Sunday, March 29, 2015

Week 9

It is the final week of term 1! What a fantastic start to the year. We can't believe how quickly it's gone. We have had an incredibly busy, productive and rewarding term. Clubs are in full swing, with many students from Te Ako Kahikatea already working hard towards their leadership badges. Our Junkfood concept has opened so many doors for in depth conversations about the realities of what it does to our bodies and how important it is to take care of ourselves.

We have completed our swimming lessons for the year, and even had a group of students head to the Remuera Zone Swimming Sports at St Kentigern School on the 24th March. Check out some photos from the event:



We had a great day, and are so proud of all the students that participated.

As we approach our camp, we have been looking at Rangitoto Island and doing several activities in preparation of our walk. Check out these awesome slideshows!





Important Notices

Monday - Mufti Week begins! $2 per day, or $5 for the week. Remember it is themed! (Monday - Cultural Day, Tuesday - Book Characters, Wednesday - Camp gear, Thursday - Animals!)

Wednesday - please be at school before 8am because we leave promptly at 8.15am to get to our ferry.
Remember to bring walking gear, swimming togs, and your overnight things. Please refer to checklist that was sent home, and ask your teacher for another if you can't find it!

Thursday is the last day of school, we will be finishing at 2pm.

Term 2 begins on Monday 19th April.


Week 9 Homework.

Now that we are at the end of term 1 - we want to hear from YOU! What have you enjoyed? What do you really want to learn? HOW do you want to learn it? Please complete the following form so the teachers of Te Ako Kahikatea can plan term two around YOU!


If you have any trouble completing the embedded form, please follow this link http://bit.ly/1CBjDTa
Thanks again for such a wonderful start to the year - We can't wait to see what term 2 brings!

- Te Ako Kahikatea Teachers

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Week 8

Week 8! Can't believe it's here already. With just under 2 weeks left of school, and only 10 days left until camp - We have a lot to get done!
Some of our wonderful senior boys showing leadership in a classroom during a wet lunchtime


Camp organisation - What should we have for lunch?


Here are some important days between now and the end of the term to keep in mind:

Tuesday 24th March - Swimming Sports at St Kentigern School

Thursday 26th March - Parent Curriculum Evening: 
2.00pm-2.50pm: Maths through the years
6.00pm-7.00pm: Blogging, Homework and ICT at school

Wednesday 1st April - Rangitoto Climb and school sleep over
Please remember to be at school by 8.00am and refer to checklist for what you need to bring

Thursday 2nd April - Last day of term, school finishes at 2pm. 

In the camp spirit, here is this weeks homework

What if... you were stranded on the Island? How would you survive? To answer this question, you'll need to look in to what is on the island, how it is formed and other survival techniques. Create a google slide or complete by hand.

As always, read each evening and complete basic facts practice. 
If you need a worksheet please let your maths teacher know.

Have a wicked week!

- Te Ako Kahikatea Teachers

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Week 7

Ahoy there!

As we roll in to week 7 with cyclone Pam hot on our heels, we prepare for yet another full on week.

Curriculum Hui: Over the next 2 Thursday evenings we are holding a range of curriculum focused workshops for parents. The time table is as follows:

Hui 1 Thursday 19th March


  • 2 - 3pm Literacy moving through the years
  • 6 - 7pm Literacy moving through the years (repeat)
  • 7 - 8pm Digital safety for parents       (Andrew Cowie - Core Education)


Hui 2 Thursday 26th March


  • 2 - 3pm Mathematics moving through the years
  • 6 - 7pm Blogs and the future of homework
  • 7 - 8pm Mathematics moving through the years (repeat)

All of the sessions will take place in rooms 4-6. We look forward to seeing you there!

Camp: Thank you for the quick return of the camp notices and all of the parents who have offered to help. We still need a few more, so if you would like to come to either the walk up Rangitoto or stay the night please let us know.


Details of the camp:
Wednesday 1st April: Arrive at school at 8am or earlier. We depart the school grounds at 8.15am sharp - Unfortunately due to the nature of the trip we can not wait for late students as we must be in the city in time to catch the ferry.

The return ferry leaves Rangitoto at 2.30pm - we are expected to be back at school by 4.30pm on the Wednesday afternoon where we will have various activities organised for the evening.

More information about the camp, as well as gear needed on the day will be sent home shortly.

Homework: 
As always, continue with reading for at least 20 minutes a night. Are you reading a similar type of text each night? Try changing it up! Read a news article, a novel or even a play.

Here is a maths website that you can try: http://www.multiplication.com/ - there are heaps of games at a range of levels available. Ensure you are challenging yourself!

Recipe Revamp: Do you have that one favourite food, that you know is bad for you? Have a look at the recipe and see what you can change to make a healthier option. If possible, bring both the old recipe and your new one in for comparison.

Have a wonderful week

- Te Ako Kahikatea Teachers

Monday, March 9, 2015

Week 6

We have 3 weeks to go until Easter - How quickly is this term moving!

Firstly, all the teachers in Te Ako Kahikatea would like to say THANK YOU! We are thoroughly impressed with the increased levels of engagement when it comes to completing homework tasks this term. 

As a result of all this enthusiasm, class discussions and activities on the topic of junk food are considerably livelier and better-informed. The students are captivated by this topic, and frequently talk to us about the conversations they are having with their family on the issue of junk food. So once again, a big thank you for all your input. It is having a huge impact on learning.


IMPORTANT NOTICE
Due to unfortunate circumstances the camp we were planning for term four can no longer go ahead. Instead, we are taking this opportunity to plan an EPIC end of term outdoor education activity and school sleep over. A notice will be sent home today (Tuesday) with further details. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.


HOMEWORK
With camp in mind, we would like you to have a look at FITNESS. Why is it beneficial? How does it relate to what we eat? Have a think about what could be considered fitness and note this down in the comments below or bring in to class. Talk to your family about what they consider fitness as well - you may be surprised!

Handwriting: We are starting out Handwriting rotation this week. Handwriting as a subject goes beyond how neat our writing is. Please read this article which gives a little more insight in to why it is important: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/science/whats-lost-as-handwriting-fades.html?_r=1

We would greatly appreciate this to be practiced at home as well. For some activity ideas, refer to this website http://www.teachhandwriting.co.uk/.

Maths: Give this website a go: https://www.thatquiz.org/tq-1/math/arithmetic/  - To extend yourself, have a look through the other activities the website has to offer, such as fractions and geometry tasks.

Have a great week!

- Te Ako Kahikatea Teachers







Sunday, March 1, 2015

Week 5

We've reached the half way point and WHEW! It has been a packed start of term, with a lot more to come.

We finished out our swimming for the year on Thursday last week - check out these photos!




We have a lot more photos as well - You'll be able to see more of these in our Portfolios.

Now that swimming is over, we are jumping head first in to our reading and writing programmes. A big focus this term is persuasive writing and reading non-fiction texts. We will post student work on the blog as we go.

On Friday Te Ako Kahikatea hosted Newmarket School's first full school assembly of the year. We put on a good show including skits, comedy, a song and dance. Here are some pictures:






Such a great way to kick off our assemblies for the year!

Homework this week: Because we are tackling 'Fact Vs. Opinion' in reading, it would be great if everyone could read an article that catches their attention off either www.kiwikidsnews.co.nz or www.dogonews.com. Discuss what parts of the article is fact or opinion and highlight them in different colours OR note down on paper. Bring this in to school and glue in to your reading book. As always, reading eggs is a great resource for comprehension activities and books.

Maths: Continue our basic facts practice. Last week you used www.prototec.co.nz/maths - This week try http://www.factmonster.com/math/flashcards.html

Have a great week!

- Te Ako Kahikatea Teachers