Term 3, Week 7

Room 4 Newsletter:  Term 3, Week 7

Sunday 30th August 2015

Thank you and well done to the students (and parents) from all classes who joined in, participated with various roles and responsibilities, and helped out at the School Mass this morning. It was a lovely celebration and I have had lots of positive feedback. Congratulations to the choir who did a great job of their song during the Offertory.

Upcoming dates:

*Year 3 and 4 Ski Camp: Tuesday 1^st – Wednesday 2^nd September. Yay!!!!!!

*Rippa Rugby Programme: Room 4 – Thursday 3^rd September 1.30 – 2.10 pm. It is fine to wear sports gear for the whole day on Thursday.

*Sacrament of Confirmation – Tuesday evening, 22^nd September.

Ski Camp to Snow Farm:

I’m sure that we are all good-to-go for Tuesday. The Year 3 & 4 children from both Rooms 3 and 4 have had some lovely opportunities to get to know each other better over a number of afternoons. They have also asked lots of questions and are getting pretty excited. A key focus for us, apart from all the practicalities of ski-ing and self-managing ourselves and our belongings, is looking out for each other and being positive about relationships. We can show the fruits of the spirit by being aware of how our words and actions affect others at all times.

A note to the parents accompanying us on Camp: I have sent you all an email this morning regarding camp arrangements including the day-groups (these have stayed the same); the bedroom configurations for Tuesday night, and various other matters. Please let me know if you have any further questions. 

Sacramental Programme - Prayer Partners:

Over the next few Sundays there will be an opportunity for parishioners to sign up as the prayer partner for one of the children preparing for the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion. This will simply involve the parishioner writing their name beside the name of one of the children on a form which I will have on the desk in the foyer at the back of church. Each child will receive a Prayer Partner card to let them know who their partner is. The children can also be thinking about their Saint’s name, and we will follow this up in class by looking up and researching various Saints.

Speech Eisteddfods:

Eisteddfod time is fast approaching and the children need to be thinking about what topic they would like to do their Speech Eisteddfod on. I will include criteria for this in next week’s blog and class newsletter, and we will certainly spend some time on this in class once we are back from camp.

Homework:

Homework will be light this week given that we have a hectic time preparing for and recovering from our ski camp! There will, however, be a ‘multiplication and division’ basic facts page because the children are rocking with their maths. This is OPTIONAL.

Let the good times roll for camp – yee-ha!   

Camp Clothing and Equipment List:

I will add here a copy of the updated Clothing and Equipment List that went home with the children last Thursday, in case anyone has misplaced their sheet. Please note that a sunhat or visor would be very useful, given that we now know helmets are optional.

CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT LIST Large Bag
Sleeping bag, small sheet, pillowcase	Jacket – it needs to be waterproof AND windproof
Polyprop or merino ‘long johns’ underwear	2 pairs trousers/track pants (waterproof if possible). NO JEANS
Overtrousers (waterproof) or ski suit with polyprop/lycra or merino leggings	2 x polyprops, skivvies or shirts, jersey (merino/woollen)
3 pairs socks, thick woollen if possible, a pair of thin socks (for in the hut)	2 changes of underpants
Snacks, eg scroggin	1 towel
Toilet gear: toothbrush, toothpaste, facecloth, brush/comb, lip balm	Pyjamas
Slippers or runners for inside the hut	Gumboots or suitable older shoes for outside the hut
Tissues, pencil, pen, rubber in a small bag (coloured pencils)	Spare pair of gloves

*Remember, several thin layers are better than one thick layer of clothing. 

Small backpack/day-bag 

Packed lunch and two drinks	Gloves (waterproof)
Sunscreen, goggles/sunglasses	Hi-visibility vest
Hat or balaclava (woollen/polar fleece)	Helmet (OPTIONAL)

      

Things we DO and DON’T need:

Extras that the children DON’T need at camp:

Lollies	Phones
Money	Gadgets

Extras that the children DO need at camp:

Torch	Blister plasters (ideally with some on their ankles before we leave)	Scroggan (your choice and may include nuts)
Drawing Pad and coloured pencils	Board game if you can spare one (to go in a box on arrival at the bus)	SUNSCREEN

               

Please don't hesitate to call me or the school if you have any questions or concerns. I'm looking forward to a great camp, and I appreciate that you will have put in a lot of time, money and energy to make this as successful as possible for all the children. Thank you.

Regards, Markelle Ward J

Term 3, Week 6

Room 4 Newsletter:  Term 3, Week 6

Sunday 23rd August 2015

Upcoming dates:

*School Mass for Term 3: Sunday 30^th August, 9 am.

* Year 3 and 4 Ski Camp: Tuesday 1^st – Wednesday 2^nd September.

*Sacrament of Confirmation – Tuesday evening, 22^nd September.

Ski Camp 1^st – 2^nd September:

1. There is a camp meeting tomorrow night (Monday) at 7 pm in Room 4 for those parents attending camp, and for anyone else who has questions or concerns.

2. Medical forms will be sent home today with this newsletter and must be returned to school as soon as possible please. Parents attending camp can get their forms at the meeting tonight.

3. Meadow Hut Ski Trip Day 2:

We will review the ability and participation levels of the children at the end of Day 1 before we commit the children and adults to the ski outing to Meadow Hut on Day 2. It is 4.5 km (one way) to Meadow Hut so we will have other options available for less able skiers on that day which will involve staying much closer to the Lodge.

4. Meals for camp will be as follows:

- packed lunch from home to come in the children’s day bag when we leave on Tuesday morning

- evening meal catered by the Snow Farm Lodge

- breakfast catered by the Snow Farm Lodge

- packed lunch in children’s lunch boxes on Wednesday (this will be prepared early that morning at the Lodge by our adults using food brought with us)

5. Students will be divided into groups and allocated a parent/teacher for the whole of the trip. This is for everyone’s safety and will include bunkrooms. Male parents will be accommodated with male students, and female parents will be accommodated with female students.

6. Departure and arrival times:

The bus will need to be packed and away very close to 7 am so we ask that you meet at the Church car park at 6.45 am on Tuesday morning, 1^st September.

We aim to return to school at approximately 3 pm on Wednesday 2^nd September.

Sacramental Programme:

The price of the Confirmation/First Holy Communion booklet is $15.50. This booklet covers both sacraments and is the final resource required for the year. This can be paid in an envelope to the office, myself or Father Pat. Any late payments for the Penance Booklet from Term 2 ($11.50) should now also be paid. Thank you very much for your attention to this.

Publishing:

Please keep the Information Reports coming in. The children love to have their writing brought up on the big screen and shared. It is a great way to encourage a wider audience for their work.

Have a great week.

Regards, Markelle Ward J