Kia ora whānau,
A big welcome back to school for Term 2! We have begun the term in full force with the extreme weather last week. Our students managed very well being indoors for a longer period of time. Here is an update on what has been happening in the last two weeks.
Technology Inquiry
This term, we have begun our inquiry learning on how technology has changed over time. We have been exploring the types of technology that we see in our classrooms and this has produced some exciting conversations. Our students have been working on using their imaginations to create illustrations and labeled diagrams of what a classroom might look like in the future with new technology.
Cross Country
In Week 4, we will be hosting our whole school cross country event on Friday 23rd May from 9am until 12pm. In preparation for this, we have been going for regular runs every day, building up our stamina for the actual event. We would really appreciate if you could make sure your child wears appropriate shoes to school for running. Thank you!
Jean Miro Art Project
We are currently learning about the Jean Miro style of art and will complete this unit by creating a sculpture in the style of Miro using recyclable items from Creative Junk. If you have any popsicle sticks, disposable spoons and forks, or any other smaller items such as buttons and bottle tops that we might be able to use, please bring them in!
Library
Just a reminder about library times:
Monday: Hazel and Rowe's Literacy groups
Tuesday: Georgia and Anna M's Literacy groupsWednesday : Anna R’s Literacy group
New Zealand Sounds Video
Below is a link to a short video about the sounds in our spoken English language which we wanted to share with you as it relates to the structured literacy that we teach. This video discusses:
1) What all the consonant and vowel phonemes (sounds) of NZ English are; and
2) How to say them clearly when you are supporting beginning or struggling learners to hear and use the sounds during phonological awareness, reading and spelling.
Please click on the image below to watch.
Book Character Day
We are now one week into our Readathon fundraiser. We hope you have all been busy reading! Next Friday, we are celebrating our Readathon by having a Book Character Day when everyone can come to school dressed as their favourite book character if they want. If not, can you ensure that your child comes to school in their school uniform as it is not a day for casual dress.
Headlice
Just a heads up that we have a case of headlice in the hub so please be vigilant of any scratchy heads! If your child has long hair, we recommend that they have their hair tied up to prevent the spread of headlice. Thank you!
Random Chat Online
How do random chat websites work? And what are the risks for tamariki using them?
Random chat websites, like Chatroulette, pair users randomly through text or webcam conversations. The appeal is getting to talk to someone new that the user would nev
er meet. But these websites are designed for adults and often allow nudity and other inappropriate content from users.
If you’re concerned that your young person might be exposed to these sites or you want to introduce parental controls, you can find out more on Netsafe’s Random Chat Websites page.
Have a great weekend!
From the Kōwhai team