Term 1, Week 5

Room 4 Newsletter:  Term 1, Week 5

Sunday 26th February, 2017

Well done to Room 3 & 4 students for their participation and leadership at Friday afternoon’s assembly. It was lovely to share assembly with so many parents.

Important dates coming up:

*Tuesday 28th February – Swimming Sports (morning).

*Ash Wednesday – 1^st March: 9 am Mass in the Church led by Room 3.

*Thursday 2^nd March – morning – ICT in Room 4 with Mrs Flannery.

*Thursday 2^nd March, 1.30 pm – NZ Playhouse Performance.

Swimming Sports Helpers:

Thank you to those have offered to help at the Swimming Sports. Please meet Deb O’Neill and Chris Beilby at the pool by 8:50 am on Tuesday 28th to arrange your task.  If you are no longer available, please contact Chris.

Published Writing:

Over half the class have now emailed their Holiday Recounts in to me. Please keep these coming in so we can have all work displayed on Room 4’s writing wall by the end of this week.

R.E.

We are underway with the Jesus Strand of the R.E. curriculum and we were well supported last week with a visit from the Evangelisation team who are based in Wellington. Their message was very clear: Jesus loves us, Jesus accepts us as we are, and Jesus wants us to share his love with everyone. The children enjoyed the singing, dancing and role plays. We are now coming into the very important season of Lent, and invite you to join us for Ash Wednesday Mass on Wednesday morning in the Church at 9 am.

Have a great week.

Markelle Ward J

Term 1, Week 4

Room 4 Newsletter:  Term 1, Week 4

Sunday 19^th February, 2017

Thank you to all those who attended and participated in our Opening School Mass this morning, and for those who brought food for morning tea and an item for the Food Back. Your generosity is much appreciated. At Mass we welcomed a team of 8 young people from the Evangelisation Team based in Wellington and enjoyed a mime/dance from them. We look forward to a morning with the team at school this Wednesday and I know they are looking forward to it too.

Important dates coming up:

*Tuesday 21st and Thursday 23rd February – Swimming. Room 4 bus leaves at 12.45 pm.

*Wednesday 22^nd February: Evangelisation Team here at St. Gerard’s (morning).

*Tuesday 28th February – Swimming Sports (morning).

*Ash Wednesday – 1^st March.

*Thursday 2^nd March, 1.30 pm – NZ Playhouse Performance.

*Assembly this week will be led by Room  3 & 4 on Friday 24th Feb at 2.10 pm.

Entries for Swimming Sports Events:

The children in Room 4 have been letting me know which events they wish to be entered into for the Swimming Sports. Could you please confirm with your child which events they intend to compete in, so that our information is accurate and finalised by this Thursday.

Congratulations:

Congratulations to the Morrell Family for their participation and results in the recent Shearing and Woolhandling Competitions in Invercargill. We really enjoyed reading and discussing the newspaper articles and photos in class. We agree that Jelena should be very proud of her family!

Technology & Garden Project:

Thank you to Mr Cooney for coming in last Monday to begin our project to design and build a wooden structure for the School Garden. The children have had a good introduction to all the different kinds of wood and why some are better for outdoor use than others. We look forward to Session 2 this week. Watch this space.

Published Writing:

Thank you to those who have emailed their Holiday Recounts in to me. Keep up the good work Room 4.

Regards, Markelle Ward J

Term 1, Week 3

Room 4 Newsletter:  Term 1, Week 3

Sunday 12^th February, 2017

Important dates coming up:

*Tuesday 14^th  and Thursday 16^th February – Swimming. Room 4 bus leaves at 12.45 pm.

*Wednesday 15^th Feb, 9 am Parish Mass – Whole school attending. All welcome.

*School Mass – Sunday 19^th February, 9 am. Please wear school uniform and bring a plate for morning tea or an item for the Food Bank.

*Wednesday 22^nd February: Evangelisation Team here at St. Gerard’s (morning).

*Tuesday 28th February – Swimming Sports (morning).

*Ash Wednesday – 1^st March.

*Thursday 2^nd March, 1.30 pm – NZ Playhouse Performance.

SWIMMING PROGRAMME:

Swimming dates still to come: Tuesday 14^th, Thursday 16^th, Tuesday 21^st and Thursday 23^rd February. 

Timetable: Rooms 7 & 4  - 1 pm.

The cost for swimming is $6 per child or $12 per family (2 or more children).  This can be paid to the office in a named envelope.

Technology Project:

Tomorrow (Monday) we begin our Technology Project in Room 4. We are very lucky to have Mr Cooney to help us with this, and we are looking forward to the adventure! In class the children have been working in their groups to discuss ideas and come up with a garden structure that their group would like to build.

This week we will:

·              Discuss the kinds of wood we should use for our structure and why.

·              Prepare the wood we have available by dismantling or re-sizing it.

·              Agree and decide in our groups what structure we will plan to build.

For others who have expressed interest in supporting us on a Monday afternoon, please confirm your availability, we would love to have you.

Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) – Year 5

At the Parent Meeting on Wednesday evening a form was made available regarding Year 5-8 BYOD Guidelines in the school. I will send one home with Year 5 homework this week. It is optional for the Year 5’s in Room 4 to bring their own device to assist them in their learning, particularly for keyboarding, publishing, research, and email. Their device is their responsibility and will only be accessed during learning time. It will be locked away during playtimes and lunchtimes.

BYOD Policy applies only to Year 5-8. Year 4’s will continue to access the curriculum through school iPads and laptops.

Writing Publishing

The children have been writing Holiday Recounts and a photocopy of these will come home in this week's homework. Please support your child to type up their story. They can type as much or as little as they are comfortable with. Email the stories to me at markelleward@stgerards.school.nz. I have allowed a fortnight for stories to be published.

Regards, Markelle Ward J

Term 1, Week 2, 2017

Room 4 Newsletter:  Term 1, Week 2

Monday 6^th February, 2017

Important dates coming up:

*Monday 6^th February - Waitangi Day. School closed.

*Tuesday 7^th February – Swimming Programme begins. Room 4, bus leaves at 12.45 pm.

*Wednesday 8^th February – 5.30 pm: Meet the Teachers Evening.

*School Mass – Sunday 19^th February, 9 am. Please mark this date on your calendar.

*Wednesday 22^nd February: Evangelisation Team here at St. Gerard’s (morning).

*Tuesday 28th February – Swimming Sports (morning).

*Ash Wednesday – 1^st March.

*Thursday 2^nd March, 1.30 pm – NZ Playhouse Performance.

    

    SWIMMING PROGRAMME:

Swimming will take place on:

*Tuesday 7th

*Thursday 9th

*Tuesday 14th

*Thursday 16th

*Tuesday 21st

*Thursday 23rd 

Timetable: Rooms 7 & 4  - 1 pm.

The cost for swimming is $6 per child or $12 per family (2 or more children).  This can be paid to the office in a named envelope.

Garden/Technology Project:

If you know of someone with carpentry skills who would like to assist us to work with one small group of children at a time, especially to use tools like a hammer, nails and a saw, please let me know as soon as possible. We are aiming to do our Technology and Garden Project on a Monday afternoon throughout Term 1.

Proposed outline for ‘Meet the Teacher Night’ - Wednesday 8^th February:

*5.30- 6.00:  picnic tea

*6- 6.20: Meeting in Room 5 – introduction of new teachers; procedures around Restorative Practice; Student ICT agreement regarding BYOD and Email accounts; Reporting and Communication.

*6.25 - 6.40:  Rooms 1, 2,7             

*6.40 - 6.55: Rooms 4 & 5                

*6.55 - 7.10: Rooms 3 & 6

Regards, Markelle Ward J