Monday 2nd
February 2015
Middle School Newsletter – Term 1
Dear Parents and
Caregivers,
Welcome back to school this year. We hope you had a great holiday and summer
with your family. It is fantastic to be back at school. Our middle team
consists of six classes. The teachers in this team are:
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Room 5
Room 6
Room
7
Room 23/8
Room 14
Room 15
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Year 3/4
Year 3
Year 3
Year 3
Year 4
Year 4
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Miss Samantha Newton – snewton@hnps.school.nz
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We have a range of strengths to share
with your children. The middle team teachers look forward to your full
involvement and support. We hope you are able to assist your child to develop
their independence, confidence and risk taking in their learning. Any offers of
parent help are keenly accepted. Please advise your classroom teacher of days
or ways you can help!
Expectations
Establishing good
routines is an important part of getting started for the school year so we expect
students to be responsible for their morning organisation and returning notices
and homework. All students need a hat (named), brainfood, pencil case and book
bags. Brainfood needs to be brought into the classroom each morning and books
from bags need to be unpacked before school begins. All students need a wide
brimmed school hat every day this term for sun protection. Water bottles are
encouraged as are regular applications of sunscreen. All clothing needs to be
labelled so the children can recognise their own items. The school uniform shop
has hats and uniform items available.
Newsletter and Homework
Once systems are in place, a weekly
homework sheet with relevant news of interest will be issued in each class by
the classroom teacher. Homework will consist of
Maths – practise of - number
knowledge basic facts to assist with fast recall
-
skills to develop knowledge and understanding in
other strands
This will be completed through Study
Ladder which is online and free. Class teachers will set this up and send home
log in details early in the term.
Reading – daily practise at a recreational level (not high difficulty)
for fluency & mileage, as well as a completed reading log.
Inquiry – at times there will be a task related to our current inquiry topic
in class.
We encourage you to work with and guide
your child to complete work and settle into a homework routine that works for
you. 20 minutes is a good guide for daily homework at this level. By the end of
the year, homework habits will be well established.
Notices
Today, you should receive a stationery
list, cybersafety and internet permission forms as well as a form for you to
update your contact details. Please attend to these in the next couple of days
to assist the classroom programme and school organisation. All forms can be
returned to the classroom teacher. You may communicate with our school via
emails, phone, class blogs, school website and good old fashioned face to face!
Spare stationery will be held at school by the teacher.
Absences
The HNP school website has a link for
recording absences. www.hnps.school.nz Alternatively, you can phone the school
(877-8788) and report your child’s absence, stating their room number and the
reason for them being away.
Building
Site
The school has started some major renovations
over the holidays on the toilets, Rooms 8-10 and the old library.. Some of
these will continue in term one. Safety fences are in place. The new toilets
will be completed as the term begins.
Children will be advised of areas that are out of bounds. Please remind
children to take care as they walk around the school.
Term One
This term our first school wide focus
is on Cognition – Learning and Thinking.
The middle team are looking at how we learn, what skills we have that we can share with
others and establishing class routines.
Mathematics – Measurement – Length and Area, Geometry
– Position and Orientation and Algebraic Patterning
Literacy – Reading to develop our comprehension from a
range of texts. Writing for the first three weeks will include memoirs, lists
and enjoying poetry.
Physical Education and Health – Fitness training for Triathlon
(Year 4) and Duathlon (Year 3), looking after and managing myself, swimming in
readiness for the HNP Swimming Sports (Rooms 5, 14 & 15 – Year 4 classes).
Inquiry topics will cover aspects of
Science, The Arts, Technology and Social Sciences throughout the year.
EVENTS HAPPENING IN
THE FIRST FEW WEEKS
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CALENDAR
Swimming days
for the first two weeks are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for Rooms 5, 14
& 15. Please bring your togs, towel and goggles for sessions at the
Village Pools.
HNP Swimming
Sports (Year 4-6) – Monday 16th February (Postponement – Wednesday
18th Feb.)
HNP School
Picnic – Wednesday 18th February 5:30 p.m.
HNP Triathlon
(Year 4-6) – Monday 2nd March at the Havelock North Domain (morning)
HNP Duathlon
(Year 3) – Monday 2nd March
at school (afternoon)
Interschool
Swimming (Year 4-6) – Monday 23rd February (Postponement – Tuesday
24th Feb.)
CAMP DATES
9th
– 10th March CAMP for Room
15 & Room 5 Year 4s – Stoney Creek Ranch
11th - 12th March CAMP for Room 14
& Room 4 Year 4s – Stoney Creek Ranch
Year 3 Camp
dates and details are still to be confirmed.
MEET THE TEACHER EVENING
Tuesday 10th
Feb. 6:45 – 7:30 p.m. beginning on the field to introduce all teachers in the
middle team, then in individual classes. If it is wet, we will just go
straight to the individual classes. This will follow the Year 2 session which
is from 6:00 – 6:45 in classrooms. Teachers will share their class organisation,
routines and expectations with you. Information about camp for Year 4’s in Room
5, 14 & 15 will be included in this evening.
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Any concerns, please email your
classroom teacher or come in and see us. I am also available as Team Leader if
you wish to see me, in Room 5.
We look forward to a great year with
you in the middle team.
Raewyn Field, Shelley Washington, Molly Glenn, Samantha
Newton, Toni Te Whaiti and Karen Duligall.
Middle Team Teachers 2015
