Kōwhai News Week 4 Term 1

Discovery Time
The children have really been enjoying starting the day with Discovery time. They have been given the chance to explore and play both outside and inside. Outside, they have been using skipping ropes, hula hoops, balls and balance boards and inside, they have been doing lots of different art activities including collage and ferocious animals. They have also been dressing up and doing plays, building complex constructions with lego and learning the skills needed to play board games. Sometimes the children have come up with their own activities which we actively encourage. All of this has contributed to setting the children up for a successful day!





Kowhai Kid of the Week
Each week, we will have five children who have consistently displayed our school values to be a Kowhai Kid of the Week. These children will be able to make pizzas for their lunch on Friday. They will need to bring their pizza toppings to school and we will make the dough here. We need the wonderful assistance of a parent to help the children create their pizzas and clean up the kitchen. If you are keen to help, please see your home group teacher and let them know.


Home Learning
Next week we will begin our home learning for the term. To begin with, this will involve the children reading each night to develop their fluency. Therefore, books they read should not be hard but promote a love of reading. We will also send home some spelling words for the children to learn. In our hub, we will follow the process of look, say, sound, cover, write to learn the words. These words will be taken from their writing.

Problem Solving in Maths
Our problem solving groups in mathematics are up and running and we are all learning together. We are developing the strategies we need to work together and ensure that everyone in the group understands what is happening. This means that we need to check in with each other and we also need to be able to ask for help if we do not understand something.

Here is an example of a problem we have been working on:

Four friends are earning money for a school trip by doing jobs.

James earns $4.00 an hour delivering pamphlets.
Ella earns $3.50 an hour weeding gardens.
Billy earns $5.00 an hour cleaning windows.
Maisie earns $2.50 an hour walking dogs.

All of them work for 20 hours. How much have they earnt altogether?

Literacy

We have started our literacy programme where the children are in five learning groups across the team. Starting next week it will be expected that children will complete their reading log each night and record nightly reading in their home learning reading log. 
Please enjoy a letter to the Lorax.


Dear Lorax
Image result for loraxI am Bobbi. I have heard your story and it is pretty cool. I am very disappointed in the Once-ler. I am writing to you because, thanks to your story, we have started thinking about sustainability. Me and my class thought about some ways we could help the environment: 
  • Saving the rivers and oceans
  • Stop cutting down the trees
  • Trying not to pollute the air
To do this I will need to write to the council. In my letter to the council, I will say that we can't let factories pollute the air. Here are some reasons why we need to look after our planet:
  • To save the marine life
  • To save the trees for oxygen
  • To keep animals from dying
I'll try my best.
From Bobbi




Kowhai News Term 4 Week 2

Stationery
Some children are still short on school stationery for this term. Can you please ask your child if they require any more pens, pencils, rubbers, rulers or highlighters and make sure they bring anything they need to school as soon as possible. If they are not sure, they can check in their home group stationery drawer to see what is left in their named stationery bag or feel free to e-mail your point of contact teacher. Thank you!



Drink Bottles
There are still a number of children without drink bottles and as the days are getting warmer, the children are needing them even more. We are encouraging the children to keep hydrated on these warm days and they especially need their water bottles for our run up to Athletics Day when they will be doing lots of practice. Could you please ensure that your child has a drink bottle for school and that they bring it to school every day. We really appreciate your support in this.



We Care Day
We had a wonderful day on Wednesday celebrating We Care Day. We started the day by picking the name of a buddy in the hub from a box and then we secretly gave them compliments throughout the day and left notes on their tote trays or by their bags saying what we appreciated about them. It was great fun and everyone enjoyed giving and receiving positive affirmations of who they are. We spoke to the children about that for some this might even be just a smile or a greeting. Some of us were great at keeping it a secret and it kept us guessing until the very end of the day!



Athletics
Next week we are starting our athletics sessions in our lead up to Athletics Day on Wednesday 22nd November. There will be more details to follow on this. The children will be out on the field learning how to sprint, run relays, do long jump, high jump and shot put and they will also be throwing the discus. Our practices will be on every Thursday so could you please make sure that your child has sensible footwear on these days so they can take part successfully. Thank you so much.



KOS
Over the past 2 weeks the children have been learning about how to Keep Ourselves Safe at school, at home and when we are out and about. Next week we have Constable Ross visiting and he will be talking to the Year 3 children about Physical Me and Touch and also Secrets and Tricks. With the Year 4 children he will be talking about the Real World and Abuse. If you want to know more about this then please feel free to come and talk to your home group teacher.

Kowhai Team Week 3 Newsletter





Here is the latest update from Kowhai Team...

Learning About Change

This term we have been learning about how to look after our bodies and what to do to ensure our body stays fit and healthy so it can grow and learn. We have investigated the importance of food, sleep, exercise and water along with how to care for our body and teeth. Our next step is to examine cause and effect. This will look like us asking and answering questions like: What happens if we don't brush our teeth or eat healthy food? We will extend this to looking at what actions we need to do to keep our hub tidy and appropriate for learning. We will also look at how our behaviour choices can affect other people's learning. You might like to talk with your child about cause and effect in different settings too to extend their understanding.


Toys
We have started to notice the children starting to creep some non essential items like toys to school. It is important that the children keep these items at home as if they come to school, we are unable to guarantee their safety and would hate to see any precious items get damaged or lost. We would love your support with this to ensure that the children only have the necessary items for school at teach day. These are:
Lunch
Drink bottle
Home learning folder
Jacket



Reminder Shoes and Change of Clothes
Due to the very wet state of our grounds, we are actively encouraging the children to bring along a change of clothes and footwear if they intend on playing in the park. If your child likes to play football or games on the grassed areas, please make sure they have a spare pair of old shoes and clothes to change into at school as the park is still extremely boggy at present. 

Library Visits

This term we are lucky enough to be able to go to South Library to read and to issue books. This is a great opportunity to encourage lots of reading while our school library is out of action. The children will be going once every 2 weeks so if your child has a library card, do make sure they take it with them along with their reading folder. We do also encourage you to pack a raincoat on that day as the weather can change very quickly at the moment. If you would like to come along with your child, parent help is always welcome. Just add your name to the following document: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xohSV9hfkG48Y5hLUvNfkDipbZJrzBLjZHy5zsK5za4/edit#gid=0

We are also in the need for parent help for Anna and Susan’s home groups. The dates and times are all included in the document link above
We have had extremely successful visits this week, orientating ourselves around the library and finding interesting books to read. Just look how engaged they all are!
This coming week:
This Monday Hub 6 will be going to the library and on Tuesday Hub 9 will be going. If your child has a library card, please send it to school so they are able to issue out books. 





Jewellery MAD Group
We are requiring some extra materials for next Friday's jewellery MAD time group. If you have any of the following you would like to donate please bring it into Rebekah in the East Hub. You you have any donations of fine wire, toothpicks, wool, ribbon, fine elastic, loom










Kowhai Teaching Team
x





bands, sequins or anything crafty that might contribute to us making awesome jewellery would love your help.

Short Film Festival
Many thanks to all the parents who have emailed to offer their help on Thursday when we go to the Isaac Theatre Royal to see some of the the NZ Short Films. We know this will be highly entertaining for the children and we hope it will spark some enthusiasm for movie making too!
That's all for now







Week 6 Term 2 Newsletter

Kowhai Team Newsletter Friday 10th June

Hi Everyone,

We hope that you all had a a great, although slightly longer than normal, Queen's Birthday weekend. It was wonderful to be welcomed by so many smiley faces on Wednesday! We have had an action packed week with the children playing in a mini hockey tournament on Wednesday and participating in the Matariki Day yesterday. The children have been highly engaged in their learning and asking LOADS of questions to extend their thinking. As it was a short week this week, so there was no Home Learning but we are back to normal next week with our nightly reading, maths and spelling.


Matariki Connect Session - South Learning CentreTo continue our learning about Matariki, the children are booked in to a session at the South Learning Centre with one of the tutors. They will learn how  to create a porotiti (spinning disk and string game) and use the ipads to take a virtual tour around a marae and whare. As the Learning Centre is so close to school, the children will walk down. Each hub will need some parents to assist them on these trips. Unfortunately we were only offered four sessions, so on this occasion, Hub 7 has been split to enable them to attend the sessions too. Letters will come home closer to the time of each hub trip.
These are the dates for your diary.

Tuesday 14th June- Hub 8 and 6 children from Hub 7
Tuesday 21st June - Hub 9 and 5 children from Hub 7
Thursday 30th June - Hub 5 and 5 children from Hub 7
Thursday 30th June - Hub 6 and 5 children from Hub 7


InquiryOur team has been learning about the weather. We have been investigating why the seasons change, the impact of weather on our environment with a particular focus on the water cycle. We have conducted many experiments to help us learn these science concepts. These science investigations have required us to make predictions, conduct experiments and discuss our findings. Over the next few week we will dig deeper into this topic by investigating the impact of weather on animals and humans, with a closer look at how the weather directly affects us. All our findings and learnings will be on display in the School Science and Technology Fair. The Science Fairs opens on Monday 4th July, 5.30pm - 7pm. We hope you can all come along.

Cross Country - Next Week
Over the past few weeks we have been training for the Kowhai Team Cross Country. The Cross Country is this Thursday 16th June. Our races will start at 11.30am and will follow this order.
Year 3 Girls, Year 3 Boys
Year 4 Girls and conclude with the Year 4 Boys.

Individually the children have been setting personal goals to work towards. These have ranged from being positive about running, improving the distance we can run or increasing our running stamina by running further each time. This year the top six runners in each race will have the opportunity to compete against other schools in our local area in the Year 0-4 Cross Country Challenge at Hillview School. We are aiming to be fierce competition!

Drink Bottles and LunchesWe have noticed that we still have some children that need to bring drink bottles to school. Water is important to keep the children hydrated and it is best if ALL children have a drink bottle at school, especially on wet days.We have also noticed an increase in the amount of food that the children are eating. Some children are eating much more than normal and at times have eaten MOST of their food by the end of the the first break. Can you take the time to ask your child if they have enough food to eat or if they need some more in their lunchbox. Thanks!

Art Gallery TripTo conclude the term, we have a trip to the Christchurch Art Gallery planned in Week 10. We will need parent help for this trip and will send home letters two weeks before. For those of you who need more time to enable you to parent help, the days and hubs are as follows:

Hub 8 and 9 - Tuesday 5th July
Hub 5/6/7 - Thursday 7th July

We hope you all have a great weekend.

Kowhai Teaching Team




Term 3 Week 8 Newsletter



Science Alive

Just a reminder that Science Alive! is visiting next week. The dates and times are as follows:

Hub 4 - Tues 15th Sep 11:00 - 12:30
Hub 3 - Tues 15th Sep 1:30 - 3:00
Hub 2 - Wed 16th Sep 11:00 - 12:30
Hub 1 - Wed 16th Sep 1:30 - 3:00


Please be aware that this will inevitably interrupt our normal learning programme so your child may not receive a book to read at home on that day.

Inquiry

Our Inquiry this term is focusing on looking forward and, specifically, modern learning environments, looking at both indoor and outdoor spaces. We will be creating our own idea of what a modern learning environment should look like which ties in nicely with our Science Alive visit.  


Breakfast

As you will know, it is very important to start the day with a good breakfast so that we can focus on our learning. If you are having any issues concerning your child eating breakfast then please do let us know. Please do also let us know if your child needs to have breakfast at school and then you can send it to school with them and they will be given the opportunity to eat it here.



Anna Away 

Anna (Hub 1 and 2) will be away from Monday to Wednesday next week as she is attending her daughter's school camp. We are lucky to have the wonderful Nadine Luscombe filling in for her. She has been relieving in Hub 1 and 2 regularly so she knows all the children and the routines. There should therefore be minimal disruption to the learning programme. 

Art Exhibition

We are approaching the final stages of our very big printing project and the results are looking amazing, as you will have seen in last week's newsletter. Thank you so much to all the parents who have been helping out with this. Your support is invaluable and we would not have been able to complete our artwork without you.