Russell Street School

Get in The Know is a series of three workshops for interested parents about Reading. Research shows parental encouragement and support for learning activities at home, and parental involvement in schools and classrooms, have a positive impact on children’s learning. You know this –we know this. Generally speaking, RSS parents are very interested in their child’s education and value every opportunity to be involved.

This series of three workshops is an opportunity for you to extend your understanding of reading as a process, to gain ideas about how to support your child’s development as a reader, and to seek answers to any questions you might have. We welcome your attendance.

For planning purposes we need to know numbers attending. You needn’t attend all three, though links will be made between each of the sessions. Please return the tear-off slip (click below) to the office by Friday, July 30.

Click here for full registration form.

On Thursday the 1st of July we (Shalini and Hem) had a Big Sale. As part of our learning into life in Cambodia we decided to hold a stall after school one day. The food we sold was butter chicken, vege puffs, fudge and muffins. We also had clothes and heaps and heaps of books. We would like to thank our mothers, James and Miriam for helping us and giving us so many good ideas.Without you guys it wouldn’t have been possible. We would also like to thank the people who bought things, the people that helped us out with setting up and helping us at the stall (Jazz and Laura). Lastly, thank you Dean for making it look a bit more snazzy with all the decorations for the disco you really made it look awesome.

In total we made over $200 for the LEAF project, which helps educate children in poor areas of Cambodia.

With another upcoming round of Student Led Conferences (SLCs) and our first written report on ‘National Standards’ we thought it was appropriate to re-publish some of the information we provided (prior to the last round of SLCs) and develop supporting information prior to reports being handed out.  Below are a range of resources that are coded for ease-anything starting with a:

(1) is new in June and refers to the upcoming round of reports on national standards in reading;

(2) is for parents of children in digital classrooms only (and is re-published as a reminder of the intent/nature of SLC’s); or

(3) is for all other parents (and is re-published as a reminder of the intent/nature of SLC’s).

All new information is being sent out in an envelope in paper form in the second to last week of term.

(1) National Standards/Reporting Letter to Parents

(1) Guide to Reading a Report -all

(1) Example -Junior report

(1) Example -Y4 -6 Report

(1) Frequently Asked Questions about National Standards/Our Reports

(2) Digital Class Parents – Booking Your Student Led Conference Information

(2) Digital Class Parents -Term 1 letter about SLC’s

(2) Digital Class Parents -Portfolio Insert

(3) Parents -Booking Your Student Led Conference

(3) Parents -Term 1 Letter About SLC’s

(3) Parents -Portfolio Insert

The following dates have been confirmed for 2011 for Russell Street School:

Note:

*Russell Street School will be taking a Teacher Only Day in 2011, most likely in term two.  The date of this will be advised once confirmed.

Other Notes:

The usual length of each school term has been adjusted for 2011.  Terms 1 and 2 are slightly longer than usual, and term four is two weeks shorter.  The adjustment has been made to align the October Term holiday with the final stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Parents of other schools should always find out the calendar for their own school.  The guidelines allow for some variation.

390 half days in total

Waitangi Day –falls on a Sunday (Feb 6)

Easter –falls within school holidays

Anzac Day –falls within school holidays

Queens Birthday –June 6

Labour Day –October 24 (falls within break)

We won the competition to challenge MoreFM and Mitre 10 MEGA’s Levi at a tug-of-war. The challenge takes place at 2.30pm this afternoon. Listen to our radio broadcast below…photo’s coming soon!

Here are the images from the battle…. CONGRATULATIONS WIZARDS – YOU WON!!!

Check this out.  Incredible artwork to support the retelling of a famous Maui legend from some of our year 3/4s.  There is more of their class’s learning to view on their class blog -click on ‘Te Awhare Awhina’ down the left hand side navigation bar under class blogs.

We’ve know for some time that this young man is a clever writer (actually he is clever at many things).  This is his retelling of …

How Maui Slowed The Sun

Long ago Te Ra, the sun moved too quickly. So Maui thought of a plan. Soon after that, they cut some flax and they plaited it. They chanted the karakia. Then as quietly as a mouse they crept to where the sun rises. It was a very long way. As the sun begun to rise, they built a clay wall. As soon as the hot white teeth came up, they threw the ropes around the sun’s hot burning hair. Maui grabbed the magic jaw bone and smashed it on Te Ra’s head with all his might and then the sun went slower and they got all their work done in time.

Joshua

Age 6

Camp Recount

By Connor,Lincoln and Patrick

On the 11 of may rooms 3,9,12 and 14 went to El Rancho camp to stay for 4 days. We had 11 fantastic activities, we had the rock wall, orienteering, kayaking, bivouac building, raft challenge, low ropes, confidence course, golf, flying fox, rifles, flax weaving a.k.a water slide, all with different people helping at each activity. It was fun doing the activities!

The morning exercises were sooooooo annoying!! it was as tiring as we would be if had just finished a marathon. We did 2 activities on Tuesday and 4 on every other day apart from Friday.

The flying fox was fun! It was so awesome! The kayakers were in a pond that the flying fox went over. The people in the kayaks got us really wet!!! Some other parents also got a go. They were screaming hard out like they were getting chased by a lion.

Kayaking was so awesome! We played stuck in the mud we also wet other kayaks! We stood up and did the chicken dance in the kayaks, we also got to learn how to control it a.k.a steer. We could do sharp turns and go really fast if you know how to! Luke fell out of his kayak three times! He was as cold as a penguin that was stuck in ice. We all laughed with Luke.

Rifles was one of my favorites! I only got 3 points out of ten shots though, but it was fun! I still think that I could have done better. I think Rick (our student teacher)  got about 17 points out of five shots,WOW!!! We’re pretty sure that he got a bulls eye if he got that many points.

On Friday we had free time and had to tidy up. It was as hard as moving bricks but we managed to do it in time, plus we got some extra free time! Most of the activities were fun.

We travelled home in tree busses and it took us a looooooong time to get back to school. When we got home we were as tired as bears in winter, it felt like we hadn’t slept for a whole week!!!

This brain teaser was created by Oli from ‘The Wizards of Oz’ (Room 6).  I think this challenge may even be harder than some others I’ve posted previously.  Please let us know how you got on…. we’re you able to solve it?

Use 16 matchsticks to make 2 trapeziums, 1 hexagon, 1 square and 2 rectangles.  Hope you can do it!

Some other problems created by children from ‘The Wizards of Oz’ have been posted on our class blog…. click here to view and solve them!!  Please remember to leave a comment – we love hearing about our learning!

The last puzzles were quite different I think!  I’m not going to post in the answers to the last puzzle until a few more people have tried….  I know there are still a few people out there puzzling over them.  But I will give you your next problem (back to the matchsticks!)

Use 10 matchsticks to create 2 squares…  GOOD LUCK! Let me know how you get on!