Sunday, September 4, 2016
The Symphony Orchestra
Today we got a surprise visit from the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. We learnt about the flute, clarinet, cornet, violin and cello.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The dial phone
When Miss Rankin was our age this is the type of phone she had at home. You have to push the ring around to dial each number. The children were so surprised that it plugged into the wall and you couldn't walk around with it. Shaylah was shocked that you couldn't take your phone in the car! Every morning before school there is a line of children waiting to have a turn dialling their own numbers. Thanks to Mrs Raine for bringing it in for us to have a go on.
Saving computer work.
Malachi has the kind of floppy disk that Miss Rankin used at High School. Shaylah has the kind of disk that Miss Rankin used at University and Tiaho has the USB stick that Miss Rankin uses now! Thanks to Maria in the library for supplying the floppy disks for us to look at.
Testing out the irons from 'Long Ago.' It was hard work!!
Mrs Bolland kindly gave us these old irons to look at. They are VERY heavy. We have learnt that they were heated up on the stove and didn't plug into the wall.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Hawkes Bay Cup.
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter holiday.
On Thursday night I am flying to Napier/Hastings to officiate at the Hawkes Bay Cup, which is an 8 Nations Hockey Tournament. All of the teams are ranked in the top 20, with 5 being ranked in the top 10 teams in the world. The National teams from Australia (3rd), New Zealand (4th), China (5th), Korea (9th), Japan (10th), India (13th), Ireland (15th) and Canada (19th) will be participating. Even more exciting since it is an Olympic year!
I will be away for just over a week. Miss Walker (trainee teacher) will continue teaching the class which will maintain continuity for the children. She will be supported by Mrs Davey (M-Th) and Mrs Routeledge (F). Mrs Davey has taught on and off at Avondale School for many years so is well aware of all of our systems.
On Thursday night I am flying to Napier/Hastings to officiate at the Hawkes Bay Cup, which is an 8 Nations Hockey Tournament. All of the teams are ranked in the top 20, with 5 being ranked in the top 10 teams in the world. The National teams from Australia (3rd), New Zealand (4th), China (5th), Korea (9th), Japan (10th), India (13th), Ireland (15th) and Canada (19th) will be participating. Even more exciting since it is an Olympic year!
I will be away for just over a week. Miss Walker (trainee teacher) will continue teaching the class which will maintain continuity for the children. She will be supported by Mrs Davey (M-Th) and Mrs Routeledge (F). Mrs Davey has taught on and off at Avondale School for many years so is well aware of all of our systems.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Easter Break
It's not long until the Easter Bunny comes!! Please remember that we will not be at school Friday, Monday or Tuesday. Plenty of time for the sugar high to wear off!
I hope you have a safe and happy holiday.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
The Dragonfly Lifecycle
We have been learning about the life cycle of the Dragonfly. We made these dragonflies from spoons, tissue and pipe cleaners.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
The Water Cycle
Today we have learnt about the water cycle. We made these water cycles so we can teach everyone at home about the water cycle too!
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Week 6, Term 1
Wow! Week 6 already. We have had a very busy term so far which must be why it is flying by!
We have been really busy with Physical Education so far this term. Our aquatics unit is nearing an end with assessments being completed this week. Keep sending togs for the rest of the term though as we will make use of the pool on hot days.
We've had 4 sessions provided by Canterbury Softball. We have a couple of natural 'softballers' in our class. All children have listened well to our instructors (Georgia and Boo) and have made great progress. We will continue some of the softball skills we have learnt this Tuesday when we have Sport Start with Sheree.
The triathlon last week was a success with all of Room 14 trying really hard. Thank you to those whanau members who were able to come and show their support.
Our maths interchange is slowly getting underway. Swimming and softball have somewhat inhibited our ability to interchange as each class has a different time for swimming and softball. As we wind up swimming it will become much easier.
If you haven't returned the slips for blog permission and behaviour please hunt them out and send them back to school. Please also send back the updated contact details form to the office.
This week we welcomed Jade A into our class. Jade has been in Nelson over summer. It's great to have her back!
As always if you have any questions or queries please don't hesitate to make contact.
Have a great week!
We have been really busy with Physical Education so far this term. Our aquatics unit is nearing an end with assessments being completed this week. Keep sending togs for the rest of the term though as we will make use of the pool on hot days.
We've had 4 sessions provided by Canterbury Softball. We have a couple of natural 'softballers' in our class. All children have listened well to our instructors (Georgia and Boo) and have made great progress. We will continue some of the softball skills we have learnt this Tuesday when we have Sport Start with Sheree.
The triathlon last week was a success with all of Room 14 trying really hard. Thank you to those whanau members who were able to come and show their support.
Our maths interchange is slowly getting underway. Swimming and softball have somewhat inhibited our ability to interchange as each class has a different time for swimming and softball. As we wind up swimming it will become much easier.
If you haven't returned the slips for blog permission and behaviour please hunt them out and send them back to school. Please also send back the updated contact details form to the office.
This week we welcomed Jade A into our class. Jade has been in Nelson over summer. It's great to have her back!
As always if you have any questions or queries please don't hesitate to make contact.
Have a great week!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Farewell Zoe
On Friday we farewell Zoe as she leaves us to go to Bromley School. We wish you all the best Zoe and I know you'll love Mr Kinley. Don't forget to say hello to him for me!
Monday, February 8, 2016
Week 2, Term 1
I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. Wasn't the cricket exciting! I've spent the weekend marking the children's spelling and basic facts tests and have been pleasantly surprised at how well they have done!
This week we will start working in our books, so please get your child's stationery to school as soon as possible. We will continue swimming this week and hopefully begin our swimming lessons. We spent last week assessing the children. We will be swimming with Room 13 so we can combine our time to give an hour to get through our swimming groups. Mrs Christey, Mrs Cribb and I will be cross grouping our classes to enable us to better target the children's needs.
Please send the permission slips for your child's work and photo to appear on the blog back to school as soon as possible. Don't forget the permission form for the trip to the Wetlands too.
This week
Reading - We will work on our Dr Seuss unit by reading as many Dr Seuss books as we can find and completing activities on selected books. While the children work on this independently I will be quickly assessing their reading in order to start guided reading next week. These groups will be temporary groups until our formal reading testing occurs in early March.
Maths - We will continue our Statistics unit on graphing. This week the children will be given an area to study from our class. They will gather data, create a tally chart, graph their data and interpret their results.
Writing - This week in writing we will write the traditional holiday recount in a less conventional way. We will be focussing on having a strong lead to engage our reading immediately in our story. These stories will be published by combining an art activity.
Topic - We will continue getting to know each other and discovering new things about ourselves.
Please do not hesitate to come in to see me for a chat. It's important that we work as a team.
This week we will start working in our books, so please get your child's stationery to school as soon as possible. We will continue swimming this week and hopefully begin our swimming lessons. We spent last week assessing the children. We will be swimming with Room 13 so we can combine our time to give an hour to get through our swimming groups. Mrs Christey, Mrs Cribb and I will be cross grouping our classes to enable us to better target the children's needs.
Please send the permission slips for your child's work and photo to appear on the blog back to school as soon as possible. Don't forget the permission form for the trip to the Wetlands too.
This week
Reading - We will work on our Dr Seuss unit by reading as many Dr Seuss books as we can find and completing activities on selected books. While the children work on this independently I will be quickly assessing their reading in order to start guided reading next week. These groups will be temporary groups until our formal reading testing occurs in early March.
Maths - We will continue our Statistics unit on graphing. This week the children will be given an area to study from our class. They will gather data, create a tally chart, graph their data and interpret their results.
Writing - This week in writing we will write the traditional holiday recount in a less conventional way. We will be focussing on having a strong lead to engage our reading immediately in our story. These stories will be published by combining an art activity.
Topic - We will continue getting to know each other and discovering new things about ourselves.
Please do not hesitate to come in to see me for a chat. It's important that we work as a team.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Welcome to 2016!!
Welcome to Room 14 for our final year at Avondale! This year our weekly notices will be posted on this blog so we can conserve paper and the cost of photocopying. Today you will receive a notice requesting permission for your child's photo and/or work to be displayed on the blog.
Remind
I have set up a text reminder system through 'Remind' which you can subscribe to. This allows me to send a bulk class message with reminders about trips, things that need to be returned to school and special events. I have sent emails to those parents who had an email address listed on our school database. If you did not receive an email invite please use this link in order to subscribe: remind.com/join/nrank
School Supplies
Please send your child's stationery as soon as possible. We have already supplied Topic, Poetry and Maths books for every child in the Kowhai Team. If you could please send them in a plastic bag this enables me to be able to sort it out without it getting mixed up with that of other children.
Hats
Wide brimmed and bucket style hats are compulsory in terms 1 and 4. Please ensure you send your child's hat to school every day (or allow them to leave it at school during these terms). Children without a hat will be removed from the playground. Caps are not acceptable, nor are beanies or hoods.
Swimming
The swimming pool will be open this term and we are swimming every day. Please name all articles of clothing, togs and towels. You would be amazed at what gets left in the changing rooms! Please also ensure you have applied sunscreen to your child.
Modern Learning Environments
As we prepare the children for the transition to the new school we are adapting our classrooms to be more like the environments they will encounter down there. In Room 14 children are not assigned desks. There are a variety of options for children to choose to work at. We have tables in groups, pairs and individually. This allows children to monitor their own learning and choose to sit where they work best. It also means that if they are being distracted by others they have the option to move. Children keep their belongings in in tote trays and their books are kept in boxes around the room. This year Kowhai team will be interchanging for Maths and the Arts (music, dance and singing). We are also looking at some interchange for reading. This will allow teachers to better target the needs of the children and allow the children the opportunity to work with a variety of teachers, as they will do in the new school.
Food
Please ensure your child has a nutritious lunch each day. We have a lot of work to cover this year and children who are hungry do not achieve as well. Please keep sugary food to a minimum and ensure that your child has only water in their drink bottle. Lollies and fizzy are not permitted at Avondale School. Breakfast is very important as children who do not have breakfast tend to eat their lunch on the way to school which compounds their hunger during the day.
Homework
From week 3 your child will have reading, spelling and basic facts to learn each night. These are important foundation skills and it is very important that you ensure your child completes these tasks each night.
I would love for you to pop in and see me over the next few weeks as I get to know your child. You hold all of the knowledge about your child and I am keen to gather some insights! If you have any questions you can email me on nicola.r@avondale.school.nz, call me via the school office, or pop in and see me before or after school.
I am looking forward to getting to know you and your family.
Kind regards
Nic Rankin
Remind
I have set up a text reminder system through 'Remind' which you can subscribe to. This allows me to send a bulk class message with reminders about trips, things that need to be returned to school and special events. I have sent emails to those parents who had an email address listed on our school database. If you did not receive an email invite please use this link in order to subscribe: remind.com/join/nrank
School Supplies
Please send your child's stationery as soon as possible. We have already supplied Topic, Poetry and Maths books for every child in the Kowhai Team. If you could please send them in a plastic bag this enables me to be able to sort it out without it getting mixed up with that of other children.
Hats
Wide brimmed and bucket style hats are compulsory in terms 1 and 4. Please ensure you send your child's hat to school every day (or allow them to leave it at school during these terms). Children without a hat will be removed from the playground. Caps are not acceptable, nor are beanies or hoods.
Swimming
The swimming pool will be open this term and we are swimming every day. Please name all articles of clothing, togs and towels. You would be amazed at what gets left in the changing rooms! Please also ensure you have applied sunscreen to your child.
Modern Learning Environments
As we prepare the children for the transition to the new school we are adapting our classrooms to be more like the environments they will encounter down there. In Room 14 children are not assigned desks. There are a variety of options for children to choose to work at. We have tables in groups, pairs and individually. This allows children to monitor their own learning and choose to sit where they work best. It also means that if they are being distracted by others they have the option to move. Children keep their belongings in in tote trays and their books are kept in boxes around the room. This year Kowhai team will be interchanging for Maths and the Arts (music, dance and singing). We are also looking at some interchange for reading. This will allow teachers to better target the needs of the children and allow the children the opportunity to work with a variety of teachers, as they will do in the new school.
Food
Please ensure your child has a nutritious lunch each day. We have a lot of work to cover this year and children who are hungry do not achieve as well. Please keep sugary food to a minimum and ensure that your child has only water in their drink bottle. Lollies and fizzy are not permitted at Avondale School. Breakfast is very important as children who do not have breakfast tend to eat their lunch on the way to school which compounds their hunger during the day.
Homework
From week 3 your child will have reading, spelling and basic facts to learn each night. These are important foundation skills and it is very important that you ensure your child completes these tasks each night.
I would love for you to pop in and see me over the next few weeks as I get to know your child. You hold all of the knowledge about your child and I am keen to gather some insights! If you have any questions you can email me on nicola.r@avondale.school.nz, call me via the school office, or pop in and see me before or after school.
I am looking forward to getting to know you and your family.
Kind regards
Nic Rankin
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