I do hope you have all had a lovely holiday break with your children and hope that they are all feeling refreshed and ready to start this term's learning tomorrow. A very warm welcome to families who are new to Muritai since my last newsletter.
Term 1 was amazing and lots of fabulous learning experiences were undertaken by your children and there are more planned for this term.
We opened our next New Entrant room during the term and are delighted that Miss Fisher is teaching our latest youngest students. We also welcomed another teacher aide to our team - Mrs Vibiana Johnson who is supporting the learning in room 2.
Thank you to those parents and caregivers who attended our Learning Partnership conversations. I do hope you could see progress that your child had already made this year and now know what their next learning goals are that you can support them with at home. If you have any questions please contact your child's teacher.
Special thanks to our Easter Bunny (alias Finlay) who hopped into classes to collect the decorated eggs and to those Year 7 and 8 students who hid them for the egg hunt.
A huge thank you also if you supported your child and/or their class in any learning, visits, swimming, speakers, work around the Wahine etc last term - we really appreciate your help.
An extra quiet space was set up at lunchtimes last term. Rooms 3 and 9 were set aside for students from around the school to go if they needed some time to do quiet reading, drawing and playing of board games. Our student leaders from Years 7 and 8 organise this. Please remind your child that they can play in any of the following places (if fine) - the quiet space which will continue this term as well as the area under the sunshade to build with blocks, read in the library, play in the sandpit or Junior playground or go to the P.E. shed to get out equipment to be used on the concrete or field areas. If it is wet students eat and play inside their classrooms. The Year 7 and 8 leaders also join them in their classes. Teachers on duty supervise these areas. If you are having a clean out and have some board games, lego, torro, construction gear, puzzles etc that you no longer want that could be used in the quiet space please send it along to room 3.
Learning in Term 2
Literacy
Our usual literacy programmes continue with the students building their skills in reading, writing, te reo and oral language.
Our very successful 'Hooked on Books' programme will begin again this term. If you are interested and have an hour to spare during an afternoon and would like to be part of this please email me and let me know. The programme involves listening to students from around Kororā (our Junior School) re read familiar books to increase their fluency. I will meet with you and show you what to do.
Numeracy
Your child will be working on a wide range of activities including using Numicon resources to increase their number and strategy knowledge with a focus on addition, subtraction and numeral recognition over this term. They will also be learning about concepts involving time and geometry.
The 100 days at school will be celebrated during this term where students will be working on a range of activities involving 100. Your child's teacher will let you know further details closer to the time.
Inquiry
This term will be a big focus on Science. The inquiry entitled 'Eureka' will investigate the concept of Change: Change can be observed, measured, controlled and responded to.
They will explore the Big Idea - To answer their questions scientists use ‘fair tests’ and compare their results by measuring them.
All students will be working on the following key understandings -
- To answer a question scientists plan carefully designed investigations
- A fair test involves controlling all the variables except those that are manipulated and responded to
- Observing, measuring, controlling and responding to change is a key element of science
- Scientific knowledge and skills help us to make informed decisions about our own lives and cultures and the world around us
Physical Education, Fitness and Health Education
This term the students will be practising their running skills and will take part in our Annual Cross Country event on Thursday May 24th (if fine). We would appreciate students wearing suitable footwear for this event and the practices leading up to it.
All classes will be taking part in the moveMprove programme on Mondays, starting tomorrow, to build their skills around gymnastics. The programme is run by outside providers and the cost of this is taken from the activity fee that you have paid. This programme will run for eight weeks. Could your child also wear clothing that is not going to restrict their movement as they will be involved in activities like rolling, turning upside down etc? Later in the term the students' will be learning how to catch and throw with large balls.
Fitness sessions will also include running, balls, relays, yoga with Jumpjam continuing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You are very welcome to join in with your child at Jumpjam. The students need to be able to concentrate on learning the new routines that we purchased last term and become easily distracted by too much noise as the hall echoes. The children can hear adult conversations because of this so we would appreciate it if these could please be had elsewhere.
The students are also going to take part in the Kia Kaha programme. Further details of this will be sent home at a later date.
The Arts
Classes will continue to have Performing Arts with Mrs Hooke and the focus for Visual Art this term will be painting. Students will be learning how to hold paintbrushes, mix colours and learning about artists as part of this.
Computers
In Kororā we have some iPads to use and this term each student will be working on coding and learning how to use an app called Scratch Junior in particular. Last term they did work around pic collage, photography and used Apps including Showme.
Full School Assemblies
These are held each fortnight on Friday afternoons in the school hall starting at 1.45 p.m. Parents and caregivers are very welcome to come along. There are chairs placed in front of the hall kitchen so that you get the best view. Our Kororā team will be hosting two assemblies this term - one on Friday May 11th and the other on the last day of term on July 6th. We will be sharing some of the learning our students have been doing during these assemblies.
Blogs
Please have a look at the classroom blogs to get a snapshot of the learning that is happening around our school. Please feel free to post a comment as the student's love to read them. If you need instructions for this please do not hesitate to ask.
Slippers
This term and next your child wears slippers inside the classroom. Please name them as students often have the same taste in design and colour as well as being the same foot size. It is a good idea for them to leave them at school each day.
Starting School at Five Information Evening
This evening for parents of preschoolers will be held in room 3 on Wednesday June 13th
from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Please let your neighbours know about this if their child attends preschool outside of Eastbourne.
Celebration of Learning
There will be a Celebration of Learning later this term for you to come along and see what your child has been learning. They will share with you their progress. The date for this is to be confirmed.
Dental Van
The Dental van will be coming to school to check the teeth of our students from Years 1 to 8 and will be parked inside the school grounds beside the hall.
If you have any queries about your child's learning or Kororā can you please contact your child's teacher or myself to make an appointment? Email is the best.
Room 1 - Barbara Ryan - ryan@muritai.school.nz
Room 2 - Nicolette Fisher - fisher@muritai.school.nz
Room 3 - Liz Sullivan - sullivan@muritai.school.nz
- Maureen Buckley - buckley@muritai.school.nz
Room 5 - Michelle Hollard - hollard@muritai.school.nz
Room 6 - Morag Roberts - roberts@muritai.school.nz
- Jo Salisbury - salisburyjo@muritai.school.nz
Diary dates
April
30th - First day of Term 2
May
11th - Full school assembly -Kororā hosting
24th - Cross Country event
June
13th - Starting school at five information evening
July
6th - Full school assembly - Kororā hosting
6th - Last day of term 2
Arohanui
Maureen Buckley
Associate Principal
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