Welcome to Term 1 of 2023! The New Year brought freshness, positive energy, some changes and then weather surprises. I pray that you were all safe and did not have too much damage to your properties this week from the unusual amount of water. I am looking forward to seeing you all return to school.

Room 3, now Teina Toru have a great term to look forward to. A special welcome to our brand new Year 3 students.  Another special welcome to our Year 4 students. I have missed you all during the very long Holiday. Wasn't it so cool though? I look forward to hearing your stories.

This term Teina Toru will engage in the following learning.

Worship: Will praise God and show our gratitude in prayer. Then explore and discover our gifts and talents, our identity and belonging; positive ways to behave and learn through Bible stories.

Encounter Bible: First we will go on a Safari not in Africa but in the Bible seeking to know the Son of God in the Bible. Followed by 'God protects (Moses)' then "God prepares (Moses) and lastly 'Easter (God provides the One)'

Literacy - Writing will focus on structures and features of Recounts, Narrative, Journals, Descriptions. We will integrate Topic, Bible and Worships.

Literacy - Reading will take us through the colour wheel leveled books, Fiction and Non-fiction. Reading will also be integrated with Topic, Technology, Maths and Bible.

Maths - This will involve - Number Sequencing Knowledge Additive strategies. Counting, Place Value and Simple Fractions. For Strand we will learn more about Measuring Temperature, Time, Angles. Also Equations and expressions in Algebra. We are also looking at cross teaching Maths with Teine 2 this term.

Te Reo Maori will be integrated with Topic as we cement our own identity and belonging as well as explore identity and belonging of other people in the world. 

Technology will be about 'Progress and Outcome' where we explore inputs and outputs of machines, electrical appliances etc.

The Arts will give us opportunities for Drama, Dance and singing especially when integrated with Topic 'The world cultures. 

Topic - Social Science: As you may have already guessed, the theme is 'Identity and Belonging' covering Personal Identity; World Cultures, and Gifts and Talents. We have a busy Term with some excursions thrown in for our Topic. We will also integrate Statistics here with Topic, making- Investigation through the Enquiry cycle. 

Health and Physical Education will continue to encourage the Key competencies of 'Thinking' Positive mindset for learning and Relating to others. On the active side, we have Fitness with our Jump jam on Thursdays as well as the daily classroom fitness and Brain breaks.  We also have Athletics this term on week 7, so the skill and fitness building begins next week. Sports days require the students to wear correct Sports uniforms. Teina 3 will have sports on Thursday afternoons.

Home Learning will be sent home via Google Classroom or on paper if a student asks, on Monday to be completed and handed back to school on Fridays. The Home Learning will consist of Memory Verses, Reading, Writing and Maths. This is for 20 minutes a day from Monday to Thursday. No Home Learning on Friday because the Sabbath day begins at sunset Friday.

I hope all Teine Toru Transformers have got all the correct stationery to be brought along next Tuesday 7th February so that we can all start together.

Please be sure to come to school on the first day of the term so that you will know and understand our routines, classroom expectations. When you attend the first day of term you get a certain level of confidence to begin your learning. You won't feel lost or feel like you have missed something. It is important that you come to school everyday but especially the first day of the school term. 

I looking forward to seeing all of you on Tuesday. God is with you all.