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!

Week 9, term 2

On Monday we celebrated Matariki (Maori New Year). We had a wonderful shared kai followed by an afternoon of Maori games and activities. Knucklebones was a bit challenging for us but we gave it our best shot!

We have been having lots of fun exploring with magnets over the last couple of weeks. We spent some time working in our inquiry groups this week. We were predicting what we thought the magnet would pick up and why. We each have a different role to play in our group. We have a materials person, a recorder and a reporter. Taking turns and cooperating is really important in group work and we are getting very good at it!

Next week...
Our sounds will be qu,ou or ai,j.
Our words will be you're,what or be,we.
During maths time we will continue to work on skip counting.
We have had a lovely time playing with our big buddies this week. It is really heart warming to see so many children engaging with their buddies at lunch time as well. This is a very special relationship for both parties.
Have a happy and safe week!

Week 8, Term 2

This week Sarah Langi came to speak to us about Zero waste. We looked at a range of packed lunchboxes and had to order them from the lunchbox that had the most rubbish to the least.
There are a number of ways we can reduce the amount of waste in our lunchbox. Sarah showed us some lunchboxes with lots of compartments. These are great because the food does not require wrapping of any sort.
We decided that paper lunch wrap was the best kind to buy if you needed to because it will rot down in our environment where as glad wrap does not. We don’t want our earth filled with ‘sad wrap’!



We started our new inquiry topic this week called ‘Magic Magnets’. Stirling or better known to us as ‘Mr. Science’ came to show us his magnets. We made lots of new discoveries and had lots of fun playing with the magnets.

Next week…Our sounds will be u/l or sh/th.
Our words will be he/she or they/there.
During maths time our class focus will be skip counting in tens.
On Monday I will be in Wellington for the day on a Thinking Skills workshop and Sam will be teaching in Renwick 3.
Also on Monday we will be celebrating Matariki (Maori New Year) with the children. We are having a shared kai for lunch with the Kowhai syndicate. This will be followed by an afternoon of fun activities.
As cross country has finished we will be focussing on large ball skills until the end of the term. Sam and I are both very impressed with the children’s improvement with passing and catching the balls.
Unfortunately we have had a few nasty bugs roaming about Renwick 3. This seems to be common place throughout the school! We have been taking care to wash and dry our hands properly and to cough/sneeze into our arm. Hopefully we are over the worst of it now.
Have a happy and safe week!

Week 7, Term 2

After a very wet week the sun finally came out for our cross country on Thursday. We all gave our 100% effort and made Neroli and our families very proud! We shared our infectious enthusiasm to cheer on our brothers, sisters and big buddies!

Much to the childrens delight we have three new residents at Nelson Central School! Lachie was first to spot the ducks early one morning. We have been keeping a careful eye on them ever since!



Next week...
Our sounds will be g/o or x/ch.
Our word will be day.
During maths time our class focus will continue to be ordering numbers. Knowing our numbers 1-20 inside out is crucial at this stage. You can easily practice this at home by just using a pack of cards.
On Thursday we have a visit from Sarah Langi. Sarah will be talking to us about Zerowaste in our school. Please come and join us at 2.30pm in Trinity Hall. The talk should be 20-30 minutes. You are then free to take your child home.
Next week we will start preparing for Matariki (Maori New Year) which we will celebrate in Week 9. Further details will follow.
Have a happy and safe week!