Welcome to Room 1
Welcome to Room 1! (Website updated: 11/11/12)
Room 1 has two teachers. As Assistant Principal of the Junior School, I teach 4 days of the week and Mrs Sue Wilson works in Room 1 on a Thursday so that I can be released to work with the rest of the Junior Syndicate. Mrs Wilson is also in Room 1 on a Tuesday morning when I am in a management meeting with Ms Neal until 8.45am.
My blog page serves two purposes. Firstly, to inform parents of classroom routines and procedures. Secondly, to offer maintenance activities for the children and ... some fun activities!
Contact with us: 
If you would like to see me to clarify or find out anything, I am in my classroom on a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8.00am. Please remember that I won't be able to chat to you at 8.45am or 8.50am as the children will be getting ready for fitness and roll call and that is when learning time begins.
Mrs Wilson is available on a Tuesday morning as I am in a management meeting from 7.30am - 8.45am. She will always pass on any information or make an appointment for you to see me if necessary.
If you happen to arrive late and have important information to share, please do not hesitate to make an appointment for after school or some other convenient time to discuss your concerns or queries. Alternatively, you can always tell Mrs Ford in the office and she will alert me or you can email me via my school email address and I will get back to you as soon as possible. My email address is - clairer@oteha.school.nz
Medicines or Health Issues:
Children may not keep medication in their school bags. If your child is required to take medication at a certain time of the day, this can be dropped off at the office and administered by Mrs Ford in the Health Room. Children also keep their asthma inhalers, spacers or any other medication in the Health Room. This is where the staff know where to look in the case of an emergency.
Remember to chat to or email Mrs Wilson or myself if your child requires any medication on a regular basis so that we can set up a routine to remind your child to go up to the office at the correct time.
Topic: 
We will be learning about how we protect our Native Bush. This is a rich science topic where we will be investigating how we should protect our native bush and the animals, birds and bugs that we find in it.
Click on me to play some fun games and read some information!
Reading:
We have reading homework every day! We take home a new book every Monday and Wednesday. (We spend two days on a book before moving on to the next one.) If your child appears to 'know' the book very well, ask him/her some real 'thinking' questions about the text.
For example:
“What do you think could have happened if……?”
“What could another ending to this story be?”
We visit the school library on a Friday. Your child will be able to take one non-fiction book and one fiction book home for the week. If he/she finishes the book before Friday, it can be returned to the classroom library basket for safe keeping. Please don’t forget to visit your own local library for additional reading. Unfortunately, if your child does not have his/her reading bag at school, they will be unable to take a book out as we have a “No bag, no book policy”.
If your child accidentally leaves his/her reading book at school, please read a library book or some other form of reading material appropriate to your child’s needs. This can be entered into the homework book.
On a Thursday, the children take their poetry folders home. Please encourage your child to recite the little poems and jingles which we would have practised during class. Any colouring in/publishing which is incomplete, can be done too.
Therefore, our reading homework is as follows:
Monday: New book
Tuesday: Revise Monday’s book/library book/questioning about the story
Wednesday: New book
Thursday: Revise Wednesday’s book/library book/read the poem
Friday: Enjoy the poem of the week and the library books
****The children may return their books most lunchtimes if they are eager readers!
Something new which is cool for school!
Click on Benny Bookworm above to do some fun reading activities!
Learn your words here:
FIRST 100 words http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-f1zT3ZYd0
SECOND 100 words http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K9RlZK8yVs
THIRD 100 words http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lKyA674irA
FOURTH 100 words
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dekRgsaXDQk&feature=relmfu
Reading Extension:
Visit the National Geographic link for kids to find out some amazing facts about animals and to watch some videos about animals too!
Sentence contruction and vocabulary enrichment. Visit 'The Magic Key'!
Click here to watch 
Handwriting:
Click on Spinner the Spider to practise your handwriting!
Watch me first, then you have a go! 
Maths:
We use the Ministry of Education’s Early Numeracy Project approach at Oteha Valley School. This is a “hands on” approach where the child does activities which are appropriate to their own level.
L 
k at this new game! Click on the New Zealand animals to play!
Fantail and Weta
Our old favourites! See below!
http://www.abc.net.au/countusin/default.htm
Click on the link above to play some Maths games!
We are also learning to count in Maori. Click here to listen and count along!
Let's count to 100! Click on the link below the '100' and count away!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbHBYGY2fs0
Let's learn about Place Value! Click on the picture to play a Place Value game!
Dino Place Value - click on the numbers to make the number in red and then click 'next'.
Game 1 Game 2
Shark Pool Place Value!
are so cool!
Brainfood:
Every day at 9.50am, we have a brain food break. Brain food is a healthy snack which is quick and easy to eat in 3-4 minutes. Suggestions for brain food include: Raisins, carrot sticks, sliced cucumber, pineapple, apple — anything quick! Plus a drink bottle, containing water. Definitely no lollies, chips or fizzy drinks!
Computers:
We will be learning how to log on to our classroom computers and to navigate our classroom blog. I will be adding some fun activities shortly. This will also give us good practice at using the mouse.
Key Competencies:
Whilst the Key Competencies are integrated through all subjects and activities every day, there will be a major focus on ‘Participating and Contributing’ and ‘Language, symbols and texts’.
Daily Fitness and Physical Education:
We do fitness with our Activators every morning. Please ensure that your child wears sensible shoes for running and jumping. We will also be playing Badminton on a Tuesday during our PE time, so please remember to wear sport shoes so that you can enjoy the sessions.
Sunhats - Remember to bring your hat to wear when we do P.E. or when you play outside!
The children will be required to wear their sunhats outside at all times. Sunblock may also be applied in the morning before school or your child my apply it themselves just before any outdoor activities. If you do send sunblock to school, please remember to name it clearly. Please remind your child that the sunhats are to stay at school and that we have a ‘no hat no play policy’.
Here are some fun activities for learning about sun safety.Click on Undercover Cody to visit the link.
Click on Cody's happy face to hear the 'Slip, slop, slap and wrap' song!
Driveway Safety:
This is an urgent plea to all parents to refrain from dropping children off at the bottom of the driveway outside Pukeko Pod and then backing into our pedestrian crossing instead of going up to the ‘drop off’ zone.
Communication Reminder:
If you have any concerns or queries regarding your child’s learning or behaviour, please don’t hesitate to chat to me. I am usually in the classroom by 8.30am if you require a quick chat. If you need to make an appointment, this can either be done via the office or you can email me - clairer@oteha.school.nz
Just the usual reminders:
- In the event of being late, children need to collect a “late” card from the office.
- We encourage our children to be independent and expect them to unpack their bags themselves and to look after their belongings. They can be assisted in this regard by being dropped off at least ten to fifteen minutes before the school bell and will therefore be afforded the opportunity of settling for the day and catching up with their friends.
- Please could we ask that parents/caregivers wait outside on the benches at the end of the day during pack-up time? The children have their classroom routines to complete and are distracted by parents peering in.
Fun Zone!
Click on Clifford the big red dog to have some fun!
Here is a fun site with Thomas the Tank Engine and friends!
Thanks for visiting!
Mrs Rauby
clairer@oteha.school.nz
