Week 8, Term 4

Here we are again at that special time of year!
We have started to decorate our class to fit with the festive season.


This week we have been very busy focusing on our production. Steph and I are very proud of the children and their patience. As you can imagine there is quite a bit of sitting and waiting for our turn.

There will be no more reading books coming home now. For the next week we will be sharing christmas poems instead. Please ensure your child returns their poetry book each day.

During maths time we are learning about 2D and 3D shapes.

Please note the earlier time of our production. We will now commence at 1.30pm on the 8th and 9th of December. There is a gold coin donation at the door. If you have not sent your childs costume along to school please do so for Monday as this is our dress rehersal.

We also have our Big Day Out for the 14th of December. Thank you to those parents who have offered to help with transport.

Have a happy and safe week!

Week 6, Term 4

Have you ever seen such a good looking bunch of children! We love it when all of our friends are at school so we celebrated by taking some 'crazy' photos.



On Friday afternoon we were lucky enough to attend a concert put on by the Nelson College for Girls. They played a range of songs by the Beachboys. Steph and Neroli said they were too young to recognise any of the music too, but we still had a great time!!


In art at the moment we have been learning about design. We looked at some work by Gavin Bishop who has a special design style. He uses lots of different lines to fill the pictures. We have drawn pictures to the song 'Dragons Under My Bed' using Gavin Bishops design style.



Next week...
Our sounds will be 'tch' and 'ay'. Our words are now and no.
During maths our class focus will be counting backwards.
Next week Steph and I have two days release time to write reports. Caroline will be teaching in Renwick 3 on Wednesday and Friday.
Time is ticking away very quickly with only three and a half weeks left of school this year. Please remember to keep Monday 14th of December free for our Big Day Out. We have confirmed the train rides at the beach. There will be a cost involved and a notice will come home shortly. You are more than welcome to bring your pre school children.
Our social skill we are working on at the moment is 'No Put Downs'. As the end of the year approaches we appreciate that the children are tiring, however, we continue to have firm boundaries in place. Respect and courtesy for each other is paramount to ensure we are all happy and safe at school. We encourage the children to remember to say only positive things to our friends.

Have a happy and safe week!

Week 5, Term 4

During creative dance we having been making up our own routines that involve leaning, turning and contact. Hunter and Ben created an excellent dance using their imagination.

On Fridays we get together with our buddy class. Here we are doing some arts and craft related to Guy Fawkes.

Next week...
This week we are having a break from phonics and tricky words! We will be looking at signs and symbols to see how messages can be portrayed in a variety of forms.
During maths time our class focus will be basic facts.
Production is going well and we will be continuing to work on our songs and dance routines.
Have a happy and safe week!

Week 4, Term 4

Excitement is building for our end of year production 'Over the Rainbow'. As one of our reading activities during reading time we have been learning the songs on the listening post.


As part of our stream study we visited the Brook Sanctuary Stream to find out if it was a healthy stream.
We found that the water was clear and clean, we could hear the stream bubbling so there was lots of oxygen and there were plenty of trees to provide shade. We found lots of interesting 'critters' in the stream. We used nets and ice cream containers to catch them. When we had finished looking at them we gently put them back into the water.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Next week...
Our sounds will be ll and ss. Our words are day & all.
During maths time we will be having a class focus of ordering numbers.
As christmas draws nearer our calendar is starting to fill up! There are two important dates for you to put in your diaries.
8th & 9th of December ... Our production 'Over the Rainbow'. We will be performing at the Nelson School of Music in the afternoons. The time will be confirmed closer to the time.
14th of December ... Kowhai's Big Day Out! As a special treat to celebrate the end of the year we are having a trip to the model trains at Tahuna Beach followed by lunch at the Lions Playground. After eating we plan to come back to school for a swim in the school pool (dependent on the weather).
Steph and I have a day each classroom release to write school reports. Caroline will be teaching in Renwick 3 on the 25th and 27th of November.
Have a happy and safe week!

Week 3, Term 4

We had a very short and sweet week this week!
You may have noticed the new netting in the Big Adventure playground.
Here are some of the children having some fun before school.

Next week...

Our sounds will be 'u' and 'ck'. Our words are but & you're.
During maths we will continue to look at the number before and after a given number.
On Tuesday afternoon we have our Stream Study Visit to the Brook Sanctuary. The children are very much looking forward to this event. Thank you to all the parents that are available to assist with transport and supervision.
We have Fiona coming from Swimsafe to talk to the children about water safety on Wednesday. More information will come home after her lesson with the children. Swimming at school is timetabled for this term but it depends on the weather. I have to say it is not looking so good at the moment!!
We are continuing to practise our 'Over the Rainbow' songs. The children adore them!
Have a happy and safe week!

Week 2, Term 4

On Monday we were lucky enough to have a new friend join our class called Zac. Zac has done an amazing job settling into Renwick 3, well done!
This week Iron Brion came to school to talk to us about the four main food groups. They are 'Meat or Meat Alternatives', 'Fruit and Vegetables', 'Milk and Dairy Products' and finally 'Breads and Cereals'.
We had a really entertaining show filled with lots of fun and laughter. We played some dancing games and had a quiz. To finish the show we had a yummy hamburger each.

We have been busy explaining to Zac how things work around Nelson Central. At morning tea and lunch time we have duty teachers in the playground who we can go to if we need help. They are very easy to see because they will be wearing an orange fluro jacket.
Payton, Ben and Paige were role playing a scenario for us.


Next week...
Our vowel we are working on will be 'o' and our word is 'when'.
During maths time we will be working on the number before a given number.
Preparations have started for our end of year production 'Over the Rainbow'. Ruth will be working with each class once a week up until the performance on 8th and 9th of December.
Please ensure your child's permission slip for our trip to the Brook Sanctuary is signed and returned.
Have a happy and safe week!

Week 1, Term 4

Welcome back to term 4!
It is great to see everyone back safe and energised after the school holidays. I also confess to a small amount of sadness as this is our last term together! As Steph and I watched the children at the Mask Parade on Friday evening we felt immensely proud of the huge achievements each and every child has made this year.

On Tuesday we had a special treat when our friends from Kelly Sports came back to visit us. We played lots of games using rugby balls, basketballs, soccer balls, cricket bats and hoops.
Kelly Sports is an after school programme that runs on a Thursday afternoon. Anyone that is interested should contact the office for further information.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The highlight for this week was the Mask Parade on Friday night. We had a wonderful time and looked fantastic!


Next week...

We will be taking a closer look at medial vowels 'e' and 'i'. Our words will be what and want.
During maths time our class focus will be skip counting.
Our topic for this term has a science focus. We are doing a Stream Study. This will involve a couple of class trips later in the term and we will require some parent help. A notice will come closer to the time.
We are lucky enough to have Jo back this term teaching dance. The children had a wonderful time last Friday.
On Tuesday we have 'Iron Brion'. This is a show put on for the children by the Beef and Lamb Marketing Board. The show promotes healthy eating and takes a look at all the food groups. At the end of the show the children get a free healthy hamburger.
On Thursday evening Tracy will be putting on a Jolly Phonics workshop to introduce parents and caregivers to how we use Jolly Phonics in early literacy years. I can well recommend it if you missed the first workshop earlier in the year.
On Monday we have a new friend joining Renwick 3 called Zak. He is coming from Wakefield School.

Have a happy and safe week.