Hi everyone,

I hope you've had a great week.

Bits and pieces from the week:

WRITING:
Room 8 have been working hard on producing a piece of published writing about the holidays.  Soon all the published copies will be put into a book format in a clearfile, to become part of our Class Library!!

MATHS:
We have been learning how to collate, display and analyse data during our statistics work, and have been carrying out some interesting surveys to gather the data. Come in and see our favourite balloon and birthday dates pictographs!

Congratulations to Harry Burnard, who has moved up from Stage 3 to Stage 4 in his basic facts test today - nice one, Harry!  Riya Patel is only a few marks away from being on Stage 8 - WOW!!!

READING:
Well done to the people who have been consistently taking home readers and getting their notebooks signed by their parents. This sort of habit will make a big difference to helping the children make progress towards meeting National Standards.  Thanks so much for your support with this, parents!

CLASSROOM HELP:
There will be a big swag of reader books to put away next Monday. If there is anyone able to donate some time towards this job, I would be SO grateful...

SWIMMING SPORTS AND SUMDOG:
Many thanks to the those of you who have organised payment for these already. The swimming is part of the PE Curriculum and a nice way to cap off our swimming module for this term - plus the children LOVE the day!

Sumdog is a wonderful tool that the children use to consolidate basic facts learning, and can be used in the class as well as for practise at home. (again, LOVED by the children!)

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:
Congratulations to Maerin Farrington on winning this for showing consistent kindness to others and huge respect for other people's property. Well done Maerin.

VALUES CARD WINNER: Congratulations to Dylin Hickey for demonstrating the value of Community Participation several times while helping a student stay on task with their work.

Have a lovely weekend...

Weekly Notices (Week 4, Term 1)

Parent Teacher Interviews - Bookings open next week
Bookings for these interviews open this Monday 22nd February and close on Sunday 28th February at 10pm. You can book at www.parentinterviews.co.nz. The code is 3HFUF
Interviews will be held Monday 29th February and Wednesday 1st March. For more information you can click on this link.

Sunhats
Please make sure your child brings their school sunhat everyday in Term 1. Thank you!

School Councillors Notices
Saving Newborn Lives - The Revolutionary LifePod Incubator

This year we are working with our school’s Student Council in an exciting new educational / fundraising initiative. Sir Ray Avery, a recipient of the NZ Order of Merit 2011, is launching a $2 Million global fundraising appeal to produce high-quality affordable baby incubators to be used in Third World hospitals. “The lives of thousands of sick newborn babies in poor countries could be saved with a smart and relatively cheap device,” says its Kiwi inventor, Sir Ray Avery.

On the 3rd of March, we intend to hold a school mufti-day with ‘In-Reverse’ as the fun theme - asking each student to bring a $2 donation. We will also have a cake stall later in the term.

We are also excited to advise that on the 11th of March, Sir Ray Avery will attend the Arahoe School assembly with an incubator to talk to students about his work! We are looking forward to meeting Sir Avery and we encourage you all to participate in the ‘In-Reverse’ mufti-day to help save the lives of sick newborn babies in poor countries with Sir Avery’s revolutionary baby incubators.

By Randal Morris
Ara Tuakana Team Leader

Hi Parents,

Hi Parents,

Here are the basic facts home learning lists as promised, to help your child with their basic facts homework.  Feel free to download, print, use however you see fit.

I've included a basic rundown of how it works:

Basic Facts Homework

Every Friday, students will be tested on their basic facts knowledge in class, along with their weekly spelling test. The goal for each student is to successfully complete their basic facts stage within the allocated time frame, whereby moving up to the next basic facts stage.

Your child has been informed of the current stage they are at in their basic facts, according to the last test they sat at the end of Term 4, 2015.  They have written their stage in their Homework Notebooks.

STAGE 3:  E/CA  (Emergent/Counting All)

STAGE 4: AC  (Advanced Counting)

STAGE 5:  EA  (Early Additive/Part-Whole Calculations)

STAGE 6: AA  (Advanced Additive/Early Multiplicative Calculations)

STAGE 7: AM:  (Advanced Multiplicative Calculations)

 There are 3 different home learning lists for each stage.  These teach the skills required for the student to be successful with their basic facts in class.  In class, students keep track of their progress and success on a graph that is glued in their homework book as indicated by their weekly test.

Please note that for the E and CA lists, they must obtain at least 85% within the time limit to pass.

All other lists must obtain at least 96% within the time limit to pass.

If you click on the lists, you can choose your degrees of enlargement, for ease of use.

  

SWIMMING SPORTS:

Just in case your little cherub forgot to bring home a newsletter about the swimming sports, here is the info about it....

This year Ara Pakeke will be travelling to West Wave Swimming Pool in Henderson for our annual Swimming Sports.  We encourage all students to attend this event which forms part of the Health and Physical Education Curriculum.

Date: Monday 21st March 2016

Time: 9:00am to 2:00pm (at West Wave from 10:00am to 1:00pm)

On the day, your child will need to bring along the following items:

A packed lunch including morning tea, a bottle of water, towel and togs, goggles if needed.  A plastic bag for wet gear and an extra towel can be helpful.  Jandals or sandals are the preferred footwear in the pool area.  All classes will choose a team coloured tee-shirt  to wear on the day.This colour will promote Arahoe’s topic theme of ‘#extraordinary’.   

All children must wear uniform shorts and skorts as usual.

Cost

$6 per child: Non Loyalty Card holders

$5 per child: Loyalty Card holders

Payable by internet banking to account ASB 12-3070-0098609-01

Please state child’s name, room number and what payment is for i.e. swimming.

Please return the form below, with payment included, if not paying by internet banking, to your child’s classroom teacher no later than Tuesday 15th March.

Parental Assistance

As always we request the assistance of parents.  If you are able to help please fill out the form below and return it to your child’s classroom teacher. We are aiming for 5 parents per class, including one parent willing to get into the pool to support less confident swimmers.  This notice will be included in your child’s classroom blog. We encourage all parents to come and support your child during this event and advise that you will need to pay an entrance fee to the pool and find your own transport to Westwave.   

Kind Regards

Ara Pakeke Teachers

Thursday, 18th February...

Hi everybody.

The latest Ara Pakeke newsletter has been published. Please click on the link below to view:
Click here for Ara Pakeke Term 1 Newsletter


*Homework: 
~Reading: Most of the class have been very good at remembering to change their choosing books each morning. Please encourage your child to remember this, as it sets a good routine in place for their home reading, and teaches them to become more self managing.

~Spelling:  We will have our first weekly spelling test tomorrow. Please ensure your child brings their Homework Notebook to school so they can select their list for next week from it.

~Maths: Over the weekend I will be collating and posting  Basic Facts lists on this blog,covering the different stages the children are at.
 We have found using the blogs for this to be much better in terms of cutting down paper use. (If you would specifically like your child's list to be a paper one, please let me know.)
On Friday (19th) they will write down the stage they are on at present (which was determined by the end of year 2015 test) in their Homework Notebooks, and that will be the stage they should start on with their home practise.
The idea is that you can download the list, and use them as you see fit at home. We will have the first basic facts test next Friday (26th Feb).


*Topic: 
 On Tuesday, we were very lucky to have a squidologist come and talk to us at a special assembly!!
He was very entertaining and informative, telling us about the different types of squid and their features, as well as the environment they live in.
This tied in very well with our #happyhealthyhabitat Topic theme, as we will be turning our focus to a healthy habitat on the rocky shore.

Here is a video snippet of his presentation, taken by Cindy Ashford:

http://youtu.be/7_bnDte43Yc

WEEK 3...

Hi everyone, I hope you had a lovely weekend and managed to enjoy some time out in our great summer weather!

Homework:
By now you should have discovered your child's first lot of spelling homework in the deep, dark depths of their schoolbag, along with the odd squashed sandwich and rotten banana...
If you could test your child on these each day, it would be a big help towards them experiencing some success when we have our weekly tests on Fridays.

This week they will also be bringing home a book from the "choosing box" of their reading group, as well as a book on their instructional level after a guided reading session with me(as explained in an earlier blog post).
Please read with them each day and sign the reading log at the front of their homework notebook.

Just a note: even though the book bag was stated as "optional" on the stationery list, upon further discussion in our team, we would respectfully ask that you do include one for your child, as they do seem to prolong the lives of our books, as well as keeping any other homework bits and pieces in one place.
We are sorry if this change has caused an inconvenience. If you have any concerns about this, our team leader Jocelyn Hair is more than happy to discuss it with you.

Basic Facts homework: During this week, I will establish our basic facts homework routine, and keep you posted on how it will work.

Swimming: As this is an odd numbered week, we will be swimming again, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meet The Teacher BBQ:
On Tuesday, we will be having an informal get together at school - please come and say hi!

Week 2.....

Hi everyone, I hope you had a safe, happy holiday weekend.  There were quite a few tired faces this morning, so I guess most of you must have had a REALLY good weekend!

Just a quick note to let you know that basketball coaching will start again TOMORROW (10th Feb) after school, outside the hall, and every Weds after that.

Ed Taylor is running it, and would love to see anyone who is interested, to join in the fun!

WELCOME TO ROOM 8, 2016!!!

                                                                                                                            

Hi everybody, and welcome to a brand new year!  I hope you've had a refreshing summer break, and are amped up to start a new school year.

This year will bring many opportunities for your child to become involved in a whole range of exciting activities/groups that Arahoe School has to offer. 

Your child will also have chances to make new friends, grow in confidence and participate in a wide variety of learning experiences.

I am personally looking forward to seeing those "eureka" moments on the children's faces when they grasp new concepts or skills; particularly if they have been struggling for a while to get there. These have always been a highlight for me, giving me a great sense of personal satisfaction as I am reminded of why I am here.

A little about me...

I graduated from the Auckland College of Education in 1989, with a Diploma of Education.

From there I started my teaching career at Waikowhai Intermediate, where I continued to teach until I had my second child. I decided at that stage to take a break to focus on my family (3 children altogether) and devote my energies to their emerging years. 

During this time, my eldest son was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome. It was a great shock and I was plunged into a different mindset, as I had to learn to see (and hear) the world through his eyes.

I believe that in the "big picture" it was a blessing, as he has taught me how amazing these people are. They DO see and interpret things differently to us, highlighting aspects of life that we take for granted, as we are taught to see through THEIR lens.

They are all big lumps now, ranging in age from 22 to 16, but I remember their days at Arahoe like it was yesterday.

 

I have been part of the furniture at Arahoe School for the last 11 years, taking up relieving when my youngest child started in 2004. I combined relieving with part time study to complete my Bachelor of Education degree, and have now been fortunate enough to win a permanent position here.

When I'm not doing school related things, I enjoy camping, swimming, bushwalking, gardening, and baking with the stereo turned up really loud! I also have a geekish fascination with aviation.

Enough about me...

Reminders:

*Just a reminder that our swimming days are TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY.

*Our library day is WEDNESDAY.

*Parent help: From time to time there will be little jobs that need doing around the class, such as pencil sharpening, glueing, putting home readers away in the resource room, etc. I will make a sign to go in the window by the door, on which the jobs will be listed. Please let me know if you would be able to assist with any of them - thanks!!

*Homework: On Friday of Week 2 we will get our homework routine rolling, with your child bringing home their Homework Notebook. It will contain spelling words and basic facts geared to the level they finished on at the end of last year, to start with. Then I will tweak any lists they are on, according to results that come back after testing.  So it will be testing and new lists (if appropriate) on FRIDAYS.

I will be beginning to group your child into Reading groups in Week 2 also, again initially based on levels from the end of last year, with changes being made as assessments are done.

Home Reading:

PLEASE support your child when they start bringing books home to read. It can make a BIG difference.

 There is a ruled section at the front of their Homework Notebook (thanks Helen!!) in which the book names are written. If you would like to comment or give feedback, you are welcome, then please sign to say you have read with your child. When you see the ruled page is about to run out, it would be SO helpful if you could rule up the next pages please - thanks!

 They will be bringing home a book from a choosing box each day, containing books at one level lower than their instructional level. This is to maintain reading mileage and keep up confidence levels - home reading shouldn't be a battle; it should be an enjoyable sharing experience between both parties, as that is when more learning is likely to occur.

At school they read at their instructional level (where they're "at") when doing guided reading with either myself or a literacy support person. When their group has a session with me, they will also bring home a book from that day, which they can keep in their book bags for a week, and practise along with their "easier" book. (They get a fresh instructional book next time I have their group.) 

I will do periodic assessments of them to see if they have shifted levels.

I hope this hasn't been too "wordy" for you parents; I would just like to keep you as informed as possible , so we can work as a team for the benefit of your child.

I will fill you in as more info comes to hand!

Kind Regards,

Christina de Jong.