Hi Everyone!
Term 4 is here already and we will be singing Christmas Carols before we know it! We hope the holidays have been filled with rest, laughter and fun, and we are looking forward to welcoming you all back to Muritai School to commence Term 4 on Monday 12th October.
Last term the children and staff worked incredibly hard and have made so many memories that they will continue to reflect upon and treasure in the future. It was amazing to see the children become confident public speakers and passionate independent inquiry learners, who delved into the prehistoric world of dinosaurs and the underworld of worms and plants! It was lovely to see children overcome self-doubt and give cycling and football a go, with many becoming skilful cyclists and footballers over the duration of the term. Of course it was also a very successful term for our Arts Programme with our fantastic Year 3 and 4 Artsplash Choir and the Needle Felting Art Extension Workshops with Clare Leniston. We also had a Year 4 group attend an Envio Hui as part of our Enviroschools Programme.Be sure to visit your child’s class blog throughout the term, as they provide a wonderful snapshot of your child’s learning journey and the children love to receive and read comments from you all. Classroom blogs can be accessed directly off this blog or alternatively via our school website or by clicking on this link:
http://www.muritai.school.nz/pages/classes.php#middle34
Once again our classroom CARE (Citizenship, Achievement, Responsibility and Effort) programme will be closely linked to our School Values and Key Competencies and will be acknowledged and celebrated at our Team Assemblies. Alongside our CARE programme, in term 4 we will be focusing on the values of Integrity and Resilience, 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 4
Below is a an outline of what you can expect your child to be learning this coming term:
Literacy
Our main writing focus for this term is poetry. The children enjoy reading poems and especially love writing poetry, as it often breaks all the conventional writing rules! We will be identifying visual effects and language features of poetry and exploring a wide variety of poem styles. There will be plenty of opportunities to write and recite poetry aloud to an audience. We will also be learning the art of writing letters and will be developing procedural writing skills. There is still of course, the ongoing focus of embedding effective editing, proofreading and re-crafting skills into every piece of writing the children do.
Oral Language will focus on skills of oral presentation, with an emphasis on using vocal expression, confident body language and addressing an audience. Children will have opportunities to present their Inquiry based procedural writing, recite poetry as part of a Reader’s Theatre and will continue to share news and items of personal interest.
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 the reading of punctuation to enhance comprehension levels. As previously mentioned, poetry will also feature in our class reading programmes.
Integrated Studies - We have two Inquiries this term:
Numeracy
This term we will be revising all four number operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and will continue to develop our basic facts instant recall. We will also be covering Fractions and will begin our maths learning in our cross-grouped classes for the first three weeks of Term 4 before returning to our home rooms for the remainder of the term. Integrated Studies - We have two Inquiries this term:
Our first inquiry will be a continuation from Term 3 with a Mini-Inquiry focus on Worm Farms. Social Sciences (Social Inquiry) and Science (Living World): Growing a Plant
Big Idea - Our children will gain enough understanding about what plants need to grow so they can plan a sustainable, successful flower or vegetable garden.
Science (Making Sense of the Material World): Fizzing and Foaming
Big Ideas - Substances have physical properties that can be
described and we can use these properties to group them. When a physical change takes place a
substance changes its form only.- Substances have chemical properties that can be described and we can use these properties to group them. When a chemical change takes place a new substance is formed.
This will no doubt be a very popular Inquiry for our children as it will include exciting demonstrations and experiments!
Physical Education
* Fitness begins each day at 8:40am and will include a fun rotation of games including: Bat Down/French Cricket, Number Hockey, Bounce Strike, T Ball and the game of Whack and Run.
* Athletics Every Monday and Tuesday afternoon in the lead up to our School Athletics Day in Week 4, the children will be taking part in Athletics practice. Children will need to wear running shoes on these days to be able to fully participate.
* Fitness begins each day at 8:40am and will include a fun rotation of games including: Bat Down/French Cricket, Number Hockey, Bounce Strike, T Ball and the game of Whack and Run.
* Athletics Every Monday and Tuesday afternoon in the lead up to our School Athletics Day in Week 4, the children will be taking part in Athletics practice. Children will need to wear running shoes on these days to be able to fully participate.
* Swimming is scheduled to begin in Week 7, however this is of course weather dependent.
* EOTC Week Planning for EOTC Week in Weeks 8 and 9 is underway, and we are planning a fun filled week of events, with cycling, arts and crafts, bush walks, and a beach day among other events. More details to follow!
The Arts:
Visual Art - Stitching and Sewing
Visual Art - Stitching and Sewing
Performing Arts - Christmas Concert, Year 3 and 4 Choir, and Ruth Hooke's Performing Arts Programme
Te Reo Students will continue to learn Maori vocabulary as part of the Te Kupu o Te Wiki programme. Alongside Te Reo, the children will be attending alternate Friday arts and crafts sessions where they will learn the significance of arts and crafts in Maori culture and will also be making Manu Tukutuku (Maori kites), Poi, mini Tukutuku panels, Koru designs, clay pendant gifts and weaving.
Housekeeping
~ drink bottles, sunscreen and sunhats are of course essential this term. We have a 'no hat - no play' policy!
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 2 and Term 3, who listened to children read as part of our "Hooked on Books Programme".
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 term, 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.
Here is a summary of upcoming events particular to the Year 3/4 Team:
October
Thursday 15th ~ Shake Out Day!
Monday 26th ~ Labour Day – (School Closed)
Tuesday 27th ~ Teacher Only Day - (School Closed)
Tuesday 27th ~ Teacher Only Day - (School Closed)
November
Monday 2nd ~ Athletics Day
Tuesday 17th ~ Zone Athletics Day
Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th ~ Year 3 Anniversary reporting will take place and Year 3 Reports go home.
Monday 2nd ~ Athletics Day
Tuesday 17th ~ Zone Athletics Day
Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th ~ Year 3 Anniversary reporting will take place and Year 3 Reports go home.
Monday 23rd - Swimming starts
December
Tuesday 1st ~ Celebration of Learning afternoon
Wednesday 2nd ~ EOTC week begins
Friday 11th - Year 4 Reports go home.
Friday 11th - 2016 class lists go home.
Friday 11th - Year 4 Reports go home.
Friday 11th - 2016 class lists go home.
Monday 14th ~ Meet the Teacher for 2016
Wednesday 16th ~ Year 3/4 Christmas Concert at 2:30pm
Thursday 17th ~ Last day of Term – Leaver’s Assembly at 11am
Looking Ahead to 2016
Looking Ahead to 2016
We are about to begin the thorough process of placing children into classes for 2016. If you are considering moving out of the area and your child will not be coming back to Muritai next year please email me as soon as possible.
We all look forward to another great term. Our thanks for your support, as always.
Kind regards,
