Term 1 2010

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Welcome back to school for the New Year. Hopefully everyone had a very relaxing and enjoyable holiday. The teachers have been hard at work preparing for the year and we are all looking forward to getting started.

Our Year 5 and 6 team is back to 4 classes this year due to smaller numbers. The team consists of
• Stu Devenport –Year 6 Room 15
• Holly Edwards Year 5 Room 13
• Peter Hull - Year 6 Room 12
• Lisa Allen – Yr 5/6 Rm 14

Ruth Hooke is another valuable member of our team. She will be teaching on Wednesdays in Room 14 and Fridays in Room 15. On Thursday she will continue to run the school’s Preforming Arts programme throughout the school.

Camp 2010 Forest Lakes (9-12 March)

Our major focus for the beginning of the year is camp at Forest Lakes. This takes place in week 6 of this term.
There is a cost involved with coming to camp; it will cost $210 per child. This covers every eventuality that may arise. We ask that you pay before going to camp. If there are any problems with this please contact your classroom teacher. It would be appreciated if you completed and returned the form at the end of the newsletter that was sent home last week with payment in a named envelope.
It is important that gear is being organised so that we are ready for Tuesday in Week 6. Let us know if you are having any difficulties as we can help you borrow gear. A gear check takes place at school in the morning before boarding the bus and you will be contacted if there are any major items missing. It is important that students are aware of what they have in their bags. Encourage them to take responsibility for checking their gear list and packing. This will be their responsibility while at camp.

If your child requires medicine to be given while on camp please make sure that it comes to school on Tuesday 9th March in a named plastic bag and is given to the class teacher.
We are holding a meeting at 6.30pm on Wednesday 24th February in the library for parents coming to camp for the full week. We will be discussing routines and also your responsibilities while at camp. It is important that you attend. We hope it will take only about 30- 45 minutes. If your circumstances have changed please let me know as we have a waiting list for fulltime parents at camp.
Parent Interviews Interviews will be held on Thursday 18th February starting at 2pm-8 pm. It is your chance to share information about your child with the classroom teacher. We have not spent enough time with each student to give you academic information. A form will be sent home prior to this date to get you to start thinking about what you wish to discuss with your child’s teacher during the interview.

Curriculum Topics

Our big idea for the year is ‘Learning from others’. We will be forming our major units of work to fit round this throughout the year. This is a school wide theme and we are adapting it to best meet the needs of the students in our area of the school.
We will also be focusing on the Key Competency ‘Participating & Contributing’ throughout our camp inquiry unit.

Homework

We have decided to wait until after camp to officially start homework so students can enjoy the sunshine and prepare for Camp. However we are starting spelling and reading homework this week. Your child should have between 8-10 spelling words to learn at home during the week. They will then be tested on these words on Friday. These words will be from the Essential Spelling Lists if your child has not already mastered them.
After camp, information will be sent home outlining expectations for homework.

Maths

Cross grouping will start week 2. We start the term looking at Measurement, exploring length, and mass. We then move into Number, exploring place value and basic facts. There will be 5 groups based on ability. We are lucky enough to have Matt Skilton teaching a group this year.

Writing

We are beginning the year with writing ‘Recounts’. Summer holidays and camp will provide rich opportunities for ideas.

Inquiry

Our Inquiry focus is centred around camp. This will be a Technology unit where the students will be exploring the elements of Camp Confidence Course then designing and constructing their own ‘Ultimate Confidence Course’ in small groups.

Visual Art

Students will be learning about various concepts of drawing and will be building on their drawing skills using a variety of materials. Students will be completing a variety of exercises, exploring tone and contrast.

Stationery

Thank you to the parents who ordered packs from school. Please ensure that stationery is at school as soon as possible if purchasing it elsewhere, so written work can start promptly. If you are covering books with duraseal please ensure that you have put labels on the front for the names, as it is very time consuming finding the owners of unnamed books. Names written in vivid pens are easily rubbed off. Labels are the best option.

Daily Reminders

Please help your child remember to check they have everything they need each morning and they are at school in time for the first bell at 8.40. Students should see that being organised is part of growing up and an important life skill to be developing.
They will need a water bottle (named) to keep hydrated during the day. It helps with concentration and learning. Ensure that it comes home regularly for a wash.

All students are expected to wear a wide brimmed sunhat during all outside activities. The hat needs to be kept at school for easy access.

Swimming

Swimming starts this week. Rooms 13 and 14 are swimming Monday, Tuesday and Fridays. Rooms 12 & 15 are swimming Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays.
Please ensure that your child has their swimming gear ready each day in case there is a chance of an extra swim. The gear should be named and in a suitable bag.

Sport

This year the year 5 and 6 students will have many opportunities to be involved in a range of sporting events. These sports range from netball and soccer to cricket and hockey. There will also be zone and inter - zone events such as swimming, cross-country and athletics. Parent support and transport at these events is much appreciated and it is also a wonderful opportunity to come along and see your child in action.

Blogs

We will be continuing the success of classroom blogging from last year. These blogs can be accessed through the school website. It is worthwhile visiting regularly and checking out the updates. It really is a fantastic way to see the learning that is occurring in the classroom. We encourage you to leave the comments for your children or the class – they really get a buzz out of it!

If you need to contact your child’s classroom teacher please feel free to drop by the classroom before or after school or make an appointment for an interview at the office. The easiest way to touch base with us is email e.g. teacher’s surname@muritai.school.nz

Thank you again for your support

Stu Devenport Year 5 and 6 Team Leader.