Blog catch up...

Boy oh boy, I am not a seasoned blogger!

Never mind, here we go...

So far this term, we have been swimming at the Parnell Baths, and experienced wearing life jackets - cold and wet but very bouyant!  Some of us even went in the big pool to jump off the diving board!  Walking down through the cemetery was lovely, such a gorgeous view.

 

We have also been to the art gallery, where we looked at landscapes, and we have been learning about specific techniques like overlapping, perspective and colour changes to show depth. 
It was fun, and amazing too! - Ella and Mia-Rose.
We also went to see the flowers in Albert Park - Dreo.
For our art we different coloured stripes like Gretchen Albrecht - Harrison.

We are drawing our own landscapes at school, where we will be applying what we have discovered to our own art works.  Painting our own houses will be interesting too.

 

Next week we are holding the first of our triadic conferences.  I will meet with you and your child to discuss progress and achievement twice throughout this year. 
Thanks, Ms Werder and Room 1.

Data

We like ice cream and chocolate the most!

What do we like the next best?

Welcome back

Welcome back to school Room 2
Mrs Cooper is really looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday.

Hello readers!

Here in Room 1, we have been reading many fairy tales.  Lucky us, Ms Werder is a bit 'old school', and has brought in her record player and her fairy tales on vinyl from the seventies!  We listened to The Snow Queen, and drew as we listened.  The music and story telling is quite funny to hear - very different to what the children watch on DVD now.

We will be testing our knowledge of fairy tales and nursery rhymes on Thursday and Friday this week.  Please continue to gain sponsorship, as the Literature-athon is a major fundraiser for the year.

Jump Jam started today for fitness... the smiles on the children's faces said it all.

This Wednesday is a conferencing day for many students.  Please check you have booked your time to come and talk about your child's development and experiences this year.  It is a great opportunity to speak with the student, teacher and parents.

Below is a sneak preview of the greetings mural.  Many students from Room 1 come on Fridays during lunch time to paint.  These murals will be displayed on the new building when it is completed.

 

Until next time, take care and enjoy the sunshine.

Ms Werder.

Happy holidays!

Hello everyone, I hope your holidays are going nicely. 

As mentioned in the last post, I would look at mathletics in the break, and move some children in to the next curriculum level next term. 

I have decided not to wait, and have moved some children who are working at that level into that group today.  All points and credits stay with the children, and they will continue to accumulate skills the more they practice.

Enjoy reading and learning about the nursery rhymes and the fairy tales the children took home on the last day of school.

See you next term!
Gretchen Werder.

maths and art...

Hello everyone!

Room 1 was lucky to be one of three classes who met last week with Brendan, the Australian Regional Manager of Mathletics.  We had a great lesson, ensuring we were getting the most out of the programme and that we were on track with our goals.  As a result, I have altered the programme that Room 1 children were on, and opened up all the available activities and experiences for the New Zealand Level 1 Curriculum.  There is a greater range covering many number and strand topics.  Please have a look during the holidays, and I will monitor and see how everyone is going. 

The way each activity works is quite involved, as it turns out.  Each activity has three levels of difficulty within it.  If you get answers incorrect, the programme automatically changes to the easier level.  If you get all questions correct the first time, you are doing well at that level.  If the questions are tricky at number 7 or 8, you have moved in to the most difficult level of that topic.  When the topic is repeated, the aim is to improve on your last score.  You get credits for improvement, which can be spent on upgrading your hair style...  You get points for completing tasks, which go toward gaining a certificate.

I will move some children in to the New Zealand Level 2 Curriculum programme in the beginning of term 4.  Remember, if it is tricky to click on the question mark on the left of the screen, which will provide teaching strategies to solve the problem.  Good luck and happy maths to you all!

On another note, the clay tiles the children made earlier based on the koru motif have been fired and tinted with red iron oxide.  They look awesome, and I endeavour to get photos of these up shortly.  There is great debate on whether the children should take them home, or gift to the school as a permanent art work.   Have a look in class.

Have a lovely holiday with your families, and I look forward to one more term of investigation and learning - fairy tales is our next focus, so explore the local library or your bookshelves at home for them!

Thanks, Gretchen Werder.

Hello everyone!
The kids have been doing many interesting things and learning many new facts, despite the fact that none of them have gone on this blog!
We have been learning Te Reo and Tikanga Maori, and in the process have been to Orakei Marae, had lessons with Whaea Celes, and studied Maori symbols.  Our art for the symbols we chose have been displayed in the library, and look fantastic. 

The children also made their own pounamu taonga of their chosen symbol...  This was made from Dukit, a modelling clay that is heat set. 

These have been worn with pride at school, and some families have followed this up by making items at home with Dukit.  Lots of fun, and great for fine motor skill development, and moving from 2D to 3D art.

Each Friday our buddy class tests spelling, often giving time for reading and maths as well.  The children enjoy spending time with the older students, and worked well together recently when they made thank you cards for volunteer assistants who helped the Olympic day on the Queen Victoria site.

Museum trip tomorrow, it will be fabulous to by guided through the journey the Maori took to arrive in Aotearoa, and to look at the other galleries.  We are so lucky to have such an internationally acclaimed resource in our 'backyard'.

Until next time, which hopefully won't be too far away...
Gretchen Werder and Room 1.









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