Term 4 Newsletter
Kia Ora everyone,
Welcome to Term 4 of 2015. It’s hard to believe we are now in the final term of the year. It is fantastic to finally see the sun after a long, wet winter.
Firstly, a massive thank-you to everyone who helped out during our very successful Arts Extravaganza at the end of Term 3. It was a huge process for everyone involved. Thank you to all the positive feedback we received. It is always a challenge trialling something different - we believe giving the students more variety made the show a success.
As usual, Term 4 is set to be another busy one.
Below is a run down on the term. Feel free to contact your child’s classroom teacher if there is anything you wish to discuss further.
Literacy
Our writing focus for this term is poetry, where we will be exploring the connections between poetry in song lyrics while exploring a variety of figurative language. We will be looking at several current topics in the media to create a Year in Rap!
We are continuing to develop comprehension skills through our reading programme and integrated inquiry topics.
Numeracy
We start the term revising some key concepts from the year. We will be focusing particularly on fractions, decimals, place value and operational strategies. After 3 weeks of revision, students will be returning to their home rooms for maths where they will be covering Algebra. Rest assured, your child will still be learning at their current level by the classroom teacher differentiating the programme to suit everyones needs - similar to our literacy programme.
Integrated Studies
Our major focus for Term 4 is our current Sexuality Road unit which has been specially designed for Year 7 and 8 students. Throughout this unit we will be discussing changes during puberty, reproduction, relationships, the influence of the media, peer pressure and rights and responsibilities as we get older. Thank you to everyone who came along to our information evening at the end of last term. Hopefully you went away feeling fully informed about the content of the lessons. The classroom teachers will endeavour to keep you up to date with lesson content that has been covered through email and the classroom blogs. We think this is a great way of keeping you in the loop, especially if you’d like to initiate any conversation with your child at home. Once again, if you have any questions regarding this unit, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Along with this unit, our students will be involved in One Heart Day. This is an initiative developed by Cassandra Treadwell's organisation So They Can. The students will receive additional information about this by the end of week 1 but below is a brief explanation:
PPP - Personal Passion Projects
Due to popular demand we will be offering this opportunity for our senior students to delve into their passions once more. The teachers were blown away by the efforts of the students in term 2 and how the vast majority were confident at directing their own learning. Next week your child will be asked to develop and share a proposal to their teacher. This will be a plan of action that will spread throughout the first 5 weeks of the term. Students will have Friday mornings dedicated to working on their passion project but it is expected they will also need to use some of their own time at home to complete it.
Physical Education
An exciting term for PE is planned, starting off with Athletics. The children will be taking part in Long Jump, High Jump, Vortex, Shot put, Discus and Sprints. This leads in nicely to our school athletics day. We end the term with Swimming starting again down at the local pool.
EOTC
Planning is well underway for the Year 8 Abel Tasman adventure and the Year 7 EOTC week. We will be meeting with the students regularly to ensure they are fully prepared for the exciting week at the end of the term.
Important Reminders
Reporting to Parents
Teachers will very shortly start writing academic reports for each student. This is a summative assessment on the progress and achievements your child has made throughout the year. These reports will be coming home at the end of the term. Also at the end of the term, students will bring home their clearfile with work samples from throughout the year. Along with this hard copy, students will also have work samples in their Google Drive account. We will be encouraging our Year 8 students to print or save their samples to a personal account or usb before the end the of the year.
Stationery Check
Many students are now missing pens, pencils, rulers, plastic pockets and calculators. These are necessary for everyday class work. Can you please ask your child if they need any items and replace them. Thank you.
Sun Hats & Drink Bottles
It’s term 4 and each child needs a hat to wear everyday outside. Students not wearing hats have to stay in the shaded area. It is also recommended the children have their own named drink bottle at school. As the days get warmer it’s important they are fully hydrated.
If you have any concerns or worries please contact your child’s teacher by leaving a phone message at the office or by email: teachers surname @ muritai.school.nz.
Kind Regards The Year 7 and 8 team
