Week 6 Term 3 2021

 Well done everyone, we have all survived our first full week of Online Learning. It was so lovely to see your children's faces on our zoom/meet sessions. The children coped really well and shared lots of stories and fun. Thanks for helping your child to upload their wonderful stories onto Educa. This is an awesome way for us to interact with each other. Please keep uploading the stories and photos-we just love receiving them.

Level 3/4

We will be staying at Level 4 until Tuesday at 11:59pm. After this we should be moving to Level 3. We are waiting for the Ministry of Education to update Alert Level 3 guidelines which might be different from last year. Once we have received these we will let you know the plan. In the meantime, could you please complete a Level 3 survey for each child you have in a class at school. The survey needs to be completed by 9am Monday 30th August. Thanks to those parents and caregivers who have taken the time to fill in the form already.

Here is the link to the Kakano 3 survey

Help for others

There may be families in the community that you know of who need some help and assistance. Please let us know of any families you think we can support at this time.

Phonics online

This week we will be trialling our new phonics lessons online from Monday to Thursday. Some of your children may find this a little easy at first. We would like them to continue with the programme to understand how it runs and reinforce the spelling rules that will be covered. Please, can your child bring a whiteboard and marker or a pen and paper, if you have them, to the session.

Sunshine Classics-Reading

It's awesome to see our students reading the Sunshine Classic books. This will be their reading until we return to school at Level 2. When your child has finished reading we would like them to complete the activities that go with each book. This will help their understanding of the story. There is an option to record their reading. We are enjoying being able to listen to the reading fluency and hear the strategies that our kids are using. We can use these recordings to give feedback and know what support to give.

Learning through play

Our ‘normal’ 9am-3pm day is jam packed with learning. However, it is important to remember that only a part of this time, for your child, is in formal and intensive individual or small group teaching. The normal attention span of a 6-7 year old is only 12-18minutes so we don’t tend to stay focused on one activity for more than 20minutes. Learning through play helps your child to practice new skills, explore, experiment, discover, and solve problems in imaginative and playful ways. This week, we have included a curriculum slide so that you can see how our play activities link to the NZ Curriculum. Just going for a walk and talking about the things that you can see, hear, feel… helps build their science, social studies, maths and literacy skills. Cooking is maths, science, literacy and key competencies. Helping with household chores is social studies, key competencies, maths, technology… Stay calm and play on = you are doing a great job! 

Super Kids Awards

This week St Mary’s School had a virtual assembly. These are the children from Kakano 1, 2 and 3 who received a Super Kids award. Well done

Here is the link to our Virtual Assembly.

Learning slides

The slides below will outline the learning for the week, update you on anything new and offer times for your child to meet with us online.  You are most welcome to join us for these sessions, especially the Monday chats. The Monday meetings will outline the learning for the week and will act as a check in to see how we are all going.  The learning will be in a slide deck that will be embedded with this post. You should be able to move through the slides and click on the links. Let us know if you have any problems. On Friday our zoom/meet sessions will be a Show and Tell  for the children to share their news.

Week 5 Term 3 2021 - K123 Go Online

Well this isn't how we saw the term going but here we are - life's an adventure. We’re hoping to see you all at school later this week but, just in case, we’re planning for a longer lockdown and have activated Learning from Home Programmes. We’ve done this before and we will work together again to make this lockdown as easy, fun and entertaining as possible and we’ll still keep learning. 

Every Sunday we will send out a learning post (as usual). This post will outline the learning for the week, update you on anything new and offer times for your child to meet with us online.  You are most welcome to join us for these sessions, especially the Monday chats. The Monday meetings will outline the learning for the week and will act as a check in to see how we are all going.  The learning will be in a slide deck that will be embedded with this post (see below). You should be able to move through the slides and click on the links. Let us know if you have any problems.

We are well aware that many of you will be working from home and juggling a million other things. There is no pressure from us - we’re in the same boat. The learning that we send out will be largely play-based and independent. Family harmony and wellness is more important.

The reading is also be an independent activity but, as it requires a device, half an eye on things is probably not a bad idea. We have some very clever tools for monitoring the reading from our homes but we need to be sure that the kids are doing the work by themselves or we aren’t going to be able to see any promblems that need our help.

We are ready for online learning but need to know a few things from you.

• Did you read this on educa or the class blog? 

• Do you have internet and a device that your child can use? If not, have you filled in the digital help form? Link Here

•  Is there anything else that we need to know that might help us support you and your child better?

PLEASE, respond by email to karent@stmarysrotorua.school.nz. This will help me to check that I also have the correct email for you - I will need email addresses for online chats. If I don’t get a reply, I will have to assume that there is an issue accessing online learning and will start ringing around to check on you (that’s not supposed to sound threatening - hehehe). 

Sorry for the overload of information - I'll try to keep it short and sweet from now on. K123 work as a collaborative team and we know what it’s like to spend all day with our little bundles of mischief and emotion. If you have any issues, worries or even a funny story that you just have to share we are only an email/post/comment away. 

Week 4 Term 3 2021

 What a fantastic Mary Mackillop day you all had on Friday! It looks like everyone had a great time and learned lots about the amazing lady that started our school. I bet there were a few very tired children after the busy day. This week we will be leading the liturgy for the Assumption of Mary on Thursday at 12:15 in the hall. You are all welcome to come and celebrate with us.

PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning)

Have you ever wondered...

• What St Mary's does to support wellbeing and good mental health? 

• How St Mary's manages student behaviour?

• What to do if your child isn’t feeling happy at school?

PB4L is hosting a parent chat night. There are 2 sessions available to make sure that we can involve as many families as possible. Childcare will be provided for those who need it.  Come along and enjoy some light refreshments and good conversation. Grant Gaston, an advisor from the Ministry of Education, will also be there to share ideas and help answer questions. 

Thursday 19th August 3:15-4:15 pm and 6:00-7:00 pm

Our Learning 

Literacy = sounds in sequence. 

We are looking at how we use sounds, small words and bits of words that we know to make our reading and spelling easier.

Numeracy = reading the problem. We are reading word problems to look for clues about how to solve them. You can talk to your children about words that could mean add (join, more…) or subtract (take away, minus, disappear…). 

Religious Education = Jesus

We are learning how to relate the ways Jesus showed love, to the ways people show love today.

The Week Ahead

Monday

Tuesday

Kakano 2 Library

Wednesday

Kakano 1 Library

Thursday

Kakano 3 Library

The Assumption of Mary Liturgy 12:15 in the hall - Kakano 1, 2, & 3 are leading this. All friends and family are welcome to join us

Parent Meetings for PB4L - 3:15-4:15pm & 6:00-7:00pm - all are welcome to come.

Friday

Week 3 Term 3

Thank you to all the parents and families who came to our three way conferences. It was wonderful to see you all and discuss your child’s progress with you. If you were unable to attend, please touch base with us so we can set up an alternative day/time.

Please keep sending in your bread tags, to your class, for our young vinnies to collect. These go to a worthy cause - Bread tags for Wheelchairs. The young vinnies will be collecting them until the end of the year. 

Our Learning 

Literacy = sounds in sequence. 

We are looking at how we use sounds, small words and bits of words that we know to make our reading and spelling easier.

Numeracy = reading the problem. We are reading word problems to look for clues about how to solve. You can talk to your children about words that could mean add (join, more…) or subtract (take away, minus, disappear…). 

Religious Education = Jesus

We will be listening to stories about Mary Mackillop and learning how she lived her life fully for Jesus.

The Week Ahead

Monday

Keeping Ourselves Safe - parent information evening 5:15-6:00 in Room 14. This meeting is run by School Community Officer Viv Sutton. More information below.

Tuesday

Kakano 2 Library

Wednesday

Kakano 1 Library

Thursday

Kakano 3 Library

Friday

St. Mary of the Cross Mackillop Day

The day will start with Mary Mackillop activities in syndicates, followed by Mass, then tabloid sports in the afternoon.

Mary Mackillop Mass - 12:05pm in the church. Children MUST come to school in their correct uniform. They may bring a change of PE clothes for tabloid sports in the afternoon.

KEEPING OURSELVES SAFE Programme

Kia ora koutou.

I would like to acknowledge St Mary’s school for its ongoing commitment to delivering the Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) programme. KOS is a personal safety programme that teaches students vital interpersonal skills in different situations. You can find out about the programme at: https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/personal-community-safety/school-portal/resources/successful-relationships/kos

The programme will be delivered by classroom teachers from 23rd August. There will be a community hui at St Mary's School on Monday 9 August, 5.15-6pm, in Room 14, where I will explain what the programme entails, and share some tips about keeping your young ones safe. You are encouraged to attend.

Please take time to speak with your children about what they are learning in the programme. It will also give you an opportunity to reinforce your family’s values and expectations.

If you have any questions please contact me Vivienne.Sutton@police.govt.nz

E mihi ana

Viv Sutton

School Community Officer, Rotorua Police

Week 2 Term 3 2021

 Kia orana (May you live a long and fulfilling life)

This week is Cook Islands language Week. 

Three-Way Goal Setting Conferences

This week we will have Three-Way Goal Setting Conferences for Parent/Student/Teacher.

Students and their parent(s) need to make an appointment to attend a 10-minute conference with the child's teacher on one of these two days. 

Appointments available

Tuesday 3 August 3.10pm - 6pm

Wednesday 4 August 3.10pm - 6pm

How to make a booking

Bookings are now open. How do parents make a booking for their child's Three-Way Conference?

Via the following link and enter the code aemzc

Via the links button on our School App - select School Interviews - enter the code aemzc

Please note: If you are late for your appointment you might be asked to rebook for another time. This is because the class teacher needs to consider the bookings made by other families and keep to the times they have booked for. 

We look forward to seeing you and your child at the conference.

Our Learning 

Literacy = sounds in sequence. 

We are looking at how we use sounds, small words and bits of words that we know to make our reading and spelling easier.

Numeracy = reading the problem. We are reading word problems to look for clues about how to solve. You can talk to your children about words that could mean add (join, more…) or subtract (take away, minus, disappear…). 

Religious Education = Jesus

We will be listening to stories about Jesus, how he showed love for others and how we show love today.

We have a final session with Katie Knapman and Harold in the Life Education caravan this week. We are working on keeping ourselves safe and being gentle with our words.

The Week Ahead

Monday

Kakano 1 Life Education 

Tuesday

Kakano 2 & 3 Life Education 

Kakano 2 Library

Three way conferences

Wednesday

Kakano 1 Library

Three way conferences

Thursday

Kakano 3 Library

Milo fundraiser

Friday

KEEPING OURSELVES SAFE Programme

Kia ora koutou.

I would like to acknowledge St Mary’s school for its ongoing commitment to delivering the Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) programme. KOS is a personal safety programme that teaches students vital interpersonal skills in different situations. You can find out about the programme at: https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/personal-community-safety/school-portal/resources/successful-relationships/kos

The programme will be delivered by classroom teachers from 23rd August. There will be a community hui at St Mary's School on Monday 9 August, 5.15-6pm, in Room 14, where I will explain what the programme entails, and share some tips about keeping your young ones safe. You are encouraged to attend.

Please take time to speak with your children about what they are learning in the programme. It will also give you an opportunity to reinforce your family’s values and expectations.

If you have any questions please contact me Vivienne.Sutton@police.govt.nz

E mihi ana

Viv Sutton

School Community Officer, Rotorua Police

Assumption of Mary Mass

ON Sunday August 15th all parishes around NZ will be celebrating the Assumption of Mary and during the month we are focusing on Mary and during this time rededicating our country to Mary. The link above gives you an insight into why ‘Mary’.

At our 10am Mass here in Rotorua Father Thomas has invited our parents and children to come to Mass and the procession around the church and school after the Mass. If families can’t come to Mass at 10.00am they are invited to be part of the procession and cup of tea after.