Term 1, Week 5 Newsletter/Home Learning....

Dear Parents

A big thank you to the parents who helped with transporting to and from the swimming sports on Monday and helped with the swim sports – what a great event with the students participating to the best of their ability!  From the swim sports we have 12 students from Room 11 participating in the Motueka Swim Sports on Tuesday this week.  This only leaves 14 students in class so Teressa Hosie will be running an alternative programme from a usual Tuesday with the remaining students from both Room 7 & 11. Last week rushed by with the Mapua Swim Sports, testing, working with mean, range, mode and median in our statistics unit and our normal learning topics this term.

This week will be camp, camp and more camp work…  On Wednesday the students will be participating in a Red Cross People Savers course, this is a kids first aid course that is great for the students to do before going on camp. 

You should have received another camp letter on Wednesday last week that contained a gear list, as well as details about our camp parents meeting.  This meeting is for parents who are helping out on camp during the day and/or night and will be held today in Room 11 @ 6.00pm.

Reminders & information: - Another gear list and camp timetable will come back today, as well as a transport list to and from Bridge Valley– a big thank you to the parents who are doing this.  On Friday a final letter will come home and camp parents more information for you will be coming out to you tonight.  A reminder that camp fees of $160 need to be paid before Friday please. 

Home learning is concern

ed with camp and the maths mate.

Yours sincerely   

 Mandy Stephens

Dear Students

This week I would like you to do the following:

·       Complete maths homework (maths mate sheet  - Term 1, Sheet 4 – due in Thursday)

·       On an A4 sheet of paper (either on template) or on computer, state two goals you have for camp and eight lines on your pre-feelings before you go on camp (what are you looking forward to, what are you apprehensive about – look at the timetable of events to help you with this!)

Due on Friday

Term 1, Week 4 Newsletter/Home Learning....

Dear Parents

The class has continued to impress me with their positive work habits and ability to be creative in their thinking.  The students have been looking at the reading comprehension strategy of visualisation.  Using this strategy helps readers to engage with text in ways that make it personal and memorable and make reading three-dimensional for them.  In statistics the students completed their first statistical investigation working right through the correct process and also focused in on pie graphs.  For the maths mate we spend 10 minutes on a Monday working on the maths mate before they go home, this is an opportunity for the students to ask questions about the maths concepts that do not understand before working on them at home.  The last three questions (problem solving) are designed to push the student’s thinking.  They can either ask you or me for help with these questions if they have persisted at trying to solve them using a variety of different strategies available to them.  The maths mate is then due in on Thursday where we mark it in groups and the students’ scores are recorded. 

This week we will be continuing with our units on writing and recounts, grammar and punctuation, ICT advanced processing, the visual arts, and topic.  We will have most of our testing this week as well and this will continue next week.  I will endeavour to contact you all this week by phone, or in person if I see you at school, for a brief update on how your child is settling into Room 11, also to confirm camp days with parents who indicated they would like to come on camp.

 Reminders & information: - We have our Senior/Intermediate Swim Sports this Monday, the students have had the opportunity to select the events they are participating in and have been allocated a race or heat number and lane number so they should know what they are doing.  I hope you can come and support the children in their endeavours and if you are transporting could you please come to the class for 8.55am to sign the transport form – thank you.  From this swim sports we will select the swim team that will represent the school at the Motueka swim sports the following Tuesday.  Also camp is only 2 weeks away – yay!  So the students will be coming back with another camp letter, a personal gear list (Wednesday).  A reminder that I need all the permission slips in by the end of the week and that camp fees need to be paid before we go on camp (if there are any difficulties please come and talk with me).

I hope you have an enjoyable week. 

Yours sincerely   

 Mandy Stephens

Dear Students

This week I would like you to do the following:

·        Complete maths homework (maths mate sheet  - Term 1, Sheet 3 – due in Thursday)

·        You did such a great job with your recount timeline-excitement graphs on a success students that I would like to do another one, but this time the focus will be on recounting an experience from a camp you have been part of (preferably last year’s camp if possible).  Remember you need to:-

·        Write a summary of events at bottom of page (broken into four sections)

·        Add time sequence words (Firstly, That afternoon, Later)

·        Plot your points of the graph and then join the points together. (Time series)

·        Finally finish off with appropriate pictures/diagrams for the different stages of the event at top

Remember to proof read and publish using A1 standards.  You all know how to use this framework, having been taught it in class and completing one yourself.      DUE IN FRIDAY

Term 1, Week 3 Newsletter/Home Learning....

Dear Parents

Room 11 turned out another productive and enjoyable week last week with some excellent homework, in fact making it extremely difficult for me to judge overall winners!  However after long deliberation the following students were awarded with these results & chocolate:

Overall creativity – Alice &  Sam / Best lacing system – Lydia and Ellie / Most colourful – Patrick and Lucy S

Thank you to the parents who turned up to our ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening, it was a pleasure to meet you and I hope you found it informative.  We finished the week on a high with the school tryathlon, where I was impressed with all the students’ efforts in Room 11 who really did put 100% effort in ‘To Being All They Could’.  Congratulations to the girls with  1^st – Alice, 2nd - Lydia and 3^rd - Lucy S and in the boys race we had  1^st – Hayden, 2^nd – Sam and 3^rd – Nikau.  Also congratulations to the following students who received ‘fair play’ awards for helping other students without being asked; Dan, Ellie and Nikau.

This week will be continuing with our writing focus on recounts, finishing our timeline-excitement graphs and starting on a 5w + C framework, we will be using the reading comprehension strategy of visualisation, and our topic work is on leadership and active citizenship.  We will be focusing on breaststroke and starts / finishes for swimming, with the swimming sports the following Monday at Riwaka Pool 9.00 – 1.00pm.  In our grammar and punctuation focus we are looking at a range of different aspects to improve our competencies in these.  Fiona Bibby-Smith will be in this week on Tuesday, Wednesday morning and Thursday.  Some of this is for deputy principal release and the majority of the time is for the training with the new spelling programme that focuses on Yr 7 & 8 students.

Reminders & information: - Your child should come back with three letters about camp today; a permission letter, a health profile sheet and an information letter – you can start paying the camp fee - $160 – from any time now and a reminder that MOTEC fees, maths mate, diary, dictionary workbook, worksheet fees should be paid by now please.  We have the senior/intermediate swim sports next week on Monday, a big thank you to the families who are transporting, you should receive a letter from your child tomorrow about transportation.  Also the girls need to bring back their vaccination forms by tomorrow.  Home learning is concerned with the maths mate sheet and a reading comprehension activity test that should help them with test procedures.

Enjoy the week.

Yours sincerely

   Mandy Stephens

Dear Students

This week I would like you to do the following:

·        Complete maths homework (maths mate sheet  - Term 1, Sheet 2 – due in Thursday)

·        . This week I would like you to read the test given and then complete the reading comprehension questions on the sheet.  Remember to skim and scan for information and if it asks you for three pieces of information – include three pieces of information in your answer.  Also when it asks for an opinion, state yes or no and then justify it (back up with reasons).  Swimmers and Bikers reading groups must do ‘moving on’ activity as well.  Runners only do all the questions 1- 10.

A1 standards shown and due in on Friday

Tryathlon - week 2 - 2010

Room 11, I was extremely proud of your efforts at the tryathlon - you definitely lived up to our vision ' To Be All I Can'.  You all put 100% into the race and then were great role models and supporters for the younger students you helped out.

Results:

Yr 8 Boys: 1st - Hayden, 2nd - Sam and 3rd - Nikau.

Yr 8 Girls: 1st - Alice, 2nd - Lydia and 3rd - Lucy S.

The following students were also rewarded with 'fair play' award for their positive attitudes and helpfulness: Ellie, Dan and Nikau.

Well done all - Mrs. Stephens

Active citizenship - Leadership...

We established prior knowledge today by discussing definitions, sharing and reviewing before making up TTE (thinking, talking and exploring) cards to fit under the headings of 'positive' and 'negative' leadership.

Some thoughtful thinking Room 11.....

Term 1, Week 2 Newsletter/Home Learning....

Dear Parents

It has been a very positive first week back at school and I have congratulated the students on great attitudes, willingness to settle down to work and producing what is asked of them – a great start!  We have also been enjoying the new classroom, what it has to offer Year 8 students, and in particular the air-conditioning when the weather is very hot!  The students worked on a series of passport activities last week that introduced them to the procedures, expectations, and some units of work for this term.  They were also introduced to the two habits of mind that we are focusing on this term; Thinking interdependently (key competency – relating to others) and thinking & communicating with clarity & precision (key competency - participating & contributing)

This week we will be getting stuck into the main aspects of our units; I shall outline the units and what we are focusing on below:

·        Writing and reading focus this term is on writing recounts and the many different ways you can plan and draft for a formal recount.  With reading we are focusing on three specific reading comprehension strategies.  We also start looking at our grammar and punctuation focus, with  the spelling focus starting in a couple of weeks time.

·        Topic – Our theme is ‘active citizenship’, the first focus will be on leadership which should help all the students develop their leadership skills with house leader selection later in the term.

·        ICT – cyber safety, file management and use of blog site.

·        Goal setting – we set short-term goals biweekly to aim for and reflect on the following week.

·        Obviously we are practicing for the tryathlon on Friday and the swim sports later in the term.

·        Learning languages – we are starting with greetings and commands for Te Reo Maori and later in the term will study German.

Home learning this week has two parts; The first sheet for Maths Mate (due in on Thursday) and making up a ‘fitness trainer’ to house the student’s sports/fitness goals for the year.  This is an opportunity for the students to be creative.

Reminders & information: - On Monday at 11.000am the Yr 8 girls will be meeting with the Public Health nurse for information about the HPV vaccination – this is happening in all schools with Yr 8 students.  They will get information about it that day, and will need to return a form. We have our tryathlon on Friday afternoon, starting at 12.50pm with the Year 8 boys running first, followed by the Year 8 girls.  On Friday morning the students also have their first session at MOTEC and most importantly we have ‘Meet the Teacher’ on Wednesday night 5.30 – 6.00pm in Room 11 – would love to see you all there.

Yours sincerely    Mandy Stephens

Dear Students

This week I would like you to do the following:

·        Complete Maths Mate sheet – Term 1, Sheet 1

(Due in on Thursday)

·       Complete a ‘’fitness trainer’ that will house the sports and fitness goals you will set in class.

·       You can use the template given and remember to stick the tongue down on shoe so it can house the goals we will set in class.  If you need items for laces let no know – I have several options.

·       This must be completed to A1 standards, bright, colourful and creative – let me respond with wonderment & awe!.  Three prizes awarded: - 1) Overall creativity 2) Best lacing system     3) Most colourful

(Due in Friday)

Week 1, new classroom, new class.....

What a fantastic first week from the new Room 11, which is housing our Year 8 students...

Room 11’s Views on the New Classroom

We are very fortunate to have a brand new classroom for our Year 8 students.  It has been purpose built with them in mind and these are Room 11’s thoughts on it after Day One:

• It’s spacious for Year 8 students who take up more room (Kynan)
• The air conditioning unit helps us focus on a hot day (Keegan)
• Having the cloak bay outside means there is more room for us inside (Brittany)
• It feels like it’s a lighter atmosphere with all the colours and windows (Lucy S)
• It is right next to the playground so we can get there first! (Laura)
• The sliding doors make for easy access and are easy to use (Lucy H)
• The verdana is a big area so we can work outside effectively (Keegan)

They have also been working very hard on 'passport' activities to set the scene as to the routines, procedures and expectations of them as Year 8 students in Room 11.  Below are some photos of the class in action....