Fractions

We are learning to find fractions of a set...

Mahuri Term 3 Newsletter

Kia ora parents, caregivers and children,

Can you believe we’re in to the second half of the year already?! We’re looking forward to next week’s Parent Teacher Child conferences when your child will lead us through their learning and we can set goals together.

Student agency

The teaching staff has been thinking and talking about student agency this year. During the holidays we had an excellent professional development day exploring this with Kath Murdoch, an Inquiry learning expert from Melbourne. Here’s one of her blogposts on How do inquiry teachers… teach? that gives a sense of her approach. We are keen to support children’s independence and self-determination in their learning as much as possible, and are exploring ways to do this. This may take the form of independent mini-inquiries or passion projects, allowing kids to pursue a particular area of interest, and to consciously develop their independent learning skills (like time management, researching, collaboration, communication, etc.) at the same time. Other ways we aim to develop children’s agency are through learning reflections, learner licences that offer greater autonomy and independence as students demonstrate their self-management skills, weekly learning goals and class reflections. If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback please let us know.

Student teacher in M13

We are lucky to have a student teacher working with us this term. Megan Lindsay is a qualified early childhood education teacher who is now training to be a primary school teacher. She will join us from 11^th August until the end of term.

Inquiry

Building on last term’s wonderful inquiry into Changes to the Land, we are moving on to a design and innovation inquiry this term, exploring how we can be Kaitiaki of the Land. Children will identify a need and create designs for protecting and taking care of the land in our local environment. If you have, or anyone you know of has, expertise in design, landforms, erosion, local government, or the changing environment, and would like to share this knowledge with us, we would love to hear from you!

Our maths focus areas this term are Number: Multiplication & Division and Fractions, Proportions & Ratios, Problem Solving, Basic Facts, Geometry, and Measurement.

In reading, we will continue to develop comprehension strategies through reading texts about changes to the land, design, and other interest areas. Our writing programmes will flow from this as we write reports, explanations, procedures, and scientific investigations, interspersed with ongoing recounts, character writing and poetic writing.

PE

Our focus this term is striking and catching. We will develop these skills through games and activities using small and large balls and different strikers: hockey sticks, cricket bats, etc. Let’s hope for some good dry weather to get outside and get active!

Parent help

If you can support our class programme with either regular or one-off parent help, we’d love to hear from you. Spelling testing and reading with children are particularly useful ways to help. We always welcome parents visiting to read a favourite book or share some knowledge or expertise; even if you’ve already read to the class, we’d love you to come back again!

Home learning

A reminder to return home learning folders to school on Mondays. Each Monday children will bring home a new list of ten spelling words, an updated Reading log (if needed) and basic facts to be learned off by heart during the week.

Dates this term

Monday 28^th July:                           Speak Easy performance for Y4-6, 9am in the hall

Tuesday 29^th July:                           Y4-6 swimming sports

Wednesday 30^th July:                     Powhiri 9am

Parent Teacher Child conferences (Y4-6)

Thursday 31^st July:                         Parent Teacher Child conferences (Y4-6)

Friday 1^st August:                            Freedom Friday begins

Monday 25th August:                     ICT Parent meeting

Friday 12th September:                 Dancesplash performance, 5.30pm, Michael Fowler Centre

Thursday 18^th September:             Mahuri Celebration of Learning, 9.15am in the hall

Tuesday 23rd September:             Parent Teacher Child Conferences (NE-Y3)

Friday 26^th September:                   Last day of Term 2

To be confirmed:                             a school trip to the landfill

Thank you for your ongoing support. As always, if there is anything you would like to discuss about your child’s learning, please get in touch to make a time to talk.

Nga mihi,

Shanon, Adele, Ximena and Amy

Matariki