What a fabulous last term in Ti Kouka, and what fun we are having! We have just finished a fabulous book, which had most of the class, including Mrs Noble in tears. Running Wild, by Michael Morpurgo. http://michaelmorpurgo.com/books/running-wild
Our Topic Water and Tidal Communities, has had us looking at the Water Cycle. Watch this space, as students are in the process of represented these ideas in a visual and creative form.
We would like to give recognition to the fabulous effort made in a recent project on Ocean Explorers where students presented this information in interesting and original ways.
Upcoming events include our Business day on Monday the 10th December, where students will have an opportunity to show case their entrepreneurial skills, through collecting funds, marketing their product, managing staff and selling their goods.
It will be a brilliant day and a great opportunity for Room 6 students to develop new skills and work together with a shared focus.
Thanks to the FABULOUS Ti Kouka kids for welcoming us into your class while your wonderful Mrs Mercury is ‘acting up’!
Louise Noble and Mrs McLean
Kia ora te whanau
Wow! We had a BLAST with our SPACE Discovery topic this term and I have been very impressed with how my class participated in all the activities. It was such a fascinating unit of work and Ti Kouka were really engaged and made an effort to learn lots of new information about the various aspects of space.
We researched lots of books and internet sites about the planets and other objects in space and we also had a focus on particular types of space technology: The International Space Station, The Hubble Telescope and the Space Shuttle.
To fit in with our space theme, we produced some stunning visual art, beautiful nebulae using pastels on black paper and 3-D models of space vehicles made from recycled materials. You are most welcome to come in and see them early next term if you like. We also had a Space Extension group who researched about some of the more obscure topics around space. For example; worm holes, dark matter, extraterrestrial life, etc…These will be shared during the last week of this term.
The Space Camp was a huge success, despite the cloudy weather and not much sleep! Although we were not able to see the stars, we still had heaps of fun with the group model-making and we had a guest speaker from the Horowhenua Astronomical Society, John, who was extremely interesting to listen to. The space quiz was very popular and even the adults found it difficult! The food was also ‘out of this world’ and many thanks must go to all the parents who came along to support us and helped out overnight. Thanks Mr H for organising such a great event – YOU WERE STELLAR!
We finished off term two with the KIA KAHA – A BULLY FREE ZONE health unit which helps us understand what bullying was and what we could do about making sure it never happens in our school.
At the end of term two, we said farewell to Daniel Munoz-Diaz who was leaving Houghton Valley School to return to his native Chile. The class pooled together some funds and we gave Daniel a kiwi soft toy which could change from a rugby ball to a kiwi rugby player and vice-versa. He just loved it and it will be a great reminder for him about his time in Aotearoa. Daniel has been a fantastic pupil at Houghton Valley and we will miss him a great deal. We wish him well for his future endeavours.
Term three, we will be studying THE OLYMPICS and UNSUNG HEROES.
I continue to appreciate the wonderful support from all the whanau of the Ti Kouka kids. You are just fantastic!
Tena Koutou Katoa e Nga WhanauKatoa
I have enjoyed this term a great deal, mainly because I have such a great class of tamariki, very supportive whanau and the fact that we have done so many fun activities! In the first week of term, students made ‘Holiday Powerpoints’ to share with the class, which were absolutely outstanding. We also began the term by creating fantastic collage portraits using coloured paper and I am always so impressed at how creative the kids are with the paper and shapes. We also had a great time learning how to write letters. Handwritten letters are fast becoming a thing of the past, so it was nice to have a go at putting their thoughts and ideas down on paper to others. There will be some sent home to family and friends and we have also sent a batch to a class at Nowra Hill Public School in New South Wales, Australia for a pen-pal exchange.
Ti Kouka has done some fun things in maths, focusing on addition and subtraction basic facts and statistics. For statistics, we learnt how to conduct a simple survey, use a tally chart and tally marks and create a proper bar graph with titles to show the results of our survey. It has been a great effort from the class and they are on display in the classroom, should you wish to see them. The last two weeks of term one will be around multiplication and division basic facts and strategies.
It was wonderful meeting up with parents for the Parent Conferences, catching up with whanau from last year and getting to know new families this year. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.
Cross Country was the physical education focus for the term. Cross country is now an embedded part of the culture of our school and we are always so proud of the way that our children show determination and perseverance with trainings and on the day. Congratulations to those who qualified for the Southern Zone Cross Country event. Kia kaha tonu!
The last part of the term has been centred on the Noho Marae at Tapu Te Ranga in Island Bay. We have learnt about Marae Protocol and practised a mihimihi, (a simple introduction about themselves) and how to say some simple sentences in Te Reo Maori. We have also learnt about the difference between a marae and a wharenui and the correct names for parts of a wharenui. The Noho Marae is such a fun and educational experience and an important part of the bi-annual school calendar.
We will keep you posted about all the other activities for the rest of the year as they arise. Thank you for your continued support.