Room 4 Newsletter:  Term 3, Week 7                                              Sunday 31^st August, 2014

Hi everyone and welcome to CAMP WEEK.

Important Dates: 

• Monday afternoon, 1^st September, Skip-a-thon. Wear your trackpants and gymshoes.
• Year 3/4 Camp: Tuesday 2^nd – Thursday 4^th September.
• School Mass – Sunday 7^th September at 9 am, Father’s Day.
• Confirmation Mass – Sunday 14^th September, 9 am.

Year 3 & 4 Camp:

Please refer to last week’s blog or newsletter for all the final arrangements for camp. We are on track to depart at 8.30 am on Tuesday, meeting at the Church Car Park at 8 am.

Camp fun… here we come!

Markelle Ward J

Term 3, Week 6

Sunday 24th August

Hi everyone and welcome to another busy week.

Important Dates: 

• Year 3/4 Camp: Tuesday 2^nd – Thursday 4^th September.
• School Mass – Sunday 7^th September at 9 am, Father’s Day.
• Confirmation Mass – Sunday 14^th September, 9 am.

Year 3 & 4 Camp:

Final arrangements regarding our upcoming camp:

• Our meeting time will be 8 am at the Church Car Park on Tuesday 2^nd September. Come prepared with your three items of luggage (day pack, main bag, sleeping bag). Your day pack should contain your morning tea, a full lunch, water bottle, swimming gear, notebook, pencil and jacket.
• Our expected arrival time back home is between 3.30 and 4 pm on Thursday 4^th September, also at the Church carpark.
• A reminder that baking and lollies should be handed in to class on Monday 1^st September, along with personal named medications.
• I will supply the following items to avoid all students carrying these separately: shampoo, insect repellent, sunblock, hand sanitizer, and liquid soap. We will be travelling with a fully equipped First Aid Kit at all times.
• Each child will have a number so that taking a roll throughout the day and evening is quick and easy. We will do some activities this week to learn our number and practice assembling quickly when necessary.
• Please note that payment for camp is required by the end of this week. If there are any issues with this, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
• Groups - The following groups of students have been allocated to each parent helper for day-time activities. For sleeping purposes, groups will be adjusted so that males are in one area and females are in another.

Mrs Scobie Amber    Maggie   Jade    Mia	Mr Healey Max    Rafferty    Lauren  Kayla	Ms Jeffries Libby   Mayce   Millie
Ms McNaughton Olivia   Charis   Grainne   Hannah	Mrs Brown Ella   Sylvie    Lydia	Mrs Mitchell Thomas M    Mika   Harry    Imojen  Shannon
Mr Diver Thomas P  Mac    Patrick	Mrs Tyrrell Lucas   Jacob  Rafe

Please let myself or Mrs Beilby know if you have any questions or concerns about camp.

Have a great week.

Markelle Ward J

Term 3, Week 5

Sunday 17th August

Hi everyone and welcome to Week 5.

Important Dates: 

• Tuesday 19^th August – I will be attending a course in Gore on Tuesday, learning how to use the Active Inspire Whiteboards.
• Friday 22^nd August – 12 noon Mass, down at the Church, led by Room 3 and 4

                             -       Assembly at 2.10 pm, led by Room 5, in the hall.

• Year 3/4 Camp: Tuesday 2^nd – Thursday 4^th September.
• School Mass – Sunday 7^th September at 9 am, Father’s Day.
• Confirmation Mass – Sunday 14^th September, 9 am.

Year 3 & 4 Camp: 

*The Clothing and Equipment List has generated plenty of questions and discussions with the children. They are obviously very attached to their puffer jackets, and will be hoping to squash them into their day bags. However a thinner, fully waterproof jacket will be more practical for the few occasions when we will need it, ie. on the walking tour of the Marae area, and at the Orokonui Ecosanctuary. There is no way anyone is expected to buy a jacket for this… I suggest that you borrow one or use a siblings jacket – even if it is a bit big.

Likewise it would be impractical for a regular-sized pillow to take up precious space in your main bag. A pillow pet, small cushion, or pillowcase to fill with clothes would be better.

*All Health & Safety Forms were due in last week. Please get these in urgently if you haven’t already J.

Homework:

• Publishing - Thank you to those who have sent in their published Cross Country stories. Keep them coming so we can have them all up on the wall in the next week or two. Remember, if your story is very long, choose your favourite part to type up.
• Mihi – Please practise your mihi every night now. We don’t know exactly when we will be presenting them at the Marae, but we need to  be prepared.
• The Chores list in the homework clearfile is due in this week. Some of them are still empty, so make sure you are being a great help at home and practised some good self-management skills!
• Most of the children are moving along steadily with their 2, 5 and 10 times tables (and some are well ahead of this). Call these tables aloud to them and get them to build up their ‘quick recall’.

Homework clearfiles are becoming quite disorganised. Maybe sorting this could be one of the children’s self-management chores this week? (and I’ll work on tidying my desk!).

Have a great week….. Regards, Markelle Ward J

Term 3, Week 4

Sunday 10th August

Well done to everyone on their efforts at the School Cross Country. I have to say I was very impressed with Room 4’s commitment and perseverance. They waited patiently till the very last races, supporting their schoolmates and cheering them on. Then they gave their own races everything they had. There were some exciting results too – well done team!

Important Dates: 

• Parent Evening for those children preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation: Thursday evening this week, 14th August, 7 pm at Father Pat’s house (moved from last week). The next three Sundays will be preparation sessions for the children, during 9 am Mass.
• Friday 15^th August – 9 am in the hall: Liturgy for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.
• School Production – dates to be advised.

Year 3 & 4 Camp:  Each week I will include snippets of camp information in the newsletter or on the blog for your information. This week: Clothing and Equipment List:

A Clothing and Equipment List is attached at the bottom of this blog entry. We constructed this list together so hopefully we haven’t forgotten anything. 

A letter, and important Health & Safety Forms went home with the students on Friday. The health forms are due in on Monday. Any problems with this please let me know. After our meeting on Wednesday night with parent-helpers it seems preparations for camp are ticking along nicely.

We are visiting the town library on Friday morning after the liturgy to look at their resources about Marae protocols. Let me know if you are free to join us to walk.

Homework/Publishing:

The children will be bringing their Cross Country story-writing home with their homework. Please support them to type up their story and email it in to me. They can have a couple of weeks to do this. If their story is too long, please get them to choose their favourite part of the story to type up. Thanks.

Have a great week….. Regards, Markelle Ward J

Year 3/4 Camp – 2014   Clothing and Equipment List

1.             Day bag (eg. School Bag)

Includes:

·      Lunch box, drink bottle

·      togs and towel

·      waterproof jacket (needs to be windproof and fully waterproof)

·      book, notebook, pencil.

2.       Sleeping bag and cover

3.           Main bag (suitcase, or pack or luggage bag)

Includes:

·      Bathroom Bag – toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, facecloth, soap

·      Pyjamas

·      Pillow pet, or cushion, or very small pillow (this must fit inside your main bag)

·      Clothes – the full set that you are wearing

-      one other full set (trackpants or jeans, shirt, sweatshirt or hoodie)

-      two changes of underwear

-      three changes of socks

·      Shoes – the gymshoes that you are wearing

-      one other set of gymshoes/outdoor shoes

-      one pair of comfortable indoor shoes/slip-ons

*Mrs Ward/Mrs Beilby to bring the following things for all to share:

Hand sanitiser

Liquid Soap

Insect Repellent

Shampoo

First Aid Kit

Parent helpers to bring one torch each.

***PLEASE CLEARLY LABEL ALL YOUR CLOTHING & GEAR***