Week 5, Term 2

Well here we are at the half way mark of this term. We have had a few winter illnesses that have taken the wind out of our sails...but not for long!
Next week we are soooooooooooo looking forward to our friend Karels return. He has been in The Netherlands for 4 weeks.

This week we were very proud of Ben who was player of the day in his soccer team.
Way to go Ben!





















Here are a few funny moments we have had this week.
Mischievious Moments in Renwick 3!

This week in Renwick 3 we received letters from 'George the Giant'. He was happy to see that we are trying our best to look after our earth.
Here we are opening them.
















Next week.....

We are all looking forward to a days rest on Monday for Queens Birthday Weekend.
Our letters will be 'r' and 'm' or 'oo'.
During maths time we are continuing to work on number identification.
Wednesday will be a big day for us. In the morning we are going to visit the Recycling Centre and in the afternoon we will be having our annual school cross country. The children will need suitable footwear and a 'big' lunch.
Just a wee note on reading.
For children who have just started school this term it is important to remember during this early reading stage we are focusing on pointing to each word as we read it,using the picture for 'clues' and identifying high frequency words such as, it, the, on, look, come etc. I do not always expect the children to read the book they bring home word perfect (although they would have read it at least 2-3 times before coming home).
If you feel your child is struggling here are some suggestions...
*Read the book to your child first and then ask them to read it
*You read a page then they read the next page
*Have lots of discussion about the picture/story..if you can, sneak any words into the conversation that you think they might struggle on in the text
*Ask them to find a word (make sure they know it first as we want to ensure success for them)
*And the most important of all is it needs to be fun and followed by praise, praise, praise! You will be surprised how well children respond to being told the are champion of the world!
If you have any concerns, please come and see me.

Have a happy and safe weekend.

Week 4, Term 2

This week we had a wonderful surprise in Renwick 3. We had an email from our friend Karel in The Netherlands.
We wanted to take a funny picture to send to him to make him smile! We are certain it would have worked.
















As part of 'Friday Funday' we decided to make paper darts. It was quite a hard task getting corners to corners and straight lines, however we were very fortunate to have Fiona here as parent help. We all managed to get our darts off the ground and what a lot of fun we had!

As part of our topic work we have read Jack and the Beanstalk. We also listened to another 'Giant' story on the listening post. We have planted some of Jack's seeds and are monitoring their growth closely! We are learning about seeds and growth. This is helping us to learn how to appreciate and look after our earth.

Next week...

Our letters will be 'e' and 'h' or 'ng' and 'v'. Our words will be here, and & all.
During maths time we have been working on ordering numbers. We will continue to work on number knowledge and identification.
For our inquiry topic we will be working on our questioning skills. Even at this young age we introduce the children how to construct a good question that will assist them in the inquiry process. This skill will ensure our children are able to become life long learners.

Have a happy and safe week!

Week 3, Term 2

This week in Renwick 3 we have been learning about the letter 'p'. As a special treat we made popcorn. We used all of our senses. We could hear the crazy popping sound, smell the delicious aromas, feel the rubbery and spongy texture, it looked like fluffy white clouds and it tasted delicious!

We had another super time with our buddies in Room 3 this week. We raced around the school grounds looking for all sorts of different surfaces which we could use for rubbings using paper and crayons. We have created some lovely art work with our findings.

Next week...
It is hard to believe tht next week is Week 4 already!
Our letters will be 'n' and 'c' or 'z' and 'w'. Our words are my, you and can.
During Maths time we will be focusing on ordering numbers.
We are extremely lucky to have secured half hour time slots for all the Kowhai Syndicate classes for Drama with Jo. It is part of our 'Friday Funday' activities and the children love it!
Please also note that Friday is our library day. Children are able to have one book issued for the week but it must be returned by the following Friday in order to take out a new book. Kindly help your child to bring back their book before Friday.
As part of our 'Saving the Planet' topic we are in the process of arranging a trip to the Refuse Station in Tahuna. This will allow the children to see what happens to the recycling once it is on the trucks. The children already seem to have an impressive amount of knowledge about reducing our waste and recycling which is fantastic.
Have a happy week!

Week 2, Term 2

Here are 17 of the 18 champions in Renwick 3! Karel is still in The Netherlands and although we are all missing him we hope he is having a lovely time.
















This week we got together with our new buddies from Room 3. Every Friday we will spend half an hour after lunch doing lots of cool things. This week we were busy making Mothers Day gifts. We hope you enjoyed the results!



































Next week.....

Our letters will be 'ee', 'z' and 'i'. We will be revising high frequency words that begin with 'i' or have that sound in them, such as 'with'. I believe it is of great importance to consolidate what the children have been learning. I am sure this will benefit them immensely.
I have been advising the children if they can access the blog from home to click onto the Poetry link on the left hand side of the page. This will take them to a BBC site with activities for those who are learning two letters with one sound.
Cross country training is going very well! Our big day is planned for 3rd of June. More details will follow in regard to this closer to the time.
During ICT time the children have been working on their photography skills as well as learning about kidpix.
Steph and I are very pleased with the way all of the new children have settled into school. Please remember if you have any concerns we are available before and after school for brief chats. For a more involved chat we are happy to set a convenient time to get together. My email at school is nerolis@nelsoncentral.school.nz if it is easier to contact me this way.
Have a happy and safe week and a big Happy Mothers Day to all you wonderful mums!

Earth Rocks!

Week 1, Term 2

Welcome back everybody to Term 2!
We have had a wonderful week with 8 friends joining our class! All of the new children starting school will be in Room 10 with Teresa.
This week we have been learning about the letter 'j'. As it was Friday Funday we decided to make some jelly. We talked about how water can be a gas as in the steam, a liquid as in the water we drink and then a solid, such as ice or wibbly, wobbly jelly. We all had a turn at stirring the mixture.

While we were waiting for our jelly to turn into a solid we had a special visit from 'Tails'and his friends from Kelly Sports. Kelly Sports are running an after school programme at Nelson Central School on a Thursday. Tails was showing us some of the activities that are part of the programme.

Next week....

Now that we have got new friends in our class the letters and words we are learning will depend on what stage we are at.
Some children will be learning 'a' and 't' while others are learning 'oa' and 'ie'.
Our words will be here and go, or, dad and mum.
As part of our topic we are 'setting the scene' by concentrating on the postive aspects of our environment. Autumn is an opportune time to appreciate the beauty of Nelson. Steph and the children are creating some magnificent artwork around the classroom. Be sure to take a look.
Cross country training starts next week. We will be training with all the other 5 and 6 year olds Monday-Thursday. Please ensure your child has suitable shoes for running in.
Today Karel left us for a four week holiday to The Netherlands to visit his grandparents and family. We look forward to hearing all about his trip when he returns. We miss him already!! Safe travels.

Week 10 in Renwick 3

By the end of the first term Renwick 3 hit double figures! We now have 10 champions in our class. Our other 8 friends will join us in the first week of Term 2.

















We were very busy concentrating on our hockey skills this week. We teamed up with Room 11 for some special coaching from Jackie. She was an expert!

In Renwick 3 we are absolutely awesome at creating all sorts of artwork. We especially love to paint. We are making clowns in these pictures.

Next term….
Term 2 proves to be another busy term at school.
In the Jolly Phonics programme we will be starting to look at 2 letters that make one sound. In week one, we will be learning the ‘ai’ sound and ‘j’. Our tricky words will be ‘this’ and ‘are’.
For numeracy our class focus will be counting backwards from any given number and skip counting. We have started skip counting in tens this term.
Physical education will include large ball skills and training for our annual school cross country. At a date later to be advised we invite parents, family and friends along to cheer us on.
We will continue with music and drama and for art we will be printmaking. These subject areas maybe integrated with our topic which is ‘Ten Ways to Save the Planet’. For Te Reo we will be exploring Maori Legends.

So a good rest is in order to prepare!
Keep happy and safe and we will see you all next term!