23 October 2015

Rua tekau mā tahi ō Whiringa-ā-nuku 2015                

                                                

Year 4 Team Newsletter

Term 4 - 2015

Kia Ora Parents/Caregivers

 

Unbelievably we have already reached Term 4 and the end of the year is nearly upon us.  Having said that, there is still so much to get through this term.  We are sure to be very busy!

Inquiry

Our inquiry into “How do we balance the increasing demands of ICT with a need for physical well-being?”  has been really enjoyable for the Year 4 students.  We have learned a lot about how our brain works, what the impact of physical activity and screen time is on the brain, and how exercise helps us to focus.  Our trip to MOTAT helped us to realise how developments in technology often replace physical activity and that we need to make a conscious effort to move more.  Our inquiry research will be presented in a Showcase next week in the Auditorium.  We encourage you to support your student’s learning by coming along and taking a look at our learning journey.

PE

Term 4 is a busy term for sports.  Your child will have already begin swimming lessons.  Each class has 2-3 lessons per week and it is imperative that students are prepared for swimming.  If your child is unable to swim, your teacher will require a note.  As swimming instruction is part of the curriculum, we expect that students will be swimming unless there is a medical reason to be excused.

This week we are also holding our Senior Athletics Day.  The aim of this day is participation in athletic events.  We will also however be selecting students to represent the school at the Interschool Athletics Day later in the term.

Fantastic Friday

You may have had your child come home talking about Fantastic Fridays.  This is a new rotation that is running for the first 5 weeks of this term.  All students in Years 3-6 have the opportunity to learn a new skill in mixed level groupings.  The activities on offer are Bollywood Dance, Vintage Games, Cool Science, Sewing, Beadwork, Glee Club, Kapa Haka, Ukulele and Traditional Sports from Around the World.  The students are very excited and are enjoying making new friends and experiencing new activities.  We are looking forward to sharing some of what has been learnt at an assembly later in the term.

Uniform

We ask for your support to help our students show pride in their Elm Park School uniform.  If your child is unable to wear the correct uniform, please send along a note to your class teacher and they will be issued a uniform pass until the issue can be rectified.

The most common issues are as follows:

Student Achievement and Reporting

Teachers are currently testing to ascertain students’ achievement levels at this point in the year.  This term we will be holding Student-led Conferences, where your child will discuss their learning and next steps with you.  We strongly encourage you to attend these conferences for two reasons.  1) Your child will have made progress that they are proud of and want to share with you.  It is an opportunity for them to share their work, particularly that work which is not on their e-Portfolio, and their classroom environment. 2) It is an excellent time to talk to your child about how you can support them in their learning, particularly in maintaining their learning over the extended summer holidays.  Your child’s teacher will also post suggestions about this in your child’s e-Portfolio site.   If you have concerns or questions about your child’s learning, we encourage you to make an appointment with your child’s teacher to discuss this.

Activity Payments

Activity payments allow us to incorporate into our programmes those activities that would not normally be possible.  We ask families to contribute $25 per term to help us fund our enrichment activities.  Please forward your payment to the school office as soon as possible.  You may also pay via Internet Banking:

Elm Park School Board of Trustees

        ASB Highland Park

        12-3109-0012543-02

IMPORTANT DATES FOR TERM 4

Week 2                Friday                        Senior Athletics Day (11am)

Week 3                Monday                Labour Day Public Holiday

                Tue-Fri                        Inquiry Showcase in the Auditorium

                Wednesday                Kelly Sports Visiting

Week 4                Friday                        Soccer Clinics

Week 5                Friday                        Fantastic Friday Sharing Assembly

Week 6                Tuesday                HPPA Athletics Day

Week 7                All Week                Scholastic Book Fair in Library

Wednesday                Student Led Conferences (3.30pm on)

Friday                        Book Character Parade

Saturday                Kiwileles Festival

Week 8                Wednesday                Grandparent’s Day

Week 9                Thursday                Celebration Concert

                Friday                        Principal’s Awards

Week 10        Monday                Final Awards Assembly

                Tuesday                School finishes 1pm

Please support your child and Elm Park School the best you can, by encouraging your child to attend and participate in school events.

Lines of Communication

We are keen to establish strong home-school relationships with our families.   If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s learning, we recommend first making an appointment to meet with your child’s class teacher as soon as possible.  Should you wish to discuss things further, appointments are available with our Deputy Principal, Belinda Johnston.

We look forward to a great term and meeting all parents and caregivers in the next few weeks.

 

Nga Mihi Koutou

Alicia Howard, Sue Dane, Sara Melville and Anna Graham (Year 4 Team Leader)