Update

Kia ora

Almost the end of week 3 and perhaps time for an update. Giving updates like this is new to me, but I thought it would be a good way to keep Room 4's parents informed.

We've been getting into our routines and setting up our class structures. This is done gradually to prevent information overload. The step up to year 5 is quite big and many of our students are still operating at year 4 level. This usually takes bout 2 terms to change.

Setting up the devices has been testing, but we've got it almost sorted.

Getting to know each other, knowing the expectations and completing tasks are priorities at this time of the year for all students. We have lovely personalities in our room with nobody on a collision course with anyone else in the room. I'm certainly happy about that. Please ask your child about some of the expectations and routines - it'll give them a chance to reflect.

Students are getting used to the Task Completion Chart. This chart shows me who has completed tasks and who needs help keeping up. We do not want the backlog to become insurmountable.

I know it's been a challenge for most of the parents to find the time to check the website and blog, so thank you for everyone who are giving it a go. I will continue to email the website address every Monday until the end of Term 1.

Our inquiry this term is on Culture and Identity.Students have done some introductory activities to get them thinking about the topic. This is a great time to have conversations around the dinner table on topics like, "What is culture?" ;  "What is our culture" ;  "What makes us unique?" ; etc.
Please remember to send a cultural artefact/item to school next week. Students will be sharing them in class and hopefully this will lead to lots of rich questions.

In PE we are practising our catching and throwing skills. There is quite a big divide in the ability of our class this year, so we have a lot of work to do. Able throwers and catchers will be extended to improve their accuracy and speed of release.

In Maths we are getting used to working in our Problem Solving, and Thinking groups. These mixed ability groups were created to get students talking about Maths.  Students work as a team. This can be compared to the rowers of a waka - everyone must pitch in! Another analogy, is a Kapa Haka group. Just like the leaders of the Kapa Haka group help the other members to get to their standard, so should the experts in the group help others to improve their understanding of concepts. We will alternate between the use of mixed and homogeneous groups.

This is all for now. Feel free to comment and do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Ka kite