Week 6, Term 3

We have had yet another busy week in Renwick 3!
On Thursday we had a special trip to the Elma Turner Library. We started off the session with Viv, the librarian, who shared with us all the special things you can do at the library. Viv read lots of great books with us and we danced and sang. Those of us with library cards were able to take some books out too. We loved our trip to the library and hope to go back soon.

During maths this week we have been looking at fractions. We have been using the whiteboards to draw and cut pizza and cakes! We tried our best to make sure we were cutting them into equal shares! Malachi then split the class into quarters... four equal groups. Lucky there were 16 children at school that day!!

Next week
Our sounds will be q and ou. Our tricky words will be mother and father.
During maths we will continue to look at fractions as a class focus.
On Wednesday we will be having soccer again with Jordan. As the fields are still quite muddy please ensure your child has appropriate footwear.
On Tuesday 31st of August at 7pm Liz Oldridge, the Nelson Resource Teacher of Literacy, is holding an evening on how to help your child with reading at home. This will be an excellent opportunity to gain ideas for supporting literacy development.
Have a happy and safe week!

Week 5, Term 3

Our friends from the Fire Department came to visit us this week with their fire engine. We got to look in all the cupboards and climb on board.


This week we went to the Museum to look and talk about precious things. We were learning to use describing words. Nicki had a friend's old pocket watch which we were able to come up with lots of wonderful describing words for.

During P.E. we are learning to skip. We are able to jump quite high using two feet!

Next Week...
Our sounds will be ch, sh, dge
Our words will be she, should and goes.
During maths time we are looking at fractions, 1/2's & 1/4's.
This week we will be starting our new Inquiry Topic 'What's the Matter?'. We will be looking at common materials to observe changes that occur when heated or cooled.
On Tuesday I am on a professional development course for maths. Sam will be teaching in Renwick 3 for the day.
On Thursday we have a class trip to the Nelson Elma Turner Library. If your child has a library card they are able to bring it with them to take out books. The session should last for about an hour. We will be leaving at 10.45am and will return by 12.15pm. Please complete and return the consent form sent home earlier this week.
We are having a big school focus on no play fighting. We have discussed it at length in the classroom and at assemblies. I want to ensure that the children's environment is safe both inside and outside the classroom.
Have a happy and safe week!

Week 4, Term 3

We started our week with a visit from Kevin and his friends from the Fire Department. They came to talk to us about how to be 'Firewise'. Here we are pretending there was a fire in Renwick 2. We had to get low, get out and stay out!


At the moment there are lots of germs around with winter illness. We talked about how important it is to wash our hands after going to the toilet and before eating. We did a little experiment to see how quick germs can spread. Neroli put germs (paint) on 2 children. We then passed a balloon around to see how many people would get the germs on their hands...

...we all had the germs!!

For Friday funday we decidied to make some hedgehogs!

Next week...
Our sounds will be x,ch & ll. Our words are one & only.
During maths we will be ordering numbers.
On Tuesday afternoon we have Kevin and his friends coming back from the Fire Department with their fire engine. We will be looking closely at the clothing worn to fight fires and how the fire engine works.
On Thursday we have a visit to the Museum. We will be leaving school just after 9am and returning for morning tea. I will need parent helpers for this trip. A notice will come home Monday.
This Friday is P.J. day! Coming to school dressed in P.J's is lots of fun for the children. There is a gold coin donation and the money raised will be sent to the orphange in Cambodia. Unfortunately I will be out of the class for the day and Sam will be teaching.
Have a happy and safe week!

Week 3, Term3

This week we had a very special visitor to school...Buster's new baby sister called Daisy. She was an absolute star and slept through all of our patting, stroking and aahing! We think Buster is an excellent big brother.

During maths this week we have been learning lots of new maths games. We are very good at sharing and taking turns.

Next week...
Our sounds will be oo, y and st.
Our words will be were and walk.
During maths we will be continuing with counting backwards.
We are starting our Firewise topic next week. We have a visit from the Nelson Fire Dept. on Monday morning to start us off. In a couple of weeks they will return with a fire engine to show the children.
As many of you may be aware we have had a few children in the class with chicken pox. If your child has not had them before keep your eye out!
If your child would like to participate in the Food for Thought fundraiser please ensure their form is signed and returned by Wednesday at the latest. The funds raised will go direct to an Orphanage in Cambodia which we are building a relationship with. This is an excellent project to be involved in because it is very authentic and real for the children. If you would just like to make a donation that would also gratefully be received!

Have a happy and safe week!

Week 2, Term 3

This week we went to meet Victoria and Harold on the Life Education Bus. Here is 'Doctor Camryn' checking to see if the students knew where to find the brain in our model. We also spent some time talking about how to play safely in the playground and how important it is to look after our friends.


While Neroli was on duty in the Junior Playground she was able to capture how we play with our friends using our manners. We share, care and help each other.

On Wednesday More FM93 came to visit Renwick 2 and 3. They asked us some pretty tricky questions. We were given the opportunity to share our extensive knowledge of the world with them! They asked is if we knew what a taxidermist does?? And what was a matinee, enchore and gramaphone?? How old was the Queen? All of next week at 3.20pm and 6.20pm you can hear our responses on the radio.

Next week...
Our sounds will be ng, v and sh. Our words will be you, your or came, everyone.
During maths time our class focus will be counting backwards.
Thank you to those parents who have paid the $3 for the life education bus. If you are still to pay please take your $3 to the office.
The children are absolutely loving Folk Dancing. We will be joining with Room 11 at the end of the term for a display. More details will follow.
On the 17th of August I have book a trip to the Museum to look at 'Treasures' and how they tell stories. I will require some parent helpers for this trip and will remind you closer to the time.
It was wonderful to see everyone at the parent interviews. It was my absolute pleasure to spend time sharing your child's progress with you. I am very proud of the children's achievements and feel they have all made a very impressive start to their school life. Thank you for your support.

Have a happy and safe week.

Week 1, Term 3

Welcome back to term 3!
It is lovely to have everyone back well rested and safe. It is especially great to have Yannis and his family back with us.
Much to the children's delight we have started our painting unit for this term. In fact I can throw away my plan as the children seem to have fantastic ideas of their own! Here we are below experimenting with a 'combing' technique.

It was fun to catch up with our big buddies this week. We took time to share our poetry books with them.

Next week...
Our sounds will be z,w,and th.
Our words will be when/with.
During maths we will continue to look at time. We will be using analogue clocks to learn the hour and half hour.
Our folk dancing has got off to a great start with lots of giggles and enthusiasm.
Thank you to all the parents that have made interview times. I look forward to meeting with you and sharing your children's successes.
Next week we have the Life Education Trust bus here. We have 2 sessions in the bus and the topic we have selected is 'All Together'. This unit of work covers how we need to cooperate with others so we can grow together in a happy and safe environment. I think this is a very appropriate topic for our age group as good social skills are paramount for the success of our children.
Have a happy and safe week.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to Term 3! I can hardly believe it... where does time go?? I trust that you all have had a happy and safe holiday.
This term is shaping up to be just as busy as the previous two.
Our topics this term will include 'All Together' with a visit from the Life Education bus, 'Firewise', hopefully with a trip to the local fire station and to finish we will look at states of matter.
P.E. this term will include folk dancing and skipping. Towards the end of term we hope to have a display of some of our folk dancing. Details will follow closer to the time.
During visual art we will be exploring painting! This has been long awaited by many of the children. I am sure we will have a lot of fun.
For the first two weeks of term during maths we will be looking at time. This will include days of the week, months of the year and analogue clocks. The remainder of the term will be focusing on number.
Next week our sounds will be ee/or and er/ar. Our words will be put/some or after/over.
Please remember parent interviews are in Week two. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's progress. You will need to book a time via the internet. Keep an eye on the school newsletter for details. Please see me if you have any queries.
Have a happy and safe week!