Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Welcome back to our Year 4 families and a very warm welcome for those families joining us for the first time this year. We hope you all have had a lovely Christmas and have enjoyed the summer break with family and friends!
This year, once again, we have an experienced team of very creative and inspiring teachers working within the Year 3 and 4 team. As we take a collaborative approach to teaching and learning, your child is likely to see all teachers during various rotations throughout the year.
We have a few staff changes to our team this year. Briana Treder is of course on Maternity Leave after recently giving birth to a handsome wee boy called George - congratulations Briana! Jess Savage is returning to classroom teaching this year after being on Maternity Leave and we welcome her back as Mrs Davidson as she is now married - congratulations Jess! We also welcome Fiona Ranchod who will be team teaching with Jess Davidson in Room 11.
Year 3:
Room 10 - Mikaela Cody/Trish Theobald (on Fridays)
Room 9 – Hayley Skilton (Associate Principal) /Gabrielle Heath (on Fridays)
Year 4:
Room 7 – Richard Dobson
Room 8 – Karen Chao
Room 11 (Year 3/4 Composite) - Jess Davidson/Fiona Ranchod (on Wednesdays)
Ruth Holmes - Release Teacher
Teacher Aides:
Ruth Holmes - Release Teacher
Teacher Aides:
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Carolyn, Romy, Hilary, Rachael, Leslie and Sandra.
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On Thursday afternoon you will have the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher and provide a little bit of background information about your child. We find these meetings invaluable and it is very helpful if you take a few moments to look through and fill out the form that will be emailed to you shortly. We do value your perspective from home.
Our classroom CARE programme will once again be closely linked to our school values this year. We will be unpacking these values as the year progresses as follows: Kindness and Respect in Term 1, Curiosity and Excellence in Term 2, Self-confidence and Commitment in Term 3, and Integrity and Resilience in Term 4.
Homework - will be gradually introduced from Week 2 onwards
- Each night’s homework comprises of 15-20 minutes of practice in Reading, Spelling and Mathletics/Basic Facts. Please tick the appropriate section/columns to ‘prove’ that homework is being done. Older siblings may do this if necessary.
- Our children lead very busy out-of-school lives. For this reason, it is perfectly acceptable for out-of-school activities to count as ‘homework’. All that is required is that the activity is recorded in the spaces where the ticks would normally go. For example, if your child has Ballet on Monday after school, write ‘ballet’ in the Monday slot for reading, spelling and basic facts.
- Tick the spelling words and math facts as they are practiced, even if they are yet to be learned correctly. This is supposed to be practice time - not a test time. It is perfectly acceptable for children to write in their home reading themselves.
- Teachers will run the testing at the end of each week, in class. This is the time when teachers will assess the mastery of words.
- Each week there is an optional ‘extra’ piece of homework to be completed, which may take additional time, spread out over the week. Feel free to email the teacher if anything about this needs clarifying. There are no consequences for children not completing this part.
- Homework books are returned to school every morning. This allows children to use their spelling words during classroom practice time. If the book is left at home, then the child misses this practice time. Teachers may also wish to check home reading and the homework book for messages from home.
Teaching and Learning in Years 3-4 in Term One
There will be lots of great learning happening this term. Below is a quick outline of what you can expect your child to be learning this term:
Integrated Studies and Literacy
"Life According to Me" is a mini inquiry unit into what is important to us, how we learn and our role in our classroom and community. This links very nicely with the Treaty work we are covering in class at the moment and of course Waitangi Day.
Our "Toiora the Moana, Toiora te Tangata - Healthy Seas, Healthy People" inquiry unit will be linked directly to Seaweek: 27th February to 6 March, with an environmental focus as well as opportunities for the children to inquire and report on sea creatures.
Keep checking the classroom blogs to see what each class is doing.
Keep checking the classroom blogs to see what each class is doing.
Maths
We will be in our home-room classes for maths this year and will spend the first few weeks of Term 1 assessing the children and grouping them accordingly. The majority of the term will be spent on number knowledge and strategies, particularly Place Value. This will include a focus on problem solving and algebra.
Swimming
Swimming is our main PE focus for the term. We are lucky to have the skilled instructors of Kiwiswim again taking each class for 8 lessons over 2 weeks. Their focus is on 'Water Safety and Survival', as well as fundamental swimming skills. Please ensure that all togs, towels and goggles are named.
Here is our swimming timetable:
Week 1:
All Year 3 and Year 4 classes will be swimming on Friday.
Weeks 2 and 3:
Rooms 9 and 10 - Monday and Wednesday
Rooms 7, 8 and 11 - Tuesday and Thursday
All Year 3 and Year 4 classes will be swimming on Friday.
Weeks 4 and 5:
All Year 3 and Year 4 classes will be swimming everyday.
Swimming Sports will be held at Eastbourne Pool on the morning of Friday 26th February (Week 4).
Art
We have a drawing focus this term and will of course be completing self-portraits - it's always fascinating to see the finished products and of course to observe how the children see themselves! Keep popping in to class over the next few weeks to see your child’s artistic talents shine through as the classrooms and corridors spring to life.
Housekeeping
Please ensure that your child has a sunhat and a drink bottle with them each day for the remainder of this term - no hat, no play!
The first bell at 8:40am signals a start to the learning day and it is important that your child is here by then so that they are organised and ready to learn. Should your child be later than the second bell at 8:55am, please ensure they report in at the office first before going to their classroom. Jo Bentley will mark them present on the roll and your child will receive a 'late slip' to give to their teacher, so that we know they have been accounted for on our roll - safety first!
The first bell at 8:40am signals a start to the learning day and it is important that your child is here by then so that they are organised and ready to learn. Should your child be later than the second bell at 8:55am, please ensure they report in at the office first before going to their classroom. Jo Bentley will mark them present on the roll and your child will receive a 'late slip' to give to their teacher, so that we know they have been accounted for on our roll - safety first!
Upcoming Events
* Meet the Teacher Evening - Thursday 4th February
* As mentioned above, our Swimming Sports for Year 3 and Year 4 will be held at Eastbourne Pool on the morning of Friday 26th February. You are most welcome to come and watch or if you are keen to help out please let your child’s class teacher know. Further information will follow closer to the date.
* As mentioned above, our Swimming Sports for Year 3 and Year 4 will be held at Eastbourne Pool on the morning of Friday 26th February. You are most welcome to come and watch or if you are keen to help out please let your child’s class teacher know. Further information will follow closer to the date.
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 are all looking forward to another great year. Our thanks for your support, as always.
Kind regards,
Hayley Skilton, Karen Chao, Richard Dobson, Mikaela Cody, Jess Davidson, Gabrielle Heath, Trish Theobald, Fiona Ranchod and Ruth Holmes.
Hayley Skilton, Karen Chao, Richard Dobson, Mikaela Cody, Jess Davidson, Gabrielle Heath, Trish Theobald, Fiona Ranchod and Ruth Holmes.
