Term Two Newsletter

Term Two Newsletter for Room 21
Welcome back!
Topic
The Life Education Caravan will be with us for the start of the term. The children will be studying the circulatory system and learning that anything that gets into the blood, travels around their bodies. They will get to visit the caravan twice and each receive an activity booklet ($4 -as per note sent home last term).
Later this term, the class will be having fun with some chemistry experiments, where we will be mixing and observing changes. Many of these experiments will be able to be carried out at home as well.
English
Continue to make reading the main focus for homework –every day, 15-20 minutes. Many of the children are now reading chapter books (rather than school readers) that they have selected, for reading each night.
The class will be looking at some of the strategies that good readers use, such as predicting (what do I think might happen next?) and questioning (asking questions before, during and after reading the text).
In writing, the children will be looking at how to write instructions -using the science experiments as a focus.
Maths
Continue to focus on basic facts in homework time – approximately 5 minutes each night. Once your child knows all of the addition and subtraction facts to 20 (eg. 8+8=?, 16-6=?) they can begin learning the multiplication and division facts (eg. 2x7=?, 12÷2=?).
This term the class will continue to learn new strategies in addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions. This is where it is particularly important that your child knows their basic facts.  The children will also look at telling time and converting time from digital to analogue.
A maths site that you may want to use is  http://resources.oswego.org/games/
P.E.
The school cross country will be held on Wednesday, 5th May. The children have been practising the run since late last term and will continue to do so until the competition. Those who do particularly well, may be asked to join the school team, to compete against other West Auckland schools on 11th May.
Large ball games will be played throughout the term. Variations on traditional games such as  soccer, dodge ball and basketball will be played.  
Arts
The class will be using crayon and dye for a variation on the tapa theme. This will be completed early in the term.
I.T.
Our class blog is up and running. Once the children have been taught the “do’s” and “don’ts” of posting comments, they will be allowed to do this at home -if a parent is supervising.
Our site is www.welearnsps.blogspot.com

As always, I am looking forward to the term! Room 21 is a particularly great bunch!
Mrs B