Welcome to Room 14

Room 14 Newsletter Term 1 2016

‘He waka eke noa’

We are all in this waka together

Dear Students, Whanau and Parents

Kia ora and welcome back to school after a wonderful Christmas break.  I hope you’ve had a lovely holiday and are eager to be back at school. I have put together this newsletter to provide you with some key information about what’s happening in Room 14 this term and across Team Kahikatea. 

For those of you who don’t already know me, my name is Lesley Kennedy and I have been working here at Carterton School since 2008.   I have worked throughout the school at most levels however I especially enjoy working with our most senior students, preparing them for college.  I am currently the staff trustee for our school Board and I am Team Leader for our Team. 

Team Kahikatea

Our team this year consists of me [Lesley Kennedy] in Room 14 with 26 - Year 7 and 8 students, Melanie MacGregor in Room 13 with 25 - Year 6 and 7 students, James Church in Room 12 with 25 Year 6, 7 and 7 students and Raewyn Harnden in Room 11 with 27 -Year 6 and 5 students.  We are fortunate to have such a variety of skills and knowledge within our team which will benefit all of our students as we prepare them for their senior years and moving onto college.  We all have high expectations for our students so they can all be the best they can be.

Stationery

You would have received our class stationery list and the packs are available from the Room 7.  If you do not require all of the stationery, just cross off those items.  The list also has our other costs such as Technology.

Swimming

Team Kahikatea’s swimming blocks are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1:30pm—2:45pm from Week One to Week Six.  Remember that togs, towel and sensible walking shoes will be needed on these days as we are walking there and back.  Our school swimming sports are being held on Wednesday February 18th and those who qualify will go on to participate in the South Wairarapa Swimming Sports.  You are more than welcome to attend these swimming events.  We will also be having our school Triathlon and more on this will follow.

 Team Sleep Over and Whanau get – together

We will have a team sleep over on the 10^th March followed by our Big Day Out in Masterton on the 11^th of March.  This is an informal whanau get together and a chance for our Team to get to know each other in a fun way.  Everyone is welcome to come along and join in with fun games and a chance to have a chat with your child’s teacher.  Further information on times, venues, cost and parent support will be following very soon.

Term Inquiry

Curiosity is the title of the Term One inquiry topic with a Science focus.  This inquiry topic is about developing our curiosity for learning.  We will be integrating this theme across all curriculum areas and include the Treaty of Waitangi and ANZAC as part of this inquiry. 

Younger Buddy Classes

This year Room 13 and 14 are joining together to be buddy classes with Room 9 and Room 10.  We are calling this session Tuakana/Teina (Big kids helping little kids).  We will read, write and develop friendships with our buddies every Friday before lunch for about 20 minutes.  This helps our older students develop leadership skills and gives the younger children great role models and a sense of belonging. 

Technology at Makoura  College  - Designcraft

Year 7 and 8 students attend technology sessions at Makoura College (Masterton) every Tuesday, during the morning session beginning in Week 2.  They all travel by bus to Makoura College and are taught by the Technology teachers there. The Technology sessions at Makoura cost $80 for the year and this cost is already added onto your stationery list.  This cost is for materials only as Carterton School covers the teaching costs from Makoura.  If you are unable to pay this in full, you can make part payments.  This can be paid to the office or by automatic payment. If the fee is not paid, then your child will not be able to take home anything they make at Technology.  The stationery needed for Technology is also on the Stationery List. 

Please be aware that students are required to wear covered shoes at Technology for safety reasons. If they do not have the suitable footwear, they are not permitted to attend the session and will remain at school.   We have spoken to the students about these points and we trust they will take responsibility for themselves. 

Homework and Communications to whanau

Homework will be given every week on a Monday and be expected to be returned by the following Monday.  Your child has a communications book that will be brought home regularly with information from school to home.  Please remind your child to keep you informed of what is happening at school plus anything else you need to know about.

We will be working on Google docs again this year using Chrome books in all our teams’ classes.  This means that your child will be working most of the time on a computer and you will be able to access your child’s work from home.  There will be times however when we will still use pen and paper, plus your child will have their ‘Taonga Book’  to share with you.

Please remember that we are a ‘Sunsmart’ school and all students are expected to wear a wide brimmed hat in Terms 1 and 4. 

Lastly, please feel free to pop into class at any time throughout the day as we have an open door policy here at Carterton School. Remember that both Room 13 and 14 are in the hall until the renovations are completed and we are working together to provide your child with excellent learning opportunities across our team.  If you would like to catch up with me on a one to one basis you can email me here at school lkennedy@carterton.school.nz or leave a message for me to phone you back.  I’m happy to give out my cell number if you need to text me for any reason, so just ask me for that.  Also if there is anything you are not sure about, just let me know.

Regards

Lesley Kennedy