Relationships – Whanaungatanga, Resilience – Manawaroa,
Respect – Manaakitanga, Responsibility – Tiaki
A community of agile and collaborative learners – Proud of who we are, empowered to make a difference
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all those students and their families who have joined the Middle School this past term.
MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHING STAFF
Team leader and Room 12 Debbie Rist Year 4 debbie@bbps.school.nz
Room 13 Philip Duncan Year 4 p.duncan@bbps.school.nz
Room 14 Jacinta Howie Year 4 jacinta@bbps.school.nz
Room 15 Anushka Patel Year 3 a.patel@bbps.school.nz
Room 16 Marlene Jackson Year 3 marlene@bbps.school.nz
Room 17 Samantha Millar Year 3 s.millar@bbps.school.nz
PE this term
This term the Middle school students will continue with Mrs Trotter for P.E., dance and drama on Wednesdays. Year 3 – odd weeks of the term. Year 4 – even weeks of the term.
On Tuesdays all of the students will take part in a sports afternoon. For the first 5 weeks we will focus on small and large ball skills and team games. From week 6 the students will take part in gymnastics, continuing with ball skills as weather permits. Later in the term we will begin training for cross country which will be held early in term three.
Please help your child to remember their PE shirt and a pair of suitable shorts on Tuesday and on their PE day. Students are to arrive at school in their school uniform and get changed into their PE gear once at school, depending on the time of their lesson. Shoes are to be worn during PE.
Home Learning
Students are asked to complete home learning on a regular weekly basis. Home learning encourages the development of good study skills and habits, will provide opportunities for parents to have a sharing time with their children, and will help students to develop responsibility for their own learning.
For Year 3 and 4 children, up to 20 minutes Monday – Thursday is sufficient. In the Middle School, home learning will be set weekly. Home learning will usually consist of daily reading, learning of spelling words and rules, and maths problem solving or investigation. These skills support the writing, reading and maths programmes within the classes.
Your child may bring home the same book for more than one night depending on your child’s reading needs or the learning focus within the classroom. School readers and journals are to be returned to school each day as they are necessary for your child’s reading programme to continue, and are to be returned before a new one is issued.
From time to time teachers will set additional tasks to be completed and these tasks will be explained in the Home Learning book.
Book bags / library bags are to be used to transport readers and library books to and from school and the library. Please take the time to read to or with your child on a daily basis. Reread the class readers with your child, read books from the library or read a book from your own collection. Make it a regular and fun time.
On Fridays, instead of the reader, children will bring home their poem book which will need to be returned to school the following Monday. (Individual classes may have some variation to this procedure.)
Maths home learning will include activities such as number investigations, problem solving, or practising and using strategies that support the classroom programme. The website https://nzmaths.co.nz/families-and-whanau has some very helpful and valuable support and activities for families.
Project Based Learning
This term the Middle School classes will be working on our Project Based Learning Inquiry of Planet Earth and Beyond.
We will be looking at sharing ideas and observations about the Sun and the Moon and their physical effects on the heat and light available to Earth. We will investigate the components of the solar system, developing an appreciation of the distances between them. This inquiry is for the whole term and will include many areas of the curriculum.
If you have any expertise or interest that you would be happy to share with us, we’d love to hear from you.
Kapa Haka and Singing
This term we are excited to give the children the opportunity to take part in Kapa Haka or in singing as a large group. Mr Duncan, Mrs Howie and Mrs Patel from the middle school, and Mr Chamberlain and Miss Redpath from the senior school will lead the singing. Mrs Rist, Mrs Jackson and Miss Millar from the middle school, and Mrs McIntosh, Ms Jochimsen, Mrs Millenchip and Mrs Chilvers from the senior school will lead Kapa Haka.
Please remember that we see every child as an important member of our class, team and school, so please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or the Middle School team leader Mrs Rist with any queries or concerns.
We look forward to a happy, exciting term.
Regards,
Debbie Rist & the Middle School Teachers
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