrooms with a focus on drawing. They will be doing a range of sketching and portraits and will be focusing upon drawing what they see and not what they think they see. Each class is involved in a music programme and this term the focus is singing.
TE REO
All the students will be learning and practicing some te reo with the focus on greetings, farewells, feelings, colours and numbers as well as some waiata. They will be learning our school song and the National Anthem as part of this.
HOMEWORK
Homework is designed to support your child's learning that is occurring at school.All children bring home a reading book to share with you from Monday to Thursday and a poem on a Friday. We know that the book is easy for your child as the book that they bring home is designed to be at least one or two levels lower than what they are reading. The focus for homework is on daily practice and enjoyment of books and to practice reading orally so that they are fluent and expressive. It is important that home reading is a positive experience for both you and your child so if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher. It is also important for adults to read aloud to your child daily as well as this is where they hear and enjoy good models of reading. Children who are read to and have questions about the story that has been read make faster progress in all literacy areas. Year 2 have spelling rockets and may be relearning words that they have forgotten from last year while Year 1 will have a new system. Each child is also on the Mathletics programme and five minutes of this daily would be beneficial. If you have lost your child's details please contact me. Children also can subscribe to Reading eggs which supports literacy.
GENERAL
Classroom blogs, the Bird's eye view and Junior Jottings are ways to help keep you informed about school activities that your child is involved in. Please feel free to leave a comment on the blogs. If you are unsure of how to do this please don't hesitate to ask. The children enjoy reading the comments that are left.
Pre school visits are Thursday mornings in room 3 and during this term we are also having some of the children from East Harbour Kindergarten joining us for extra visits.
If you have a preschool child and they will be turning five this year can you please phone our school office with your contact details?
If at anytime you have any queries about school or your child's learning please do not hesitate to contact us.
Yours in partnership on behalf of the Junior School team
Kind regards
Maureen Buckley
Deputy Principal
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