A week of super visitors

On Monday Room 5 celebrated 100 days at school!

We had a fun filled day which started with making our One Hundred Days Smarter crowns.  We completed other 100 day activities while we waited for our super hero friend, Zero the Hero to arrive. Finally, after counting all of our pieces of food and having our shared morning tea, Zero the Hero flew through the air to congratulate us on knowing all about the number one hundred and his special number - zero!

We also had a visit from Ronald McDonald who talked to us about keeping safe while walking and putting on our seat belt while in the car. Stop, Look and Listen and Make it Click!

On Friday we had an author come to share with us his books.

Lastly, congratulations to Albert and Sylvester for becoming independent writers and gaining a certificate during our syndicate assembly.

How to plant

In writing, we have started to look at how we write procedures.  We have looked at the steps we need to brush our teeth and to plant a seed. This week we will write how to blow out a candle on a birthday cake.  Here are some pictures of us helping to plant a seed.  At home, you could show your child all the different things that have instructions or help them read a recipe as you bake together.

In maths, we have been working on geometry.  This week we found different shapes in our school. We will look how to classify shapes into different features such as size, thickness, sides, corners, symmetry.

I'm freezing

The last two weeks at school we have been investigating temperatures. We have made our own temperature gauges and have looked at pictures of hot and cold places. We have put our hand into water and decided if it was warm, cold or freezing!

This week we will use ice-blocks to find the hot spots and cold spots in our classroom and will dress up for hot or cold weather.

At home you could do the same experience. Use the melt-times of ice-cubes to help your child find the hottest spot and coldest spot in your house. These need to be spaces you can stand in so the oven or freezer can’t be used.

This term we have also focused on positional language.  Here we are using our positional words to go over an obstacle course on the senior playground.

Congratulations to the people that received certificates in the school Assembly on Friday. We also say goodbye to Ismaiah and her family at the end of the week. We have loved having you in Room 5. All the best at your new school.

Production Snapshots

Congratulations to all of our wonderful, amazing Ants!!  You did an awesome job and worked as a team to make our show amazing!!

You can now have a rest until our next big adventure!

Shining Star time and Mrs Barlow

Welcome to Archer.

Teacher Voice: Along with the usual reading, writing and maths and the other myriad of other subject areas that we cover in a week, I try to make sure that every two weeks at least, we have a Shining Star time.  Shining Star time is where I put out special play items such as dress ups, train set, painting, puppets and other developmental items.  This gives the opportunity for children to extend their friendships, oral language skills and mathematical concepts.  It is great to see the enjoyment and roles that the children give themselves during this time.

Mrs Barlow takes the children for music every Monday in the music room. The children really enjoy the time they spend with her. Every three weeks she also comes into the classroom and teaches the children a special topic. This term she is teaching about the maths concepts of rotation and symmetry.

This weeks focus sounds are s, sh, th and the focus words are little, am, have.

Smarty Pants Big Book

Welcome to Leonie, Veronica, Roman and Ethan.

Teacher Voice: Each week we study and read a big book as part of the reading and literacy programme.  The big book gives children the opportunity to have them reading at above their independent level as we all read it together. It also provides a way to explore spelling patterns, the way rhyme is used in words, expression and punctuation features.  On Friday, we usually have a fun activity related to the book to culminate the end of the week.

Just a few reminders: Please make sure that your child has a rain coat in their bag as we walk to the music room, hall and library rain or shine.  Children should be practising their rocket words along with their home reader each night. Library books and bags need to be at school every Friday.  Thank you for your help.

This week's words are: he, she, me and letter sounds of n, m, ng


Children's Voice: A few weeks ago we read the big book of Smarty Pants. Here is the iMovie that we made about it.

While Mrs Hutton was sick this week we:

-put some Maori colour drawings on our sheet and song the Maori colour song  

- wrote about Goldilocks 

-played our maths games and learnt some new ones. 

-put Goldilocks pictures in order, coloured them in and glued them in order on the paper

-ate inside because it was raining

Our Garden Trip

Student Voice:

On Friday morning, we wrote this recount together using the photos that we took on the trip.

We are on the bus going to the Botanic Gardens. We got off the bus when we arrived. Then we had our morning tea together. After that, we are on the mat with the teacher looking at the lady bird on the mat. Next we went to dig some bugs. We found worms, slaters, millipedes, and grubs. Next we went to the classroom and played some games about minibeasts. After lunch, we explored the gardens. We found a tunnel and went through it and then we all had a turn at the water pump. We also looked at the vegetables. Finally, we lined up and went back to school on the bus. It was a happy and enjoyable day!

There are more photos on the classroom window for you to enjoy.

Teacher Voice: Welcome to Albert who started this week, our first boy! Congratulations to Ismaiah who was awarded a certificate in the School Assembly.

I have mentioned to most parents that I would like to meet briefly to discuss the Beginning School Report for their child. Please see me to set up a time if I have not already talked to you about this.

This week's words are went, you and the letter focus will be to complete the short vowel sounds. Please remember that our Library Day is Friday and that children are only allowed to get out a new book if they have returned their old one.

In maths, we are focusing on sequencing numbers, backwards counting and using tens frames to help us solve problems.