Kia Ora and welcome everyone to 2018!
A warm welcome is extended to everyone and especially to the new students and their families who have recently joined our Junior School. Our Junior School has a lovely new name this year and we will be known as the 'Kororā' team. Kororā is the Maori name for the native Little Blue Penguin that lives in our area. It is the world's smallest penguin and is a very apt name for our youngest learners who we need to nurture, keep safe and guide through their first two years of schooling.The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed of what is happening in the junior area of our school in conjunction with the school-wide 'Power to the People' newsletter. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact either your child's teacher or myself.
Meet the Team -
Introducing the teaching staff -Room 6 - Year 2 - Miss Morag Roberts and Mrs Jo Salisbury. Miss Roberts teaches from Monday to Thursday and Mrs Salisbury teaches on Fridays.
Room 5 - Year 2 - Mrs Michelle Hollard
Room 3 - Year 1 - Mrs Maureen Buckley and Mrs Liz Sullivan. Mrs Sullivan teaches on Monday and Tuesdays and Mrs Buckley teaches Wednesday to Friday.
Room 2 - Year 0 - Miss Nicolette Fisher - Miss Fisher is currently supporting the learning in room 3 until the next class begins.
Room 1 - Year 1 and 2 - Mrs Barbara Ryan
Reading Recovery - Mrs Gabrielle Heath - Mrs Heath teaches in different areas around our school as well as teaching our Reading Recovery programme each morning throughout the week.
Introducing the support staff -
We are very fortunate to have Mrs Brenda Anderson, Ms Hilary Beadle, Mrs Suzanna Anderson and Mrs Carolyn Littlefair, who are our teacher aides, supporting the learning and working alongside our junior school teaching team.
The students have had a wonderful holiday and have enjoyed sharing what they have been doing in the glorious weather that we have been having. They have settled well into their new classes despite the initial excitement and nervousness of some and are delighted to be catching up with both old and new friends. Daily routines are currently being established and students are getting ready for another year of learning.
Thank you so much to the parents and caregivers who have supported their child this past week. You have guaranteed that they have had a great start by ensuring that they are well rested and have been provided with all the necessary items i.e. lunch, morning tea, drink bottle of water, named wide brimmed sunhat, and correct stationery including their book-bag. For your child this means that they feel confident and prepared. It is also helpful for your child to be at school in their classroom by 8.40 a.m. when the first bell goes. This gives them the opportunity to catch up with their friends and complete their before school morning routines before beginning the programme at 8.40 a.m. If they are late to school, they can feel embarrassed and take longer to settle, which disrupts their learning. We know it is not easy for them or you getting back into school routines after such a lovely break.
We have planned many different and motivating learning experiences in different curriculum areas for your child this term. Our current focus is to build relationships and create a caring, supportive and safe environment for everyone. We have begun to create our class treaties and are working on two of our values - kindness and respect.
Our Programme
Fitness - Each day we begin with our fitness programme at 8.40 a.m. This is so that the students can warm up their bodies ready for the day's learning. The fitness programme involves a mix of activities so it could be Jumpjam, which is an exercise programme to music in the hall where we encourage all students to do three songs each day. It could be Pukeko Stomp or other songs and dances, yoga, some perceptual motor programme activities using beanbags or happy sticks, team games to relays using equipment in different ways outside. Our focus is on building relationships as we get to know each other better, working together and improving large motor skill development.Literacy - The key to all learning is oral language and developing this is a focus for each child. It is really important that they know how to speak clearly, how to question and how to listen to others. There are lots of opportunities throughout the school day when oral language is enhanced and skills are practiced. Students will be taking part in discussions in all areas of the curriculum e.g. news, current events, values, inquiry, books, maths.
Te Reo -The students have already experienced a Powhiri last week and also have been doing some learning around Waitangi Day and creating their own class treaty. Over the term, they will continue to learn and practice some words in te reo related to greetings, farewells, feelings, instructions, numbers, colours along with learning some waiata including our school song and the National Anthem.
Each day your child is exposed to reading in many different ways. They are learning to read independently where they practice and increase their fluency and reading mileage, read with a group where they have teacher support with the strategies that they are learning and shared reading where the whole class enjoy enlarged texts and poems together. Along with this teachers read high quality books aloud to the children. Each student also takes part in a rotation of literacy activities designed to cater for each child's learning style and enhance their literacy learning. Our students are very good at decoding or sounding out words but we concentrate on developing the child's understanding of what they have read and they can apply this knowledge to a range of situations. We work on deeper comprehension before putting them onto higher levels as we want them to read fluently and not sound out words letter by letter.
Letterland and Smartphonics are programmes that operate daily in each classroom as it is important children know all the sounds of the alphabet and their different combinations so they can use this knowledge in their reading, writing and spelling.
Writing is a big focus as it is important that all children learn to form ideas and write about them in depth. Learning to write is a hard skill and your child's development in writing needs to match their development in reading. During this term, they will be learning how to recount their personal experiences and to write descriptions.
Handwriting is a skill our students need to master in their first two years at school. The focus is on the correct formation of all letters, both upper and lower case and the correct grip of the pencil. All letters start from the top and if the grip is incorrect it can not be undone when they are older. If you would like a copy of the handwriting script or activities that encourage fine motor development please email me.
Spelling is also part of the daily programme. It is a written skill and each child progresses through the essential word lists where they need to commit these commonly spelt words to memory and transfer them into their daily writing.
Numeracy - The majority of our Mathematics programme is spent on exploring number and numeral identification. All students needs a strong understanding of number and the related strategies as this forms the basis of all other aspects of mathematics e.g. time, measurement, statistics, geometry, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division etc. At the beginning of the year, students will be taking part in statistical investigations and then they will be learning strategies and number recognition which will be followed by geometry later in the term. To enhance your child's learning, you could do some counting forwards and backwards and asking to instantly recall the number that comes before or after a number so that they begin to have an understanding of place value.
Inquiry - We will be starting the term building relationships and class culture and then throughout the term they will be learning about water and the Wahine. It is the 50th Anniversary this year and we will be having a display in the hall. More about this event will follow at a later date.
e-Learning - All classes have access to some iPads to use during the day to enhance learning in a range of curriculum areas. They may be calculating in maths, taking photos of their learning, writing or doing spelling for example. They also take part in coding and will be learning a whole lot of new skills as the new curriculum is being released later this year.
Physical Education and Health - Along with fitness, the students learn and practice a range of physical skills during Physical Education lessons. For the first part of the term they will have lessons in our Aquatics programme at Eastbourne Pool. The focus will be on building students' confidence in, on and under the water along with correct placement of their bodies in water. These lessons will start in week 3. Please send along your child's named swimsuit, towel and sweatshirt all named each day. As we live in a country surrounded in water it is imperative that each child knows how to keep themselves safe in and around water. Please support your child's efforts in learning to swim.
We will be having our Swimming Festival at the Eastbourne Pool on Thursday March 8th from 11 to 12.30 p.m. and hope that many of you will be able to come along and see the progress your child has made. Further details will come out closer to the time.
The students will then be practicing their running skills in preparation for our annual Cross Country that will be held later in the year along with improving their catching and throwing skills with large balls.
The Arts - The focus for Visual art in the first few weeks will be the students creating art works using a range of materials. This will be followed by a unit on drawing and sketching. Our focus in music will be singing where the students will learn a range of songs. The students will also have Performing Arts lessons with Mrs Ruth Hooke this term.
General Information
Learning Partnership Meetings
These will be this week on Wednesday February 7th between 3.10p.m. and 5.40 p.m. and Thursday February 8th between 3.10 and 6.40 p.m. Please make an appointment by going to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and entering the code 3ktf6. Please complete the form and bring it with you to the meeting. We are looking forward to meeting you and hearing about your goals and thoughts about your child for this year. If you have something that needs further discussion than the allocated ten minutes please make another appointment time by emailing your child's teacher. We will be meeting with you again on April 4th and 5th to outline the progress your child has made this term with their goals and learning.
Bell times
School starts at 8.40 a.m. and if you are using the crossing the Road Patrol is on Muritai Road only from 8.25 p.m. to 8.50 a.m. daily. The home time bell is at 2.55 p.m. which ensures any child who catches the bus can get to the bus stop in time. At home time, the Year 1 students from Rooms 1, 2 and 3 will be handed over to their parent or another adult that you have given permission to pick them up, whereas the Year 2 students in Rooms 5 and 6 will be dismissed to meet you out under the sunshade. The students going to after school care go to the hall at 2.55 p.m. Morning tea is 10.30 - 10.50 a.m. and lunch is 12.30 - 1.30 p.m. All students sit down to eat under the sunshade area in the Junior School courtyard.
Playground
In the playground there are teachers on duty - they wear a bright yellow sash so can be seen anywhere. There are also other adults in the playground who are supervising students, doing observations or coaching sports. There is a rainbow coloured seat called the buddy seat. If a child sits there, other students come and ask them to join in with their game. There are also peer mediators in the playground who can help your child. The Junior students can play in the sandpit, on the junior playground next to room 1, on the bars, go to the library, get gear out of the P.E. shed or play in the quiet area with blocks, draw or read under the sunshade during lunch times.
Buddies
Each class throughout the school has a buddy class and each student has a buddy or maybe two from that class. They get together each week and may do art, reading, P.E., or spelling together. The buddy system works very well and each child looks forward to meeting up with their buddy.
Absences
If your child is going to be absent from school phone the school office (04 562 8409) please and leave a message - provide your child's name, room number and the reason for their absence. You can also email Jo on bentley@muritai.school.nz and/or your child's teacher. This is much appreciated as it saves time for Jo and Carole trying to track down children. We must account for the whereabouts of every child. If you intend taking your child out of school during the school year and it is not in school holiday time please write a letter or send an email to Mrs Bec Power, our principal, asking for permission to do so. Please also include your child's teacher and Jo Bentley in the email.
Stationery
Thank you for purchasing and sending along the stationery items for your child. Just a reminder that you also need to purchase some other items from Jo in the school office e.g. book bag for Year 1 and spelling book for Year 2.
Scooters and Bikes
Students can ride scooters and bikes with helmets on to and from school but they are unable to use them during the school day. They are to park them in the designated areas. Before and after school they need to walk them through the school grounds as we have too many people in the playground at these times and we do not want anyone to get hurt.
Lost Property
Please name your child's clothing so if it becomes lost it can then be returned to them easily. The students often do not remember what clothing they had on or where they took it off during the day. We have bins under the room 7 stairwell in the two storey block where found items are put so if an item is missing please have a look there.
Full School Assemblies
These will be held every two weeks on the odd weeks this term with the first one being on 16th February. Everyone is very welcome to join us. They share some of the learning that is occurring around the school and are always on a Friday. They start at 1.40 p.m. in the school hall and are usually around half an hour in duration. Please sit on the seats reserved for you at the back of the hall nearest the kitchen.
Pre school visits
This year the visits for the students about to turn five will be held on Tuesdays in room 3 from 8.40 a.m. till 11 a.m. Two or three visits before your child starts are usually sufficient but extra visits can be arranged if necessary. Please phone the office if you have a child turning five and give Jo your name, child's name, date of birth and contact phone and email details. I will then contact you to discuss the visits.
Starting School at Five Information Evening
The evening this term will be on Wednesday March 14th at 7 p.m. in room 3. This is an opportunity for the parents and caregivers of preschool children who are going to start this year to get a glimpse of what the school day encompasses for a five year old and to have your questions answered. If you have neighbours whose children have preschool outside our area, could you please let them know about the meeting?
Communication between Home and School
If you have any queries about your child's learning or about school please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher or myself. Please email your query or if you wish to make an appointment please email the person concerned or phone the school office.
The 'Power to the People' is the school wide newsletter and is an overview of what is happening around our school as a whole. There is also lots of information on our school website.
Classroom teachers place items onto their blogs to provide you with a snapshot of some of the learning that your child is involved in. Please leave a comment as the students love to read them and are very proud if it is from their parent or a family member.
Email is the best way to contact staff. The following are the addresses for Kororā staff.
Room 1 ryan@muritai.school.nz
Room 2 fisher@muritai.school.nz
Room 3 buckley@muritai.school.nz or sullivan@muritai.school.nz
Room 5 hollard@muritai.school.nz
Room 6 roberts@muritai.school.nz or salisburyjo@gmail.com
Reading Recovery - heath@muritai.school.nz
Office
Jo - bentley@muritai.school.nz
Carole - lowe@muritai.school.nz
Bec Power - principal@muritai.school.nz or power@muritai.school.nz
Diary Dates
February
5th - Teacher only day
6th - Waitangi Day
7th and 8th - Learning Partnership meetings
13th - Swimming programme begins
16th - Full School assembly
March
2nd - Full School Assembly
8th - Kororā Swimming Festival 11.00 - 12.30 p.m.
14th - Starting School at Five Information evening 7 p.m.
16th - Full School Assembly
30th - Good Friday
April
2nd - Easter Monday
3rd - Easter Tuesday
4th - Learning Conversations
5th - Learning Conversations
6th - Wahine Memorial
7th - Wahine Memorial
13th - Full School Assembly
Last day of Term 1 - Friday April 13th
25th - ANZAC DAY
First day of Term 2 - Monday April 30th
I look forward to catching up with you shortly.
Yours in partnership on behalf of Kororā team
Maureen Buckley
Associate Principal
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