St Mary's Bike to School Day!
Thursday 9th February
Saturday 28 January 2017
Thursday 26 January 2017
Welcome
Week 4, Term 1, 2017
Gala - March 2nd - please check to see if you have things at home that you can donate. Lists are available at school if you don't have one. This is a huge undertaking and all help will be gratefully received. Thank you.
Hi everyone, welcome back to Week 4. Gosh haven't we had a lot of rain over the last week! My cows are certainly pleased about it but I was more than happy to see the sun today. Here we go for Week 4....
*Disco - there is a disco to raise money for St John's Church on Tuesday at 12:30. The children are allowed to bring mufti from home to wear for the disco and the cost will be a gold coin donation.
*We are getting into some good routines now. It is taking some of the children a bit longer to settle so we need to all make sure we are supporting them to be organised, make good choices for their learning and encourage a positive learning environment in Room 13. Thank you all for getting your children to school on time, it is super when we can all start the day together in prayer.
*ReadingWriting, Maths - we have been using some play based systems in the classroom for the last 3 weeks. This week we will be introducing a more structured system. We will have Literacy and Numeracy Rotations and while there will still be plenty of resources available, including some play based, the children will be required to stay with their learning team until the chime signals movement. I am hoping it will give the children the opportunity to work with kids outside their friendship group as well as give a variety of activities a go rather than sticking with one they like. I will assess the situation after a few weeks.
*Reading - I am really keen to develop the children's love of Literacy, especially reading. I will be attempting to give them many different text types, allowing them to discuss what they think about the books they read and the author who wrote them, encouraging them to learn new vocabulary and finally giving them the chance to choose their own interest texts and read independently. In our current reading programme, the children will bring two texts home each week and these will remain with the children for the week. This does not mean they cannot read other books at home, please encourage them to do this often. It simply means they will not bring a new book home every night. In order to focus on new vocabulary and building ideas and comprehension, the children need to be familiar with the books they are working with. This cannot happen if every day they are learning a new text. Please continue to encourage their reading and talking at home with lots of opportunity for reading many different books.
*RE: We have been learning about the Our Father and have written our own 2017 version. This will be pasted in the homework books so that they can learn the original and explain the new one to you. There will also be a new poem each week in the homework book.
*Swimming - no swimming this week but please do send togs as we will do the sprinkler on hot days.
*Lent is coming up and it marks the beginning of a very special time in the Church. We will have lots of Lent activities prior to Easter, beginning with Ash Wednesday on the 1st March. Please do discuss these events with your child at home. Our Schools motto is "with Christ as our Centre" and we try to remember and include him in all our school activities.
*Golden Time: This week will be a House Tug "o" war with the rest of the school. Our waffle making was great fun but I was a bit disappointed with the lack of manners in Room 13 on that day. We are going to have a big focus on manners and respect this week. If you could continue this learning at home, I would be most gratefu.
Have a great week
Annie
Week 3, Term 1, 2017
Welcome back to Week 3. We had a great week last week topped off by a super fun Golden Time with a great afternoon in the water. This is what's on in Week 3.....
*Swimming - we will swim every day this week so please send togs and towel in a plastic bag.
*Golden Time - this week we will be making waffles. If there are any food concerns please let me know.
*Reading - we are all getting used to each other and the expectations in a Year 2 class. This week we will continue learning about independent activities at Reading time as well as practising our Buddy Reading skills (listening and sharing). Everyone will bring books home this week. I am finding out exactly which level suits each child but in the meantime, bear with me. If a book is too hard, give them a hand and if it is too easy, make a game out of it and ask them some questions about the story. Some of the books may have been seen before but practising well known texts is really good for fluency.
*Writing - we will continue learning how to write a good recount this week. We are focusing on capital letters and full stops as well as using what, where, when, why, who and how to help us in our writing. We will also be writing some descriptive texts about ourselves to find out what we like and what we are good at.
*Maths - we are focusing on getting our independent tasks sorted this week as well as counting. The children need to be able to count to 100 and back again in 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's to reach the standard after two years at school. We will be practising lots of counting this week using number lines, hundreds boards and some materials (counters etc).
*RE - our focus for RE is Prayer. We are learning about thankyou, asking and sorry prayers and we are also going to find out exactly what the Our Father Prayer means. The children will begin bringing home the prayer bag this week. Each family will get the opportunity to set up and altar and say prayers together. Please ensure the bag is sent back the next day so that a new child can take it home.
*Oral Language - we are learning how to be good listeners and good speakers. Every day 2 children will be chosen to be the News Reporter the next day. Please help your child prepare something to share remembering that it is oral language not reading we are focusing on. The children can talk about a holiday, a sport, something in the news, their family etc.
*Thank you for making the effort to get your children to school on time. It is really important they get the oppotunity to settle into school before the bell rings and to complete any duties they may have. 8:30 is a great time to arrive at school and the door will be open at this time for the children to come upstairs. Feel free to come in and have a look around our learning environment often. I try to ensure lots of new learning is displayed often and they love showing off to their parents.
*Homework - I am not a big believer in Homework at this level. The children have had a big day at school and lots of them have dance or swimming or sport after school so, homework should be a short relaxed occasion with some reading and at times a bit of spelling or maths. Please record any reading your child does at home in their homework book. I will check and comment on this regularly.
Thank you to all those parents who attended interviews. If you could not attend but would like a quick catch up with me, please email and we can make a time that suits. I'm very happy with how the children have settled in and I think we are going to have a super year. I will connect with the parents of those children not quite at the standard over the next couple of weeks so that we can touch base and put a plan in place to get them moving.
Have a great week,
Annie
Week 2, Term 1, 2017
Hello everyone, I hope you have had a super long weekend and the kids are ready to get into some great learning this short week. I celebrated my Dad's 70th birthday over the weekend which was a huge success. I was very grateful for beautiful weather. I hope you all got to spend some lovely time with family too. Here is what's on this week....
*Writing: we will be writing Recounts this week. We will start with an independent assessment task on Tuesday so that I can get a good idea of what the children can do then we will spend the rest of the week learning what a good recount looks like.
*Reading: We won't start proper reading for a couple of weeks because the children need to be given the opportunity to learn how the independent tasks work in Room 13. They will bring home books this week but may not have read them with me so just use your common sense and support them if the text is a bit tricky.
*Maths: Again, we will not begin proper maths lessons for a couple of weeks while the children learn how to manage all the activities. We will be doing lots of counting activities though. The children will be counting to 50 and back again in 1's, 2's 5's and 10's.
*RE: we are focusing on Prayer and Caritas over the next little while. Then we will begin Lent leading into Easter. Our opening school Mass is on Friday at 9am, all are welcome to join us.
*We have no swimming this week but please send the children's togs and towels as we will go under the sprinkler in the hot afternoons.
*Bike to school day is Thursday. We are encouraging all children to bike to school on this day. Your child can meet Mrs Todd outside the Arawa Bowls club on Lytton Street between 8-8:20. All children must have a helmet and helpers are required.
*Parent interviews are on Thursday from 3:15-6:00pm. You can make a 5 minute appointment to have a chat about your child. Those children who are not meeting the National Standard will have the opportunity to meet with me for longer in a couple of weeks. Please remember the interviews are only 5 minutes long and if there are any real issues, it might be best to organise a time to meet on another evening. You can email me on: annier@stmarysrotorua.school.nz
The children have settled well into their new school routine. It will take some time for us all to get to know each properly and for things to run completely smoothly and your support during these next few weeks is most appreciated. It is best if the kids come to school at 8:30 so they can organise themselves for the day and lots of positive reminders about the Golden Rules and expectations at school are very helpful. Keep up the home reading and please record any books they read in their home reading log.
Have a super week,
Annie
Week 1, Term 1, 2017
Hi everyone and welcome to Room 13, I am Annie Russell and I will be guiding your child on their amazing learning journey this year. Each week on a Sunday, I will add to this notice so that you know what is happening both at school and in our classroom. I will also have a Parent notice board outside our classroom and will comment in the homework book weekly. It is important that you also read the school weekly newsletter and check your child's book bag daily for last minute notices.
I always send out a Term 1 newsletter which outlines classroom expectations and routines, this will be pasted into your child's homework book on the first day of school.
There will be a meet the teacher session in Week 2 (day to be advised). This is a good opportunity to have a quick chat with me and to see what we will be doing on a daily basis in the classroom. I will also hold parent interviews for parents of children who have been identified as below the National Standards. These interviews will give us an opportunity to discuss how we can work together to ensure progress at school.
Quick Notices:
*School starts on Wednesday 1st February. While the school day officially begins at 8:45, it is important the children are at school at 8:30am. This gives them the opportunity to organise themselves, get their jobs done and ease into the day with their friends. If for any reason your child is going to be absent, please let the office know and if you are late to school, please wait at the top of the stairs until prayers are finished.
*Please encourage the development of independence at school. It is helpful if the kids can open their lunch box, do up their shoes, pack their bag and change in and out of their swimming togs. I like to see the children carrying their own bags to school and while reminders and encouragement are awesome, it's great to see the kids growing and learning and taking initiative at school.
*Our swimming time is 2:30 in odd weeks (week 1,3,5,7,9,11). All children are expected to take part in the swimming programme and on those hot summer days, the pool offers the kids some welcome relief from the heat.
*The Library is currently closed as we prepare for our rebuild. I would like to give the children the opportunity to borrow library books with some visits to the Public Library during the term. It would be great if all the children had their own library card for these visits.
*I do not set weekly homework tasks, however I do expect them to read daily and they will have spelling words from their writing book to practice each week. I will let you know what we are working on in maths so that you can do some practice at home and I will give you some websites that we will be using in class so that they can be accessed from home.
It is my great pleasure to be your child's teacher this year. I know we are going to have a fantastic year of learning, friendship and fun. Please don't hesitate to contact me at annier@stmarysrotorua.school.nz if you have an questions or concerns. I will make sure I get back to you within 24 hours and am happy to meet before or after school to discuss any issues with you. Enjoy the last few days with your children and I will see you all on Wednesday at 8:30.
Have a great day
Annie
Gala - March 2nd - please check to see if you have things at home that you can donate. Lists are available at school if you don't have one. This is a huge undertaking and all help will be gratefully received. Thank you.
Hi everyone, welcome back to Week 4. Gosh haven't we had a lot of rain over the last week! My cows are certainly pleased about it but I was more than happy to see the sun today. Here we go for Week 4....
*Disco - there is a disco to raise money for St John's Church on Tuesday at 12:30. The children are allowed to bring mufti from home to wear for the disco and the cost will be a gold coin donation.
*We are getting into some good routines now. It is taking some of the children a bit longer to settle so we need to all make sure we are supporting them to be organised, make good choices for their learning and encourage a positive learning environment in Room 13. Thank you all for getting your children to school on time, it is super when we can all start the day together in prayer.
*ReadingWriting, Maths - we have been using some play based systems in the classroom for the last 3 weeks. This week we will be introducing a more structured system. We will have Literacy and Numeracy Rotations and while there will still be plenty of resources available, including some play based, the children will be required to stay with their learning team until the chime signals movement. I am hoping it will give the children the opportunity to work with kids outside their friendship group as well as give a variety of activities a go rather than sticking with one they like. I will assess the situation after a few weeks.
*Reading - I am really keen to develop the children's love of Literacy, especially reading. I will be attempting to give them many different text types, allowing them to discuss what they think about the books they read and the author who wrote them, encouraging them to learn new vocabulary and finally giving them the chance to choose their own interest texts and read independently. In our current reading programme, the children will bring two texts home each week and these will remain with the children for the week. This does not mean they cannot read other books at home, please encourage them to do this often. It simply means they will not bring a new book home every night. In order to focus on new vocabulary and building ideas and comprehension, the children need to be familiar with the books they are working with. This cannot happen if every day they are learning a new text. Please continue to encourage their reading and talking at home with lots of opportunity for reading many different books.
*RE: We have been learning about the Our Father and have written our own 2017 version. This will be pasted in the homework books so that they can learn the original and explain the new one to you. There will also be a new poem each week in the homework book.
*Swimming - no swimming this week but please do send togs as we will do the sprinkler on hot days.
*Lent is coming up and it marks the beginning of a very special time in the Church. We will have lots of Lent activities prior to Easter, beginning with Ash Wednesday on the 1st March. Please do discuss these events with your child at home. Our Schools motto is "with Christ as our Centre" and we try to remember and include him in all our school activities.
*Golden Time: This week will be a House Tug "o" war with the rest of the school. Our waffle making was great fun but I was a bit disappointed with the lack of manners in Room 13 on that day. We are going to have a big focus on manners and respect this week. If you could continue this learning at home, I would be most gratefu.
Have a great week
Annie
Week 3, Term 1, 2017
Welcome back to Week 3. We had a great week last week topped off by a super fun Golden Time with a great afternoon in the water. This is what's on in Week 3.....
*Swimming - we will swim every day this week so please send togs and towel in a plastic bag.
*Golden Time - this week we will be making waffles. If there are any food concerns please let me know.
*Reading - we are all getting used to each other and the expectations in a Year 2 class. This week we will continue learning about independent activities at Reading time as well as practising our Buddy Reading skills (listening and sharing). Everyone will bring books home this week. I am finding out exactly which level suits each child but in the meantime, bear with me. If a book is too hard, give them a hand and if it is too easy, make a game out of it and ask them some questions about the story. Some of the books may have been seen before but practising well known texts is really good for fluency.
*Writing - we will continue learning how to write a good recount this week. We are focusing on capital letters and full stops as well as using what, where, when, why, who and how to help us in our writing. We will also be writing some descriptive texts about ourselves to find out what we like and what we are good at.
*Maths - we are focusing on getting our independent tasks sorted this week as well as counting. The children need to be able to count to 100 and back again in 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's to reach the standard after two years at school. We will be practising lots of counting this week using number lines, hundreds boards and some materials (counters etc).
*RE - our focus for RE is Prayer. We are learning about thankyou, asking and sorry prayers and we are also going to find out exactly what the Our Father Prayer means. The children will begin bringing home the prayer bag this week. Each family will get the opportunity to set up and altar and say prayers together. Please ensure the bag is sent back the next day so that a new child can take it home.
*Oral Language - we are learning how to be good listeners and good speakers. Every day 2 children will be chosen to be the News Reporter the next day. Please help your child prepare something to share remembering that it is oral language not reading we are focusing on. The children can talk about a holiday, a sport, something in the news, their family etc.
*Thank you for making the effort to get your children to school on time. It is really important they get the oppotunity to settle into school before the bell rings and to complete any duties they may have. 8:30 is a great time to arrive at school and the door will be open at this time for the children to come upstairs. Feel free to come in and have a look around our learning environment often. I try to ensure lots of new learning is displayed often and they love showing off to their parents.
*Homework - I am not a big believer in Homework at this level. The children have had a big day at school and lots of them have dance or swimming or sport after school so, homework should be a short relaxed occasion with some reading and at times a bit of spelling or maths. Please record any reading your child does at home in their homework book. I will check and comment on this regularly.
Thank you to all those parents who attended interviews. If you could not attend but would like a quick catch up with me, please email and we can make a time that suits. I'm very happy with how the children have settled in and I think we are going to have a super year. I will connect with the parents of those children not quite at the standard over the next couple of weeks so that we can touch base and put a plan in place to get them moving.
Have a great week,
Annie
Week 2, Term 1, 2017
Hello everyone, I hope you have had a super long weekend and the kids are ready to get into some great learning this short week. I celebrated my Dad's 70th birthday over the weekend which was a huge success. I was very grateful for beautiful weather. I hope you all got to spend some lovely time with family too. Here is what's on this week....
*Writing: we will be writing Recounts this week. We will start with an independent assessment task on Tuesday so that I can get a good idea of what the children can do then we will spend the rest of the week learning what a good recount looks like.
*Reading: We won't start proper reading for a couple of weeks because the children need to be given the opportunity to learn how the independent tasks work in Room 13. They will bring home books this week but may not have read them with me so just use your common sense and support them if the text is a bit tricky.
*Maths: Again, we will not begin proper maths lessons for a couple of weeks while the children learn how to manage all the activities. We will be doing lots of counting activities though. The children will be counting to 50 and back again in 1's, 2's 5's and 10's.
*RE: we are focusing on Prayer and Caritas over the next little while. Then we will begin Lent leading into Easter. Our opening school Mass is on Friday at 9am, all are welcome to join us.
*We have no swimming this week but please send the children's togs and towels as we will go under the sprinkler in the hot afternoons.
*Bike to school day is Thursday. We are encouraging all children to bike to school on this day. Your child can meet Mrs Todd outside the Arawa Bowls club on Lytton Street between 8-8:20. All children must have a helmet and helpers are required.
*Parent interviews are on Thursday from 3:15-6:00pm. You can make a 5 minute appointment to have a chat about your child. Those children who are not meeting the National Standard will have the opportunity to meet with me for longer in a couple of weeks. Please remember the interviews are only 5 minutes long and if there are any real issues, it might be best to organise a time to meet on another evening. You can email me on: annier@stmarysrotorua.school.nz
The children have settled well into their new school routine. It will take some time for us all to get to know each properly and for things to run completely smoothly and your support during these next few weeks is most appreciated. It is best if the kids come to school at 8:30 so they can organise themselves for the day and lots of positive reminders about the Golden Rules and expectations at school are very helpful. Keep up the home reading and please record any books they read in their home reading log.
Have a super week,
Annie
Week 1, Term 1, 2017
Hi everyone and welcome to Room 13, I am Annie Russell and I will be guiding your child on their amazing learning journey this year. Each week on a Sunday, I will add to this notice so that you know what is happening both at school and in our classroom. I will also have a Parent notice board outside our classroom and will comment in the homework book weekly. It is important that you also read the school weekly newsletter and check your child's book bag daily for last minute notices.
I always send out a Term 1 newsletter which outlines classroom expectations and routines, this will be pasted into your child's homework book on the first day of school.
There will be a meet the teacher session in Week 2 (day to be advised). This is a good opportunity to have a quick chat with me and to see what we will be doing on a daily basis in the classroom. I will also hold parent interviews for parents of children who have been identified as below the National Standards. These interviews will give us an opportunity to discuss how we can work together to ensure progress at school.
Quick Notices:
*School starts on Wednesday 1st February. While the school day officially begins at 8:45, it is important the children are at school at 8:30am. This gives them the opportunity to organise themselves, get their jobs done and ease into the day with their friends. If for any reason your child is going to be absent, please let the office know and if you are late to school, please wait at the top of the stairs until prayers are finished.
*Please encourage the development of independence at school. It is helpful if the kids can open their lunch box, do up their shoes, pack their bag and change in and out of their swimming togs. I like to see the children carrying their own bags to school and while reminders and encouragement are awesome, it's great to see the kids growing and learning and taking initiative at school.
*Our swimming time is 2:30 in odd weeks (week 1,3,5,7,9,11). All children are expected to take part in the swimming programme and on those hot summer days, the pool offers the kids some welcome relief from the heat.
*The Library is currently closed as we prepare for our rebuild. I would like to give the children the opportunity to borrow library books with some visits to the Public Library during the term. It would be great if all the children had their own library card for these visits.
*I do not set weekly homework tasks, however I do expect them to read daily and they will have spelling words from their writing book to practice each week. I will let you know what we are working on in maths so that you can do some practice at home and I will give you some websites that we will be using in class so that they can be accessed from home.
It is my great pleasure to be your child's teacher this year. I know we are going to have a fantastic year of learning, friendship and fun. Please don't hesitate to contact me at annier@stmarysrotorua.school.nz if you have an questions or concerns. I will make sure I get back to you within 24 hours and am happy to meet before or after school to discuss any issues with you. Enjoy the last few days with your children and I will see you all on Wednesday at 8:30.
Have a great day
Annie
Sunday 22 January 2017
Information for Parents
Information for Parents 2017
Contact Details Phone 3481701 Fax 3481209
Email: admin@stmarysrotoruaschool.nz
Staff email details can be found in the “Our School” section of the school website
Office Hours 2017: 8.30am - 3.00pm
School Website http://www.stmarysrotorua.school.nz. We have an A-Z Guide on our school website - check it out via the Quicklinks or Our School section. There is a great deal of information in the A-Z Guide which we hope you will find useful. We also have a calendar on the website for parents to know about upcoming events. Click on the date to view events.
Blogs - all our classes have blogs and a quick and easy way is to visit these via the class blog link on our school website. In 2017 we are moving away from having different tabs on the homepage. Instead, each blog posting should have a label assigned to it (eg weekly notices eg homework eg reminder eg RE eg student work etc). The reason for this is that we have a new school phone app. It will provide links to the blog but it does not easily provide links to the tabs that we have used on blogs in the past. Teachers are expected to post weekly notices to parents on their class blogs and are encouraged to also share some examples of what students are learning via the class blogs. Please check your child’s class blog each week. If you don’t have access to a computer please feel free to come and check the blog before school on a classroom device.
School Times - Classes start at 8.45am and finish at 3pm. Children should not be at school before 8.15am. It is recommended they arrive approximately 8.30am so they have time to greet friends and get organised before class starts. Students are expected to have left the school grounds by 3.15pm, unless they are being supervised by an adult. Please ensure your child is at school on time as latecomers disrupt the whole class. Children who are at school unsupervised after 3.15pm have to sit on the office steps. We cannot take responsibility for students at school after 3.15pm and we request that you look at after school care options if your child is unable to leave by 3.15pm.
After School Programme - a programme is available at Glenholme School. Contact Maryanne Roling ph 3470709 or 0211215599 for further information.
Term Dates 2017
Term 1 Wednesday 1 Feb - Thursday 13 April
Term 2 Monday 1 May - Friday 7 July
Term 2 Monday 1 May - Friday 7 July
Term 3 Monday 24 July - Friday 29 September
Term 4 Monday 16 October - Friday 15 December
School will also be closed on these Public Holidays - Waitangi Day 6 February, Good Friday 14 April, Queen's Birthday 5 June, 23 October Labour Day
Teacher Only Days - We will advise you of any Teacher Only Days as early as possible,
Swimming - each class is assigned a swimming time and students swim each day in either the odd or even weeks of term ie week on, week off. Swimming is part of our curriculum and all children are expected to swim each day.
Attendance - It is very important that children are at school each day, unless they are unwell. Please let the school office know by 9am if your child is not going to be at school. Our wonderful office lady is Maggie Dalton. She can be contacted in the mornings on 07 3481701 or fax 07 3481209. Absences can also be notified via the absence notification link on our school website ( found under Quick Links) or via our School App.
Parking - Most parents use the Church carpark on Seddon Street ( please be considerate and respectful, particularly if you can see there is a funeral on at the Church). Some parents use street parking on Carnot Street, Grey Street and Ranolf Street. Please don’t use the staff carpark at the Carnot Street entrance.
Newsletters - We have a weekly school newsletter which is issued on a Wednesday. The newsletter is sent out via email. If you are not already receiving a copy of the newsletter, or if you wish to add another address for it to be sent to please go to the bottom of our website home page to the sign up for newsletters section
Twitter - We have a school twitter account that is used to communicate brief reminders or messages. You can view the information posted on this via the twitter feed on our school website or by going to www.twitter.com and following @StMarys_Rotorua.
School App - We have a school app which is available from the App stores. It is called St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, It can be found in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store or via the link on our school website.
Lost Property It is very helpful to have all items of school uniform and sandals/shoes named. We have a lost property box if your child is missing something - it is located outside Room 6.
Library Books You child’s class is allocated a time to visit our school library each week. We encourage parents to also take their children to the Rotorua Public Library on a regular basis. Our librarian, Ruth would love to hear from you if you have an hour or two to spare.
Signing Students Out Adults taking children out for any reason during the school day MUST sign their child out and in at the school office.
School Bank Account for Online Payments
Bank and Branch: ANZ Rotorua Account number: 06 0209 0229658 00
Please ensure you put the child’s surname in the reference section and include particulars what the payment is for.
Sport - Trudy James is our part-time sports co-ordinator and we are blessed to have many willing, skilled and enthusiastic parents who assist with coaching and managing our teams. Most of our children play in summer and/or winter sports teams. Trudy can be contacted on sports@stmarysrotorua.school.nz
We hope that you enjoy being part of the St Mary’s learning community.
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