SWIS
Social Worker in School
(Family Works)
Contact:
Kia ora, Malo e Lelei, Talofa Lava, Ni Hao, Namaste, Bula Vinaka, Fakaalofa Lahi Atu, Kia orana, Mauri, Greetings.
It's been a busy few weeks since my last newsletter!
Our celebration of Samoan language week came to an end today with an assembly performance of sasa and siva from our Tupulaga group.
Tamariki across the school have enjoyed a range of activities and cultural experiences, and we would like extend a huge thank you to whānau for their support and involvement.
We are also fortunate to be working with outside providers to support students in Year 4-6.
The special programmes this term include: Youth Yoga, Express Yourself Dance and Lunchtime Activation.
Fundraising
A group of our senior leaders are part of a Project Panel, organised by Manurewa Parenting Hub, and funded by Beyond Horizons Trust.
This committee will focus on how we use fundraising and project money to purchase additional resources for the school.
At the moment we are considering outdoor musical instruments to complement our external learning environment.
The inspiration for these instruments will be taken from a theatrical performance group we have visiting our school in Term 3 - Strike Percussion.
Thank you to everyone who helped to raise money for Mental Health Awareness by participating in Pink Shirt Day. We raised a total of $178.10.
Property
The Board are continuing their support in providing our tamariki with quality resources and learning spaces.
They have three projects underway at the moment: playground markings for the area outside of Titoki, extension of the shade sail system over the junior playground and sandpit, and resurfacing of the large turf.
We are also exploring the possibility of grants to provide a turf canopy in the future.
Staffing
Last week, as we said a fond farewell to Hazel Searle, we also extended a warm welcome to Nicole Grant who is covering Hazel's maternity leave. The children are lucky to have an experienced teacher, and Nicole will be a valuable member of our team.
We have continued to welcome many new friends to our Tōtara pod and have even opened up a new classroom.
We are enjoying having new friends to get to know and some friends that we recognise from the ECE centre we used to attend.
Welcome to Room 4 and their whānau!
Some of the older children in our pod have enjoyed being the big buddies, helping the new children as they settle into school.
Teaching them where we eat, play and befriending them in class and on the playground.
We have been working hard learning to read and getting ticks on our sight word card. We get very excited when we move onto a new coloured word card.
What a great term we are having!
Each week we try to learn about a new animal as a motivation for writing.
We recently learned a lot about the pūkeko.
Did you know that a group of pūkeko will lay their eggs in one nest? They take turns to sit on the eggs, and when the babies hatch, they will all look after all the babies.
This week we've been learning some Samoan songs as part of Samoan Language week.
It's fun to learn the actions to help remember what the song is about!
We had a great time last week being scientists!
Our topic was Forces and we did a little rotation with the teachers to investigate the type of force being used in each experiment.
With Mrs Latu, we made pom pom shooters and blasted the pom poms up to the ceiling.
With Miss Ihaka, we made a marble maze and our mission was to move the marble to his home.
With Miss Sutherland, we tested toy cars on different surfaces to check how easily they could move and with Miss Sampson, we made a balloon shoot across the room like a rocket.
In each of these experiments, we discovered the forces of pull and push in action.
We also discovered, being scientists is so much fun!
In Kōwhai we have been learning what it means to be brave, resilient and proud of ourselves as learners.
During maths we have been exploring symmetry and have found many places where we see this in the world.
Butterflies are a beautiful example of symmetry. We have been creating our own symmetrical patterns with equipment, drawing and paint.
We have also been working on problems that involve multiplication and division!
Kōwhai have enjoyed learning all about bears over the last couple of weeks and writing and illustrating our own reports with lots of interesting facts.
Did you know that the Honey bear has a tongue that is 25cm long?
Tī kōuka have been enjoying the last of autumn and the colours that autumn brings.
We have been using our language features to describe our senses and write poetically. This season is always a favourite with our children and teachers.
This week we have been exploring forces in the natural world. Students have been using push, pull, gravity and friction within the school setting to see how these invisible forces help us in everyday life.
We have been learning how light bends through water and how sound travels as sound waves.
We are being wowed and amazed by things that occur in everyday life.
There have been some lovely moments of connecting all the pieces together, wonder and learning.
In Rimu Pod we have had a strong focus on learning te reo Maaori and growing our tamariki's confidence with speaking the language.
We learn a kupu o te wiki (word/ phrase of the week) and waiata o te wiki (song of the week).
Our tamarki are encouraged to use te reo throughout the day and have been learning positive affirmations when speaking with others.
We continue to work on our Science Inquiry, exploring electricity, forces and light.
Last week Nīkau Students enjoyed a Science rotation and were learning about aspects of Physical Science.
Students were given a challenge to design and build a model for something new that could be built in Manurewa.
The catch was they had to incorporate aspects of their learning from our Science rotation.
The teachers were very impressed with the ideas students came up with, so creative and inspiring!
We have students building wind turbines that power lights, dams for Puhinui Stream, pools that have wheelchair access, a flying fox and many, many more great ideas that if built would be an asset to the Manurewa area.
In Kauri Ngahere, we are fully immersed in our magical worlds!
New language and vocabulary is flowing, we are using language features such as descriptive adjectives, simile, metaphor, personification and onomatopoeia to enrich our writing. We have created new characters and creatures to inhabit our worlds - relating back to our inquiry into flora, fauna and landforms.
We are also learning heaps about measurement and fractions in our maths rotations, as well as continuing to develop our number knowledge and using different strategies to solve number and written problems.
We are starting our science focus, learning about climate change and its effects on society and environment.
Our enrichment assembly was amazing, showcasing some great learning and the varied skills our kaiako and akonga have to offer!
Parents, caregivers & whānau
Please help your child/ren to be at school by 8.30-8.45am every day.
This gives your child/ren time to talk with the teacher, see their friends and get organised for learning for their day.
All students are required to be 'ready for learning' by 9.00am every day.
Our learning programmes begin at this time.
Thank you for your help and support in ensuring a happy start to the school day for your child/ren every day.
Please DO NOT allow your child to bring toys to school.
We are not able to ensure they return to their rightful home or that they do not get broken.
Please DO NOT send lollies & lollipops to school.
We encourage healthy eating at school.
Please save treats for after school.
No fizzy drinks please.
We appreciate your help with these requests.
Parents/Caregivers
Please ensure your contact details are up to date!
These can be updated by email to:
officemanager@mancent.school.nzPlease check we have a copy of your child's vaccination records and any important medical information.
Pasefika Healthcare Nurse: Anita Lea
Our nurse is available at school by appointment to advise and support you with any health concerns for your children.
She is available for hearing and vision checks and will throat swab for infection at your request.
Referrals can be made to see the nurse or for advice and support via application at the school office.
Gates are closed at 3.20pm.
Calendar Dates 2023 - Term 2
