End of Term Reminders

Matariki Soup

We are celebrating Matariki tomorrow with homemade soup, bread rolls, steamed pudding, custard and fruit salad.  All the food has been made by the children this week at school.  Please remember to give your child a gold coin (this covers the cost of ingredients the teachers have bought), a bowl and a spoon.

Cross Country

We are having our Cross Country race tomorrow.  Please ensure your child has shoes and clothes to run in.  If your child has the school PE gear they can wear that, otherwise, any running clothes will be great.  The children will be running in age groups starting with the 5-year-old girls at 11:45.  If you can help out with marshalling please pop in tomorrow between 11:15 and 11:30.

Holiday activities

I have prepared a few things you can do with your child at home over the school holidays.  Each child will get information on how to log in to Sunshine Classics.  This is an online reading library with activities for the children to complete.  The children will also have a few extra readers in their book bags you can read with them over the break.  I can not stress the importance of keeping regular reading habits during the holiday break.  Remember you can read to your child or they can read to you.  The more we read the better we get.

Winter bugs

We have had many children away over the past few days.  Please keep them at home if your child is unwell with winter bugs such as snotty noses, chesty coughs or high temperatures.  We need to make sure cold and flu symptoms are not spread through the class.

Thursday is our last day of school!  Friday is a Teacher Only Day.  I wish you all a restful holiday break.  Enjoy spending time with your child.

Sara

IMPORTANT CHANGES

PLEASE NOTE:

The school disco this Thursday starts at 5:30!

Cross Country

We still need help with our Cross Country.  Please let me know ASAP if you are able to help out.  If the weather is not looking good we will have to cancel the event.

 

Wiki Tekau (Week 10)

 Kia Ora e te Whanau,

 

We hope you have had an awesome weekend enjoying the sunshine and possibly looking out for our Matariki Stars in the early hours of the morning.

 

We are so close to the end of term and only have 4 more school days left! How did time fly so quickly? This week children need to be at school from Monday – Thursday as Friday is a Teachers Only Day. Please contact Mary-Ann Roling from Glenholme Afterschool on 347 0709 or 0211 215599 if you need childcare on this day. 

We would like to congratulate all the children in Kākano 4, 5, 6, and 7 for the amazing assemblies they have prepared for the school in the last 3 weeks. You were all so brave and confident and we are so proud of you. Also a big thank you to all our parents and whanau that came along to these assemblies, your presence was felt by the children and the school!

 

We have a very busy and action packed week ahead with things happening before, during and after school.

 

In the mornings we have our play provocations set up ready for the children to start learning and interacting with others. It is important that children arrive at school at the correct time. School Starts at 8:45am. We want our children to be actively engaged in the play provocations that are set up for them in the morning as well as allow them time to settle into school and get their jobs done. If children arrive after 8:45am, they will need to go to the office to be marked present for the school day.

---

During school this week we have our Junior School Cross Country and Our Matariki Soup Meal.

We have our Junior school Cross Country this Thursday starting at 11:45am. Our children have been training for this over the last few weeks and are getting very excited for the cross country. If you are available to help out as a supportive marshall on the day please let your child's teacher know before Thursday please. We would love parent/whanau support and we are sure that the children would love to see you there too!

 

Here is the notice that was sent home on Friday with all the information, if you have any further questions please email or pop in and see any of the Kākano Teachers.

We also have our Matariki Soup Meal on Thursday. Children will need to bring a gold coin donation, a bowl and a spoon. We are doing this to celebrate the Matariki New Year with the tamariki in Kākano. Matariki is a very important time and it signals a time of remembrance, joy and peace. It is a time for people to come together and celebrate.

---

After School this week we also have our Matariki – Star Themed Disco

 

Our Matariki- Star themed Disco is a very fun night and we would love to see you all there. It starts at 5pm and ends at 7pm and is on the last school day for the children of term two. What better way to celebrate all the hard work the children have been doing. It is a $2 Entry and is themed Matariki / Stars... so come dressed up as a literal star, your favourite movie star, pop star, sports star etc. The notice is attached below with all the information needed.

 

---

 

 

On Thursday children will be sent home with a holiday learning pack to get their brains pumping with all the learning we have been doing in class over the last few weeks. Please check their book bags and school bags to see what they have brought home for the holidays.

 

There will also be a few changes made to our classroom spaces in the holidays so children will get a bit of surprise at the start of Term 3 once we have moved things around.

 

We are also wanting to create some more realistic learning spaces for children to engage in throughout the day. We want to revamp our family area so that it looks like our homes. We will be starting with a new kitchen for the children to play with. If you have anything of good use at home that is no longer in need, please feel free to bring it in. At the moment we have a kitchen sink, stove and microwave. We are still on the hunt for more things to make our kitchen into a KITCHEN. The children love cutlery, plates, cups, pots, pans, bowls, etc.

 

---

The R.E Leaders would like us to remind children and whanau that there is a R.E annual art competition with some great prizes up for grabs. Below is the information you need to know about this competition:

---

 

 

 

Week Overview:

 

Monday – K4 and K6 Mass; St Mary's Church 9am (families are invited)

Tuesday – Normal School Day

Wednesday - Normal School Day / 3 Students from each Kākano attending Principals Morning Tea

Thursday – Junior Cross Country / Matariki Soup / School Disco.

Friday – TEACHERS ONLY DAY

 

See you all tomorrow.

 

Whaea Shayla, Mrs Mareroa, Mrs Thomson and Mrs Mines.

Wiki Iwa - Week 9

 Week 9

Kia Ora Kākano Whanau

We hope everyone has had a nice relaxing weekend.  

We have noticed the children are getting very tired as we get closer to the end of the term.  They need to get a good night's sleep so they are ready to learn. 

Thank you to the families that bring in spreads for the children to have toast in the mornings.  This has become a very social area and a nice way for the children to settle into their day.  The children are open to trying a range of different types of bread and spreads. They love to talk to others about how they taste and look. The children definitely have their favourite spreads, especially peanut butter.  At the moment, we have lots of honey but could do with other spreads.  

Last week the teachers completed all the children's reading testing.  Many children have made progress and moved up levels.  It is important to read every night, even over the weekend.  The teachers leave the books the children have read in their book bags until Monday, so they have the opportunity to reread the books several times throughout the week.  The more reading the children do, the easier it is for them to reach their goals and move reading levels.

Tomorrow school photos will be taken.  All children need to be in the correct school uniform.  This includes the knitted jersey.  The girls need their hair tied up, with school coloured hair ties. 

Over the school holidays, the teachers want to create a new family area that looks like our homes.  We are going to start with a new kitchen area for the children to play with.  If you have anything good to use in this area that you no longer want at home, please feel free to bring it in.  We have a kitchen sink, stove, and microwave. We would love cutlery, plates, cups, pots, pans, bowls, etc.

Our RE leaders are running their annual art competition.  Please see below for details.

Week Ahead:

Monday Photo Day

Tuesday Normal School Day

Wednesday        Normal School Day

Thursday             Normal School Day, Matariki Dinner night

Friday               Library Day

             Sausage Sizzle and Juicy ($1.50 each)

Week 10

Thursday 8th July - Junior cross country.

Thursday 8th - PTA Disco. See details below

Friday 9th July - Teacher only day

See you all tomorrow.

Wiki Waru - Week 8

Kia Ora Kākano Whanau,

Hope you’ve all had a restful weekend and have kept dry!! It is nearly the end of the term and the children have worked hard. They are starting to get tired and alongside the wet, cold weather, might be getting sick. It is important to keep your children at home if they are unwell. If they have been vomiting, please make sure to keep them away from school for at least 24 hours from when they last vomited.

This week the teachers will be doing some reading testing to check the children’s progress and support their next learning steps. Reading testing will be done during our usual reading programme at school so children may not be bringing home their usual readers. Some of the readers won’t be at their level and it is OK for you to help them read these books.

A reminder that school starts at 8:45am. The expectation is that all students are in class by then and the parents have left the classroom by this time also. It is important that the children have time in the mornings to settle and get into our play provocations.

On Thursday this week is our annual Matariki Dinner. See poster below for more details. This is a great night to celebrate the variety of cultures we have at our school.

Week Ahead:

Monday Normal School Day

Tuesday Normal School Day

Wednesday        Normal School Day

Thursday             Normal School Day, Matariki Dinner night

Friday               Library Day

             Sausage Sizzle and Juicy ($1.50 each)

Our class assembly - all parents are invited to join us as we present this weeks assembly. Assembly start at 2:05

See you all tomorrow!

 

Wiki Whitu - Week 7

 Kia Ora Kākano Whanau,

It is hard to believe we are starting Week 7!  The teachers have been so proud of all the hard work the children are doing in their learning at home and at school.  You can support your child’s learning at home by reading with them each day, practising the alphabet, practising writing their name.  If you would like other ideas on how to support your child at home please pop in and chat with your child’s teacher.

Talent Show

This Monday Kākano children are able to show off their talents at the St Mary’s got Talent Show.  It is $1 for children to enter.  If your child wishes to participate please let the class teacher know so we can ensure your child makes it to Room 5 ready for the competition.

What is on this week:

Monday Normal School Day

Tuesday Normal School Day

Wednesday        Normal School Day

Thursday             Normal School Day

Friday               Library Day

             Sausage Sizzle and Juicy ($1.50 each)

Please Vote for us…

We are a finalist in the Education Category of the Access Alliance National Awards. Voting closes at midnight on Sunday 13 June. 

Please can you vote for us. The link to go to is here. It all looks quite daunting when you go to the link - all we need you to do though is just vote for us - see the Education Category. 

Anyone who has their own email address can vote - if you have a Y3-6 child at school remember to ask them to vote for us too.  It would be wonderful if you have friends and family who might be willing to vote for us too. Thanks for your support.

Dates to remember

24th June

Matariki Cultural Dinner, this takes place in the school hall at 5:30.  Families are asked to bring a traditional meal to share with our St Mary’s community.  This is a great night to celebrate the many different cultures we have at St Mary’s and to share your story with others.

9th July

Teacher Only Day - school will be closed on this day.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and we look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

Kākano Teachers.

Wiki Ono (Week 6)

 Kia Ora Kākano Whanau,

 

We hope you all are having a well rested long weekend!

 

In Kākano this week we have been very lucky to have toru new tamariki start with us. We would like to say a huge welcome to Aenon, Winston and Brodie and their families, welcome to our Kākano Whanau!

 

What a busy week we have just had. Our tamariki have been super scientists in Kākano. We have been looking at the Material World Properties and Changes of Matter.

 

In our space we have been lucky to have some fun experiments going on that our tamariki has enjoyed being a part of. Mrs Thomsom has been making lots of different kinds of crystals with the tamariki. Whaea Shayla made oobleck with cornflour, water and food colouring. There have been so many other cool little experiments and learning for the tamariki to explore in the morning and we have loved seeing all the giggles, smiles and conversations the children are having to do with the experiences.

 

Here are some photos of the children getting involved in the science play provocations

 

In Religious Education this week we have been looking at who God is. We talked about how he is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We did a milk experiment to show the children how God is the father, the son and the Holy Spirit and how he is within us.

 

We had to use Milk to symbolise US and we used 3 different food colouring colours to symbolise the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit.

 

Step 1. Pour the milk into a bowl or plate

Step 2. Drip the three colours into the plate in three different spots making sure to not mix the colours

Step 3. In the centre of the plate/bowl slowly drip some dishwashing liquid in and watch to see all the colours move around and mix together.

 

Here are some photos to see how our experiment looked before the dishwashing liquid and after...

This weeks reminders:

 

Monday Public Holiday (Queens Birthday) – No School

Tuesday Normal School Day

Wednesday        Normal School Day

Thursday             Normal School Day

Friday               Feast of the Sacred Heart (9:00am – Church) Whānau are invited to join us for Mass.

Library Day

Sausage Sizzle and Juicy ($1.50 each)

 

We will see you all on Tuesday!

 

The Kākano Team,

Whaea Shayla, Mrs Mines, Mrs Thomson and Mrs Mareroa.