South East Zones 2012- Tuesday 29 May

Seven students from our class competed in South East Zones Cross Country. When we got there we walked around the track. The track was really muddy and we were all freezing in the  cold. After the walking  the track , the races started. Indi ran her best and she got into the top ten!! She was seventh in the  9 Year old event. We think that Zones was a great success and everyone had a great day.

We  think  that a lot more training needs to be done next year to get better results .We shall try!

A Group Report.

Our Science Findings so Far....."Operation Nest Egg"

Operation Nest Egg-Information

We saw a PowerPoint presentation which was amazing .

It included the habitat of the kiwi and  we saw  a dog with a muzzle  searching for kiwi. In the  burrows there were   kiwi  eggs which were collected  with gloves on.

They are taken from the  Forest and transported by  helicopter to  Christchurch airport before  they make their way to   Willowbank.

The types of Kiwi being saved incude the Brown, Haast and the  Spotted kiwi.

The eggs are  put in Incubators -  there are lots at Willowbank

We found out  how to see inside an egg with an  x-ray machine .

Once the eggs hatch they are cared for like human babies. They are exposed to the island forest  conditions they will experience 1-2 years later. Their  experiences include the soil, food, water, leaves and living in a dark environment.

Science Study in Room 5 - Sustain our NZ Birds!

Two  weeks  ago , on May 10  ,we  started our  science study  about endangered birds.Officer Shaun from Willowbank Wildlife Reserve came  to explain "Operation Nest Egg" and answered many of our interveiw questions.

Questions for Shaun- Education Officer Willowbank.

Thursday 10 May- 11 am

Who feeds the animals?

Where does the fantail come from?

Who do you look after?

Who heals them when they are sick or hurt?

What do you feed your birds?
How often do you feed your birds?

When might the kiwi become extinct?

How do you identify sick birds?

Where do birds come from?
How do you k now what birds are extinct?

When did you realise that the kiwi was in danger of being extinct?

Why did the kiwi become endangered?



Our questions were well answered and we are looking forward to our visit to Willowbank on 20 June to culminate our study and there is a lot to investigate before then.

We shall keep you informed about our findings so that you too can become aware of our endangered birds .

                                          This is how big a kiwi egg is.

                                          We are sitting on the mat watching a powerpoint.

                                         We are all having fun touching a taxidermied kiwi  and
                                         learning about  the bird.

Mrs Reddy just had to have a hold of the taxidermied Kiwi.

This is the tuatara officer Shaun brought for us to see.

It is our dinosaur which is endangered!

TERM 2 NEWSLETTER

Mrs Reddy’s Classroom Newsletter

2012

second Issue-Term 2

WELCOME BACK!

Greetings to you all.

I hope you  all had a pleasant Easter break and the children are well rested as we start our winter term.

Thank you for all the support and help last term .I thought the homework was done well last term and would like to encourage you to do the same again. I sent out the PLPs via the students last term and it would be of great benefit to revisit the goals with your children and set new ones if you need to. Homework keeps you informed of the day to day learning

that happens in Room 5  and the students become more aware that you are interested in their schoolwork.

The term will start as usual and the students will be guided and supported in keeping the routines to engage in learning at this level. I hope that the children will continue to  work on becoming self-propelled learners  and develop this responsibility with a positive attitude.I shall endeavour to do the best I can to ensure their progress in all areas. The  assertive discipline policy in my class is designed to help  those children who l need help in acquiring appropriate behaviours.

Term 2- SUSTAINABILITY

The big concept that weaves through all our learning is SUSTAINABILITY which means that most if not all of our studies will be around this theme.

In the first few weeks the students will  be catching up on some areas of learning which we were unable to complete last term including RE ,Measurement and Social Science, due to the school wide musical which was a huge success. I hope you managed to see it.

LONGTERM PLAN

RE- We shall complete and assess the Jesus Strand and Easter lessons and The Ascension in the Liturgical Year module.

There are two  major strand for the term.-The Holy Spirit and God.The students will continue to be involved in a very active way to live and expand their faith. Separate letters informing you of the content of studies will be  in your child’s RE exercise book. This book will be sent home on a regular basis with home activities to be completed requiring your input. This exercise allows you to support the learning that happens in class .It is important that you sign each home activity on completion and write a comment at the end of the study in each strand .

The Family Whanau book is an invaluable resource for parents to have at  home as it gives you all the necessary information about the RE programme from Year 1 to Year 8.You may  borrow one from school the  office.

SCIENCE –Our Endangered Birds

MATHS-Number Knowledge  Maintenance ,Addition and Subtraction,Statistics.

READING- Reading for Understanding, Connection and Inference.

WRITTEN LANGUAGE- Information Report.

PE/PA- Large Ball Skills, Soccer and Netball/Jump Jam

MUSIC –  Recorder and Choral Singing.

ICT-Use the internet for publishing and research.

Reminders to Students

·      Do your homework

·      Sleep at 8.00pm

·       Bring your homework to  school daily.

Reminders to Parents

·      Your child will need the following supplies kept at school-a pencil, a ruler ,red and blue pen, and glue stick and scissors.

·       A separate set of supplies should be kept at home.

·      Please check and sign  off homework checklists each night and sign the reading log.

·      Please read weekly school newsletter and encourage your students to sustain good habits and good manners.

Term 2 Highlights

RE

Room 5 Assembly- Easter Theme    Parish/School Mass-Pentecost Sunday.

PE

PE-SE Zones Sports Competition .Funded Sport’s  Programme.

Science -A Science Field Trip to Willowbank- Thursday 20 June.

Mid-Year Reports.    End of term.

Daily Homework-Monday to Thursdays

·        Unfinished school work.

·        RE-regular home activities.

·        Reading for 15 minutes each night

·         Spelling and skills exercises based on their list of word.

·         Basic Facts revision as suggested in the PLPs last term.

·        Extras- as required to complement the learning at school.

·        Room5Blog- http://stannes105.blogspot.com/

Student News

Prayer Table- Indi and Amelia

Sports Monitors – Laverton and  Lingas

Laptop Monitors – Julio and Jack S

Art Monitors – Kupi,Grace and  Beth

Music Specialists – Nadine and Tatiana

Chief Photographers – Rosie and Graycyn

Happy Birthday to – Lingas,Grace,Gracyn ,Mrs Reddy,Laverton