WELCOME
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all those students and their families who have joined the Middle School this term. This is going to be a busy and exciting term.
Please do not hesitate to contact the school if there is an issue or problem at school or at home. Our email addresses can be accessed on the school website – go to ‘Our People’ and then ‘Our Staff’ to find the teacher you wish to contact.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Uniforms
All students are expected to wear the correct uniform items every day. This term the winter uniform is to be worn. This includes a school shirt and culottes for girls, and black shoes for all students. Please remember that shoes are to be black and be suitable to run and play in.
Students are also reminded that they are expected to wear the correct uniform for sport and PE. They are to wear school uniform to and from school and then get changed at school into their blue shorts, sports t-shirt and suitable footwear.
PE
All students have a PE lesson with Mrs Trotter on Thursday. On Tuesday the students will be involved in a sports and arts rotation where they will take part in gymnastics, sports games or dance. PE is part of the school curriculum and it is important that your child brings their sports uniform on each of these days. Mrs Trotter has asked that the students wear sports shoes for their PE session.
Home Learning
Throughout this term the students have been reading a variety of texts that range from non fiction information reports, recounts and narratives, and weekly poems. The children have been learning to use comprehension strategies to help them to read a wide range of texts and to gain meaning from these texts. They have also been encouraged to issue books from the library that they enjoy reading. For some these will be simple picture books, for others they will be graphic novels or early chapter books. There are books available in the classrooms that the children can choose to take home to read as extra reading.
Reading is a very important part of their home learning each week and they are asked to read each night. This could be a chapter from a novel, a book given by their teacher, a book from the library, or from a box in their classroom.
When your child brings a reader home from school this will usually be the reader that is being read during guided reading with the teacher. In class the children will have been learning to think critically about this text and complete follow up activities that include such things as making comparisons with other texts, learning to summarise, making inferences, identifying plot, settings and characters and retelling the text to include many details. In class, this book is usually read over more than one day and in the case of books with chapters, the book might be read over the week.
We would be grateful if you would listen to your child read the text more than once at home. This helps deepen their understanding of the story. As part of their reading at home you could ask them to talk to you about what they have read, ask some questions about the text, and ask them what they are learning about in class.
Your child will also enjoy and benefit from listening to an adult read to them. By listening to stories read aloud, children learn about book language and can gain ideas about how print works.
Please come and talk with your child’s teacher if you would like to find out more about the reading we do in Year 3 and 4.
Term One Highlights
Class Treaties
During the first few weeks of the term classes worked on preparing treaties outlining the expectations for behaviour and relationships in the class. The classes presented and shared their class treaties with each other at their assembly. The treaties are displayed in the classroom for all to see.
Mangrove and Wetland Inquiry
Last term the Middle School classes visited Wakaaranga Estuary to find out more about the mangrove and wetland communities. We were very impressed with the behaviour and the way the students were engaged in their learning all day. The learning over the term culminated in presenting information reports in posters, videos, and google slide presentations. You can see the work the students have done on classroom walls, on iPads where they have made presentations, and in their google docs.
Here are some photos of the students presenting their information reports to other classes.
TERM 2 FOCUS
Inquiry Focus
This term Middle School students will be conducting an inquiry unit called “Welcome Home”. We are inquiring into personal migration histories, migration specific to NZ (past and present) and reasons for people to migrate.
We will be learning to devise questions that will be used in interviews, and using e-learning tools to present information about our migration stories. To support our unit of inquiry, all Middle School classes will be visiting the Maritime Museum during Week 6. Year 3 on the 6th June and Year 4 on the 7th June. The day will include sessions with an Educator, and a self-guided tour through the museum. We will require parents to help with this trip. Further details of the day’s plan will be sent out at a later date.
If you are able to assist on this trip please complete the ‘Parent Help’ section at the bottom of this newsletter.
Throughout the term, our focus in Maths will involve learning about multiplication and division, map reading and orientation. In Literacy we will focus on recount writing, asking questions for interviews and explanations.
STOMP
On Tuesday 3rd of July BBPS will host a STOMP dance show in the hall for all of the BBPS students. The show is free and is an interactive show, where students participate in a dance lesson and are taught a fun, energetic dance routine. There will be a separate lesson for each year group.
Grandparents’ Day
We would love our children’s grandparent(s) to visit the school on the 28th May. More details will follow. Please ask your child’s grandparents to put this day in their diary.
Author Visit
On the 25 June we are fortunate to have John Carr, a published author, come to school to talk to the students and take workshops with some of our writers. The cost of this visit is $1.00 per child.
3-Way Conferences
In Week 10 of this term all students will have a chance to share their learning with their families and whanau through a 3-way conference. There will be further communication about this later in the term. The days will be Wednesday, 4 July and Thursday 5 July. Online bookings will be done closer to the time.
A written report will go out to each student in week 10, 2 July.
Important dates for this term:
- Week 2, 9 May – Choir Festival rehearsal. 1 – 3pm
- 18 May – Pink Shirt Day
- Week 6, 4 June – Queen’s Birthday (School is closed)
- Week 6, Maritime Museum trip. Year 3: 6 June, Year 4: 7 June.
- 7 – 10 June – PTA Ice skating fundraiser.
- Week 7, 15 June – Matariki Whanau Day
- Week 8, 15 – 22 June – Matariki
- 20 June – Choir Festival rehearsal. 1 – 3pm
- Week 9, 25 June – visiting author
- Week 9, 29 June – school cross country
- Week 10, 2 July – Reports go home
- Week 10, 3 July – STOMP dance lessons
- Week 10, 4 and 5 July – Parent Conferences
- 6 July – Last day of term. School finishes at 3pm
Paying Online
All payments for trips etc can be made online. Go to the school website, click on Parents, select “Parent Shop” and pay on “Kindo”.
Author visit $1.00
The cost for each child for admission and transport by bus for the Maritime Museum trip is $15.00.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Parent Helpers
I would be interested in being a parent helper on the trip to the Maritime Museum.
Year 3 – 6th June
Year 4 – 7th June
Child’s Name _____________________________________ Room No. _______
Parent’s name __________________________________
Contact Phone number ____________________________
Recent Comments