Welcome back for Term 2

Hi all,

Welcome back all students to Room 20 for Term 2.  It's been a cold, wet, but great start!

This is just a quick overview about some of the things coming up for Room 20 in the first half of this term.

Curriculum Focus

Topic: Our focus topic is "Kitchen Science", which involves looking at physical and chemical changes by combining regular household ingredients.
Reading: We are going to be studying inference - the ability to "read between the lines".
Writing: We are going to be writing about the science experiments undertaken in our topic; we will be writing instructions, descriptions of observations, and explanations of why the observations occurred.
Spelling:  Root Words, Suffixes and Prefixes.
Maths: We are studying Measurement with Mrs McDowell, and Numeracy and 3D shapes with Mr Heyes.  We will be covering Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division and Fractions, depending on what the student's needs are.
P.E.: Cross country - Our school cross-country will be held in Week 4 or 5.  Further details will be posted.
Art: 3-dimensional drawing, looking at depth and perspective.  We are having a visiting artist to provide a tutorial in Week 2.

Spelling Words

In Room 20 I have introduced a Spelling Notebook system.  Each child has been given a spelling notebook.  Every Monday, they will choose 7+ words to learn for the week.  On Fridays they will be tested on those words.  If they get them alright they will earn progress towards a reward.  The spelling notebook should be taken home every day, and it should be returned the following day.  New words will be added to it as they come up in everyday learning.

Discovery Time

Another initiative Room 20 will be trialling is a "Discovery Time" every Friday afternoon.  During this time, the students will have free choice to engage in an activity that is available.  The activity might be technical, artistic, physical, but the main focus will be getting along, working cooperatively and managing themselves.  It is also partially a reward for good learning throughout the week.

Stationery

One other thing to remember is that quite a few students don't have all of the stationery they need.  Please have a chat to them about what they need to have at school.  I will give them a chance to speak to you about it.  If nothing comes out of that, I will send an email home with what they need.  It would also be very helpful if they could have a pencil case to keep their belongings in.  It can be frustrating when someone doesn't have anything to write with or some of the equipment they need to carry out day-to-day tasks.

Kiwiana Shared Lunch

Finally, to start the term off on a positive note, as mentioned in an earlier post, Room 20 will be having a Kiwiana themed shared lunch on Friday 10 May (Week 1).

Thank you, and, as always, feel free to contact me with any queries at any time.