Monday 20 February 2017

Mathematics and Literacy Links


Hi everyone, below are links to some Sunnyhills Literacy and Mathematics information and sites that you may find useful. Thanks.

Literacy

Mathematics

Wednesday 15 February 2017

Reading activities

Hi everyone, the first website below is a reading activity site. Please look through and use whichever ones appeal. The second website is great for children with learning needs.

I hope these are beneficial for you. Leanne.

https://www.education.com/activity/third-grade/ela/reading/

Handy Apps for Learning needs

Tuesday 14 February 2017

Fill a Bucket

Hi everyone, I introduced a book yesterday called Fill a Bucket. It is about how we all have imaginary buckets that we walk around with. If someone is nice and gives you a compliment, it fills your bucket. If we smile or make someone laugh, we fill their bucket and our own bucket.
We have our "buckets" up on the wall and are starting to fill them. Please talk to your children and get them to explain to you what they will do to fill a bucket not only at school but at home as well.



Friday 10 February 2017

Nice to meet you all

Hi everyone, it was great to see so many of you last night. I hope my chat was useful and managed to answer your questions. Below is the link to the "sounds" individual letters make. If you click on each letter of the alphabet it will give you an example and the sound.

http://www.multilit.com/help/toolbox/single-sounds-demonstration/


Please find below the notes from last night. I hope you have a great weekend.

Leanne.

2017 Meet the teacher notes

Hi I hope to answer most of your questions in my little spiel now. If I don’t you are more than welcome to ask at the end.

I am in my 11th year of teaching. I have been senior teacher of the senior syndicate for the past 3 years. I have taught years 4 - 8 in my career so far.
I am looking forward to having year 3 and 4 this year.

I have a partner who works with Air New Zealand. We have been together approx 14 years, I can’t remember… and also I forgot anniversaries… he is used to that. I don’t have any children. My family and friends are very important to me. Some Friday’s I rush off at 3.10pm as I drive to Tauranga for the weekend to see my mum and dad.

FOSTER INDEPENDENCE
This one will be hard for some of you. In middle school we are starting to foster independence. Your children are ready to take on jobs and challenges and prove to you and myself that they can do things.

Many children will say to me “my mum forgot to pack it”. Well I will say to them “no you forgot to pack it, it is not mum’s job”. Please don’t “do” things for your children. Yes I know it is faster and easier. I may be wrong but if we do this for your children we are teaching them that mum and / or dad will just do it, so why should I try?
Handy hint, make up a small calendar to put on the fridge and write in the days we do swimming. Look at it the night before and get the children to pack their bag the night before so you are not rushing in the morning. Get children to make their own lunch the night before. They are more likely to eat it if it is something they have made.

They need every day:
Hats
Communication Diary
Swimming gear: (in a seperate bag) - togs, towel, goggles if wanted
Monday
Thursday

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
  • Try not to be a school before 8.30am. If children are they go to the senior courtyard, not standing outside it.
  • Be at school before the bell - we have to write communications, get ready for the school day
  • Enter class at 8.30am.
  • Write communications straight away and give to me to sign. No going outside to play unless communications are done by the student
  • Straight home at the bell at 3.00pm no playing on the school playground
  • Homework -
  • SPELLING: I will not be giving out spelling lists every week. Some teachers in middle school might. We have a spelling programme called Switched Onto Spelling. I will be going through sounds of the letters with the children first. There will be a link to these on the blog and here: http://www.multilit.com/help/toolbox/single-sounds-demonstration/ You can practice these with children on a wide range of words at home if you choose to. If words come home in the diary they will be from the essential spelling list that all children need to know.
  • MATHEMATICS - Practice basic facts at home. Children need to know what adds up to 10 and subtracts. Place value up to thousands. I will put a list of different websites suitable for children on the blog for you to look at. I will not be photocopying worksheets. If you want worksheets for your children there are many free printables if you search google and you can print at home. Again other teachers may do things differently.
  • READING - We expect children to read 10-20 minutes each night. This can be anything. It can be a recipe you are making for dinner. It can be a comic book. It can be instructions on how to play a game. Forcing a child to sit and read a book can be difficult. Read together. I am hoping for comprehension. This means reading the same book for a week and asking questions for your child to answer. Many children “read” - they just know the words. They don’t understand. I want your children to understand what they are reading.

READING/MATHS/WRITING GROUPS
I have a range of readers this year from Red through to age 9-10 readers. Maths stages this year range from Stage 3 through to Stage 6 and writing stages from Level 1 through to level 3.  I group children into ability groups and see them on a rotation.

CLOTHING
Uniforms all look the same. I have told the children I am a teacher not a uniform finder. If all items of the uniform are named then they will make it make to the child. Including shoes.

COMMUNICATION
By email is easier. I am in the my classroom usually at 8.00am every morning. I have meetings every Tuesday and Wednesday at 3.10pm. Otherwise I am free after 3.00pm, Monday, Thursday and Friday. If there is an issue, please make a time to see me first. I am your first call. If I can’t resolve the situation, I will bring in my Team Leader. If he can’t resolve the issue, he will bring in the dean. If they can’t resolve the issue it will go to the Assistant Principal. Please do not go straight to the AP or Principal if you have not seen me first.
Anything from me will go into the Communication Diary. E.G. I need newspaper could anyone help me. Just basic stuff.
Absences please email the office or leave message on the answer phone. Sometimes I could be away on a course or sick myself so I don’t see the email.
Office should be contacted for emergencies only.

TRIP / EVENTS
Swimming Carnival Week 5 - Tuesday 28 February
Millennium Institute coming up in Week  7 - 14 March - Rm 14 and 16 going together.

BYOD
All devices will be locked in cupboards and classrooms locked during morning tea and lunch. They are not on them all day everyday. We use them for certain things like finding information, reading the information we find.
We will still use books, pens and pencils.

I want to take this opportunity to say how excited I am to be here with your children this year.

Friday 3 February 2017

First 3 days

Good afternoon everyone.

It has been an exciting three days in Room 14. We are setting the scene on expectations, roles and rules of the classroom.

Your children I hope have learnt two valuable words - YET and FAIL.
Yet comes after a sentence like "I can't swim one length of the pool - YET.

And FAIL is First Attempt In Learning.

There have been many first attempts this week. So if you hear your child say they failed today, that is a good thing - they attempted something new and gave it a go.

Try using the word YET at home. You will be amazed at how it changes everything.

Hope you have a great Waitangi weekend.

Miss J.