Wow!  Week Four is over and we are almost half way through the term.  It is flying by.

Here is an update on what we are doing:

Reading
Everyone is bringing home a book four nights a week and their poem book on Fridays.  Please have your child read the book to you.  This reinforces their learning from the day which is things like using the picture and letter sounds to help them work out words.

Writing
We are writing recounts (retelling events) and started this week with a piece about our PE lesson with Mr R.  You are very welcome to come and look at their publishing folders in class before school.  If you can't do that, please contact me and I can send you a PDF of some of their work by email.

During writing, students talk about our topic, watch it being modelled, listening to the things I need to think about when writing. 

There is a focus on: finger spacing between words; capital letters at the start, and full stops at the end, of sentences; writing on the line from the left to the right.  

As well as this we are learning to put our recount in the right order with an opening sentence telling the reader Who, What, Where and When then three sentences detailing First, Next, Last followed by how the student felt.  

We then go back and edit our work, checking for a particular thing such as full stops and capitals as well as 'try lines' under the words we sounded out using our alphabet knowledge.

Maths
We are working on knowing our numbers up and down to 20 really, really well and are also learning our numbers to 100.  Learning what makes 5 (such as 1+4 = 5) or 10, for students who know the former, will also be explored during the term.

Handwriting
This is done four days a week and we have done the letters L, H and B.  We are also practising writing our first and last names as well as the day of the week and the short date (26.02.16).

PE
We are practising throwing, catching, rolling and playing with small balls and are working on our fitness.

Coming Up
Week 6 we are in the Art Room to explore blending colours which I am looking forward to very much.  

Week 10 we are running the Kea Assembly on Friday afternoon and are practising songs and dances for it.  Our dance is "Awesome Rainbows" - the link is below.  We also use this for fitness if it's too hot to go outside and run around the field.

Another link below is for making an origami boat that we tried in class.  We are doing something like this, or drawing skills, once a week to help develop our fine motor- and hand-eye skills.

Thank You!
Thank you for continuing to have students at school on time, well rested with good lunches.  Thank you too for having water in their drink bottles instead of cordial; it keeps them much more hydrated during the day.

Warm regards
Miriam

Welcome to Room 5 for 2016!  It has been wonderful to meet your children and put faces to names after preparing the classroom in January for them.

What's happening the first week or so?
We are getting to know each other, learning classroom routines and the activities we will be doing independently throughout the year. At lunchtime students can choose to participate in various activities if they do not want to play outside.  

Twice a week at Break One Juniors can choose to go to Reading Eggs (logins and passwords are currently being organised for new students), Jump Jam or Indian Dance.  Books are read out loud in the library every lunch time.

Hats
Please remember all students must have a hat as the sunshine is very strong.  From next week the 'no hat, no play' rule will be implemented meaning students without a hat must stay in the shade.  

Meet the Teachers
Thursday, 11 February is our 'Meet the Teachers' evening when you are able to meet all the team and have a look through the classroom.  More information will come home in a newsletter very shortly.

What will my child bring home from school each day?
a) Books to read
Monday to Thursday, each student will bring home a reader (small book) each night from next week that they need to practise by reading out loud to you.  Three of these days it will have been discussed or gone through with me; one day it will be chosen and read independently.  

b) Book Bag

Book bags went home today and will be used every day until the last day of school.  If your child does not have one yet, please arrange for one as they are help students' learn how to manage their belongings and work.  

c) Notebook
This went into their book bag today and contains sheets with  the alphabet and sounds, blends, numbers and sight words they will be learning.  Please practise some of these with them at nights.  For example:

- Have them say the letter and the sound; 

- Ask them to read the words they can (the ease and number they can do will increase over this term);

- Count up to 20 and count back (using the number chart to help is fine).

There is also a list with the words of colours (they can colour the corresponding box with the right colour if they would like to) and numbers (digits and words).  They will be learning to spell and recognise the words for colours and numbers over the year.  

When Reading Eggs logins/passwords have been arranged these will be glued into the cover so they can access their account at home.  

Thank You!
We are remembering to be polite, considerate, sensible students using 'please', 'thank you', 'excuse me' and 'I'm sorry' as a matter of course when talking with each other.  Related to this is listening to each other when someone is talking and waiting our turn to speak and use equipment.  Many students have already shown they know how to do this and are being very good role models.

I wish to thank you, the parents and caregivers of my lovely students, for ensuring everyone has stationery and is coming to school on time, ready to learn with a good lunch and a drink bottle. 
The days are hot and the students are quite weary by the afternoon but they are already working hard and putting a lot of care and effort into their work.

And Finally...
We are learning two songs at the end of school: Baby Animals (for oral language and the correct names) and Mixing Colours (so they see and sing the words of colours and learn about how they are created).

Students may like to sing along to these at home or might tell you about them so here they are for you to see too.  There is usually a lot of giggles at the end of the Baby Animal song.  They find the baby very, very amusing for some reason and always end up laughing.

Warm regards  

Miriam