Kia ora e te whānau,
We have had a busy couple of weeks in the Koru team! Our values focus for the past fortnight has been 'We Make a Difference'. Here are some ideas that the children shared about how we can show this value:
We Make a Difference is when we:
- include others
- share our toys
- help our friends when they are hurt
- show 5
- try our best
- are a good friend
- use our walking feet inside
- say please and thank you
- show good teamwork.
We are Mathematicians in the Koru Team!
We have had a big focus on basic facts in the past two weeks. We know that learning our basic facts takes a few steps:
1. Conceptual understanding: Knowing what operations like addition and subtraction mean.
2. Strategy use: Applying strategies such as counting on.
3. Mastery: Recall through practice.
This week, we focused on learning our number combinations to 5, 6, and 7. Tamariki learned that if they know these combinations, they can easily solve bigger number problems. For example, if we know that 2 + 3 = 5, we also know that 20 + 30 = 50, and 200 + 300 = 500 and so on!
Our Wednesday activity focused on 7. We shared all the things we knew about the number 7, e.g., 7 in te reo is whitu, some children have a sibling who is 7, 7 is 3 less than 10, 7 is one more than 6, etc. We also discovered that there are eight addition facts for 7.
0 + 7 = 7 7 + 0 = 7
1 + 6 = 7 6 + 1 + 7
2 + 5 = 7 5 + 2 = 7
3 + 4 = 7 4 + 3 = 7
Children had two icebergs and seven penguins, and their job was to show the combinations of seven by grouping the penguins. It was great to hear the mathematical language as tamariki worked with their buddy.
Chickens!
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been excitedly awaiting the arrival of our baby chicks. An incubator with eggs arrived in the office, and we were really lucky to go and visit. Sue explained the incubation process and what to expect next...
Then, on Tuesday, the 11th of November, staff received an early morning birth notice from Cade. Our clever chicks had begun to hatch!
Once they had some time to adapt to the real world, they were transferred to their new home. Mama Sue taught the chicks how to eat and drink by tapping a pencil on their food and water bowl.
Then, on Wednesday, we had the chance to go and meet the chicks, up close and personal. Each child gave the chicks a gentle, one-finger pat. The looks of joy were delightful!
Learning Through Play
We love Learning Through Play in the Koru hub! It is incredible to see the types of play that children come up with. During these sessions, one teacher is the intentional teacher, talking with children, prompting thinking, encouraging pro-social skills, and supporting the learning, while two teachers take small-group literacy sessions. It is so much fun!
Wishing you a happy and safe long weekend ahead,
The Koru team,
Katie, Stacey, Elizabeth & Niquita
