I wondered about if the bag was going to catch air or not. Mikayla

Term 3 is well under way, and we are flying toward our school production ‘Wingding Jamboree'.  Our chosen theme for the term is ‘Flying High' and we have been working through many activities to help the children find out about air, flight, and in particular birds. The children will have been participating in many activities designed to develop various scientific skills such as observing, questioning, predicting, and communicating their ideas and understandings to their peers.

In English children continue to participate in weekly activities involving reading, spelling, handwriting and diary writing. The process of TRIBES continues to be a positive basis of our learning with children participating in speaking and listening activities.   We started the term with setting up a shop for children to explore the concept of money through shopping.  We will continue this over the term as well as providing many hands-on activities in Maths to cover areas of Number, Measurement and Counting. The children are becoming very confident in their use of class laptop computers and the Interactive Whiteboard as they continue to research and play interactive games.  During our weekly Buddy sessions, the children have been exploring painting, drawing and using a variety of media to represent our theme of Flying High.

It was lovely to see parents making use of Parent/Teacher interviews.  It is a great opportunity for us to speak with you about your children.  We find this opportunity very helpful in guiding our teaching and the interviews help us to learn more about the children. The interviews also give us an opportunity to tell you what lovely children you have and how they have been progressing.

We are looking forward to the excitement of the Production and are working hard at the moment to learn all the Production songs and dances.  We can't wait to see parents and friends in the audience.

This Term the Preps explored Space and our place in it. We found that the Earth, Moon, Sun and stars affect our daily lives. We turned the Reading Room into our own observatory, and made different constellations out of ‘glow in the dark’ stickers. When we turned the lights off, it was like we were out in Space. We made Space ships, aliens, mobiles, and murals about all the things we have learned. We visited the Planetarium, IMAX Theatre and had a visit from the CSIRO Starlab so that we could experience Astronomy close up.

The Preps finished off the Term by building a rocket ship in the classroom which we used for reading, playing on the computer, or flying to outer space. We could see the Sun or the Moon from the windows, and stars, planets, and comets from the nose cone.

We also had a Space theme party where we all dressed up, brought ‘Space’party food, and did “spacey” activities.  We made aliens out of playdough, explored Space websites, drew pictures in 'alien Space-Goo', watched Wall-e,  and sang Space songs.

The children made a book about our day, and these are their thoughts:

I liked being the Alien Dragon. Every time when I goed “Roar” I scared people. Our Space Party was really, really, fun!   I liked doing the aliens on our table with shaving cream. It was fun!

By Coco                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

I had fun at our party. My Mum was there half way through the party. My best thing was that I have never seen any aliens before, but now I have been up to space in our rocket because I was an astronaut.                                                                                                                                                 By Ryder

I liked the party. I was the Sun. My Mum stayed because she did reading. I enjoyed eating the Space food. I liked the stars I made.                              

By Sam

I dressed up as the Universe. I had planets on my costume, and the Sun and Moon. I liked how the party was made. We had rocket cake, star biscuits and moon rocks.                                                   

By Leo

At School, we had a space party. I wore the World and I held the Sun. It was lots of fun.  In the classroom, we had a Space poster. We put the names of the planets on them.                                         

By Thomas

I was standing next to the star, and I loved the star, it was beautiful. We played with the shaving cream with our fingers. I drew a picture about rockets in Space.                                        

By Tahli

I dressed up as an alien. I had party food after I went outside to play. We had moon cakes and Annabelle brought in a rocket cake. It was my favourite thing.                                                                   By Ellinore

I put on my cloak, then I put on my clothes, then my Mum face painted my face green. Then I put in my antenna.                                                               By Rhys

I liked the party and I liked everyone else’s costumes. I was dressed up as Space Girl, and I was wearing a sparkly, silver dress, and I had Saturn on my costume.                                                      

By Isabella

I am an alien out of Space. I drawed some pictures of aliens, stars, planets, shooting stars and the Solar System. We ate space cakes and space biscuits and some space marshmallows. We had some fruit that I brought. I am standing next to the star.                     

By Mikayla

I liked the Space party. I dressed up as an astronaut.  I wore a helmet, red boots, and a costume.  I liked the party.  I brought a rocket cake.                                 By Annabelle                                     

I am a green three-eyed alien. I liked that we had a movie. We saw Wall-e. I liked doing the drawings with the green shaving cream. I drew an alien.                  By Daniel

I had fun at the party. Everyone looked very nice. There was nice food.  I dressed up as a shooting star.  I was shooting to school.                                                                       By Natasha

I liked being an alien. I liked playing with the shaving cream and I drew a rocket.                                

By Pierce

I like eating the Space food at the party. I dressed up as Princess Leia.  We played in soap and drew pictures.                                                                             

By Kate

Our theme for this term is Space and we are well into exploring the world of ‘Outer Space’.  We are working through many activities which will help children to find out what we know about space, what the differences are between night and day and what celestial objects we can identify; sun,moon, some constellations and the earth. The children have posed questions or wonderings about our Solar System and what they would like to know about theway the earth works. We hope to answer these wonderings over the term.

Things we would like to know about Space

Ellinore & Olivia - What makes the stars glow?

Leo - How do the planets go around the sun?

Alannah & Isabella & Mikayla &Coco– I would like to learn the planets’ names.

Kate & Tess – I would like to learn the stars’ names.

Thomas & Rhys– How were the planets made?

Annabelle – How do the planets spin around?

Ryder – How were the stars made? What makes it dark at night time?

Children drew Space pictures and wrote what they know about Space

 There are planets in space. Mars is a planet in space.  I have drawn Earth and where I live. There are lots of planets and stars.  By Isabella

The stars, sun the moon all the planets Uranus, mars, Pluto are all in space. Earth is a planet. There is a big satellite in space.  It stays there forever it is like a little house. I have drawn stars. Stars are big as the world. By Ryder

Stars are bigger than planets. Pluto is the littlest planet. I have drawn Saturn and the Sun.  By Sam

There are bumps on the moon. The moon is grey. There are aliens on the moon. I have drawn the moon there are aliens and lumps on it.  By David

There are stars and planets.  I have drawn the planets and all the stars.  By Olivia

Mars is really really hot. The earth spins around. The earth has a ring around it. The ring makes us stay on the ground. I have drawn the moon and a meteor. By Coco

You can make wishes on shooting stars. The moon always stays up in space. Sometimes asteroids come down from outer space. I have drawn a giant boulder called an asteroid shooting down from space to the earth.  There is the Sun, Mars and the moon. By Daniel

Sometimes in the daytime I can see the moon. I like space. Every day I see the moon when it is not too bright. By Ellinore

People fly into space. People like space because they can fly up there.  I like space.  This is me on the planets and I drew all the planets.  ByKate

Sometimes a big rock comes and hits another planet. Sometimes aliens come onto other planets. In my picture I have drawn earth, and this is Saturn the one with the big ring and this is an alien, a baby alien. By Natasha

The moon has holes in it. The sun is white.I have drawn the moon and the sun. By Rhys

There are stars in space. Astronauts gointo space. I have drawn moons and on the back a big moon in the night sky. ByAnnabelle

Earth is in space.  I have drawn Earth and a planet. ByTess

The sun is enormous.  The way the earth goes around the sunis called an orbit. Two of the planets Mars and Neptune are all gas.  My picture is about earth going aroundthe sun. By Thomas

I know Mars it is red and it is a planet.The little planet is the smallest. I have drawn planets that are in space.  By Alannah

Around the earth there is a force field and it has lots of gravity that sticks us onto the ground.  My picture is at night time, the moon and the sun is out at the same time. The other side I have drawn the sun, the planet with the big ring around it, Saturn and Mars the red one the little one and planet earth. By Leo

There is the sun and the moon and the planets in space.   There are stars and there are shooting stars. I drew the Sun and a planet and the moon.  By Mikayla

There are stars, sun and earth and we live on earth. I have drawn the sun and stars and the earth.  By Pierce

This week we have been learning about the phases of the Moon. Children having been looking at the night sky and comparing the phases of the moon over two weeks. 

We have also been exploring many websites which have some very interesting and fun activites. You may like to look at some of these websites at home:

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html

http://www.learningmedia.co.nz/staticactivities/dayandnight/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tothemoon/explore.html

We have organised two special events to happen later in the term which will further explore the wonders of outer space. We will go on an excursion to the Planetarium at Scienceworks on Friday 5^th June and will be involved in an incursion“Starlab” by Questacon on Tuesday 9^th June. We will send home detailed notes closer to these dates.

Welcome back for Term Two. 

PREP 2009                                                                                                 

Well Term One is over and we had a wonderful term with everyone settling in well to our school routines.  We have had many ‘gettingto know you’ and inclusion activities which have helped the children feel thatthey form a special part of our class community.

Our term theme of“Learning and Planning Together’ has posed and explored questions such as; What is learning? Where does learning take place? What do we need to do to create apositive and safe learning environment? What can we do to make others feelvalued and respected? The process of TRIBES has formed the basis of ourlearning and has provided us with many fun games and energisers.

In English the children have participated in weekly activities in reading, spelling and diary writing.  They have enjoyed participating inspeaking and listening activities; show and tell, reading to an audience and Tribes activities.  The children have been very excited about our take home readers and their success at reading to parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. The children are also given the opportunity to share by reading to the class on a regular basis.

We have been involved in many hands-on activities and games in Maths to develop understandingof number, geometric shapes, measurement and counting. The children have been using the Interactive Whiteboard as a group and our class laptop computers to develop their keyboard skills while researching and playing interactive games. During our weekly Buddy sessions, children have been involved in a variety of activities as part of our theme of ‘Playing and Learning’. The children are developing happy and cooperative relationships in the classroom and playground.

The children had a wonderful time at our annual School Swimming Sports, and were very proud of their efforts and the ribbons they won. They were involved in “fun” races,water games, and they loved travelling on the bus. It was great for them to feel part of a team and to enjoy time spent with their peers.

The last few weeks of term focussed on Easter with children sharing their family traditions. We found that families may celebrate this festival in different ways with varying customs, and that some of these come from other countries. We ended our Easter theme with an Easter Bonnet Parade and a visit from that sneaky Easter Bunny who came in through the window and left paw prints all over the carpet! We forgave him though, because he left all the children a little egg in the chicken baskets they had made! 

We took lots of photos of the children in their beautiful hats and the children shared their stories about making them.

Happy Easter! My grandma helped me make my hat.  By Annabelle

I putted the bunny on my hat with string. My hat had some signs and some beautiful streamers. By David

I went to David and Emma’s and Igot the hat and we made it when we got home and we put some streamers on it and some sparkly butterflies and flowers. By Mikayla

Happy Easter! My Mum helped me make my hat. I put feathers on it and chicks on it and I putted some nicelittle skinny streamers on it. I made it as a bird’s nest. By Isabella

My hat was simple to make. It says Happy Easter. By Thomas

Happy Easter!  My Mum helped me make my bonnet. When she was a little girl, she made a bonnet with her Mum and her Mum came today to see me. By Alannah

Happy Easter! to everyone in the whole wide world. Thank you Easter Bunny for giving us the Easter eggs. ByEllinore

I got these Easter Bunny ears. ByRhys

Happy Easter!  My Mum made my hat by herself but Ichosed the chicks on the top. By Pierce

My Mummy helped me make my hat. Even my Daddy did. I put lots of flowers on it and I put a little chicken on it. Love from Coco

I made my hat with six eggs. I had big ears on my hat. I had fun in the Library on our parade. By Sam

Happy Easter! I made my hat with Easter eggs and a little hat with Easter eggs on top. Then I decorated it with sparkles. By Kate

First my Dad fixed it and then I did all the colours and my Mum helped with the dots and the ears. We sang some songs in the Library. By Olivia

We went in the Library and we showed all the Mums and Dads our hats. We singed songs about Little Bunny Foo Foo. By Tahli

I made this hat for the Easter bonnet parade and I like it and I’m going to wear it to my friend’s house if I go there for Easter. By Natasha

We put the flowers on first andthen we put the other flowers on. I liked my hat. It was nice and colourful. ByTess

My Mum made my hat at home because she couldn’t find my other hat. I went and sang songs in the Library and showed all the parents that were there my hat. By Ryder