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Easy, informative current Poihipi Learning team news from Wairakei Primary School.
| October 2021 | Oketopa 2021 |
Poihipi
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| Wairakei Primary always has a powhiri on the first day of Term. This term it was a little different as the hall is being used as a classroom while renovations continue around the school. The weather gods were kind to us and the new students were officially welcomed by our senior kapa haka group outside Rooms 7 and 8. It was great to see these new students starting their first day of school in their shiny new uniforms and summer bucket hats. Poihipi also welcomes Jeannie Young, who will be working with Mrs Griffin in Room 16 for this term. |
Water Works
Poihipi are really excited about our Inquiry topic as we are going to be designers and engineers. Water Works, the integrated unit will teach students to follow a technology design process. This process gives students a clear pathway to follow including asking what the problem is. It then moves onto researching ideas, creating a prototype, testing it and improving the first attempt, making changes then retesting before sharing the end product.
Each class will identify a need at our school or in the community, then the students will work through the “design process” to create something to meet the need.
Mathematics
Mathematics learning has a strong focus on Number as students learn to recognise, order and identify numbers that come before and after. Students will use lots of hands-on materials, play maths based games and use maths in everyday contexts to develop their mathematical knowledge. Our strand focus this term will revisit Pattern and Algebra where students will create and continue sequential patterns using number, colour and shape.
English
Phonics and letter and word recognition remain very important foundational skills that are taught every day. The targeted phonics programme continues this term and will not start until Week 3 due to swimming.
Swimming Lessons
Swimming for Rooms, 9, 16 and some students from Room 15, will be happening through to Friday, October 29, 2021 (excluding Monday, October 25, 2021- Labour Day and Tuesday 19 October due to a Drive through Covid Testing Station).
Swimming is a vital part of the school curriculum and an essential life-saving skill. It is great that we get to utilise the AC Baths for its swimming programme with trained instructors. These instructors will provide an excellent programme that will help ensure your child is well-prepared to be safe near and in water. Contact Energy sponsors these lessons for our school. It is an expectation that each child takes part, unless there is a note from parents.
Students will be taken in a bus to the A.C. Baths. Please see the swimming timetable following for lesson times. Parents are very welcome to come to the pool and watch a lesson.
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Room Number
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Bus departing school
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Lesson time
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15 & 16
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12.15p.m.
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12.30p.m.
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9
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12.55p.m.
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1.10p.m.
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Poihipi learned about the Wonders of Wai and to think like scientists. Students learned to state their hypothesis, observe and then describe the outcome of a variety of water based science experiments. Students learned about the Water Cycle, and to use scientific words like precipitation, evaporation and condensation. At the end of the Term Celebration Day, Poihipi students became the teachers and taught their older buddy classes how to carry out several experiments using instructions they had created as a class. This was a great opportunity for the students to show POWER, take risks and to collaborate with their peers.
Steaming into School
Steaming into School is a preschool programme specifically for children who will soon be starting school. This programme is run by Fiona Griffin on a Wednesday afternoon in our school library. Last term we had 13 children attend with their parents. During one of their SIS sessions, the students had a phonics lesson and practised the ‘s’ sound. They then read ‘Incy Wincy Spider and created their own spiders. Penny, our school Librarian, read the children a story from our library and showed them how to select a book to borrow. There are always happy faces and smiles at our Steaming Into School sessions.
Room 15
Room 15 welcomed 12 new students to Wairakei Primary School in Term 3. There were many highlights over the term. Cath from Bike Taupo helped the new students learn to ride and encouraged the more able riders to improve their bike handling skills.
After reading the traditional tale of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, the students made a bed using boxes and tubes for their own soft toy. They then made porridge and hot chocolate. Maori Language Week saw the students learning to sing a version of ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ in Te Reo. Our Inquiry into ‘The Wonders of Wai’ sparked many scientific water experiments. Osmosis gummy bears, precipitation in a jar, evaporation on the concrete, condensation in a bag, and water cycle 3-D hanging models were just a few activities the students participated in. Room 15 also created ‘Umbrella in the Rain’ artwork. At the end of the term, they presented their learning to Room 7.
Room 16
Room 16’s Term 3 highlights were our Water Science Experiments that we carried out during our Inquiry focus - The Wonderful World Of Wai. During Lockdown, students and whanau were engaged with these experiments. Billy even dressed up as a mad scientist with a colourful wig. When we returned to school, we had the opportunity to test our experiments in class and also share these with our Buddy Class, Room 7. These students were impressed with Room 16’s experiments and enjoyed the new learning. It was exciting to experiment like real scientists and to go through the process that scientists do like hypothesising (making guesses), testing and evaluating and making conclusions.
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Fiona Griffin
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Lead Teacher | Room 15
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Kylie Parkes
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Teacher | Room 15
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Susan Green
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Teacher | Room 16
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