Junior Jottings Number 6

Dear Parents and Caregivers, 

This term has certainly been busy already. A warm welcome is extended to the new students and their families who have recently joined our Junior School. Not only have the children been involved in classroom learning they have had the opportunity to dress up and dance at the disco and also on Friday to wear their pyjamas to school. Thank you to everyone who supported these events. 

Gymnastics has proved popular with the children and already we can see improvements being made in their balance and of course confidence to attempt new activities. 

We were also impressed by the way the children all did the 'turtle' listened and followed the instructions and procedures that we have practised, when we had the earthquakes on Friday. 

An overview of the learning that the children will be covering this term is posted to the "Muritai School Junior Syndicate" Blog. Please go there and have a look at what has been planned.  

We are very lucky in our Junior School in that not only do we have classroom teachers, we also have extra adults working to support learning in each class. Mrs Ruth Holmes and Mrs Raewyn O'Sullivan, both teachers who have taught at Muritai previously, are working with children in Year 2. Mrs Carolyn Murphy works with children in Year 1 in room 3 while Mrs Lorna Lane works with Year 1 in room 2. Mrs Liz Alderson works with Year 0 and 1 in room 1. Mrs Sandra Blair and Mrs Romy Anderson also work in room 3. 

Thank you so much to all of you who came along at the end of last term for a conference to discuss your child's learning. We hope you got a clear picture of what your child is learning and some ways you can support them at home. Please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher if you have any queries about your child.

Could parents of children in rooms 1, 2 and 3 please return the learning journeys if you have not already done so? 

You will also have noticed the addition of basic facts carriages for Year 1 and 2 children along with reading and spelling rockets into homework as well as their daily home reading book. Please support your child with their learning. Mathletics and Reading Eggs are also in addition to this. Homework should take less than fifteen minutes each day as we still want the children to enjoy their after school play dates and be involved in other extra curricular activities. 

"Keeping Ourselves Safe" Programme Parent Information Meeting
All parents and caregivers are invited to a meeting this Thursday August 22nd in our school library at 2.30 p.m. with Constable Julie Orr. She will be outlining what the programme involves and what we will be teaching your child over the following few weeks.  The programme for Junior school children is titled 'Knowing what to do' and includes understanding feelings, both safe and unsafe, coping with hazards, different types of touch, tricks, bribes and treats, saying 'no' and getting help.  Your child will bring home a Home Book at the start of the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme. The Home Book has activities to be done at home after each key learning experience. Each activity provides key information for the family, and has activities that someone at home does with the child. Please email buckley@muritai.school.nz and let me know if you are coming to the meeting. If you are unable to come to the meeting but have some questions please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Jump Rope for Heart  - Skipping September
The children are enjoying learning how to jump with a rope and also a range of different steps to do with the rope. A letter and envelope has gone home and we ask that your child collect sponsors for their efforts. The money raised goes to the Heart Foundation as well as to pay for the ropes that the children are using.  We are having the 'Jump Off on Wednesday September 4th on the school courts. Parents and caregivers are cordially invited to come along and watch between 1.30 and 2.40pm.
'Musical Stars' Concert
We are delighted that some of our Junior children will be performing on stage at the 'Musical Stars' concert at 1 p.m. on Thursday September 5th in Lower Hutt. We are taking all the children from rooms 1 to 6 by bus to see the concert. They will have an early lunch on this day and will be back by hometime. 

Cricket Skills Programme
Cricket Awareness sessions have been booked for all of the children in the Junior School on Wednesday September 18th to be held at school during the morning. 

Spellathon
All children in the school will be involved in the 'Spellathon' run by the Home and School committee. Each year they do chocolate sales but this year decided to have a change. The children will be bringing home their folder this week. There are amazing prizes to be earned. 

Hooked on Books Programme
This programme that involves listening and praising children as they read is continuing this term. Thank you so much to those people who willingly gave up their time each week last term to do this. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Thank you to all those adults who have continued on this term. The children really look forward to reading to someone different. If you have some time to spare and would be interested in doing this please do not hesitate to contact me.

Can you help?
We need magazines, small boxes, buttons, material pieces, wool, ribbons and any other items that the children can use in our current collage art unit. We also need clean ice cream containers. If you have any of these to spare can you please send them along to school with your child or place them on the table in the Rainbow Room? The Rainbow Room is the room that goes between rooms 2 and 3. 

'Starting School at Five' Information Evening 
The information evening for parents and caregivers, who have children about to turn five, will be held at 7 p.m. in room 3 on Wednesday September 11th. If you know someone with a child in their preschool years,  who would be interested in attending this meeting can you please let them know?

Children turning Five in 2014
I am beginning the process of planning for classes and staffing for next year so if you have a child or children turning five in 2014 can you please either email me buckley@muritai.school.nz or phone our school office on 562 8409 and provide the following details - Child's name, their date of birth, parent's name and contact phone numbers (home and cell) and your email address? If you know of anyone else in the area that this applies to can you please ask them to also provide their details as their child may currently attend preschool out of Eastbourne? 

Room 16 - Our next New Entrants Class and Junior School Staffing
On Thursday, the school visits began for the children who will be starting school near the end of this term and at the beginning of next term in room 16. Room 1 is nearly full with the last of the children also having school visits on Thursdays. Mrs Elizabeth Sullivan will be teaching Room 16 full-time until the end of the year. She currently teaches in room 3 for two days a week. Mrs Annabel Smith, who left us to have her baby boy will be returning and taking over the teaching of room 3 from Mrs Sullivan on Thursdays and Fridays. As many of you know Mrs Mikaela Cody and Mrs Rebecca Saker will be leaving us also at the end of this term to have their babies. We are in the process of interviewing and finalising the staffing appointments of the teachers who will take over rooms 4 and 5. Parents and caregivers of children in these classes will receive a letter about this shortly. 

Reading Eggs
We have noticed an improvement in the children in both their reading and spelling if they have been doing the reading eggs programme. If you would like your child to have a subscription to this from now until the end of February next year can you please send along $10 to the school office? 
If your child has reading eggs and you are experiencing any problems or have forgotten their passwords please also contact me.

Mathletics
Your child is automatically joined to Mathletics once they join our Junior School. If you have any problems or queries or have lost their passwords please do not hesitate to contact me. The mathletics people informed me that the children have made a 19.9 % improvement in their understanding and practice of mathletics problems over the past three months. This is great - well done! Keep up the practice. It does not matter if they do the same area over and over again as the concept stays the same but the problems alter each time. 

If you have any questions about your child and their learning at school please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Kind regards

Yours in partnership, 

Maureen Buckley - on behalf of the Junior School team
Deputy Principal
buckley@muritai.school.nz

Room 1 - Barbara Ryan ryan@muritai.school.nz
Room 2 - Margs Mills  mills@muritai.school.nz
Room 3 - Elizabeth Sullivan   sullivan@muritai.school.nz
Room 4 - Mikaela Cody   cody@muritai.school.nz
Room 5 - Rebecca Saker  saker@muritai.school.nz
Room 6 - Morag Roberts  roberts@muritai.school.nz
Room 6 - Jo Salisbury    salisburyjo@gmail.com