Dear
Parents,
Term Two is
now underway with lots of exciting and interesting learning occurring in all
four classrooms.
We are heading towards a very busy time at school. Muritai School is introducing Year 1-3 anniversary reporting this year, therefore the Year three students have a different ‘reporting to parents’ timeline than the year four students.
Year 3: The
Year three teachers will send reports home at the end of week 9 and have parent
interviews in Week 10.
Year 4: The
Year 4 teachers have already had a parent interview with you. They will send
home a written report at the end of week 9.
All Year 3
and 4 teachers will be inviting you to a ‘Our Learning Journey’ celebration on
Tuesday 18th June (Week 7), from 3:00-5:00pm. This will be an
opportunity for your child to share with you all the fantastic learning they
have been doing so far this year. Teachers will also be on-hand, to explain anything
if required, however this will primarily be a child-led time and a chance for
them to celebrate their achievements with you.
Both Mrs.
Chao and Miss Savage will be taking leave towards the end of the term. They
will contact you directly by email in a little while, as their ‘reporting to
parents’ timeline is slightly different from the one described above.
Dates
for your Diary:
- Tuesday 21st (Week 3) Year 3-8 Cross Country at Williams Park, 9.45 onwards. PP day is Thursday 24th May.
- Friday 31st May- Teacher Only Day.
- Monday 3rd June- Queens Birthday Holiday.
- Tuesday 18th June Year 3-4 ‘Learning Journey’ sharing afternoon- 3:00-5:00pm
Reminders:
• Slippers: Term Two and Three are indoor terms. If your child does not yet have slippers at school, please help encourage them to do so. Slippers are worn inside to keep the carpets dry and mud-free.
• Drink Bottles: Children are still to bring drink bottles to class. Encourage you child to regularly take their drink bottle home for a clean.
• Equipment: Some children are starting to run low on essential supplies such as rubbers, rulers, pencil sharpeners, colour-pencils. Please check with your child to see if they require a top-up of supplies, particularly pencils, rubbers and rulers.
• Lost Property: It is crucial to have all clothing named so that it may be reunited with its owner quickly. Encourage your children to look for their missing clothing as soon as it is lost.
• Beginning of the school day: When the bell rings at 8.40, it is time to get ready for fitness. The focus changes as the year progresses, but at the moment on fine days we are going out for cross-country training. Students who are late miss out on this, so it is important that children are at school by 8.40am.
• Slippers: Term Two and Three are indoor terms. If your child does not yet have slippers at school, please help encourage them to do so. Slippers are worn inside to keep the carpets dry and mud-free.
• Drink Bottles: Children are still to bring drink bottles to class. Encourage you child to regularly take their drink bottle home for a clean.
• Equipment: Some children are starting to run low on essential supplies such as rubbers, rulers, pencil sharpeners, colour-pencils. Please check with your child to see if they require a top-up of supplies, particularly pencils, rubbers and rulers.
• Lost Property: It is crucial to have all clothing named so that it may be reunited with its owner quickly. Encourage your children to look for their missing clothing as soon as it is lost.
• Beginning of the school day: When the bell rings at 8.40, it is time to get ready for fitness. The focus changes as the year progresses, but at the moment on fine days we are going out for cross-country training. Students who are late miss out on this, so it is important that children are at school by 8.40am.
What are we doing in Term Two?
The big
theme this term is “Earth Science” where we will be learning about our planet
and how it is made up. Plate tectonics, Volcanoes and earthquake- all will make
for a very exciting term full! At the start of this year, children were taught
about ‘multiple intelligences’- that is, the different ways we like to
learn. The year 3/4 teachers have
decided this term to teach in a different multiple-intelligence way for one
afternoon a week. For example, Mrs Chao has decided she will be teaching in a
‘logic-smart’ way, Mrs Heath in a ‘nature-smart’ way, Mr Dobson in a ‘word
smart’ way, Mrs Skilton in a ‘body smart’ way. And Miss Savage in an ‘art smart’
way. Children have chosen what class and what intelligence they wish to learn
in, and starting in Week 2, children will swap teachers and classes on a
Wednesday afternoon and learn using the intelligence they have chosen. After a
short break in the middle of the term, we will repeat this for another three
week block, with children choosing a second intelligence/class to learn
in.
In Writing, the focus is on children’s understanding and their increasingly independent use of the language features of Narrative writing. As always, the children also work hard at learning how to improve their writing by editing and revision. Your child’s teacher will provide your child with honest feedback on what they are doing well, and what skills they need to develop next. In Reading, the key skills of self-monitoring, questioning and summarizing are a focus this term. These skills are taught within the context of Reciprocal Reading, a reading strategy that encourages and scaffolds deeper reading of text.
In Mathematics, from weeks 2-8, we are teaching using a cross-grouping structure on Monday to Thursday, during this time the major focus is on developing knowledge and strategy in Addition and Subtraction. Later in the term the focus will turn to Measurement and Statistics. Each Friday, Maths is in the home-room and has a ‘hands on’ problem solving element.
In Art, the main focus this term is Painting, with an emphasis on experimenting with colour mixing, using different brush strokes.
Our PE focus this term is firstly preparing for the school cross-country, followed by ball skills. Training for the cross country has already started, leading to our school cross country competition in Week 3 (see ‘Dates for your Diary’)
Around the middle of term two, the second major round of data collection occurs in Reading, Writing, Mathematics and other key areas. This information will be used by teachers to give you accurate and up-to-date information on your child’s progress in the following ways:
·
Year 4 teachers with a mid-year report,
·
Year 3 teachers with a report and interview.
As always,
feel free to pop in and see your child’s teacher if you wish to discuss any
aspect of your child's progress at school. Email is a very handy way of
communicating if you are unable to get to school- each teachers email address
is surname@muritai.school.nz. Over the last few years, classroom blogs have
become an important way that teachers can communicate with parents about what
is happening in their classroom. Please visit your child’s classroom blog to
see what has been happening, and leave a comment.
As you can see, we are planning to have a very busy term with a very solid academic focus. Thank-you for your support so far this year, especially is you have volunteered your time to help in different ways. We really appreciate this!
As you can see, we are planning to have a very busy term with a very solid academic focus. Thank-you for your support so far this year, especially is you have volunteered your time to help in different ways. We really appreciate this!
Kind Regards,
Year 3-4 Teachers.
