What an awesome day!!!
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| Getting ready |
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| On your marks.....get set..... Go!!! |
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| Cheering for our House mates |
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| Cycling |
Wednesday 24 February 2016
Senior Triathlon
Mrs Jensen is soooooooo proud of the Year 2 & 3 children in Room 3 for competing in a challenging event that involved running, cycling, and swimming. Many of these young children felt nervous and were not sure whether they wanted to take part or not. Some said "No,....I can't do it." Some children didn't have bikes but wanted to compete. So we all had a discussion and discovered that lots of people had feelings of anxiety and thought that perhaps it would be easier to Think Interdependently and enter as a team. Everyone was so kind and offered to change their plans to help others out. In the end, EVERYONE in Room 3 competed and finished with HUGE smiles on their faces. They were all pleased to have made the decision to try this new event. Children felt proud of themselves.
What an awesome day!!!
What an awesome day!!!
Friday 19 February 2016
Life Saving
This week we were very lucky to have Tracey Underwood from Kiwi Swim come and teach us some strategies for keeping safe in the water and for helping others in difficulty. We learnt such a lot.....
Firstly we need to check that our life jacket fits correctly. The one on the right is too big. The left one is just right.
With our life jackets on we were ready to learn....
Firstly we need to check that our life jacket fits correctly. The one on the right is too big. The left one is just right.
With our life jackets on we were ready to learn....
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| crouching.... |
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| Floating |
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| learning how to huddle |
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| huddling |
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| swimming |
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| and saving others |
Wednesday 17 February 2016
Thinking Interdependently
We love to share a book together! Our daily milk helps us to focus as well.
Tuesday 16 February 2016
BLOG updates
Remember to sign up by entering your email address in the box on the right hand column. This way you will always be updated with new information.
Sunday 14 February 2016
Week 3
Online FUN!!!! Last week your child brought home a letter about Study Ladder and a Username and Password. These are glued into the homework book. Click here to log on and start exploring.
Studyladder is a web based program built by teachers to help students of all abilities have fun while learning.
Use this site to extend and enhance your child's maths, reading and writing skills and knowledge. I have set tasks suitable for each child that link to the New Zealand National Standards and curriculum. There are incentives within the programme where your child can earn points to decorate a virtual bedroom, and earn certificates for achievement. Ideal for weekend entertainment, days off sick etc.
Homework
There is lots of information in the homework book. Please check out the Spelling Chart in the homework book. This shows how to LEARN spelling words. It is crucial to allow time for learning and not just jumping straight in to testing. On the 'Spelling' page above, there is a link to 75 fun ways of learning spelling. Using colour is proven to aid the memory and these activities make use of this strategy. Make it your goal to find out new ways this week. How to learn spelling
Swimming
We are lucky enough to have a swimming coach (Tracy Underwood) work with us for two 1 hour sessions this week.
Mathematics
Our Number Knowledge books will be up and running by the end of this week. Stand by for jumping right in with enthusiasm!
Monday 8 February 2016
Week 2
What a great bunch of children we have in Room 3! Our first week is an indication of what is to come....a year of Interdependent Thinking and achievement that we can be proud of!
We are learning to Listen with Empathy and Understanding
Listen to others with ears, minds and feelings. Paraphrase, clarify, add to or give an example of another person’s idea to show understanding and empathy.
"If you want to be listened to, you should put in time listening."
Marge Piercy
We are learning to Persist.
Don’t give up! Use a variety of strategies to solve problems when the solution is not apparent.
These Habits of Mind will give us the good start we need.
This week our focus is on developing standards for our books and taking pride in all we do.
We talked about beginning a Writer's Notebook last week. We will be gathering photos, tickets, and ideas for writing. Please send along a photo of the family that can be stuck in. More information to come.
Reading
This week we will be looking at what good readers do and share our strategies. We will help each other out. Reading Logs – Please remember we are counting the nights not the books. Help your child with recording if necessary.
I look forward to meeting you all on Wednesday night. Come along and learn about the way we do things in Room 3.
Listen to others with ears, minds and feelings. Paraphrase, clarify, add to or give an example of another person’s idea to show understanding and empathy.
"If you want to be listened to, you should put in time listening."
Marge Piercy
We are learning to Persist.Don’t give up! Use a variety of strategies to solve problems when the solution is not apparent.
These Habits of Mind will give us the good start we need.
This week our focus is on developing standards for our books and taking pride in all we do.
Reading
This week we will be looking at what good readers do and share our strategies. We will help each other out. Reading Logs – Please remember we are counting the nights not the books. Help your child with recording if necessary.
I look forward to meeting you all on Wednesday night. Come along and learn about the way we do things in Room 3.
Monday 1 February 2016
Welcome to Room 3 - Term 1, 2016
Welcome to 2016 in a newly renovated Room 3!! We are so lucky to have this updated environment to work in and I'm particularly looking forward to air conditioning! Still some setting up to do - and it will be great to have children's input. I'm sure you and your children have had happy holidays and are eager to start a new year of learning. We will initially be working on developing the routines of a new class, focussing on the Habits of Mind Listening with Empathy and Understanding and Persisting. I am looking forward to working more with the Senior Team and the other Year 3s. More details about this to come. The reading books your children bring home in the first few weeks may be easy, as we work on establishing the routines and I get to know the children. These are a few notes to help your child settle in.
Brain Food
Each day starts with a healthy snack and milk to help activate the brain. The snack should be fresh fruit or vegetables, or plain crackers with cheese. Please cut larger pieces of fruit such as apples into manageable segments that can be consumed in a short time. No packets or sweet biscuits. Room 3 has a policy of flexibility with eating during the day (at any time suited to the child). Please provide severall healthy snacks for this purpose. Research shows that when healthy snacks are eaten regularly, students are more att4entive and enjoy learning more. Morning Tea is eaten while teachers read to the children. I ask that they choose something that does not have commercial packets as the noise is difficult to hear over as the wrappers crackle. I encourage them to bring a named bottle of water to the classroom and have this available throughout the day. It is essential to keep the brain functioning well.
Stationery - this can be ordered through Office Max - either online or in the shop. If this is organised early we can get straight into our learning programme. We use a shared/pooled system for rubbers, crayons and pens so naming is not necessary. For this reason it is best to keep any extra fancy items at home. It saves worries about loss or damage to items. Coloured pencils may be used but we do not require felt pens.
Sport - During the first few weeks of term our PE programme is aquatic (swimming). The few weeks we have available to learn to swim are crucial. It is expected that your children bring togs every day. Even though some mornings may be colder it often turns out hot enough to swim in the afternoon. If there is a medical reason why your child cannot swim please write a note in the homework book (or see me).
Topic Studies
This term our topic is "TEAM" (Together Everyone Achieves More) and we will focus on working toether, becoming aware of our immediate environment and then the wider community. We will have several out of school experiences to explore. This focus will be integrated through all Curriculum areas - Reading, Writing, Maths, Art etc. our aim is to explore values such as respect, honour our School Value of Belonging (A place to stand - our turangawaewae - Being empowered and connected). Two Habits of Mind - Listening with Empathy and Understanding and Persisting will be the big ideas woven into everything we do. Great habits to set the tone for the year! In Room 3 traditional ability grouping for reading and maths will be minimised. Collaborative learning in mixed ability grouping is proven to be more beneficial to children. In time, the children will come home talking about this. Thinking Hats and Thinking Maps will feature strongly in all areas of learning too. A Writer's Notebook will be used to generate ideas for writing. Please encourage your child to bring along items of interet to glue in e.g. photos of pets, holidays, special events; newspaper article of personal interest; tickets for rides, movies eetc. Even interesting words or phrases that you come across or that tickle your fancy which could be used in the writing can be included.
Homework
Please see your child's homework book for details about this. You should not require more than 20 minutes per night.
Let's work as a TEAM to ensure your child is reaching his or her potential and that everyone is happy. 2016 is set to be an awesome one!
Brain Food
Each day starts with a healthy snack and milk to help activate the brain. The snack should be fresh fruit or vegetables, or plain crackers with cheese. Please cut larger pieces of fruit such as apples into manageable segments that can be consumed in a short time. No packets or sweet biscuits. Room 3 has a policy of flexibility with eating during the day (at any time suited to the child). Please provide severall healthy snacks for this purpose. Research shows that when healthy snacks are eaten regularly, students are more att4entive and enjoy learning more. Morning Tea is eaten while teachers read to the children. I ask that they choose something that does not have commercial packets as the noise is difficult to hear over as the wrappers crackle. I encourage them to bring a named bottle of water to the classroom and have this available throughout the day. It is essential to keep the brain functioning well.
Stationery - this can be ordered through Office Max - either online or in the shop. If this is organised early we can get straight into our learning programme. We use a shared/pooled system for rubbers, crayons and pens so naming is not necessary. For this reason it is best to keep any extra fancy items at home. It saves worries about loss or damage to items. Coloured pencils may be used but we do not require felt pens.
Sport - During the first few weeks of term our PE programme is aquatic (swimming). The few weeks we have available to learn to swim are crucial. It is expected that your children bring togs every day. Even though some mornings may be colder it often turns out hot enough to swim in the afternoon. If there is a medical reason why your child cannot swim please write a note in the homework book (or see me).
Topic Studies
This term our topic is "TEAM" (Together Everyone Achieves More) and we will focus on working toether, becoming aware of our immediate environment and then the wider community. We will have several out of school experiences to explore. This focus will be integrated through all Curriculum areas - Reading, Writing, Maths, Art etc. our aim is to explore values such as respect, honour our School Value of Belonging (A place to stand - our turangawaewae - Being empowered and connected). Two Habits of Mind - Listening with Empathy and Understanding and Persisting will be the big ideas woven into everything we do. Great habits to set the tone for the year! In Room 3 traditional ability grouping for reading and maths will be minimised. Collaborative learning in mixed ability grouping is proven to be more beneficial to children. In time, the children will come home talking about this. Thinking Hats and Thinking Maps will feature strongly in all areas of learning too. A Writer's Notebook will be used to generate ideas for writing. Please encourage your child to bring along items of interet to glue in e.g. photos of pets, holidays, special events; newspaper article of personal interest; tickets for rides, movies eetc. Even interesting words or phrases that you come across or that tickle your fancy which could be used in the writing can be included.
Homework
Please see your child's homework book for details about this. You should not require more than 20 minutes per night.
Let's work as a TEAM to ensure your child is reaching his or her potential and that everyone is happy. 2016 is set to be an awesome one!
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