Welcome to another year at Paremata School! We hope you had an excellent holiday and we are looking forward to getting know the students in our classes. We're really looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday!
The year 3 and 4 teachers have been busy preparing a term full of interesting learning opportunities and activities. We will start with an inquiry into the way we work well. The first 4 weeks of term will be spent getting to know each other, setting up expectations and routines for the year, and revision of the ways we learn well. At this level we focus on using thinking tools such as De Bono's hats and graphic organisers, Glasser's choice theory and view learning through the lens of Gardner's multiple intelligences. We aim to set students up with everything they need to have a very successful year in Rooms 10, 11 and 12. Students will follow Glasser's basic needs (which underpins our behaviour management system) with an inquiry into body systems. This will lead on from learning about healthy eating and digestive processes introduced during a visit by the Life Education team in Term 4 last year. This science inquiry will involve students researching and sharing their findings about body systems and processes. We hope this will set them in good stead for the Science Fair in Term 2.
For many students (and parents) coming from the Junior syndicate into year 3 and 4 it can seem like a big step up where much more is expected of them. To minimise the differences Caroline met with Haidee and Miss Gunston last week to talk through the similarities and differences between year 2 and year 3. It was fantastic to sit together and work out what our students were used to and identify their next steps within the classroom. Caroline met with Mrs McCarthy and Ms Kamphuis today to talk this through further. As a result we have adapted our expectations to suit the learning of these students. For those students already familiar with our teaching; Welcome back! We are looking forward to building on the excellent learning that took place in 2014.
Housekeeping:
- It would be helpful to us if parents could send their child's book-bag along with the year 3 students. Any year 4s who would like to use a book-bag are more than welcome to do so.
- If you have an old shirt that can be used for painting we would appreciate it coming to school for our art activities. We will be further beautifying the Sculpture Garden with paintings.
- Please remember to send your student to school with a sunhat and drink bottle. Sun hats are must be worn break times during terms 1 and 4.
- In the case that your child is away due to illness or another absence, please email or ring the appropriate teacher and the Paremata School office.
- We have a trip planned for week 6 to the New Zealand Festival of the Arts. A separate notice and permission slip will be sent home in Week 2.
- Digital citizenship, blogging and student research skills are a focus for our syndicate this year. It would be great to know your attitudes toward digital learning at this age. Please email us if you have any thoughts on this topic or any feedback about our year 3 and 4 syndicate blog.
- Digital devices: Between 8:30am and 3:30pm digital devices that come to school to be kept off and out of sight. If you would like your child's teacher to put their device in their cupboard for safekeeping they can do so. If your child has something on their device to share with the class they can do so during class time. It is always wonderful to see what students are creating in their own time!
- Maths this term focusses on numeracy knowledge and strategies with a measurement unit covering reading the time.
- If you are able to discuss Waitangi Day with your students prior to Thursday 5th Febraruary, that would be very helpful. We will discuss the treaty at school and make our own class treaties.
- Big blue book: Sketching
- A4 blue book: Poems
- A4 green book with square grids: Maths (one is spare Maths for later in the year)
- A4 red books: Literacy, Writing, Inquiry, Homework (we will keep spares in tote trays)
- Notebook: Spelling notebook
Homework:
- Generally homework is given out on Monday and marked on Fridays during the second and second to last week of each term.
- Week 1 this term is very short so homework will begin on week 3 and end on week 8.
- Each Monday students will bring home a maths sheet and 5-10 spelling words. Year 4s will all have 10 spelling words.
- The maths sheet is not to be written on at home as it is used by the student each Friday. Many families find it useful to make practise copies for use during the week.
- Students may time their speed as they fill in the maths sheet if they wish. On Friday sheets are timed and students can note down their time. This is to encourage quick recall of basic facts.
- Basic facts on the maths sheet should be appropriate to the maths group your child works within. All questions should be knowledge based using quick recall. Please let your child's teacher know if there is any difficulty with the sheet they are given.
- Spelling words are individually chosen for students and groups of students. Words are drawn from topic words, essential word lists, spelling patterns and students' workbooks.
- On Friday students test their spelling words and graph their progress. Please check the homework books frequently to note your child's progress.
- Reading books for homework are selected by students from their browsing book box as part of their reading cycle. Books may be at a lower level than student group reading books. This is so they can easily read the books independently at home and build reading confidence and mileage as they practice their reading strategies.
- Fluent readers may have a chapter book or novel they read each night at home. In this case students are not expected to take readers home. If this is the case for your family please let your child's teacher know.
- Other reading that comes home include weekly make and do activities, a poem or song lyrics. On the day your child has their reading group library day they are expected to return and withdraw two books to take home to read at their leisure.
- If you have any questions or concerns about homework please do not hesitate to email your child's teacher.
Kind Regards,
Caroline Lockyer (carolinel@paremata.school.nz), Nicky McCarthy (nickydm@paremata.school.nz), and Jannien Kamphuis, (jannienk@paremata.school.nz)
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