Notices from the classroom

Please help us!

 Dear Parents

Our class is participating in the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge. It's a fun virtual adventure around the globe, led by rugby star Cory Jane and his special guests. We all create our own little avatars and each child will receive a free pedometer to count steps in the real world that will move our team around the online race track. As our steps move us to a new destination, we see a video of our class of avatars exploring with Cory and getting some healthy tips too.

We need your help too! We'd love you to get involved so you can support and encourage your child to get moving more often and help us get more entries into the draw to win one of 20 $1000 AIA sporting grants for our school and one of 50 Huawei tablets for our classrooms. Simply join the Parents Class Team and count your steps to help move your team around the same course as the kids. Race against other parents teams, get active with your child and have some fun along the way.

Click this link: https://register.healthykids.kiwi/SetupParent1.aspx?team_id=8688&checksum=D1137777230CA587B064B7A6D18377B6

You will get an email confirming your place and letting you know what to do next. To find out more go tohttps://www.healthykids.kiwi and read the Parents section of the website.

Kind regards,

Joanne Northover

	Rangitoto Team              Term 2, 2016 Joanne Northover (Team Leader)   - Room 15, Year 2         jnorthover@torbay.school.nz Jenny Southward - Room 16, Year 2                                  jsouthward@torbay.school.nz Sarah Kilkolly - Room 16, Year 2 & 3                                 skilkolly@torbay.school.nz Ingrid Cooper – Room 18, Year 2                                       icooper@torbay.school.nz
Welcome back to term2, We hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable April holiday. Rangitoto Team have planned another interesting range of topics this term. Classrooms are very busy places, if you are able to help in any way, please contact your child’s teacher.  Jobs may include putting away books, listening to reading, supporting writing, helping with other learning or sharpening pencils or cleaning the tables.  Perhaps you would prefer to do jobs at home.  Any help is appreciated!  If you are going to support learners and teachers in class, please send an email to the teacher so you can complete our Health and Safety training session. ☺
We are learning to show C.A.R.E. Commitment Aroha Respect/Responsibility Excellence               Commitment to learning – at school and at home Aroha – caring for ourselves, others and the environment. Respect – showing respect to myself, others and the environment. Responsibility – being responsible for myself, my actions, my belongings and my environment. Excellence – always aim for excellence in learning, achieving and behaviour. USE YOUR WITS Walk away Ignore them Tell someone Say how you feel		Optimising Learning Brain Food - Keep bringing brain food, as most children need to eat regular snacks.  Reminder, brain food snacks must be small bite size pieces of pre-cut fruit and vegetables, nuts, dried fruit, plain unsalted popcorn.  Brain food needs to be in named small sealed containers or re-sealable plastic bags in the classroom before the 8.55am bell each morning.  If your child is bringing whole fruit and other food they will be asked to put it away until morning tea time.    Water - Water is very important.  Please ensure your child has a named water bottle.  If your child has a named water bottle in their bag and one in the classroom, that is fantastic but not essential.  It does help stop children entering classes during break times.       Homework – Thank you to those who support and share learning at home through our homework grid.  Many ask if we are short of time, what is most important.  The answer is reading, spelling and Maths basic facts.  Please ensure readers come back to school everyday as we need them for follow up tasks.  Please support your child to learn spelling words for tests on Friday and words from essential word lists in homework books.    Learning in Rangitoto Team for Term 2 This term, the big idea behind all our learning is  Journey through Science All areas of learning are planned to challenge children at their individual ability.  To do this more efficiently, children who are at similar levels, are grouped together.  This method allows teachers to spend time with individuals and small groups, providing more focused teaching on children’s needs.   Mathematics    -   Addition, subtraction, early multiplication, fractions    Writing              -   Recount and reports   Reading             -   Reading skills, fluency, retelling and understanding Oral Language  -   Speaking and listening to others P.E.                     -   Cross country training and ball & movement skills through                                invasion skills.     Science &               Physical world based on sound Technology &       Sound - making, listening  and creating sound.   Visual Art              Te Reo                -  Matariki Music & Dance -   Listening to and creating music.  Move to music (dance) Culture Club      - Opportunities to explore other cultures through dance, song and music.
Important Dates….. 11th May - Rhythm Interactive Show within school hours for children. 16th May - Road Safety Week 17th May - Science in a Van show within school hours for children. 19th May - Rangitoto Team presents our school assembly - all children will participate. 2oth May - Teacher Only Day - school closed for children 27th May - Road Safety- Buckle up Programme for Rangitoto Team                    Torbay School Disco			Class sites Check out class sites and blogs by clicking on www.torbay.school.nz  class sites and selecting your childs class.
Maths Matters - How can you help at home? Think of ways to make Maths fun - you want your child to learn how pleasurable maths can be. Children are learning that Maths is everywhere within their environments.  They come across it in their everyday lives and often don’t make the connection to Maths. It's also important to show how we use Maths skills in our everyday lives and to involve your child in this.     Puzzles, games, and solving problems are a great way to start.  Identifying problems and solving them can also help your child develop maths skills. If you see him or her puzzling over something, talk about the problem and try to work out the solution together. Don't shy away from maths if you didn’t like it at school. Try to find new ways to enjoy the subject with your child.     Here are some ideas to help support your child’s learning at home and during car journeys. Point out the different shapes to be found around your home.  Encourage children to find and describe them.  Play I spy.  I spy a shape with four corners. Take your child shopping and talk about the quantities of anything you buy. Count objects (cutlery, books, toys, pegs, other objects around home). Let your child handle money and work out how much things cost. Look together for numbers on street signs and car registration plates. Add the numbers together from number plates. Pose problems and challenge your child to solve them. Count forwards and backwards.  First to 10, then 20 and next 100. Skip counting – support forwards and backwards counting in, 2’s, 5’s, 10’s to and from 100. This will support times tables. Skip count using the letter boxes on a walk – ask what the next number will be Board games – counting on from a number and landing on a new square.  Ask your child to predict what number they will land on before counting. Math quiz or scavenger hunt (find 12 round rocks and 4 white shells – How many things did you find altogether.)
Supporting your child with their reading Read to your child. Before you begin a new book, look at the front cover and predict what the story might be about.   Look at the pictures and talk about them and talk about the story.   Ask questions about the text. Ask children to retell the text in their own words, encourage them to begin at the beginning, then retell the middle and end.   Read with your children – sharing the reading, taking turns especially if the text is tricky. Read a serial chapter book - build excitement about reading by reading a chapter each day. Listen to your child read to you, a sibling, pets or cuddly toys. Visit the library – read a wide variety of  books and texts, including fiction and nonfiction. Read and follow instructions. We Love Reading!

Term 1, 2016

Warmest Welcome to Room 15.

I am your child’s teacher this year.  I have been teaching for 11 years, across Years 2 to 4.  I live in Red Beach with my husband Paul and our children Sarah (age 24) a Nanny and Swimming Instructor and Timothy (age 19) who is taking a year off university to release and promote an album with his band.  We enjoy boating, camping, movies, music and shows while spending time with friends and family.  

In the first few weeks, we will be adjusting to new routines and getting to know each other.  It is an exciting time and we are looking forward to a very busy and exciting learning year.  It is a good idea to ensure that your child gets to school around fifteen minutes before the 8.55am bell as this gives them time to settle in.  If you are here before 8.30, please wait outside the class until 8.30am.  Thank you for waiting away from classes and deck areas after school, as this supports classroom routines and reduces distractions and noise levels.   

Please encourage your child to come into class after hanging up their school bag to put their brain food on their table, their water bottle on the shelves and book bag away correctly.  

Please help us by clearly naming all uniform, swim gear, shoes, brain food containers, lunch boxes and water bottles.  Hats are required every day in Terms 1 & 4 and will be kept in their school bags.  If children do not have a hat they will be playing in shaded areas.  

I encourage a positive, fun and inviting learning environment.  We cover all NZ curriculum learning areas throughout the year.  We also learn responsibility and skills to become more independent.  Please allow your child to pack their own school bag and retrieve their belongings.  We also learn about communication, relationships, making and caring for friends and how to solve problems we come up against.  This is supported by our school C.A.R.E values and W.I.T.S. programme.  

Room 15 is a year two class and your child will be learning at their ability level. Parents, please let me know if you require information or have concerns.  I am available most mornings for a quick chat or we can set up a time to talk.  I would appreciate everyone forwarding me a Hi” email so I can collate a class list of email addresses as this is the quickest way to respond to a question or give you an update.

Later in the term, when classroom routines and expectations are established, I will welcome parent classroom helpers.  If you are able to put away readers please let me know, this is very appreciated.  Please read the notes on the homework sheets for support requests.  If you are unable to help in the class but would like to do small jobs at home then this is always appreciated.

New swimming timetables will be going in homework books and on our class blog soon.  In the mean time please keep sending swim gear everyday except for Tuesdays.  Our blog is available through Torbay School website.  I frequently share photos and information of what has been happening in the classroom on our blog.     

If you have any questions or concerns, you can also email me jnorthover@torbay.school.nz

I am looking forward to an exciting and adventurous learning journey with your children.

Kind regards,

Joanne Northover

jnorthover@torbay.school.nz