Day 1 at camp!!

Today at camp...
The buses left school at approximately 10.15am.  The children headed to the beach at Woodend where they completed a scavenger hunt.  Each item had a different value in terms of earning camp cash.  Surprisingly this year many children actually found four leaf clovers!!
A beach sculpture competition was held before the dreaded walk to camp.

On arrival at camp the children were met by the camp leaders.  Rules were outlined and bunkrooms were sorted.  We completed our first rotation of three events: waterslide, aerojump and initiatives.  Mrs Cribb even got changed and went down the waterslide - we have video and photographic evidence!!  Then we had a quick break for a drink and some biscuits.  After that it was on to the next two rotations.  There was a little bit of free time before a dinner of nachoes and doughnuts!

Tonight after diary writing and the camp programme the children will go on their night walk, and will then hopefully be so tired they go to sleep immediately.... fingers crossed!

Week 3, Term 4

This week is a short week so the children will have no homework other than to read their school book each night.  There will be no reading book on Wednesday due to Softball coaching.

This week we are learning...
Maths
This week we are learning to name and order fractions.  Children who have maths in Room 17 are learning to skip count.

Reading
This is our last week learning about Authors Purpose.  We are still all working on retelling the story using "I think that means..."

Writing
This week we continue our work on our narrative fairytales.   This week we will be editing our work in order to publish it.  This means we will check our spelling and punctuation, and look at how we can improve our draft.
Our Writers Workshop topics are:

• Using details to describe the setting.
• Writing low down on the food chain.
• Making a diagram.
• Getting your characters talking.

Topic
This week in topic we will begin gathering our information and reworking it into our own words.  We will also be doing some work in our camp booklets.

Reminders
Tuesday: Zone Athletics at Rawhiti Domain.
Wednesday: Softball 
Thursday: Golf
Friday: Show Day - NO SCHOOL!!

Please send a packet of biscuits to school for camp if you haven't already.  These biscuits are used for morning tea, afternoon tea and supper to save costs.  


Camp is Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week!!

Awards:
MVP: Te Karere
Duffy Awards: Jasmine McG and Caleb
Assembly Award: Harlem

Week 2, Term 4

Whew week two already!  Thanks to those parents who came down to support their children on Athletics Day on Friday.  It was great to see so many parents from Room 18 on the sidelines.  Also thanks to Te Ani's Mum for helping Miss Manson with shotput.

This week we are learning...

Maths
This week our classes continue to work on developing knowledge and strategies for multiplication and division and fractions.  There are lots of fun activities that you could do at home to help with fractions.  Baking or cooking is excellent as many measurements are written as fractions.  Children could practise cutting food into halves, quarters, sixths etc.  Children enjoy working with playdough and this is another great way to reinforce fractions.  

Reading 
This week's objectives remain the same as last week.  It is important to get your child to retell the story once they have read it.  Discuss the main idea of the story, and what the author's purpose was for writing the story.  If your child is watching a DVD at the weekend take the opportunity to reinforce reading skills by turning on the subtitles.

Writing
We are into our second week of Narrative Writing.  The children are using their imaginations well and we are getting some really interesting fairy tales.  This week our focus is on writing interesting leads to hook our readers.
Our writers workshop focus for the week is:

• writing a strong lead
• crafting a lead
• the give away
• selecting the right lead

Inquiry

This week in our inquiry we are looking at the difference weather makes on Christmas celebrations around the world.  We will begin shaping our supporting questions and begin planning our inquiry.  Keep helping your child gather research on their country.  We will be collating this information and putting it into our own words in class after camp.  

Reminders

• Our first softball session is on Wednesday.
• Our second golf session is on Thursday.
• Children need hats at school.  Hats are compulsory in Term 4.

Term 4 2011!!

Welcome back to Term 4, 2011.  There are eight weeks of school left for this year!

This week we are learning:
Maths
Room 17: Multiplication and Division.
Room 18 and 19: Fractions.  In Room 18 we will be identifying fractions, naming fractions and ordering fractions.

Reading
This term we will continue working on using "I think that means..." to retell the story we have read.  This strategy has shown great results in our recent benchmarking tests for reading.  We will also be looking at 'authors purpose'.  This is where we decide whether the author wrote the story to entertain us, educate us or persuade us.
Tigers: "I think that means..."
Vampires: "I think that means..."
Cats: "I think that means..." and clearing roadblocks.
Kiwis: "I think that means..." and deep 5
Lions: "I think that means..." and deep 5

Writers Workshop
This week we start our unit on narrative writing.  A narrative follows this scaffold:
Title
Orientation: who, where, when?
Complication: what is the problem?
Resolution: how is the problem solved?

Inquiry
Our inquiry for this term is "Christmas Around the World."  We will be comparing and contrasting Christmas in New Zealand to Christmas in other countries.  We will look at traditions, celebrations, foods, events, weather etc.

Reminders
Athletics day is Wednesday.  Please ensure your child has suitable lace up sneakers, warm clothes, sunscreen, sun hat, water bottle and a safety pin.

On Thursday we have our first Golf Lesson  from Hazel Batey.  Please ensure your child has suitable footwear and warm clothing.

Sunhats are compulsory in Term 4.  It is time to hunt out your school sun hat and bring it back to school.

Week 10, Term 3!

This week is the last week of Term 3!

On Monday we will be completing the PAT maths test in our maths classes.  This is a norm referenced test and helps when forming an overall judgement on your child's achievement against the national standards.

On Thursday we will complete the Sspa spelling test which is another norm referenced test. This will give us an indication on how your child has progressed with their spelling since February when we last completed this test.

We have a few other general class assessments to complete this week for the end of term.

Please ensure your child gets plenty of sleep and eats a nutritious breakfast each morning.

Our soccer tournament was completed on Friday, however the children will continue to practise for athletics this week (Tuesday and Thursday).  Please ensure your child is wearing sneakers on these days.  Many girls particularly are wearing shoes which make it very difficult for them to run and jump properly.

Treat day will be Thursday.  Your child will receive a notice this week if they are eligible to attend.

Please remember to send in a packet of biscuits and for camp.  We are also looking for prizes/treats for children to spend their camp money on when they return from camp.  Thank you to the two families in Room 18 who have already contributed.

Testing!!!

The next few weeks at school are jam packed with standardised testing.  This testing helps form judgements on where your child fits alongside the National Standards.  It is really important that your child is getting plenty of sleep and eating a good breakfast before coming to school.

So far we have completed the STAR test (Supplementary Test of Achievement in Reading) which tests word meaning, sentence understanding, paragraph comprehension and vocabulary.  I was really pleased with most of the results.

We have also completed the Asttle reading comprehension test.  Some children showed huge improvement in this test from the beginning of the year.

This week your child will complete a writing exemplar which we will compare to the exemplar they did at the beginning of the year.

Next week we will be completing the PAT Maths test.

Week 7, Term 3

This week we are learning:

Maths
Multiplication and Division strategies such as:

• skip counting
• repeated addition
• part/whole strategies
• halving and doubling

Reading
We are working on identifying the main idea of the story and it's supporting facts.  We are also working on identifying synonyms (words that mean the same thing) and antonyms (opposites)

Jasmine: Word attack skills.
Daniel: "I think that means..."
Cats: "I think that means.." and clearing roadblocks.
Kiwis: "I think that means..." and deep five.
Lions: " I think that means..." and deep five.

Writing
We will continue working on character descriptions.

Inquiry
This week we will complete one more fizzing experiment.  We have learnt that if you mix a carbonate and an acid you will get carbon dioxide.  We will complete our first ooze and slime experiment.

Reminders:

• This week we begin our run, jump, throw athletics unit.  Please ensure your child has their sneakers on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Soccer on Friday - remember team uniforms!
• Camp notices must come back.  We desperately need to know how many beds to book.  This is now URGENT!

Awards

MVP: Jasmine McG

Duffy: Te Ani

Assembly: Daniel

Week 6, Term 3

We are halfway through Term 3!!
This week we are learning...

Maths
Room 18 - Multiplication and Division strategies.
Room 17 and 19 - Addition and Subtraction strategies.

Reading
We are continuing our guided reading lessons.  We are focusing on retelling what we have read and identifying the main idea of the story.

Jasmine: Word attack skills.
Daniel: "I think that means..."
Cats: "I think that means..."
Kiwis: " I think that means...", clearing roadblocks.
Lions: " I think that means...", clearing roadblocks.

Topic
This week we continue our fizzing and foaming topic.  We will complete a couple of experiments, and begin making some ginger beer.

Writing
This week we are writing character descriptions of a friend.  We will brainstorm how we know them, what they look like and what they like to do before beginning to write our description.

Miss Williams, from the University of Canterbury, started working in Room 18 on Monday.  She will be with us until the end of the term.

Reminders

• Captain Cook show at Chisnallwood on Wednesday.
• Please return camp forms ASAP!!  We do not need the money to accompany the form, but we do need to urgently know how many children will be going to camp.
• Current events presentations this week from: Sage, Corban, Ariana, Daniel, Taylor, Claire, Caleb, Jasmine AB, Te Ani, Tahani and Shyloh.
• Soccer uniforms on Friday.

Award Winners:
MVP: Ariana
Assembly Award: Corban
Duffy Awards: Chloe and Matrie

Week 5, Term 3

This week we are learning:

Maths
Room 17 and 19: Addition and Subtraction Strategies
Room 18: Multiplication and Division knowledge and strategies such as;

• Triangles: Understand that x is the same as 'groups of'.
• Circles: Use known times tables to solve unknown times tables.
• Squares: Use doubling and halving to solve multiplication problems.

Reading

This week we start our Guided Reading Programme again.  Children will be bringing books home each night that they have read in class each day.  Please expect a book everyday from Monday to Thursday.

• Lions: Word attack skills
• Vampires: "I think that means..."
• Cats: "I think that means..."
• Kiwis:"I think that means..." and clearing roadblocks.
• Tigers: "I think that means..." and clearing roadblocks.

Writing

This week we are starting a new unit on Character Descriptions.  A character description follows this scaffold:

• Title
• Introduction
• Characteristics
• Evaluation

Our Writers Workshop focus will be:

• Physical description of a character.
• Describing a character.
• Person v Nature

Inquiry

This week we will continue conducting experiments.  The experiments we will be doing this week are:

• Make mine green and fizzy.
• Chemical popguns
• Dancing currants.

Winter Poems

Snow is like a blank piece of paper.
The snow is like foaming bubbles.
Sometimes it snows, sometimes you 
snuggle up by the fire.


By Sunny Day




When Snow Falls


Snow is like an egg, but softer and colder.
It can be as light as an eagle feather.
All snow is white like paper and pale is
what paper and snow should be like together.


By Te Karere




Snow


Snow, snow all white and puffy.
I could eat it, it looks like vanilla icecream.
Snowmen look like real people.
All nice and warm in your bed.
Have a milo to keep you warm.
Put the blanket over your head.


By Ariana




Windy Winter


The snow is cold.
The wind is as cold as Antarctica.
Frost is slippery.
The rain is as wet as the ocean.
Sometimes there are storms or it snows.
Snow looks like fluffy clouds.
At the supermarkets there are no crowds.
Mum says I can't go outside because I get
too wet.


By Heavenly




Snow is like a melting icecream falling on me.
White bits of snow all the way I see.
Snow is as crunchy as apples when I step on it.
Outside snow is to be thrown.
No bit of grass is to be seen.
You know snow is as smooth as your clothes.


By Claire




Snow
I like snow because it is fun.
Snow is bright like a light.
Everyone likes the snow.
So get outside and play in the snow.
I love snow because you can build
snowmen and forts.


By Shyloh




Snowy Snowballs
Snowy snowballs shiny as gold.
It's so bright it's like a diamond falling 
from the sky.
It's as easy to make a snow ball as
one, two, three.


By Jayden






Fluffy Snow
Snow is like a ball of white fluffy string.
It is white and fluffy and as cold as ice.
Snow is as soft as my cat's fur.
But snow is much colder than fur.
Snow is as fluffy as a white teddy bear
but it is as cold as a piece of ice.


By Taylor






Snow shines in the light.
People playing in snow.
Snow is as white as a polar bear.
Gumboots are worn outside.
Snow is cold like a freezer.
In warm homes with the heater on.
People having hot chocolate and watching TV.
School's closed for days.


By Marshall




Falling Snow
Snow can be thick to play in.
Snow can be cold.
Snow can be cold to pick up.
Snow can freeze your body.


By Caleb




Snow is like a big puffy cloud.
Now it is crunchy like an apple.
Our people scream so loud!
Whoa! At night it kind of glows.
Men don't melt, but snowmen do.
Even though you like to play in the snow
it is freezing.
Now you're inside nice and warm instead
of in the cold.


By Isobelle

SCHOOL IS OPEN!!

Avondale School will be open with a 10am start tomorrow - Thursday!  See you all then!


Remember your gumboots, slippers and warm clothes!

Duvauchelle Trip

Our trip to Duvauchelle has been postponed for tomorrow.  Details of a new trip day will follow.  This is currently being organised.  

I am not sure yet if school is open tomorrow  - but if it is...

I am not sure if the book parade will still be happening tomorrow for book week.   Children might want to put a costume in their bags just in case.  The theme was movie characters or movie stars (celebrities).

If school is open we will be running an alternative programme tomorrow in Room 18.  It will be based around the theme of snow, winter etc. 

 Please send your child to school in gumboots tomorrow and give them alternative shoes/slippers to wear in class.  Also ensure your child has warm clothing incase we have an opportunity to get outside and run off some energy.

SNOW DAY NUMBER 3!!

Avondale School is closed today (Wednesday)

See a list of activities posted on Monday.

You could also:

• use a digital camera to take photo's of the snow around your house and neighbourhood, print them and practice writing captions for them.  Bring them to school and show us.
• Write a character description about your snowman.
• Write a report about the weather we have been having.
• Complete your Current Events homework so you are ready to present it when school opens.  Remember your second report needs to be about something that has happened in New Zealand, but not in Christchurch.
• Write out the recipe for something you have eaten during the snow days.
• Write a poem about the snow.
• Draw a picture of what you can see out your window.

SNOW DAY NUMBER 2!

Avondale School is closed again today (Tuesday).

Please see the post from yesterday for activities to do at home.

Keep warm!

SNOW DAY!!!

Avondale School is closed today (Monday) due to snow!

Enjoy making snowmen, having snow fights and playing in the white stuff.  If you get bored remember you could:

• Read a lexile book and take a quiz.
• Complete some activities on Studyladder.
• Write an acrostic poem about the snow, winter etc.
• Do some of the activities on the websites to the right of this post.
• Write an imaginative story.
• Follow a recipe to make something for lunch (procedures).

Have fun guys and stay warm!  Dig out the beanies, thermals and scarves you were given at school and have some fun in the snow!

Book Fair

Remember the school book fair is this week. Come down and check out some quality books for purchase in the school library.  There will be lots of fun events going on at school during the week too.  Encourage your child to participate.

Week 3, Term 3

Wow - week 3 already!

This week we are learning:

Maths

This week there have been some changes to our maths programme and maths classes.  Some children have changed rooms for maths.

Room 18's maths class will be beginning multiplication and division.

Room 17 and Room 19's maths classes will continue addition and subtraction.

Reading

This week we will continue the AVAILLL reading programme.  Our movie is 'The Tale of Despereaux".  The children are doing really well this term with the activities that are related to the subtitles.

Writing

This week we will continue our procedural writing topic.  We are going to create a board game and write the rules that go with the game. Then we will test our games and see if our rules work, or if we need to make some changes.

Topic

This week we move onto the exciting 'gather and process' phase of our inquiry.  We get to actually start mixing some substances to see what happens!  We will be conducting two experiments this week.

Reminders

• Our trip to Duvauchelle is this Thursday.  Please ensure your child is at school before 9am as the bus will be leaving at 9am.
• Keep working on the current events presentations.  This weeks presentations have been excellent.
• On Tuesday we have some students from Mairehau High coming to speak to us at a Duffy assembly about why reading is important.
• Keep encouraging your child to read lexile books and complete quizzes.  
• Current Events presentations for this week: Marshall, Matrie, Te Karere, Jayden, Josh, Heavenly, Chloe, Isobelle, Harlem, Jasmine M, Sunny Day and Samara

This week's MVP is Chloe

Our assembly award went to Corban

Our Duffy award went to Ariana

Our first Lexile certificate went to Samara!

Week 2, Term 3

What a great week we had last week.  Everyone was refreshed and ready to learn again.

This week we are learning:

Maths
This week we continue working on different addition and subtraction strategies.  For the children who work in Room 18 for maths this is our last week on addition and subtraction.

Reading
This week is our second of four weeks in this block of the AVAILLL programme.  We will be read/watching two different movies this week.  The first is Earth, the power of the planet and the second is The tale of Despereaux.  The children really enjoyed Nim's Island last week.  There are two versions of this movie which have been printed as a book. One is the original chapter book, the other is a simpler book.

Writing
This week we continue our work on procedural writing.  This week our focus is writing recipes.
A procedure follows this scaffold:
Title
Goal: What is to be done?
Materials: What do we need?
Steps: How do we do it?
Evaluation: Was the goal achieved?

Topic
We will be continuing our topic on Fizzing and Foaming.  This week we will identify our supporting questions to help us answer our big question.  Then we will plan how and where we will find the information to answer our big question.

Reminders

• School photo's are this week.  Please ensure your child is in correct school uniform.  This means girls should not be wearing leggings under their dresses.  Children should not be wearing different coloured sweatshirts.  
• Encourage your child to read lexile books.  They all have new lexile levels, so a new range of books to read.  Completing quizzes on books means they earn points towards a lexile certificate.
• Current Events presentations begin on Monday.  Children presenting this week are: Sage, Corban, Ariana, Daniel, Taylor, Claire, Caleb, Jasmine AB, Te Ani, Samuel, Shyloh and Tahani.
• This term in art we are learning about painting.  Any egg cartons you have at home that you don't want we would appreciate.  Children will earn a green light towards the heart of achievement for each one they bring to school.

The MVP for this week is Josh.

The Duffy award winner was Jayden.

The class certificate went to Samara.

Welcome back to Term 3!!!

Welcome back to school for Term 3!  Gee those holidays went fast.  I hope you all had fun playing in the snow.

This week we will be learning...
Maths
All classes will continue working on addition and subtraction strategies for the next couple of weeks.  These strategies may include

• joining sets
• counting on (in ones and tens)
• using place value
• using compatible numbers
• splitting large numbers into smaller chunks

Reading
This week we begin our last four weeks of the AVAILLL reading programme. We will read/watch the movie Nim's Island and complete activities based on the subtitles.

Writing
This week we will begin a new writing unit on procedural writing.  A procedure follows this format:
Title:
Goal:  What is to be done?
Materials: What do we need?
Steps: How do we do it?
Evaluation: Was the goal achieved?

Inquiry
This term we are beginning a new Science inquiry on Fizzing and Foaming.  This week we will identify things that fizz, foam and ooze.  We will learn what these words mean.  Our big question is: What happens when two substances are mixed?

Reminders

• Encourage your child to read lexile books.
• Please make sure your child has warm, named clothing for cold playtimes.
• Our library day is Wednesday.  Please make sure your child has their library folder.
• Soccer on Friday - Children will need their uniforms.
• This term our art unit is painting.  We would appreciate any egg cartons you don't need to pour our paint into.

Week 11, Term 2

Yay we have made it to the end of term 2!

There will be no homework this week, however it is important that children continue reading every night.  It is also a good time to revise spelling words that the children have had trouble learning.

Holiday Activities

• Use Study ladder to consolidate skills that have been taught this year in maths.
• Read Lexile books and complete quizzes on the Lexile website.
• Use some of the websites listed down the side of this blog.
• Keep a diary of holiday activities.
• Play family games like Scrabble, Monopoly, Boggle and Bingo.
• Write letters or emails to family members.
• Have your child write the family grocery list as you call out items.
• Take a trip to the local library.

There was a large number of un-named clothing taken to the office last Friday from our cloakbay.  Please take some time over the holidays to ensure your child's school uniform is named, along with their jackets, hats, scarves, gloves etc.

There will be no soccer this Friday as teachers have lots to do in their rooms to get them tidy for the holidays!

Heavenly is our MVP this week.

Week 10, Term 2

This week we are learning...

Maths
Our maths focus remains the same as last week.

Reading
This week we are completing an author study on Canterbury author Margaret Mahy.  We will be reading many of her books and completing activities on them.

Writing
This week we wil be continuing imaginative stories.  Our Writers Workshop focus will be

• unpacking a heavy sentence.
• using sensory details.
• finding a voice in the world around us.
• writing with voice.

Topic

This week we will be continuing making our jewellery and finishing our slideshows.

Reminders

• Reading lexile books.
• Library day is Wednesday.
• Canned food for the school survival kit.
• Soccer shirts for Friday.

MVP

Last week our MVP was Caleb.

This week our MVP is Tahani.

Week 9, Term 2

This week we are learning:

Maths 
This week we continue learning a range of strategies for adding and subtracting.  Strategies include: joing sets, counting on or back(in ones and tens), using place value, compatible numbers, and splitting large numbers into easier chunks.

Reading
This week is our last week of the AVAILLL programme.  We are watching "Horton Hears a Who".

Writing
After a report writing assessment we will be beginning some imaginative writing until the end of the term.  Our Writers Workshop focus will be: exercising our imagination, cracking open general words, using stronger verbs and unpacking a heavy sentence.

Topic
Our slideshows should be finished this week.  Once we have finished we will be creating a range of jewellery we have designed.  We will be using wire, shells, beads, elastic and buttons.

Reminders
Lexile Reading:  Please encourage your child to participate in this programme.
Soccer: Children require their coloured shirts for Friday.  Please help them to find a suitable shirt.
Library:  Our library day is Wednesday.  Please ensure your child has their library folder.
Clothing:  Please ensure your child has warm clothing for playtimes, it's getting cold out there!
Cans of food:  If you could contribute a can of food that does not need heating for our school survival kit we would be very grateful.

Necklaces

Welcome Back!!!

It was so great to see Claire, Matrie, Jasmine AB, Te Karere, Caleb, Isobelle, Sunny Day, Jasmine McG, Heavenly, Taylor, Harlem, Marshall and Jayden at school today.

We had a fun day making necklaces, buddy reading, presenting our poem and singing along with the radio!

We also got a special treat from the Christchurch City Mission of water, milk and chocolate biscuits!

I hope more of you can join us on Monday!

Our programme for next week will be exactly what was planned for this week.  Sunny Day will be our MVP next week as she missed out this week thanks to Mother Nature!

Earthquake Update

School is open Friday.  Please bring safe, bottled water from home.   See you tomorrow!

Earthquake Update

School will remain closed Thursday 16th June as we have no water.  The Ministry of Education website states we will be opening, but this is incorrect.

Earthquake Update

School is closed Wednesday 15th June.

Earthquake Update

I hope you are all safe and well.

School will remain closed until further notice.  A structural engineers report has been requested.

I will update our blog as soon as I have any new information.  Remember there are educational websites posted on the right that your child could use.  Remember to read books at home.  Your child might like to write a report about the latest earthquake.  They might also like to write a diary about what they have been doing at home.  Drawing pictures can be a good way for children to express themselves and their feelings.

Stay safe!!

Our New Beanies!

Week 7, Term 2

Maths
This week we are working on addition and subtraction strategies. This means learning ways to solve addition and subtraction problems if we don't know the answer. We will be using strategies such as; counting on (in ones and tens), joining sets, using place value, using compatible numbers, splitting large numbers into small chunks.

Reading
We are continuing our AVAILLL reading programme. This weeks movie is a documentary called "The Earth - Power of the Planet".

Writing
This week we are proofreading a report of our choice in order to publish it. We will be revising and editing our reports. This means we will revise our reports to check it makes sense, and to see where we can make it better. We will be proofreading our work for spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Topic
We are finishing our slideshows for our inquiry.

Our MVP this week is Sunny Day!

Week 6, Term 2

Maths
This week we will be completing our time assessment to see how much we learnt throughout the time unit. We will then continue assessments to find out what strategies the children use to solve addition and subtraction problems.

Reading
This week in AVAILLL we are watching "The Waterhorse". We will be completing activities related to the subtitles we read.

Writing
We are continuing our unit on report writing. Our writers workshop topics this week are: Jazzing up your title, writing subtitles that teach and narrowing your focus.

Inquiry
This week we will be beginning our powerpoint slideshows about jewellery in other countries. We are working in pairs. We will also continue making different kinds of jewellery.

Week 2, Term 2

Hi everyone and welcome back to school!  This term is 11 weeks long.

This week at school we are learning:
Maths
This is our last week of knowledge learning.  Next week we will complete some testing to see what we have learnt so far this year.  Then we will begin our strategy focus on Addition and Subtraction.

Reading
We are still working on "I think that means..."  Children are showing great improvement in their ability to retell the story and think about what they have read.  We are also using venn diagrams to compare and contrast things from the books we have read.

Writing
This week in Writers Workshop we are learning how to plan our stories.  We will be using strategies such as: observing the world, talking before you write, taking notes, and dash facts.  We are learning to write reports.

Topic
This week we are working on the questioning and planning phases of our inquiry.  We will identify some supporting questions which will help us to answer our 'big' question.

Thank you to everyone for sending in containers for the children to keep their beads in.  They really enjoyed making the paper beads on Friday.

Week 11, Term 1

This week is the last week of school for Term 1!!

There has been no homework this week other than reading books.  Please make sure your child brings their books back on Friday.  Please have a hunt at home for any reading books or library books that need to come back to school.  Overdue library book notices have been handed out today.

Check with your child whether they need any stationery over the holidays so that we can start back fresh and well resourced.  Typically children are running out of, or losing pencils, rubbers, rulers and sharpeners.

Next term children will not be allowed to wear shoes inside the classroom as it is a winter term and shoes get dirty.  It would be a good idea to send your child to school with some slippers or inside shoes to keep their feet warm during class.

Have a wonderful holiday and keep safe!

Week 10, Term 1

Reading
We are still increasing our vocabulary and looking at words that are the odd one out, or words that would fit at the end of sentence.  We have started looking at adjectives and are identifying them in the books we read.  Please have a good look at home for any journals or books that need to be returned to school.

Maths
We are working on filling knowledge gaps.  This means we are going over the knowledge that has been forgotten since last year.  This is in the area of number sequence, place value and basic facts generally.

Topic
We are continuing our Earthquake unit. This week we will be beginning our 'redevelopment' of QEII stadium.  We will work in groups to survey others about what they think should be in the new stadium. 

Homework

All children should be bringing a reading book home every night from Monday - Thursday.  Please make sure the book they read is listed in the homework book.  Your child is expected over the week to complete the three spelling activities in the homework book.  These activities are not optional.

Dates to Remember!
4th April - Duffy Theatre Show
8th April - Pandemonium Concert at Chisnallwood (free!!!)
               - Scholastic orders close.

13th April - Scholastic special orders close.

15th April - Last day of Term 1

Week 9, Term 1

This week we are continuing a lot of theme's from last week.

Reading
We are still increasing our vocabulary and looking at words that are the odd one out, or words that would fit at the end of sentence.  We have started looking at nouns and are identifying them in the books we read.

Maths
We are working on filling knowledge gaps.  This means we are going over the knowledge that has been forgotten since last year.  This is in the area of number sequence, place value and basic facts generally.

Topic
We are continuing our Earthquake unit. This week we have finished our survival kits, and are working on ways to earthquake proof our bedrooms.


Dates to Remember!
4th April - Duffy Theatre Show
8th April - Pandemonium Concert at Chisnallwood ($3)
               - Scholastic orders close
15th April - Last day of Term 1

Week 8, Term 1

This week your child has their normal homework of spelling, basic facts and reading.  This should have come home tonight.  Please ensure that your child returns any books back to school such as reading books, literacy books, topic books, homework books and library books.  We are back to our normal school routine now and need these books to work in.

Many children wore their hats home on the 22nd of February and these need to come back to school.  We discovered many missing hats today at playtime.

You may have noticed that several port-a-loo's have arrived on site and are situated outside the office block.  These are an 'incase of emergency' option only and are currently not being used.  We also have a large green tank of fresh water outside Mrs Harkess' office.  We are waiting on taps to be fitted before we can begin to use this water.

Opening Times for 21-25th March

Avondale School will be open on Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd of March from 9am-12.30pm.  From Wednesday we will be opening for full days again.  From Wednesday children are encouraged to be in school uniform unless you are unable to wash clothes.  Children will still need to bring their own boiled water as we do not yet have a safe water supply.  Please remember to fill in the family well being survey and return it to school as soon as you are able to.

Extra work for at home

In addition to the activities on the notice your child took home today they will also bring home their Life Education book.  These activities are based on what the children learnt in the Life Education van with Anita and Harold.  They are free to work through these activities at their leisure.  This book does not need to return to school.

Welcome back to Avondale!

It is so great to see you all back at school!  Phew what a couple of weeks we have had!  I have started this blog so parents can see what we have been learning at school.  We will post notices and reminders here often so check in regularly.
On the right hand side of the blog you can see some links to games and activities children can do at home.  These could be used when children are home sick, bored or as extra homework activities.