Kia orana Parents, Caregivers and Whānau,

Welcome back to term three! We hope that you have had an enjoyable holiday with your family and friends and are feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. This term is going to be busy with lots of events happening for our senior tamariki.

Our learning this term:

Big Learning: This term we will be focusing on visual art and how it is purposeful and a taonga for all cultures.

Maths: Decimals and percentages/Geometry (shape and space)

Oral Language: Extending vocabulary and conversational skills.

Reading: Reading for meaning (comprehension strategies, such as inferencing, summarising, retelling, visualising and questioning) and reading for enjoyment (novel studies).

Health and Physical Education: Hauora and well being/big ball skills

Maori Language: Pepeha, Karakia, correct pronunciation, sentences in Te Reo and waiata.

Upcoming Events - please continue to check your emails and our school Facebook page for more information on the following events

• Parent Interviews: These will be held on Wednesday the 3rd and Thursday the 4th of August (Week 2). We would like all parents to attend their child’s interview please. School will close early (2:00 pm) on the Wednesday.

• Cook Island Language Week: This will be celebrated during (Week 2).

• Swimming Sports: This event will be held at Waterworld on Thursday the 11th of August (week 3). Pool entry of $2.50 (or $5.50 to also use the hydroslide) is due on Kindo

• Teacher Only Day Friday 19 August Week 4: School is closed for instruction

• Cluster Cross Country: The first four from our school cross country will represent Woodstock at The Fairfield cluster cross (week six on Tuesday 30th August) (postponement day: Thursday 1st September).

• Winter Sports: This event will be held at Southwell School on Tuesday the 20th of September.

On top of these events some of the children from Pohutukawa Syndicate will be representing Woodstock in our Gymnastic, Pasifika, Jump Jam and Ski teams. We are also hoping to confirm a date with Bankwood for the Football exchange that was postponed last term.

Reading at Home

We would like to remind parents of the importance of having your child read regularly at home. While Pohutukawa Syndicate does not set formal homework, there is an expectation that children will read at home independently for 20-30 minutes each day. Research has shown that reading for enjoyment is one of the most important factors for a success in later life. Our school is fortunate to have an extensive library. Each class has an allotted day for to visit the library

Library Days:

Room 13 – Monday
Room 15 - Thursday
Room 12 – Wednesday
Room 14 - Tuesday
Room 11 - Thursday

Lateness

School begins at 8.45am. A few children are developing patterns of lateness to school. Lateness by even a few minutes starts to impact on a child’s social and academic wellbeing. Please endeavour to have your child arrive in time before the 8.45am bell.

Winter Months

As the winter weather is cold and wet, we ask that you please send your child to school with a change of clothes in case they need it (please ensure all clothing is named). A box of tissues donated by every child would be appreciated too!

Stationery
As the year progresses stationery tends to diminish. Please check that your child has the stationery listed below and if not we please ask that you restock the necessary items.

• Black, blue and green ballpoint pens
• Pencils
• Eraser
• Black whiteboard marker
• 30cm ruler

Nude Food

We encourage your child to bring “nude food” to school. This means bringing food with little or no plastic wrap. This is a core component of our Enviro Schools ethos.

Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher if you have any queries, concerns or a positive comment to share. We look forward to the term ahead!

The Pohutukawa Syndicate Teaching Team -

Claire Blomfield, David McHugh, Sophie Iako, Staci Buckman and Simon Tuifao.