Week 8 next week!

Next week is looking like another busy one. We have swimming Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Also on Thursday, Room 10 will be leaving from swimming, having lunch at the park and then walking to the Dowse for Santa's Workshop. ( Let's hope the weather plays the part)

There is a $3 cost for the workshop. If you haven't already done so, can you please return the permission slip and the money as soon as possible next week.

At this point, we have 2 parent helpers for Thursday.

If you are able to come along to swimming on any day and help, especially with drying and dressing after the swimming lesson it would be fantastic.

The bus leaves school at 10.20 for our lessons which begin at 10.40.

Your child needs a named bag for their towel, togs, goggles, if they wear them and to put their clothes in while they are swimming. Please make sure all of their clothes are named.

There will be no reading books going home from now, but please take any opportunity  to read to or with your child.

Reading At Home

We all lead a busy life and it's not always easy to find a spare few minutes to listen to and read with our children.

Hopefully some of the ideas below will help reading time be an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Try to find somewhere (perhaps take advantage of the improving weather and read outside) that is

• Quiet
• Comfortable
• Where you can sit closely together
• Relaxing
• Where you won't be interrupted

Some Do's

• Encourage your child to guess what the story might be about before you begin reading
• Praise every effort made ; you worked hard on that word!
• That's a tricky word, but I'm sure you will be able to work it out.
• What a good idea you had about the story.
• Look how much easier it is for you now, reward progress with a smile and encouraging word.
• I really enjoyed listening to you read, thank you.
• Ask your child what story or part of the story, they would like to read to you
• Share the reading. You read some to them, then they read some to you, maybe even read a few lines together
• Ask questions about what happened in the story, who was in the story, which character they liked (and why), 
• Ask your child to find words on the page 
• Encourage your child to use what they know about letter and their sounds when working out a word.
• Miss a tricky word out and read on to the end of the sentence then go back and make a guess about what the word may say.
• Praise their efforts.
• Let your child see you reading. It shows them that you also value reading.
• Make it a happy, shared time in your busy day.
• Read a variety of books to keep it interesting.

Please ask if there is anything you would like to know regarding helping your child with their reading.

Mostly, read, read, read

Wow

What a fantastic day.

The weather was perfect,

the boat ride benign

Jeff the ranger had some fascinating creatures to look at and talk about

The Giant Cook Strait Weta

 the very rare Flax Weevil

                                            geckos

we saw a variety of birds,

 butterflies

 plants and their habitats

and we made it to the top!

Mission accomplished.

An enormous thank you to all involved, but especially the fantastic group of helpers who enjoyed the day with us and of course the wonderful children. 

Mana Island Reminder

Dear Parents, Whanau and family,

Our trip to Mana Island will be on Monday November 16^th. The postponement day will be Thursday November 19^th. Parent helpers please confirm if you can help on the Thursday postponement day.

Please remember the following things:

• Your child needs to be at school by 7.45 am.
• Your child will return to school between 3.30 and 3.45. Please make sure that there are arrangements in place for their pick up and that they know them.
• To check the gear list. Warm and water proof clothing is essential.
• Food and drink for the day. Water is preferable. Your child could be hungrier than usual as they will be outside and involved in an active programme.
• To tell your teacher about any allergies and ensure that there is appropriate medication should they need it.
• Postponement is likely to be by text and /or blog. Please let the office know (by email: penny@huttcentral.school.nz ) of your current phone number.
• If your child is sick on the day it is essential that we know that they are not coming ASAP (by class email).

We are looking forward to an exciting trip.

Regards

Jan Braddock

(braddockj@huttcentral.school.nz)

Martin Hodge

(martin.hodge@huttcentral.school.nz)

Please send in your child's waterproof coat and sturdy walking shoes tomorrow to be checked off.

Mana Island Trip

This time next week we will be on our way to Mana Island !

Its a great adventure and a wonderful opportunity to explore one of New Zealand's special places.

Please join us if you can.

We have room for more helpers, so take advantage of this and share a unique experience with your child/ grandchild. niece or nephew.

 The Boat

The vessel is a 23m Catamaran and is in Full Current Survey for the operation it is required to carry out.

There will be a qualified skipper on board with one other crew member.

The students enter the boat via a floating jetty.

All students will wear a lifejacket on board. These will be placed on the table when you get inside they can put them on before the boat leaves the dock. It is up to the adults if they want to wear a lifejacket.

There are 30 seats and the students usually sit down with the adults standing.

The boat trip takes around 20 minutes. 40% of the journey is at 10 knots over the bar then 20 knots for the journey to the island.

At the island the boat will drive up onto the beach and a ladder will come down to walk off.

The Ranger will meet you there. All students will need to have a biosecurity check before they leave the boat.

Once on the island they usually walk up a mown track to the top, have lunch then walk down. The track is a ‘gentle’ walk up.

Eliot carries out 3 weather checks leading up to the journey. He will also take a trip out to the island to check the conditions if required. He will liaise with Jan to make the call. He will always side with caution.

This is a not for profit set up that is designed to get schools to the island. They do trips with Friends of Mana and Forest and Bird but not for small groups.