Thursday 27 March 2014

Louie bought in something very special for sharing time this morning!  
It was a skin from a wild tiger that his great grandfather had shot in India many years ago because the tiger was terrorising the villagers.  We were all fascinated by this and Louie gave a very interesting and informative talk.  Thank you Louie for sharing this precious treasure with us all!


Wednesday 19 March 2014

Enjoy Reading our Bio Poems


Manav
Fun, noisy, majestic, great
Lover of playing, gaming, working
Who feels happy and relaxed playing games and wants to be a great learner
Who wonders what camp will be like
Who fears my best friend saying the right stuff
Who would like to go to amazing places
Who dreams of being free and busy!


Hannah
Fun, silly, forgetful
Lover of bunnies, family and friends
Who feels happy and peaceful when reading
Who wonders what it will be like to grow up
Who fears there will more earthquakes in Christchurch
Who is able to dance and do ballet in front of people
Who would like to write books with her best friend Tui
Who dreams of starting a bookshop!


Greer
Nice, caring, happy, noisy
Who feels peaceful when asleep
Lover of lasagna, chocolate and chocolate chip biscuits
Who wonders how fun camp will be
Who fears spiders, rats and mice
Who is able to swim a length of freestyle
Who would like to do gymnastics and Irish Dancing
Who dreams of being a famous Irish dancer!


Regan
Funny, kind, annoying
Lover of baby animals and my parents
Who feels happy when with his Grandma
Who fears white tail spiders and tarantulas
Who is able to build a mine track
Who wonders how the universe was created
Who would like to go to an aquarium
Who dreams of having super powers!


Dominic
Crazy, kind, creepy
Lover of Thomas, my best friends, Bigfoot and Great White Sharks
Who feels free and alive when outside
Who wonders if the mysteries of the world are real
Who fears the world’s downfall
Who is able to do a flip in a deep pool
Who would like to go to space and find aliens
Who dreams of catching a Bigfoot with Thomas!

Emily
Helpful, kind, sensitive
Lover of animals and gardens
Who feels relaxed doing art
Who wonders if monsters are true
Who fears head lice
Who would like to rescue animals
Who is able to grow plants
Who dreams of seeing a wolf in real life!

Ryan
Kind, helpful, funny
Lover of cats, dogs, teddies
Who feels angry when people annoy him and happy when people are nice to him
Who fears that there is going to be a flood and a tornado
Who wonders if he is going to be a spy agent or if he will get a pet when he is older
Who would like to climb trees
Who is able to do Scottish Dancing
Who dreams there is going to be a fire!

Thomas
A majestic, smart specimen
Lover of severe weather, art and science
Who feels happy when he reads
Who wonders if there will be climate change
Who fears spiders in his house
Who is able to draw well
Who dreams about going to the USA!

Lucy R
Helpful, pretty, creative
Lover of swimming, running and dolphins
Who feels cheerful and happy when in Fiji
Who wonders how the first person was born
Who fears tarantulas and really big floods
Who dreams of flying in the night sky!

Isla
Sporty, arty, playful
Lover of Smiggle, animals and chocolate
Who feels relaxed when creating art
Who wonders what camp will be like
Who fears animals will die
Who would like to own a restaurant one day
Who is able to dance, cartwheel and bake
Who dreams of becoming a chef!

Ethan
Video player
Lover of chocolate and Wii
Who feels scared of were wolves
Who wonders when it will be lunch time
Who would like to buy Minecraft
Who is able to use his imagination
Who dreams of having adventures!

Louie
Sporty, smart, happy
Lover of cake, sports and birthdays
Who feels relaxed at home and in the swimming pool
Who wonders what heaven and hell is like
Who fears of nothing
Who would like to go to space and back
Who is able to flip, play x-box and be myself
Who dreams of being rich and famous!

Max
Chatty, funny, fun
Lover of computers, Lego and drawing
Who feels happy and cool when at the skate park
Who fears tarantulas crawling in my bed
Who would like to play roblox and games
Who wonders what it is like being a senior
Who is able to play soccer, go swimming and eat quickly
Who dreams of having free time for ever and an ipod!

Georgia
Funny, kind, careful
Lover of dogs, maths and horses
Who feels relaxed and peaceful when sleeping and reading
Who wonders how the first person was born
Who fears earthquakes in the night
Who is able to do Highland Dancing  and drumming
Who dreams of being a flight attendant!

Flynn
Happy, kind, super, caring
Lover of movies, art, Harry Potter and Spongebob
Who feels awesome, smart and funny
Who wonders what the universe looks like
Who fears cats, rats and white tail spiders
Who would like to be an All Black
Who is able to play the guitar and do a flip on the spider web
Who dreams of having a holiday for a whole year!






Tuesday 11 March 2014

Our Bio Poem

Today we started writing Bio Poems - poems about ourselves.  This is one we wrote together about Team 22.

Team 22
Caring, noisy, kind, fun
Lover of writing, learning, playing games and art
Who wonders what it will be like on camp this year
Who fears the teachers growling at us!
Who feels happy and peaceful when we get free time
Who would like to have a year of awesome learning
Who dreams about having an amazing year!

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Swimming Super Stars!

Congratulations to our swimming super stars who competed in todays Swimming Sports at Jellie Pool. They all performed exceptionally well and even took out first place in the class relays!  Well done, you make us very proud!


Monday 3 March 2014



Dear Parents                                    Monday 3 March 2014

Just a wee note to accompany the introduction of our new spelling programme STEPs and to clarify any questions or concerns you may have.  The children were all individually tested last week using an oral programme on the computer (a new experience for many of our children). 
Their results were then analysed and a starting point for each learner is given based on their individual:
  • Phonological Awareness (all 6 elements)
  • Visual perception
  • Sequencing
  • Memory - visual, kinaesthetic and auditory
  • Motor development
These groupings are very fluid and will be subject to change.

The children will now have 10 words each week to learn at home.  This is supported in the classroom directly with worksheets and a wide variety of computer activities that reinforce the rule or pattern that is the focus for that week.   These will be written out on a Monday and tested along with Basic Facts on a Friday.

The aim of the programme is to teach the skills of spelling and what to do when you hear a new word you do not know how to spell for e.g. the word ‘kinaesthetic’.  When you hear this ‘new’ word you need to use your existing knowledge of sound, pattern and spelling rules (when one or more vowels are put together) to even attempt to spell the word.   Then you use your visual memory and existing knowledge of letter sequencing and patterns to decide if this looks right!  Then you need to decide if this is one of those exceptions to the rule words!

Learning to spell is not just about choosing a list of 10 of the most complex or large words we can find in the dictionary as this would aim to expand students vocabulary not build upon their existing knowledge of language and its many features to help them decode and spell new words.  Mastering all the rules and patterns that stem from the simplest form so the knowledge can be applied to the most complex.

Please come in and have a look at the STEPs programme in action.   It is a large and exciting system that takes us several weeks to get up and running with all its many facets to support learning, but the long term positive learning experienced by the students is worth it.

Any further questions please pop in and have a chat.
Thanks Trish and Ros.