Koru Term 1: Week 3-4

Team Koru 
A Note About Home Learning It Can Be Fun!!!!
At this early stage in a child’s education, it is very important that home learning is fun, that it doesn’t take a long time and that it can be completed successfully.
Reading a book with an older person is a good way for children to practise reading strategies, and to enjoy sharing what they know.
We send a reading book home in a book bag four times a week.  A library book, for you to read to your child, will also come home once a week. Please…

• Make reading the book a fun sharing time
• Choose a time when your child is not tired
• Read with your child if your child is reluctant to read to you
• Remember that some books become favourites, and may came home more than once
• Let us know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Spelling is important, and we want even our youngest students to learn to spell ‘high frequency’ words correctly. At school your child uses a ‘spelling notebook’ to record their words and/or word family (cat, sat, hat).
In your child’s Home Learning book you will find the Essential Spelling List words. As your child learns to spell these correctly, please just give them a tick or highlight the ones s/he knows. Children can practise on a whiteboard, paper, coloured pens and spelling/saying the words out loud.
Alphabet Knowledge and Sight Words 
For some children, teachers may send home alphabet and/or sight words for your child to learn. Please support your child as they learn the letter sound, name and identify a word which begins with the letter. Sight words are learnt by sight, they are not ‘sounded out’. 

Thank you for your help – it does make a difference!
Koru Teachers

Supporting Your Child's Independence

We are thrilled to see so many of you supporting your child towards independence. Throughout the day we encourage and support our tamariki to:

• Carry their own school
• Keep track of their own clothing (shoes, jersey, hat)
• Manage the unpacking and packing of their school bag.

When your child is ready we would also encourage you to:

• Practice saying goodbye at the hub door in the morning 
• Meet your child outside on the playground or at an agreed place-perhaps the library veranda or on the hall steps at the end of the day. 

These are fundamental and valuable skills for successful self management and as children develop confidence doing these types of tasks for themselves they are in turn able to transfer these skills into  a learning context. We encourage you to work with your child at their pace. When your child demonstrates independence it is hugely affirming for them to hear kindness and praise for their effort and successes.

Developing Communities of Inquiry in Maths (DCIM)
Massey University: DCIM
NZ Maths Website information

As mentioned in an earlier school newsletter, teachers are using a problem-based approach to Maths this year. This model requires children to work in pairs or small groups to solve Maths problems based on the key Mathematical ideas in the NZ Curriculum.
Working together allows the students to develop their mathematical reasoning, their mathematical language and to explain their thinking and strategies to others. The teacher facilitates and ensures that students have the skills they need to develop deeper understandings of  the key mathematical ideas at hand

For example, a recent launch problem was: 
'There were 6 ducks in the pond and 4 more came along. How many ducks are there in the pond now?'
Key Mathematical Ideas 
* Abstract units that can be partitioned and recombined (level 2) * Numbers can be re-arranged and added to reach the same idea (commutative property) * Subtraction is the inverse of addition * Numbers can be counted by one or counted all (Level 1) * Compensation from known facts: For example, to solve 7 + 6; 6 + 6 = 12, so 7 + 6 = 13. (level 2)

Go Noodle

This is a great resource with lots of simple, fun dance and relaxation routines. All of these are connected to learning. Try the science category (water cycle is a great one!) or the mindfulness categories.
Library
We are so lucky to have the library back up and running in its beautiful new home. It is open at morning tea and lunchtime and students will need their library folders if  they want to issue on the day when their class is not scheduled to visit.
Each home group also has an allocated library time:
Charlotte: Thursday
Dorinda: Thursday
Kristika: Tuesday
Caitlyn: Monday
NE Year 1: please check with your child teacher(s).
Community Change Inquiry Project : would you like to help? 
We have been approached by a local engineer who will work with Charlotte and around 15 Koru students on a community inquiry project. If you would like to help students over this three day project, please contact Charlotte at charlotte.verity@beckenham.school.nz. Helpers will be required only for the afternoons of Tues 12th - Thurs 14th March (pending weather). Thank you.