Wednesday 10 December 2014

Week 9

Hey guys,

Sorry better late than never :)

This week had been mad with report writing and preparing for the end of the year. So much to do and the days don't seem long enough!! Eisteddfods were amazing! Thanks

There is a lot coming up so this is the plan at this stage...... Things can change so I'll update on here as we go. :)

Friday: Our last visit to the Library - ALL books need to be returned please!! We have mass at 12 then back to school for lunch.

Monday: There is a softball breakup after school. Please bring a plate to share with everyone after a fun game of softball between the 3 teams.

Tuesday: We have buns left over from camp so Room 5 will be having American Hotdogs for lunch. They will get one american hot dog so will need to bring in other lunch if that wont be enough.

Wednesday: Picnic lunch before the Prize giving at 1pm (I think - this will be confirmed at staff meeting on Monday). The Junior school are doing a fundraiser, children can order burgers for lunch. Orders must be in on Monday morning with money please! Mass and Yr 8 Graduation at 6pm in the church. All expected to attend.

Thursday: LAST DAY! This will be a cleaning day and doing the final pack up of the classroom.

That's it for now. Please ask if you are not sure of anything.

CAMP!!! Was awesome! Can't believe how well it all went and the children and adults all had a super cool time! Thanks to everyone who helped out! You are all stars!

Enjoy the sunshine :)

Jo

Saturday 29 November 2014

CAMP WEEK -- Week 8 Term 4

Hi guys,

Well the week has finally arrived!! Let's hope the wind has worn itself out over the weekend and we have three beautiful calm days for biking the Rail Trail.

The Plan:
Monday -- We will be doing our final preparations in class and going over camp rules and expectations and well as getting equipment ready for camp :) If your child did not bring in their scroggin/breakfast/chips could they please have it at school on Monday. If your child has medication this also needs to be handed to Miss Passmore on Monday.

Tuesday -- It would be great if children could be dropped at the Church Carpark with all of their gear at 8.15am. This should leave us enough time to get the vans packed up and have us on our bikes by 9am. To make things easier could children please keep their day packs with their bikes and put their 'camp' gear in a pile by the trailers. That way we hopefully won't pack any day packs into the trailer.

Thursday -- We are aiming to be back at school for a normal 3pm pick up. Bikes can be left in Room 5 over night. All I ask is that the children take them outside when they arrive on Friday so we can move in the classroom. Keep an eye on the blog as I will update it if we are going to be early/late.

Friday -- We have four parents coming on Friday. Could children please be at school by 9am and we will say prayer together and be ready to go by 9.30. Parents you have time to get a coffee before we start biking, if you think you'll need one :) 

             Lunch: Depending on what is left over from camp children may only need to bring a sandwich if we have lots of chips, muesli bars and baking left over. I will let the children know on Thursday whether they need a full packed lunch or just a sandwich for Friday.

              Pick up: I had originally said pick up will be from the pool by 3pm but I think it'll be easier if we bike back to school and be here for a 3pm pick up. This means we will get out of the pool around 2.30. If you are happy for your child to bike straight home from the pool can you please let me know by text, email or note. Hopefully this hasn't mucked up too many of your plans. If you have made other arrangements let me know and we can sort something out.

Ipods/ipads
I have decided to allow ipods & ipads on camp to be used as cameras only. I would appreciate sim cards to be taken out and left at home. I have spoken to the children about the use of these, and my expectations are that they won't be needed at the camp so can be put away after biking. I will take no responsibility if ipods/ipads are damaged or stolen so please talk this through with your child. It if your decision if you allow your child to bring them on camp.

Fingers and toes crossed we have nice weather and I have everything organised!! :)

Have a great (quiet) week if you're going to be childfree! If you're coming on camp, rest up, we have a busy few days ahead! :)

Thanks heaps for all of your support!

Jo



Monday 24 November 2014

Softball/Teeball

Teeball and softball has been called off today due to the weather.

Jo

Sunday 23 November 2014

Gear List for Camp


Hey team, 
A gear list incase you have misplaced your paper copy. :)


What to bring:
There will not be a bag check so please check this list and pack carefully. Each person needs to take the following items-
Sleeping bag, 2 towels, plastic bag with tea-towel, cup/mug (suitable for a hot drink), bowl, dinner plate, knife, fork and spoon, toilet gear (toothpaste supplied), pyjamas, 2 pairs shorts (or 1 pair plus bike pants), 3 pairs socks, 2 changes of undies, 2 pairs long pants (or 1 pair plus leggings), 2 tee-shirts preferably with collars to save sunburnt necks, 2 sweat shirts (or 1 sweatshirt & 1 merino), windproof/waterproof jacket, 2 pairs shoes, sunhat or cap, torch with new batteries, handkerchiefs/tissues, camera (optional), 1 pen/pencil in a plastic bag, coloured pencils (optional), an indoor game and a book.

Curling: The rink is going to be a cool 8°C so children are encouraged to have the following items; running shoes, gloves, warm jacket, warm socks and a hat. 

Any questions, please ask!!

Jo

Week 7 Term 4

Hey team,

I'm sure you are all enjoying seeing the sunshine! Hopefully it hangs around for camp in a weeks time!

Thanks to those of you who attended mass yesterday and supported the children who made their First Communion. It was great to see so many of you there. :)

On Friday this week we are having our Maori Cultural Day. There was a slight mix up last week but it's all go for Friday :) Children need to wear their sports uniforms and something warm (if it's cold). We will be collecting flax and learning some simple weaving techniques. 

Most of this week will be finishing off testing and preparing for camp. A reminder than camp food (chips, bars, scroggin, cereal) needs to be at school by Thursday so it can be checked off.

Please ensure you have paid for camp before we head away next Tuesday. If you have any questions about camp, please get in touch with me ASAP!
Camp meeting tonight at 7pm in Room 5 to go over specific details for camp. This is mostly for parents who are attending the Tues-Thurs part of the camp but anyone is welcome to come along.

Thanks to those of you who have donated a 'tin' toward the Christmas Hamper. If you haven't done this please do so before the end of this week.

I think that's it. Chances are I've forgotten something as there is a lot going on at the moment. So if you have any questions please get in touch with me.

Have a great week.

Jo


Sunday 16 November 2014

Week 6 Term 4

Hi Team,

I hope you've had a great start to your week. 


Please ensure you have paid your camp money by Wednesday. Raffle cards for the Christmas hampers went home today. Just a reminder that a 'tin' needs to be donated to the raffle and needs to be left at the office.

This week:
I am on release tomorrow (Tuesday) and will be doing MORE testing to gather information for reports and National Standard data. Mrs Donaldson will be teaching in Room 5.

Thursday:
We may be having a Maori Cultural experience where we will be learning about flax weaving and the history behind why things are done. The plan is to go to a flax bush, bless it, cut it and bring it back to school to have fun with weaving. I am still waiting for confirmation but I will let the children know as soon as I know if it's going ahead. The children will need to wear their sports uniforms and tracksuits/something warm (if they've already handed their tracksuits in) on Thursday.

Friday: 
Dress up as a Saint/Inspiring person day. We will be having a 'Celebrate a Saint' assembly at 2.30 which will be led by Room 1&2. Children will also need to bring their sports gear to school as it's also a walk n wheels Promo day. Bikes/scooters need to be brought to school on Friday too please :)


First Holy Communion:
This weekend our school has a number of students celebrating their First Holy Communion. Father Pat has asked that we all do our best to attend Sunday Mass this week to support these children and their families. They have been preparing at Sunday liturgies, in class and at home. It would be great to see you all their supporting them on this milestone.





Homework --- Week 6 & 7
    

Bikes: Please ensure bikes are checked and ready for camp over the next two week; pump up tyres, check helmets fit properly. A quick trip to the bike shop wouldn’t hurt J

Eisteddfods: These will be presented in Week 9 (the Monday and Tuesday after camp). Please pick a song that you like and that you can present to the class. Make sure you know all of the words well. You will be scored on your introduction (5), pitch (5), dictation (5), suitability for the audience (5) and your preparation (5).  
You have two weeks and camp week to get your presentation ready.

Projects: We will be working on projects in class over the next few weeks in preparation for camp. Research can be done at home for homework to gather more information.

Camp: A gear list will go home in the next few days. You need to make sure you are starting to get organised so it’s not a mad rush the night before camp. 

I think that's all for now. Have a great week!

Jo :)

Saturday 15 November 2014

Camp Meeting

There will be NO camp meeting this week due to some parents being away on the Room 6 camp. The initial time I set wasn't going to suit a lot of you anyway. If you could pencil Monday 24th November @ 7pm into your calendars for a camp meeting that would be awesome. If you live out of town I am happy to go over the information one day after school to save you doing a special trip into town. I will confirm this time on Friday.

I'm happy for this to be a meeting just for the parents who are attending camp, however if you are not coming on camp and feel you need to know more about what will be happening please feel free to come along. :)

I will post another blog with this weeks 'plan of attack' after our Staff Meeting tomorrow afternoon.

Jo

Monday 10 November 2014

Week 5 Term 4

Hi team,

This week I had/have release on Monday and Tuesday to do testing for reports and National Standards. Carolyn Lyon is taking Room 5 for these two days.

On Thursday we are going down to the Thyme Festival to perform some of the musical songs. We will be having lunch down there as we watch the other Primary schools in the concert. The singing begins at 12 so come along and support us if you are able to. Hopefully the weather is nice to us :)

Homework this week:
Maths and spelling are due in on Friday. Projects are also due in on Friday - remember these are based on a Saint or an inspiring person. Please unsure your child is reading every night.

CAMP:
Camp is coming around very quickly. I would like to have a short camp meeting with the parents who are coming on camp on Thursday 20th at 3pm in Room 5. This is just to go over the plan for camp and to ensure everyone knows what they are doing. If you have any questions/concerns we will address them at this meeting - if you are not attending the camp, any concerns can be emailed to me and we will discuss them. I'm hoping the meeting will be finished by 3.30. If you can't attend this meeting please let me know ASAP and I can look at changing the day.

Please ensure payments are made by the 19th November. If you have fundraised and you have not yet received a letter with your final amount to pay, it will be with you in the next few days. :)

Friday of Camp:
If you are able to bike with us out to mini golf along the Rail Trail and then back in to the swimming pool for our last day of camp can you please get in contact with me by email or text. We will need approx 5 parent helpers for the day. We will aim to leave school about 9.30/10 on Friday and be at the pool just around 1.30. Remember children and bikes need to be picked up from the pool by 3.15 please.

I hope you all have a great week.

Jo




Sunday 2 November 2014

C.O Athletics

The decision has been made early........ C.O Athletics will be on Thursday 6th as the forecast is looking better for later in the week. If you were down to help could you please let me know if you are still available to help on Thursday.

The following people said they were able to help on Thursday;
Philip Lord, Deb O'Neill, Michelle Healey, Carolyn Lyon, Maree Denniston, Savio Fonseca, Lisa Reilly, Kath Martin. Please let me know if your plans have changed.

Camille I know you can't do Thursday.  :)

Cheers,

Jo

Saturday 1 November 2014

Week 4 Term 4 2014

Hi Team,

What a madly busy start to the term we've had. Finally Week 4 has rolled round and there is some normality setting in ..... but only for a short time!!

We had a great week last week and everyone enjoyed the visit from Pip and Harold. We learnt about the 'Brainy Bunch' and the importance of looking after these essential organs. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure we are getting enough sleep and eating a good breakfast to get us through the day. I'm sure you would've had some interesting conversations about this. 

This week:
Tuesday - C.O. Athletics day. The weather forecast is not looking too flash for Tuesday (Thursday is looking better at this stage). The decision will be made early on Tuesday morning (around 6am) and put on all of the local radio stations. I will also put it on the Room 5 class blog a soon as I hear from the organisers. Remember to take warm clothes! The rest of Room 5 and Room 6 who are not competing will be at school with Mr Yeoman.

Friday - Mass at 12 - led by Rooms 1&2. Assembly in the afternoon led by Room 3. We would love you to join us if you are able to.

Homework - Spelling lists, maths, reading and a project, which will be due in on 14th November. This fortnights project is going to link to our current R.E strand of the Communion of Saints.

Next week is going to be a 'testing week' as we need to gather as much data as possible to have our National Standards data to Trina in a few weeks time. I have two release days next week and will be doing maths and reading testing. Within the next couple of weeks there will be also be a writing assessment taking place across the senior syndicate. 

It's scary to think how fast the year is going!! There's so much to get done and the days seems to be flying by.

Please remember to get your camp money in so I'm able to pay a few of our bills early.

Hope you've all had a great weekend and you're ready to take on another week.

Jo :)

Wednesday 29 October 2014

help this Sunday

Firewood 

There is still a quantity of wood at Duncan Anderson's place that he wants removed asap.  Marty Rendall is having a working bee this Sunday at 12 to attend to this, but needs people to help him remove as much as possible to use as future fundraising.

Please phone Marty on 4486146 or 0275 071565

Sunday 19 October 2014

Week 2 Term 4

Wow what an awesome week we had last week!! The musical was amazing, all of the hard work paid off! I hope you all managed to get along and see it. Thank you to all of you who helped out and thanks for encouraging and supporting your children to learn their lines and song words. :)

Bikes:
Sorry for the confusion - The days changed on Friday ..... Bikes are needed at school Today (Monday), Tuesday and Friday. The bike unit runs from 1.30-2.30.

Homework this week - Spelling, maths, reading which is all due in on Friday. There is also a project that is due in next Friday (31st Oct). This fortnights project is on an animal - preferably not a house pet, something that will require some research.

Athletics day is on Thursday - children need to wear their full sports uniforms and their tracksuits if it is cold. If you are able to help on Thursday please let me know ASAP.

There will be a short assembly on Friday from 2.30 to celebrate our awesome musical! We will also be attending mass at 12.

Next Tuesday we have some Dunstan High Food Tech students coming in to talk about healthy lunch box options. There is a chance they will take photos of childrens' lunch boxes and possibly some of the kids too. These photos are for project purposes however they may be used on their school 'food tech' website page and in the school newsletter. If you have a problem with this or would prefer your child to not be photographed please get in touch with me. :)

Next Monday is Labour Day - Please enjoy an extra day off to rest and relax!

Have a great week.

Jo

Thursday 2 October 2014

Holidays post for Week 1 Term 4

Hi team,

I hope you're all having a great break and enjoying spending time with your kids! I'm posting this now as I am off on my Rarotonga adventure tomorrow and won't be back until the Sunday night before school goes back. If you need to contact me before then I'll try check my emails while I'm in Raro (if i can find time) so that'll be the easiest way of contacting me. :)

The first week back at school will be focused on the musical!! We will be running through the entire show on Monday and Tuesday at school and we will be down at the Theatre for most of the day on Wednesday and Thursday. I will be able to confirm the exact details after our staff meeting on Monday after school. 

It's really important that all children have their full costume at school on Monday please as we may ask them to put them on for photos for the programme.

After a busy musical based 4 days we decided we will need to get back into some normality on Friday. We will be attending Mass (led by Room 6) and we will have an assembly in the afternoon to celebrate the success of the musical. You're more than welcome to join us!

There will also be Kapa Haka on Monday at the usual time. 

Week 2: The children will all need their bikes at school for a Bike Unit run by Mr Milford on Tues, Wed and Friday afternoons. If you've got time over the holidays it would be a good idea to pump up the tyres and make sure the bikes are in good working order. Thursday (23rd) is Athletics day!! 

As you can see the first two weeks are crazy busy, so hopefully your children all get a chance to relax and have a bit of down time before the mad Term 4 begins! 

CAMP:
Thank you to all of those parents who have offered to help. It was fantastic that so many of you to offer to help in one way or another. At this stage there are 11 parents attending the whole camp, they are; Regan H, Claire C, Debbie B, Grant L, John S, Lindsay/Kendra B, Aaron S, Tyron (Snr), Tracie/Harry H, Grant C and Adele W. There will also be parents who are joining us for day trips. If your plans have changed please get in contact with me ASAP.

We are lucky enough to have been offered the use of two 8 seater vans (Thanks Jenny and Grant) and also two bike trailers (Thanks Shayne and Camille). With these two trailers it means we will fit 45 bikes on which is awesome! However we are probably still going to be short on seats, if you are able to lend/source a vehicle for us to use over the three days I would love to hear from you!

I have a super helper who is currently sorting out the food and doing a food budget for me. With all of the food and activities (Hayes Engineering, curling, a farm visit (potentially), mini golf, swimming and a visit to Monte Christo (if it's open) we are looking at the $150 mark.  I will get a confirmed camp cost out to you all in the first week of school as well as more information. 

I think that is all at this stage.

Enjoy the holidays!! :) See you on Monday 13th!

Jo

Monday 22 September 2014

Week TEN!!!

Hi everyone,

Wow it's hard to believe we only have 4 days to go until we are on holiday. We've had such a busy and full on term!

This week continues to be cray busy. We celebrated Mercy Day today with St Johns School from Ranfurly. We had  a lovely Mass, a delicious lunch and a fun afternoon of games. 

There is lots happening for the rest of the week too.....

Tuesday: Eisteddfods presented in class (the 22 that didn't present them today), Athlectis rotation (pm) please wear sports uniforms to school :)
Wednesday: Florrey candy decorations/arts and crafts, Athletics rotation (pm) - Sports gear can be worn to school.
Thursday: Sports uniform day - Swimming(am) children will need clothing to swim in - long sleeved top and pants - no onesies or jeans. Eisteddfod assembly @ 2pm in the hall. Please come and join us
Friday: Last day of term. Round The Clock Race for those children who have put their names down. Please meet at the Linger and Die (across the road from the old swimming pool) at 4.25. I will be there to organize you.

CAMP: Thank you to all of you who have put your names forward to help out. We have 10 parents who are able to attend camp which is fantastic!! I have talked to a few parents who are happy to form a committee. We will meet this week and discuss food for camp which will finalize the cost of camp. I will be able to give the final cost out to you all at the beginning of term 4. At this stage it is looking at being between $100 and $150. At this stage we still need a few more 'driving parents' and vehicles to get us from place to place. I am hoping to get an 11 seater vehicle but we may still need another few vehicles as there are about 40 seats required and only about 20 seats offered. We will get this sorted next term though.

Florrey:
I have been busy making the florrey at home and am hoping to get it over to school later this week so the kids can put the finishing touches on it. I'm just hoping it will fit through a door way so it can get into school! I'm not entirely sure how they are judged but if the public can vote, please vote for our "Candy House"!! :)

MUSICAL:
Its exciting to see the musical coming together! Please make sure all costumes are at school by Thursday this week (in a plastic bag with your child's name on it). We would love to have a run through with the children in costumes before the holidays. If you have any concerns about what your child needs, please come and see me ASAP. Please encourage your child to keep practicing their words and the words of the songs over the holidays.

There is no homework this week as it is the last week of term, however some children may need to finish their reading projects for homework. Children who are selected to say their speech at the assembly will need to be practicing during the week. 

I think that is all for this week. Please come and see me if you have any concerns about anything mentioned above.

I hope you all have a safe, relaxing and fun break!! I will certainly be relaxing in Rarotonga in the second week of the holidays! 

Enjoy!!

Jo :)

Saturday 13 September 2014

Week 9

Hi everyone,

Hope you've all had a chance to enjoy this beautiful spring day! It's hard to believe we are almost half way through September and we only have 2 weeks left at school until holidays.

This week is full on once again;
Monday: Full musical run through in the afternoon, Kapa Haka (am)
Tuesday: Sports gear day - Athletics training in the afternoon
Wednesday: Sports photos (pm) children who have played sport for St G's this year need to bring in their sports uniforms (they are not to be worn to school). 
Coaches and Managers afternoon tea - if you have coached or managed a sports team this year please join us for afternoon tea from 3pm in the staffroom.
Thursday: Sports gear day - Swimming (am) and athletics training (pm)
Friday: FULL WINTER UNIFORMS need to be worn - School photos, we will be attending Mass but there will be no assembly.

Please ensure all camp notices are returned to me by Tuesday please. I would like to get the confirmed camp costs out to you all before the holidays. Thanks to those of you who have offered to help. I will be in touch as soon as I have all notices returned :)

There will be no maths or spelling homework this week as eisteddfods needs to be focused on. Eisteddfods will be presented in class on Monday and Tuesday of week 10. We have Mercy Day on Monday (week10) so there will be approx an hour of eisteddfod presentations before the Mercy day activities kick off.

If you have offered to help at the Car Boot Sale next weekend Angela will be in touch soon (if she hasn't been already) to fill you in on what needs to be done. If you are able to help out please get in touch with Angela or myself ASAP!

There will be a lot of musical practices happening this week as we are aiming to have the musical fully ready to present before the holidays. Keep encouraging your child to practice their speaking/singing parts at home.

Have a fun and happy week!

Jo :)



Monday 8 September 2014

Week 8!!

Hi everyone,

Sorry for an extremely late post. It's been a mad start to the week!

We had a fantastic afternoon yesterday with Bruce Potter (writer/illustrator). He showed the children how to doodle - it's fair to say we were all pretty amazed! He was very talented! Please make sure you pay the $2 cost per child.

Athletics rotations started this afternoon. We will be practicing athletic skills on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons this week and next week. Sports gear can be worn to school on these days. Swimming continues on Thursdays for the remainder of the term. 

Homework:
Spelling, reading and maths like usual. The children should be well underway with their eisteddfod speeches as these are going to be presented on Monday of Week 10. If your child is having any issues with their speech, please encourage them to come and talk to me before the end of the week. This will be the last week of spelling and maths as I want to give the children enough time to learn their speeches well next week. :)

Camp forms are due back in on Friday. Thanks to those of you who have already filled these out and returned them to me.

A massive thank you to everyone who sponsored their children to do the skipathon. As a school we have raised over $650 for the Heart Foundation which is amazing!!!

The musical is slowly coming together. Practices will be taking up more of our days as of this week. If your child has a speaking/singing part please make sure they are practicing at home. 

The end of the term is approaching very quickly!

Have a happy week :)

Jo

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Whoops!

Hey guys,

So I've been calling the Blossom Festival float/trolley the wrong thing (Thanks Jenny for pointing this out to me) :) The children need to design a Florrey. Let your imaginations run wild!!

Jo :)

Monday 1 September 2014

Term 3 -- Week 7

Hi everyone,

It's SPRING!! We had a beautiful day to welcome in spring and we were able to get out and enjoy the sunshine for the Heart Foundations Skipathon this afternoon. The kids were looking for water and shade after lots of skipping and fun! It was a fantastic afternoon.

Skipathon fundraising: Please make sure all money is returned to school by Wednesday so I am able to send the money to the Heart Foundation. :) A big thank you to everyone who has fundraised and to those who have already returned their money!! You are awesome!

School Mass is on Sunday, please be there by 9.45 in full school uniform. If you are unable to attend you need to let me know by email, text or a note.

A big thank you to all of those parents who helped out with transport to the pool on Thursday. We were there in plenty of time and the children all enjoyed their lessons. We will be swimming every Thursday for the rest of the term, so sports uniforms and tracksuits can be worn on Thursdays.

Homework: basic facts worksheet and reading as usual. Last week was mad, so spelling testing only happened today. I'll hopefully have the new levels ready for tomorrow. Only three nights will need to be completed.
Project - this week the children have to design a 'Frolly' for us to enter into the Blossom Festival Parade. We have a had a few parents offer their expertise to build the Frolly which is amazing, now we need some fantastic designs to create. At this stage we will be making one between Room 5 and 6 but if there are a number of designs that the children like then we could potentially make more than one (time allowing). I'm happy to make the flowers at home but may need some help later on in the term to put it all together.  The designs need to be at school by FRIDAY 5th Sept.

FUNDRAISING: We are looking at fundraising for camp on Election Day (20th September) by having a car boot sale at school. This will be for Room 5 and Room 6 families only. If you are interesting in helping with this (cooking the BBQ and helping at the devonshire tea stall) please let me know ASAP. If there are not enough families interested then this may not go ahead. It will be an easy way to get funds for camp so get involved. :)

Camp: Apologises that I haven't given any more information out regarding camp, I've been waiting to hear back from a  few businesses to confirm costs. At this stage it is looking like camp will be no more than $150. I will send home a form this week for parents to return if they are willing to take on parts of the Rail Trail with 27 children. Camp dates are Tues 2nd - Thursday 4th December.

Athletics training starts next week - more information will be in the newsletter on Wednesday.

Summer uniforms can be worn from Monday 8th September (next week) but full winter uniforms will need to be worn on Friday 19th for school photos.

Please get in touch if any of this does not make sense.

Have a fantastic week and the sunshine!!

Jo :)