Term 2 2014

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

 I hope you all had a relaxing Easter break and managed to get out and enjoy some of the fine weather. 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 the 2014. We have also been very impressed with the attitude of the students in Year 7/8, particularly throughout our leadership selection process and their personal war inquiry. 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! Term 2 is set to be a busy (and short) one with a heavy classroom programme planned. Below is a run down on 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 9. 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. This week each student will receive a booklet that contains information which will 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.

If you would like more information about this project, you are welcome to attend our parent evening on Thursday 8th May at 6pm in Room 21.

 Throughout the term each class will be focusing on the Material World of Science, carrying out an investigation on different fabrics. We will be modeling the same process that the students will need to go through for your own investigation.

 Writing.

 We will be focusing on several different genre of writing this term. Firstly we will be report writing when gathering our background research for our investigations. Our second focus is procedure writing; learning how to write instructions in a clear and detailed way – another important part of our investigation. Along with these two genres we will also be focusing on narrative and creative writing through mini lessons. The focus for these lessons will be to develop our deeper features in writing.

 Mathematics.

 We are changing our maths programme slightly this term. We continue with our cross grouping for 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Tuesday). These sessions will focus on Multiplication and Division. On Tuesdays and Fridays maths will be taught in home classes focusing on Statistics and Problem Solving. Statistics fits nicely into own science fair investigations throughout the term.

 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 for seeing what your child is focusing on in the class.

 The Arts. We continue with our Arts programme on Thursday afternoons throughout the term. Through these sessions each group have the opportunity for painting (with Lisa Allen) and drama (Ruth Hooke).

 Physical Education. The focus for this term is gymnastics. Our halls times are Tuesdays so it would be appreciated if all students have appropriate clothing to participate in all activities on these days. Our sport rotation programme will continue on Wednesday afternoons plus Anand Ranchod will continue to develop large ball skills with small groups on Thursday afternoons.

Fitness is programmed in for every morning (weather permitting). We are finding these sessions incredibly beneficial. It's a great way of building on personal fitness and waking the brain up to start the day!

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.

Learning Journeys and Celebration of Learning.

 At the end of this term the classrooms will be open for the afternoon for your child to share their learning with you from the first half of the term. This year your child will have two platforms to record and share their work with you; in their clearfile and online on Google Drive. The date for this celebration is Thursday 3rd July (3pm - 6pm). We would love to see as many of you attend as possible as it's a great opportunity to hear first hand (from your child) about their learning. So ask the boss if you can leave work an hour early on the 3rd!

 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 be kept in their bags. Our advice is to keep them at home.

 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:

Anand: ranchod@muritai.school.nz
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