Term 3 Newsletter 2013

Dear Parents and Caregivers, I hope you all had a relaxing break. It sounds like the children had a great time with friends and family. Wasn’t the weather fantastic! Thank you to everyone who came along to our Learning Celebration evening at the end of last term. It was great to see the children sharing their learning and achievement with you. Remember that if you missed the evening, your child’s work is still available to be viewed on their personal blog. If you haven’t done so already, it would be great to sit down with your child at home so they can discuss their successes with you. We are now full swing into Term 3 and as usual, it's set to be a busy one. Below is a run-down of what your child will be focusing on.

  Literacy.

 Our major writing focus for the term is studying characterization, using Superheroes for inspiration. We will be looking at writing detailed descriptions of characters, qualities of superheroes/supervillains and what makes them good or evil by their appearance. We will be creating our own superheroes and villains to describe. There is a buzz in the air already about this unit!

  Inquiry & Wearable Arts.

 There is a big focus on Art this term with our bi-annual Wearable Arts Performance in week 8. This involves every child designing and creating a wearable piece of art and then presenting this during performance week. Each child has been given a planning booklet which outlines our expectations for the children and how you can assist at home. This booklet will be used to guide the students through the process at home and school. By the end of this week all children will have decided on a category to enter and have started their initial designs. Week 4 will be dedicated to ‘Making Week’. We would really appreciate some parent help on Monday and Tuesday of this week (19th & 20th of August) to come along and help out with the construction. Sewing machines and operators will be in hot demand! If you are keen to help out please let your child’s classroom teacher know. We will be using the Wearable Arts theme of ‘Lost Civilisations’ as inspiration for our Inquiry studies this term. Each class will be learning about different aspects of the ancient Mayan, Greek and Roman civilisations along with the mysteries of Atlantis!

  Mathematics.

 We are continuing with cross grouping this term. We start the term with a Number unit; looking on fractions, decimals and percentages. Later in the term we will be focusing on Geometry and Measurement with an emphasis on area and angles. 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 studying in class. Physical Education. The start of the term is focusing on Gymnastics. Our hall time for gymnastics is on Mondays so please remind your child to wear appropriate clothing on these days. Later in the term we will be focusing on games involving large balls. Our sport rotation programme will continue on Wednesday afternoons.

  Other things to note...

  Homework: The majority of this term's homework is focused on the Wearable Arts booklet. The children have deadlines to meet each week but will need to get into the habit of bringing their booklets to school everyday. This booklet will be submitted to their classroom teacher at the end of the term for marking. We are still expecting each student to be reading and completing mathletics homework. Some students will also have spelling activities to complete each week.

  Abel Tasman: The planning for this end of year adventure is well under way. All Year 8 students received their first newsletter which asks for expressions of interest from parents who wish to assist for the week. Thanks to all that have replied. We have received a large amount of responses and we are currently in the process of making our selection. There will be further notices throughout the term giving you more information regarding the trip. We should be confirming the exact cost of this trip soon but expect an approximate cost of $400. We realise this is a lot of money at the end of the year so we urge you to take the opportunity to start paying small amounts now at the office. Thank you also to the families who have offered to donate money to purchase new tents! We have been overwhelmed with the response. We are in the process of getting quotes together now but there is still time to donate.
Wet Weather: Although the weather has been kind to us lately, we are still stuck in the winter months, 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.

Student Teachers

We are lucky enough to host two student teachers from Victoria University this term. We have one student in Room 22 and the other in Room 24. They will be starting their placement in Week 3 and will be with us until the end of the term.

 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