Term 2 2012

Dear Parents and Caregivers, 

 I hope you all had a relaxing Easter break and managed to get out and enjoy the fantastic weather Mother Nature provided. It's hard to believe that Term 1 has come and gone and we are now full swing into Term 2! 

All the teachers in the Senior School were extremely pleased with the start of  2012. We are all thoroughly enjoying the challenges of teaching in a new area of the school. We have also been very impressed with the attitude of the students in Year 7/8, particularly throughout our leadership selection process. It was excellent to see so many individuals step up to the challenge of a leadership role, their positive attitude and strong work ethic is a credit to them! 

 Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered their support and given their time to a raft of activities throughout the term including sport coaching/managing, transportation and gardening. It is fantastic to be able to offer our seniors so many extra opportunities but we would be unable to do this without your on-going support. 

As mentioned in last terms newsletter, Year 7/8 students are now creating their portfolio of work samples online in a blog format. This has been a challenging task for many as it has required learning a range of I.T skills. These blogs are now ready to be viewed by you! To find your child's learning log simply visit their classroom blog and you will find links off the sidebar. It would be great if you could take time to read through their work from Term 1 and give feedback to your child. Your child will continue adding samples of work to their learning log as they complete them throughout this term.

 Term 2 is set to be a busy one with a heavy classroom programme planned. Below is a run down of what your child will be focusing on. 

 Inquiry.

 This term every child will be undertaking a scientific investigation and will be presenting their results at the Senior School Science Fair in Week 10.

Each step of the investigation process will be explained in class and the students will be given some time at school to work on their project. However the bulk of this investigation will be done at home.
Next week each student will receive a  booklet that contains information to help them plan, research, and conduct their investigation. A copy of this booklet will also be uploaded to our classroom blogs for your reference. Your child will require support at home from you to ensure they are successful. There are many elements and a lot of work involved in a science fair project. Time management will be a very important element in a successful project. Each project will be judged at the end of the term. Several projects that are completed to a high standard will be submitted to the Annual NIWA Science Fair in Term 3.

Once every child is well underway with their own science fair project we will move into an environmental science topic called - "Take Action for Air." Our big idea  for this unit is:

 

 "To understand the need to protect and preserve our local environment and action decisions."

In this unit we will be learning about  air and air pollution, and will investigate ways of taking action to keep the air healthy and clean. 

Writing.

 Our major writing focus will be explanation writing where we will be learning to explain in detail how or why things happen. Our minor focus is procedure writing; learning how to write instructions in a clear and detailed way. As you can see both these genres will fit nicely into our science topics for the term.

Mathematics.

We are continuing with cross grouping this term which will commence next week. We start the term with a Number unit; focusing on multiplication and division strategies. Later in the term we will be focusing on Statistics with an emphasis on probability. 

The 'Mathletics' programme is proving a success throughout the school. Each child now has their login details and their maths teacher is regularly assigning them tasks to complete each week. The tasks that are set by the teachers relate to work that is happening in the classroom so it provides you with a useful platform to see what your child is focusing on in the class.

The Arts.

The first week of this term we have concentrated on visual arts where we have been creating masks using clay and papier mache. These are almost complete and are looking fantastic. They will soon be on display in the classroom and on blogs.

This term we are also lucky enough to have Ruth Hooke working with each class for a 3 week block for Performing Arts. These sessions will be on Thursday afternoons and will start with Room 22.

Physical Education.

The start of the term is focusing on training for our annual school cross country which is scheduled for Tuesday the 8th of May at Williams Park. Training for this event will be happening every morning so please ensure your child comes to school with appropriate clothing and footwear for the next two weeks.

Later in the term we will be focusing on games involving large balls.

Our sport rotation programme will continue on Wednesday afternoons from week 3.

Other things to note...

Homework: 

Due to the amount of work that will be required from the students for their science project, this will be the major focus for homework this term. They will have several deadlines to meet throughout the term which they will be regularly reminded of. They will still need to read for at least 15 minutes every night plus complete their mathletics tasks set by their maths teacher.

Wet Weather:

With the winter months fast approaching, many of us start to get a bit hairy being stuck indoors all day! Wet lunchtimes can often be difficult so we welcome students bringing to school indoor games, such as board games or cards.

Unicycles:

Stephen Eames unicycle legacy lives on in the Senior School! We now have many students that have mastered riding on one wheel which is seriously impressive! We have a number of unicycles that need a bit of TLC. If there are any parents that might be interested in having a little tinker with them to get them up to scratch, we would love to hear from you!

Gardening:

Thank you to all the parents who came in to help at our gardening working bee last term. Melissa Coton and her gardening team have worked so hard over the past term getting it 'ship-shape' for new planting. Melissa would love to hear from any parents who might be interested in assisting in the garden at any time.

• Cell Phones: 

 We understand students may require the use of cell phones before or after school, so they are permitted at school, but they are not to be used during school time. If students bring their valuables to school they are responsible for them and need to keep them in their bags. Our advice is to keep them at home.

Youth Group: 

Students in Year 7/8 are warmly invited to attend Friday night Youth Group at Eastbourne Rec Hall. This term they are trailing a new session times: 5.45 to 7.45pm. 

Upcoming events include: Trip to Strike Entertainment, Talent Quest and a Motorcross Performance. For more info contact Gina on 027 246 6546.

Finally if you have any concerns or questions regarding our classroom programme or your child's learning, please don't hesitate to make contact with us. Feel free to pop in before or after school or the easiest way to touch base with us is email:

Melissa: coton@muritai.school.nz
Lisa: allen@muritai.school.nz
Stu: devenport@muritai.school.nz

Thank you again for your support,

Stu Devenport
Associate Principal