Term 4, Week 8

Room 4 Newsletter: Term 4, Week 8

Sunday 27th November

Important Dates:

*Monday 5^th December: Bike Check.

*Thursday 8^th December: Eisteddfod Assembly.

*Friday 9^th December: Room 3 & 4 Bike Excursion.

*Monday 12^th December: 1 pm – Prize Giving Assembly.

*Tuesday 13^th Dec: Graduation Mass – 6 pm.

*Thursday 15^th December: Teacher Only Day.

9^th December:  Bike Excursion – Rooms 3 & 4

Thank you to all those who have made themselves available to join us on this day. We have the 10 adults that we require for the trip to go ahead. Remember that next Monday is the day we will have our bikes checked in anticipation of the journey ahead! Full details for the trip will be in next week’s class newsletter and blog. Please let me know if you did not get the notice that came home about the excursion a week ago J.

Favourite Family Recipe:

As part of homework this week, could you please organise for your child to bring to school a family favourite recipe, preferably one that has been passed down through the generations.  It could be a breakfast, dinner, desert, baking, snack, or salad recipe. Anything goes. Children could hand-write it, or bring a photocopy of it. The Recipe Committee really wants families to be thinking about it and become actively involved in the process leading to the development of the Recipe Book. Please record your family name on the recipe.

(With thanks from the Recipe Committee).

End-of-Year 4 Reports:

Year 4 Reports will be coming out to all students over the next week or so. Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions arising from your child’s report.

Life Education and the Harold Bus:

Room 4 were very fortunate to have two sessions with Pip and Harold in the Life Education Bus on Thursday and Friday morning. This was a great experience, and we learnt lots about food and nutrition. The children all have their own Harold booklets which will come home with their other books at the end of the year.

 Happy Advent.

Have a great week.

Markelle J

Room 4 Newsletter: Term 4, Week 7

Sunday 20th November

First Holy Communion

Congratulations to those who received their First Holy Communion at Mass this morning, to their extended families for their support, and to the wider parish family for  their prayers and support. Thank you also to those who contributed morning tea. The children looked amazing, and were delighted with their special morning tea celebration afterwards. They have now completed the Sacramental Programme, and we wish them all God’s blessings as they continue their faith journey.

Certificates:

Certificates for those who received First Holy Communion will be given out at Whole School Prayer on Monday morning.

Yoghurt-Design Competition:

Thank you to Lisa Reilly for agreeing to come in last Thursday to judge our Yoghurt-Design competition. The children did really well to create original, healthy and yummy flavours, considering that the plain natural-flavour yoghurt that we made as a baseline was quite bitter.

Most original: Keira and Zaria

Most healthy: Jacqui, Rhianna and Angus

Most yummy: Tadhg and Frans

Congratulations to these winners, and well done everyone.

We all got to enjoy the tasting afterwards, and Tadhg’s and Frans’s yoghurt was judged the yummiest in the peer-assessment as well!

Speech Eisteddfods:  Guidelines for Presenting/Speaking:

• Speak clearly so the audience can hear all that is said.
• Use expression in your voice.
• Pause for effect.
• Use pictures or props to add interest.
• Make eye contact with the audience.

Please note there is an A4-page Criteria sheet for Speech Eisteddfods in the student’s homework clear files this week.

9^th December:  Bike Excursion – Rooms 3 & 4

Hopefully you received a notice about this from the children last week. We are planning a bike ride along the Rail Trail as part of our LEOTC programme for 2016. We have scheduled this for Friday 9th December. For this Rail Trail event we require ten parents to accompany us. Please email me asap:  markelleward@stgerards.school.nz  if you are available to join us.

Have a great week. Markelle J

Term 4, Week 6

Room 4 Newsletter: Term 4, Week 6

Sunday 13^th November

First Holy Communion

*Parent Meeting: This Thursday night, 17^th November, 7 pm at Father Pat’s house. As part of this meeting we will be going down to the Church to practise for the Mass on Sunday so it is very important that all the children and a parent can attend. We will also be finalising arrangements for the special Morning Tea to follow the Mass.

*Mass this Sunday 20^th November: Please come along to support the children receiving their First Holy Communion. Mass is at 9 am in the Church.

* Morning Tea:  Please note that Morning Tea after Mass will be held in the School Hall. Any contributions for this morning tea would be greatly appreciated, including drinks. This is a nice way for Room 4 children and their families to show support for the children who have undertaken the Sacramental Programme. Please label food or drink ‘First Holy Communion’ if you are leaving it at school, or leave it directly with me. (Thank you J).

*Holy objects and cards: Sally Ferreira from the Parish Office has a number of items for sale from the Catholic Bookshop, specifically for First Holy Communion. You can contact her on 4488202 to make a time to view these. I will try and have them available to look at on Thursday evening as well.

Technology:

Thank you so much for the yoghurt makers that have arrived in class. Even though we will make the plain natural yoghurt early this week, the childrens’ ingredients won’t be required till Thursday, as that is when we will put the yoghurt recipes together. We will talk about this each day, and ON THURSDAY the ingredients can come to class. I will keep everything refrigerated.

Speech Eisteddfods:

Speech Eisteddfods are in Week 9, and some children are well under way with theirs already. Criteria will come home in next week’s Room 4 newsletter and blog.

*This Thursday 17^th November: Cultural Assembly – 1.30 pm. All welcome.

Have a great week. Markelle J

Term 4, Week 5

Room 4 Newsletter: Term 4, Week 5

Sunday 6^th November

Family Mass:

Thank you to the Room 4 children (and others) who made a special effort to come to Family Mass on Saturday evening. For the readers, prayers of the faithful, offertory-bearers, money-gatherers, and singers…. your participation was much appreciated.

Athletics:

Congratulations to all those who took part in the Central Otago Sports Day last Tuesday. There were many reports of excellent results, and plenty of excitement and fun too. Mrs Brydges reported that the picture in last week’s Room 4 newsletter was indeed the correct posture for the hurdles. The angle is 45 degrees. After our work on angles in maths last week, your child should be able to tell you exactly what 45 degrees looks like!

Calendar Art:

Room 4 children have produced a wonderful piece of art for the Fundraiser Calendars, so I encourage you to get your order in. An order form came home with each child last week. Ask at the office if you don’t have one. The theme of Room 4’s art was ‘The Albatross’, a link with reading we did on albatrosses following camp.

Technology:

Over the next week or two, we will be doing a Technology project titled ‘Design a new Yoghurt Flavour’. We will establish criteria around the yoghurt being healthy, tasty, and genuinely ‘original’. If you have the old-style yoghurt maker floating around home, and could spare it for a week or two, please name it and send it to school with your child (the plastic jar with the wider plastic container). Thanks. This project should not involve you buying anything new or fancy, so please don’t let the children tell you otherwise!

Speech Eisteddfods:

Speech Eisteddfods are in Week 9, and it’s never too early to begin your research and preparation. We will also allow lots of time for this in class.

Important dates coming up:

*Thursday 17^th November: Cultural Assembly – 1.30 pm.

*Sacrament of First Holy Communion – Sunday 20^th November.

Have a great week. Markelle J