I hope you all had a relaxing Easter break and managed to get out and enjoy the fantastic weather Mother Nature provided. It's hard to believe that Term 1 has come and gone and we are now full swing into Term 2!
All the teachers in the Senior School were extremely pleased with the start of 2013. We have also been very impressed with the attitude of the students in Year 7/8, particularly throughout our leadership selection process. It was excellent to see so many individuals step up to the challenge of a leadership role, their positive attitude and strong work ethic is a credit to them!
Thanks to all of you who came to meet us during the final week of Term 1 to discuss your child’s progress and learning goals. It was great that so many students attended these meetings and were able to articulate to you their strengths and weaknesses. It was really great to celebrate the hard work the students put in to producing their outstanding newspapers. All this is helpful in creating a positive, safe learning environment for your child to thrive in.
As mentioned in last terms newsletter, Year 7/8 students are now creating their portfolio of work samples online in a blog format. This has been a challenging task for many as it has required learning a range of I.T skills. Towards the middle of the term, these blogs will be ready to be viewed by you! We will let you know when they go live. In the meantime, your child will continue adding samples of work to their learning log as they complete them throughout this term.
Term 2 is set to be a busy one with a heavy classroom programme planned. Below is a run down of what your child will be focusing on.
Inquiry.
We have a science focus for this term where we will be looking at The Living World. Our Big Ideas are:
- Living things depend on one another and on the non-living environment in which they live.
- Changes in any element of the living or non-living environment may affect the relationship between living things and lessen or improve chances of some species surviving.
This unit will focus on a variety of eco-systems and identify the consequences of a particular species becoming extinct within it. There will be a lot of hands-on tasks through this scientific investigation.
Writing.
Our major writing focus will be explanation writing where we will be learning to explain in detail how or why things happen. This genre integrates nicely into our Inquiry unit. Our other writing focus is speech writing. Students will be required to research, prepare and deliver an oral presentation to their class during Week 6. Their speech must be 3-5 minutes long. We have already started looking at speeches in class but the majority of the preparation will be completed at homework through our homework programme. Your child will be guided through the preparation process each week and given specific deadlines to ensure they are ready to present during week 6.
Mathematics.
We are continuing with cross grouping this term which occurs four days a week. On Fridays students will be working in their own class focusing on problem solving. We start the term with an Algebra unit; focusing on patterns, finding rules and using graphs and tables to describe linear relationships found in number and spatial patterns. Later in the term we move into Number, focusing on the four operations. The 'Mathletics' programme is proving a success throughout the school. Each child should have their login details in their homework books and their maths teacher is regularly assigning them tasks to complete each week. The tasks that are set by the teachers relate to work that is happening in the classroom so it provides you with a useful platform for seeing what your child is working on in the class.
The Arts.
In the first week of this term we have concentrated on visual arts, where we have been focusing on observational drawing and learning how to draw objects three dimensionally.
Last term we started our first Arts Rotation where the students had five weeks specializing in either Visual Arts, Drama, Movie Making or Kapa Haka. There are some outstanding pieces of work produced through this programme and they will soon be available to view on your child’s blog. Our second cycle will commence in Week 6.
Physical Education.
The start of the term is focusing on training for our annual school cross country which is scheduled for Tuesday the 21st of May at Williams Park. Training for this event is happening every morning so please ensure your child comes to school with appropriate clothing and footwear. Our top runners will be selected to represent Muritai at the annual HRSA Cross Country later in the term. Later in the term we will be focusing on games involving large balls. Our sport rotation programme will continue on Wednesday afternoons from week 3.
Other things to note...
Homework:
Due to the amount of work that will be required from the students for their speech, this will be the major focus for homework this term. They will have several deadlines to meet throughout the term which they will be regularly reminded of. They will still need to read for at least 15 minutes every night plus complete their mathletics tasks set by their maths teacher. We understand that our students lead very busy lives so please let us know if your child is unable to complete their homework for the week.
Wet Weather:
With the winter months fast approaching, many of us start to get a bit hairy being stuck indoors all day! Wet lunchtimes can often be difficult so we welcome students bringing to school indoor games, such as board games or cards.
Raffle Draw:
This term we have re-introduced our raffle draw to the Senior School. Students receive raffle tickets if they have shown positive behaviour or outstanding effort throughout the school day. Each fortnight during our Team Assembly we draw 16 names out of the hat and reward them with prizes. These prizes include free time vouchers, a week off homework, lunch passes to the village and chocolate bars. This is a great way of reinforcing positive behaviour, celebrating hard work and improving motivation!
Cell Phones:
We understand students may require the use of cell phones before or after school, so they are permitted at school, but they are not to be used during school time. If students bring their valuables to school they are responsible for them and need to keep them in their bags. Our advice is to keep them at home.
Finally if you have any concerns or questions regarding our classroom programme or your child's learning, please don't hesitate to make contact with us. Feel free to pop in before or after school or the easiest way to touch base with us is via email:
Melissa: coton@muritai.school.nz
Lisa: allen@muritai.school.nz
Stu: devenport@muritai.school.nz
Thank you again for your support,
Stu Devenport
Associate Principal
