Week 9

Talking Topic: Reflection of the term

As this is the last week of Term 4 we will not be doing the normal lessons and homework.

Dates to remember
* Wednesday - Shared lunch at 1pm. Bring a finger food to share.
* Disco - Wednesday 12-1pm. Come to school in your disco clothes
* Thursday- Prizegiving at Solway College.

Week 5

Talking Topic: Free Choice
Sound of Week: squ blends
Maths: Fractions 

Congratulations to the Year 4's who qualified for the Masterton Athletics on Wednesday.

Our Food Festival was a huge success on Thursday evening. Totara kids made fruit kebabs on Thursday afternoon for our Fijian dessert.

In Week 6 we are hosting the Mighty Maui Puppet Show. The cost of this is $2.00 a child. Please send this to school this week.

Swimming- Year 4's are invited to swim at lunch times if they wish!!

WEEK 4

Talking Topic: Food Festival
                     Talk about what our class is        
                      making- fruit kebabs
Sound of the Week: medial & final sounds 
                           that have double letters
Maths: Volume
Food Festival: This Thursday afternoon 2.00pm we are making fruit kebabs for the Food Festival. If you would like to come and help in class that would be great!

Athletics: Totara have been practising Athletics with the TaraRua Syndicate. We are hoping to hold a session and invite parents on Thursday( weather dependent)

Congratulations to the AB's for their win of the Rugby World Cup!- we hope you read the slogans on Solway's fenceline.

TERM FOUR- Week 1

Talking Topic: Pets
Sound of Week: igh
Maths: Multiplication & Division
Reading: Library Day is Monday

Welcome back to school everyone. I hope you are all healthy and had some fun over the holidays. There are only 9 weeks in Term 4 so we will be very busy from Day 1.

Check your newsletter and this site for any information about what is happening.

Pet & Flower Day is this Friday. A note will come home telling you the categories you can enter for the flower part. You are responsible for bringing anything you need to make your entry. Have a practise at home but do not make them up before at home.
This is a fun day so adults are welcome to come along in the morning and assist children with their creations.

Make sure you allow enough time to view the calendar art in the Hall.

WEEK 10

Talking Topic: Reflection of the term
Sound of the Week: Suffixes
Maths: Multiplication & Division
Reading:All Library Books must be returned 
              on Monday

Reflection Assembly: This Friday at 9.15
Have a Go Day- A huge thankyou to David,Nina,Sian and Rob for providing transport and support to Totara. The kids loved the sports they were involved in and Ava, Jayden and Milly were lucky enough to win a football each!

WEEK 8

Talking Topic: What is the name of our production and what is it about?
Sound of the Week: long o
Maths:  Multiplication & Division
            Its time to review your         
            timestables

Production: All costumes should be at school. Have you sent a note to say whether your child will be picked up from the Lighthouse after the matinee or will they be coming on the bus back to school?
All students are expected to attend the night performance on Thursday at 6.30pm. Students need to arrive at 6pm to get ready.
Tickets can be purchased from the school office for $3.00

We have all been practising very hard
to make our production. Please support your child with coming to see them perform. A big thankyou to Debbie Lyster for making the penguin hats and Della Frew's Mum for the penguin feet.
A huge thanks to Ray Allsworth for making Mr Key's steps!
Break a leg everyone!!!

WEEK 7

 

Talking Topic:We will learn Kia Tau   our karakia at school & record it for Oral Language
Sound of the Week: short u
Maths: This week we will be teaching our buddy how to use an addition or subtraction strategy that we know
Reading: Some days due to Production rehearsal we will not have guided reading sessions. All students should bring a book home every night to read.
Production News: Our practising is going well. I am very proud of Totara because they have a lot to organise and think about. We are certainly using our thinking and organisation skills.
All costumes need to come to school this week in a named bag.Check your notice for what is needed or ask your child.
Daffodil Day
Thankyou to those who supported this important day. The money the school raised will be given to the Cancer Society.

                               

WEEK 6

Talking Topic: Free Choice
Sound of the Week:short i
Maths:Addition & Subtraction

Production: We are very busy rehearsing for our play. You should be organising the clothes you need. Send them to school in a named plastic bag this week.

TERM THREE Week 5

Talking Topic: How do I look after my school environment
Sound of the Week: 'short e' sound
Maths: Addition & Subtraction
            I have noticed a drop in the recall of  basic facts- please revise these
Reading: New Library Day is Monday

Production News- A letter was sent home on Friday advising families the part and costumes needed for each child.Please start to organise the clothes they will need. I will let you know when to send them to school.

A huge thankyou to Kim Reed and the other relievers that worked in Totara in my absence.

Week 10

Talking Topic: What do you know about staying safe from fire?
Sound of the Week: long o
Maths: Addition & Subtraction
           We are revisiting strategies learnt earlier in the year and moving on from there...
Rich Concepts:Wow our space assembly on Friday was fantastic! We were able to see a slice of what each class had been learning.
I was so proud of Totara students singing a rap, sharing Space Fact Loopy and showing their fabulous art.
 Ka Pai Totara!!

Kim Reed will be teaching Totara for the last week of Term 2 and three weeks into Term 3 while I am overseas.

WEEK 9

Talking Topic: Fire Safety- How can you be safe around fire?
Sound of the Week: long i
Maths: Last week of Fractions
Celebrating Assembly: Friday 2.15pm in the Hall. All classes in the Taratahi Syndicate will be showcasing some of the things they learnt about Space so come along.

Check out these netball pics!!!

WEEK 8

Talking Topic:Lucky Dip
Sound of the Week:long e
Maths: Fractions & Measurement

We enjoyed taking part in Syndicate Singing last week. Have a look at our new song and start practising!!

Good luck to those who are representing Solway in the Interschool Cross Country on Wednesday.

Week 7

Talking Topic: Chant a poem
Sound of the Week: long a sound

Maths: Fractions

Cross Country last Thursday was a great success. Congratulations to all who ran- you were amazing!! Thanks to all supporters as well- your kids love having you there to support them.

WEEK 6

Talking Topic: New facts I know about Space
Sound of Week:er
Maths: Fractions

Cross Country: We have been running hard practising for our School Country. This is on this Thursday at Solway Showgrounds. Children will be bused there at 12.30 and running starts at 1pm. The Year 3 and 4 races are at the end of the programme. You may take your child home with you at the end of the running but please let me know you are going. Students can wear their house colours.

Week 5

Talking Topic: Facts I know about the sun
Sound of the Week: oo
Maths: Proportions & Ratios
Rich Concept: "What is our Place in Space?"
                        We will continue to fact find and research for information.
We created some really fun SUN pictures last week using paint and gladwrap. 

On Friday some of us tried using flour and PVA to make pictures of the Moon.

This is the last week Chloe will be teaching in Totara as she is off to do more study- We have loved having you in our classroom!!

Week 4

Talking Topic: What do I want to find out about Space?
Sound of the Week:  ar
Maths: Last week of Mult/Div
           Measurement
Rich Concepts:  On Thursday we went inside the cosmodome with Mr Fisher.We were so excited and surprised to find out what it was like inside. We will use our new knowledge to explore 'What is our place in space?'

I hope all the Mums in our class enjoyed their Mothers Day gift from your child. I loved writing all their precious thoughts about you!

This week we will start Folk Dancing-Yay!!

Week 3

Try this basic facts game- you will love it!!!
http://www.strike.lancsngfl.ac.uk/download/file/Willow%20Class/Maths/ITPs/Hit_the_button_v10.swf

Term 2 Week 3

Talking Topic: What do I know about Space?
Sound of the Week: or
Maths: Multiplication & Division
Circles & Diamonds

Check out these You Tube clips

Triangles & Squares

Rectangles

Friday is Strand Day. We are learning to use different units of measurement.

Rich Concepts:
This week we will start our learning about Space. What do you already know about Space? 
Start thinking about "what would you like to know about Space?'

Congratulations to all Totara students on your fantastic Assembly on Friday.You spoke beautifully and managed yourself extremely well. Thanks to the Parents and Grandparents who supported our class!!

Thankyou to Della, Nina and Deb who have offered to organise the sausage sizzle for Totara on Wednesday 27th May.

TERM 2 2015 Week 1

Talking Topic: Holiday Fun
Sound of Week: ow
Maths: Multiplication & Division

I hope you all had a fun holiday and did lots of exciting things with your friends and family.
This term we are starting off the first 2 weeks by looking at ANZAC. The rest of the term will be focused on Space and the last 2 weeks of term we will focus on Fire Safety.

Any outstanding Library books need to be returned to school by Wednesday.
Remember to return your Green Assessment Book with a positive comment from your family members.

Week 10

Talking Topic: Reflection of the term
Sound of the Week: Revision of terms   
                             sounds
Maths: Multiplication & Division
                               This week Totara will start peer tutoring.We will  teach our buddy strategies to use with Multiplication & Division problems.
Check out your groups You Tube clip:
Circles & Diamonds

 

Triangles & Squares

Rectangles

Buddy Time
Friday was such a fun day!! Firstly we met with our buddy and created a boat out of recycled materials. We needed to discuss what we were going to do and then how we would do it.

After lunch we met up with our buddy, picked up our boat then headed to the swimming pool. We felt so excited!!

 All of our boats floated! Yay we were successful.

Reflection Assembly:
Come and join us on Thursday just after 9 am in the hall.