Term 1, Week 4

Hi all,

This week we have swimming on Tuesday and Wednesday and the SWIMMING SPORTS on Thursday.  Please ensure swimming gear is brought to school on these days.  Your child will need to be dropped to the pool on Thursday morning - wearing house colours if available. 

We are still needing a few more parents to put their names forward for our school camp.  Please let me know if you are able to do this. 

Ukulele - We've had 2 lessons so far with Baz Bemrose.  The kids seem seem to be enjoying it so far and it's lovely to hear the sound of a uke - there are alternative instruments we could learn that aren't nearly as joyful to listen to!

I think that's it for the week.  Will update if anything else arises.  

Mrs Lyon

Camp Notice for those parents who didn't make the meeting.

FYI - we are still after a few parents to join us...please let me know if you'd like to come along.

Room 5 Rail Trail Camp

21st-23rd March 2018

15th February

Dear Parents,

Only 33 sleeps until camp!  Most things are falling into place for our Rail Trail adventure.  
I have booked in a visit to Hayes engineering and for curling in Naseby.  If the weather is good
we’ll also go riding in the Naseby forest.  I still have a few minor details to sort but this notice is
about the things you will need to sort for your child (and yourself if you are a parent coming with
us) so that our 2018 camp will be a success.

Parents attending camp.  Because this camp will have 38 children we need enough parents to
either ride on the trail with groups or to transport the vehicles between stops.  I have booked for
52 people in total which means we have space for 14 adults, what we need if we have 2 vans
and 4x 7 seater vehicles will be 13 adults.  So there will either be 51 or 52 people in total on
camp.

Food:  I am hoping to have premade meals on camp for the 2 evenings we are staying
overnight.  I imagine lasagne one night and some sort of pie the next night.  We will have bread
and salad available.  The kitchen at the camp is rather small and this sort of preparation would
work best with our group.  If it rains we’ll need to eat in our cabins.  Breakfasts will be cereals
and toast.  Lunches will be filled rolls, fruit and baking.

What to bring: Each person needs to take the following items – there will not be a bag check.
Sleeping bag, 2 towels, plastic bag with tea-towel, cup, bowl, dinner plate, knife, fork and spoon,
toilet bag (with toothbrush etc), pyjamas, 2 pairs shorts (or bike shorts), 2 pairs of long pants,
leggings for cold weather cycling – merino are always handy,  3 pairs of socks, 2 changes of
underpants, 2 t-shirts – collars are helpful if sunny, 2 jumpers (merino?), windproof/waterproof
jacket, 2 pairs shoes, sunhat or cap, hat for cooler weather, torch with fresh batteries,
handkerchiefs/tissues, device for taking pictures (optional).  1 pencil, rubber and pen in a plastic
bag – coloured pencils optional – an indoor game and a book.

Accommodation is in bunkrooms with an outside walk to the toilets/showers.  An adult will
sleep in most bunkrooms and will accompany any children needing to use the toilets during the
night, as this is a public camping ground.  Mums with the girls and Dads with the boys.

Morning/Afternoon tea food donations I will be sending out requests to families in the next
week or two for either a box of muesli bars (actual muesli as opposed to confectionary type)  or
some home baking for our morning and afternoon teas.  Please keep a look out for a request for
this – either baking /bars.

Scroggin  A snaplock bag of scroggin may be brought in your child’s day pack if they feel the
need for extra snacks – we will have plenty of food, this is not an essential item.  Please also
ensure that if they bring a scroggin bag that what they have is SCROGGIN and not pick’n’mix!

Items not to be brought Radios, cellphones, walkmans, hand held computer games, chewing
gum or sweets.  iPods may be used for camera purposes only.

Medications: Those students who have medication they require should bring spare supplies to
school in a named plastic bag by Friday the 16th of March at the latest.   These supplies will be
carried as a part of the first aid kit.

Cost  The cost for parents attending will be covered within the overall costs of the camp.  These
costs will be finalised asap after this meeting once food costs are sorted.    

Day Pack  The children will need to bike with a day pack on.  The pack should contain a good
morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea for the first day, plenty of water to drink, a spare tube
(or 2), a small first aid kit, scroggin (if any), sunhat, sunscreen, gloves, hat, windproof/waterproof
jacket.

Bike Check  It is essential that all bikes are checked and have a current WOF for riding the rail
trail.  It is up to you as parents to ensure that your child’s bike is in perfect riding order for the rail
trail.   If you have any issues regarding this please get in touch with me asap.

Parent Meeting Wednesday 14th of March at 6 pm in Room 5.  This meeting will be to share
expectations, answer any questions and finalise travel arrangements.

Regards,

Carolyn Lyon and Bridget Chamberlain

Term 1, Week 3

HI all,

Here are the goings on for the week.

Swimming this week will be on Thursday from 11:30am - 12pm.  Thanks to Wyatt's Mum Derval for coming along to help last week and to Lisa Reilly for coming along to help this week. 

Camp Meeting.  There will be a meeting in Room 5 at 6pm this Thursday evening to discuss our up and coming camp from the 21st-23rd of March.  All parents are welcome to come along.  The usual first meeting will cover our itinerary, transport needs, food and any questions you may have.  Start praying now for some lovely sunshine for our camp.

We've had a few sick children in Room 5 over the past week (and 1 teacher),  please keep in mind that your child should be fully well before coming back to school.  This is important anyway but especially to ensure that we're doing our bit to support Frans through his treatment and make sure that he isn't exposed to any unnecessary germs. 

I'm pretty sure that's it for now.  Thanks folks, have a good week.

Carolyn

Parent Evening Notes FYI

Greetings Room 5 Parents!

Welcome to Room 5!  We are lucky to have a smaller class size this year and already I have noticed a difference in the noise level!  2018 should be a fun year for us all.

CAMP 

Camp  is in week 8 this term!!! I know this doesn’t seem far away – and it’s not – so I am already in full swing with the organisation of this.  We will hold a meeting at school next Thursday at 6pm (in Room 5) where we will discuss the activities, parent helpers and other bits and pieces.   The dates set for camp are March 21^st-23^rd.  We’ll be spending 3 days on and off parts of the Rail Trail while also visiting some tourist spots along the way.

HOMEWORK

The children will have spelling words to learn each week.  Sometimes the number of words may vary as the set lists may contain words the children already know.  With these words we’ll be working on their meaning and when to use them.  There will also be an expectation that your child is reading at home for at least 20 minutes each day. 

I can set homework tasks on Study Ladder for Reading, Writing and Maths if you’d like so homework for your child.  Please add your name to the list if you require this. 

The SL site compliments our class learning very well and I am easily able to vary tasks as we cover more topics throughout the year.

Year 6 is a year to consolidate times tables facts.  Quick recall of these facts help progression in problem solving areas of maths .  We will be having an Inquiry based learning focus in math this year so I really would appreciate your help in guiding your child to learn tables at home.  If you need help here, please come and see me. 

THE DAILY 5

The Daily 5 consists of 5 activities which make up our learning of Literacy.  Children have a checklist to complete for the following 5 activities.

Read to Self

Read to Someone – this will include guided reading with the teacher

Listen to Reading

Word Work – spelling/grammar/punctuation activity

Work on Writing

This term we have help from Mrs Laidlaw during writing time. 

MATHS

Our Maths programme in Room 5 will consist of a daily starter – whole class activity, an Inquiry investigation either alone or as a group task.  Guided teaching sessions will also happen regularly with a particular focus on current needs.. 

BYOD

Some of the children are already bringing their devices to school for use in class.  If you are happy for your child to bring a tablet/iPod to school we would definitely make use of it in class.  We have 2 responsible monitors who lock the devices in the storeroom at morning tea and lunch times.  We have use of the school C.O.W. on certain days.   A contract is to be signed by both parents and students outlining our guideliness for computer usage at school.

BLOG

Please check the blog regularly each week.  I usually post late Sunday night – there will be a post to check each week and information regarding weekly activities will be posted here.  I am available through seesaw if you need to message me regarding activities on the day.  You can also contact me via email.

NEED TO SEE ME?

I will be in my classroom most mornings from around 8am although during this time I do get a little prep for the day done.  I am happy to have quick messages given to me but if you have an issue which needs discussing I would prefer you email or ask me to make a time for a chat.  This way we can be sure of privacy and also enough time set aside to talk about an issue.  I would hope that you feel welcome to approach me about anything regarding your child.  I love to know when things are going well and I also need to know if your child needs support in relation to their school life. 

Mrs Conner

Bronwyn Conner will be our Teacher Aide in Room 5.  She will be in our class during the mornings and is here to help me ensure all kids are supported with their learning this year.  We are so lucky to have her in our classroom and I hope she enjoys 2018 with Room 5.

BRING A LEARNING ATTITUDE TO ROOM 5

I encourage all members of room 5 to remember that when they walk into the classroom they are ready to learn.  This means being organised with school supplies, a drink bottle if needed and a learning attitude.  We will focus on our school values of Joyfulness, Curiosity, Compassion and Commitment during our school day. 

Term 1, Week 2

Hi Folks,

It seems as I was in the mosh pit at the foo fighters over the weekend I was a little too tired to get the blog done by Sunday evening!  Anyway, here it is now.

Waitangi Day:  NO SCHOOL tomorrow - closed for Waitangi Day celebrations. 

Swimming this week:  Wednesday 2:00-2:30pm.  We'll leave for the pool at the conclusion of lunch time.  Please ensure all swimming gear is brought to school - togs, towel, goggles. 

Ukulele lessons:  This week we'll begin ukulele lessons with Barry Bemrose.  I am really happy we are able to offer music lessons to the kids, and Barry is sure to make learning the songs a fun time.  Barry is grandfather to Bella and Molly Breen who are students at our school. 

Meet the teacher evening:  Meet the teacher evening will be this Thursday starting with a picnic tea at 5:30pm.  We'll all meet in Room 5 following tea where Ellen and Mrs Eastwood will introduce our plan for 2018.  After this there'll be an opportunity to go to your children's classroom and hear what their teachers have to say. 
Meeting in Room 5 will happen from 6:40-6:45pm.  We'll have a brief chat about our up and coming Rail Trail camp at this meeting.  A more thorough one will be held next week (possibly Thursday night).

Have a great week,

Mrs Lyon