Materials Can Change

Welcome to Ella and Maia to Room 5 this week.

Over the last few weeks we have focused on this concept for our inquiry.

Materials can be changed by applying different processes

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Last week we looked at how water can change when we heat or freeze it. We discovered that water can turn into steam or ice and that it can has a temporary change.

We saw that tea is a permanent change.

This week, based on Sophia's suggestion, we inquired into paint.

Our question was, If we mix paint can it change back?

We first mixed red and white to make pink.

Our prediction was that we could turn it back to red paint if we added lots of red to it again.

In the end, we decided that mixing paint creates a permanent change as we couldn't make it turn red again.

We mixed white and red paint.

We mixed them and it made pink.

We added more red paint to change it back to red.

We kept adding more red paint but it didn't go back to red.
It was a permanent change.

OUR ENVIRONMENT

This week we had a focus on How we live in the world. 

First of all we looked at the environment with the help of the teachers at The Tread Lightly Caravan. We learnt that we can help our environment such as planting a seed or how keeping our land and seas free from rubbish makes for a better world.  
Our class goal is to pick up rubbish if we see it, even if it's not ours.

To end our fire safety unit, we met and talked to the firemen. They were very impressed that we knew how to keep safe, where to go and what to shout if we were in a fire. We practised how to stay low and go to the safe meeting place.

 On Friday, we participated in the school's Respect Our Community day. Two teacher's brought in their dogs and we learnt how to be safe around dogs.

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.

Term Three Information and Update

Welcome to Lily Liu, Mason Eddington and Jayjay Havealeta to Room 5!  Our class is now complete for the time being so it is great to have everyone on board.

We have had a very busy start to the term. This week we had two trips to the Life Education van, a rippa rugby session and we have also started practising for our production. Whew!

I have also included some pictures at the end of the blog from the end of Term 2 festivities for you to look at.

Spellathon:  It is great to see everyone has started learning their words and finding some sponsors. I have a few spare sheets, so if you did not receive your Spellathon information at the end of Term 2, while I was away, please see me.

Holiday Reading: Well done to those people that completed the Holiday Reading Programme and for everyone that kept on reading right through the holidays. It really makes a BIG difference to their literacy progression.

Assembly - We have our School Assembly with Room 8 in Week Three. We would love it if you could come and watch us.  We will be practising for this over the next two weeks.

Production:  We have already started practising our songs and dances for our performance. As this takes up a lot of time this term, normal activities such as reading, writing and maths, may not occur every day. At these times, seen books from their reading box or thier poetry book will come home instead.  If you are able to sew or paint the props, please get in touch with Anna Blair in Room 6. Thank you.

Maths: Over the next few weeks in maths we are studying position and direction. Encourage your child to use language such as over, under, left, right high low, near, far to describe where objects are in relation to each other. Ask your child to describe the path they would follow to get from one end of the garden to their room. Ask them to describe the route they take to get to a friend's house.

Oral language: Encourage your child to use complete sentences whenever they are speaking, instead of just a word or two. This will help them during writing to form whole ideas and to show that ideas need to make sense.

Reminders: Rocket word testing continues this term. Library is on Friday. Raincoats should always be in school bags.

I look forward to meeting with people on Thursday for interviews.

Children's Voice:
I liked seeing Harold. - Leonie
I liked seeing a movie about Harold's friends. - Mason E
I liked going in the caravan and we saw Harold. - Archer
I like listening to stories. - Ismaiah
I liked writing about fairies. - Lily
I like to play on the golden monkey bars at school. - Jahzelle
I like the creative table where we can make things- Sienna
I like playing with Albert. - Mason A

Goodies and Baddies Day

Rippa Rugby

Room 5 meets Harold

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.