Dear Parents, Caregivers and children,
Once again Our classroom CARE (Citizenship, Achievement, Responsibility and Effort) programme
will be closely linked to our School Values and Key Competencies. This term we will be focusing on the values of Curiosity and Excellence, as well as continuing to foster the Key Competencies of Relating to others, Participating and
Contributing, Managing Self and Thinking.
Teaching and Learning in
Years 3-4 in Term 2
There will continue to be lots of great
learning happening in term 2. Below is a quick outline of what you can expect
your child to be learning this term:
Literacy
For written and oral language, the children will be learning about report writing. News time will take on a more formal stance where children will be required to orally present reports (news articles) to an audience (their peers). Their peers will then provide written and/or verbal feedback on the report presentation. Children will be learning how to use appropriate verbal and non-verbal features to gain attention and how to effectively communicate ideas to an audience. Your child will need support with this at home as it will largely form the basis of their homework 'other tasks' this term. It would be great if you could help prepare your child by helping to research interesting articles online or in newspapers/magazines and of course by being their 'practice audience' at home!
Reading opportunities will be varied: teacher directed (reading groups) and independent (personal interest and enjoyment); and will be integrated across all areas of the curriculum. Children will be researching and reading for information, reading for meaning and understanding a range of texts. We will continue to encourage fluency, expression and reading punctuation to enhance comprehension levels.
Integrated Studies - We have two Inquiries this term:
Social
Sciences (Continuity and Change): 'Gallipoli – The Scale of Our War' - The Centenary of World War One
Big Idea -The past can be remembered
in different ways. Why do we commemorate ANZAC day?
We have a planned trip to view the Weta Workshop exhibition: 'Gallipoli – The Scale of Our War' at Te Papa in Week 2 - more details to follow.
We have a planned trip to view the Weta Workshop exhibition: 'Gallipoli – The Scale of Our War' at Te Papa in Week 2 - more details to follow.
Science (Material World): Introducing and working with metals
Big Idea - Metals are defined and grouped by the similarities and
differences in their physical and chemical properties. People use their
understandings of the properties of a metal to promote or prevent the physical
and chemical changes that affect the metal’s usefulness.
If you are particularly knowledgeable in this area or have a good experiment up your sleeve, please let your child's class teacher know and you will be readily invited in - we love visitors!
If you are particularly knowledgeable in this area or have a good experiment up your sleeve, please let your child's class teacher know and you will be readily invited in - we love visitors!
Numeracy
Maths will begin in our
home-room classes this term for the Measurement Strand and will be looking closely at how to measure Length and Area with standard and non-standard units. There will also be a Statistics focus from Week 3 onwards.
We will be cross-grouping the students across the five classes according to need from week 3 and will continue to do so for the rest of the term. The majority of the
term will be spent on number knowledge, number strategies and problem solving, with particular reference to addition and subtraction and an introduction of basic multiplication.
Physical Education - We have two units this term:
Gymnastics is the main PE
focus for the first 5 weeks, followed by Winter Games and Ball Skills later in the term.
Art - Painting
The children will be experimenting with colour, tinting and shading, brush strokes, adding texture etc. They will also be discussing and reflecting upon colour choice and techniques used by themselves and other well known New Zealand artists.
Housekeeping
We have a 'shoes-off' policy throughout the Winter months to make sure the class carpets stay dry and clean and suitable for sitting on. There are shoe racks outside or inside each classroom. It is best if slippers stay at school for the term. Water bottles each day are still required as the children need to stay hydrated and trips to the drinking fountain can be quite disruptive to class programmes. Hotdogs recommence on Wednesdays for Term 2 and 3.
Parent Help
Many of you have kindly offered to help out in our classrooms this year - we would like to take you up on your offer this term in the form of listening to children read. This would entail listening to children read for 10 - 15 minutes at a time. If you are able to help out please email me: hskilton@muritai.school.nz with the days (mornings) and times you would be able to help. Thank you once again to all our wonderful parent helpers from Term 1, who assisted us with our trip to Wellington, Swimming sports and music lessons!
Reporting and Celebrating
Towards the end of the term the children will bring home a written report of their progress and we invite you in to school to a ‘Celebration of Learning’ afternoon where the children will share their artwork and book work from the year so far. Whilst the teachers will be there, this is an opportunity for the children to share their learning with you. The children are very proud of the successes they achieve in class on a daily basis.
Getting in touch
As always, your first
port of call is your child’s teacher. We can be contacted by our email address
(surname@muritai.school.nz), or feel free to pop in before/ after school for a
quick chat. If you wish to talk about your child’s learning at any stage of the
year, you do not have to wait until parent interviews to do so! Your child’s
teacher will be happy to talk with you - however be aware that Monday and
Tuesday after school are usually staff meeting times.
We
all look forward to another great term. Our thanks for your support, as always.
Kind
regards,
Hayley
Skilton, Karen Chao, Richard Dobson, Mikaela Cody, Briana Treder, Gabrielle
Heath, Trish Theobald and Ruth Holmes.
