Junior School Barbeque/Sleepoevr

Hi all, The Junior School Barbeque and The Grade Two Sleepover was a great success. The children were so excited leading up to the event and I don't think we disappointed them. The weather was kind to us so we were able to enjoy the outdoor games and treasure hunt. Honestly it was one of the best groups we have ever had . They all went to bed with ease and most fell asleep straight away (even if they said  they didn't .) Some children were lucky enough to find a golden nugget so they will get an additional icypole later on this week. We have been busy this week writing about our favourite part and when that is finished we will send it home in a book to share. (rotating it one family each night.) The students have been asked to write their friendship lists for next year. They are to choose only people they work well with and they are encouraged to broaden their horizons and not pick the same children year after year as this helps develops their resilience. If you have any questions regarding the process, I will be happy to speak to you. Cheers Michelle Bird

Week 4 Term 4 2010

Well we had an enjoyable day at the excursion last Friday. The students were very tired from all their walking so I trust they slept well on Friday night. (I certainly did) They really enjoyed smelling all the different types of herbs and flowers and they especially liked the herb that smelt like a pizza and the one that smelt like chocolate. This week we have continued to learn about plants and we have also started our writing clinic groups where the students are working on an area in writing which their teacher thinks would benefit the child. Next week will be a short school week for many students as parents nominate to take a four day weekend. School is still on for Monday and I will be at school for the 8 children who said they are coming.

We will take a break from spelling next week and resume our homework the following week due to lack of numbers at school but the students can still practise their individual word lists at home. For those who are going away have an enjoyable but safe break. Cheers Michelle Bird.

P.S. Ms Volodina has given birth to a healthy baby girl called Abigail.

 

Our Excursion Tomorrow:

How exciting, our excursion to the Botanical Gardens is here. Can you believe the forecast is for 29 C!!! So as well as our hats, we will all need to 'Slip, Slop Slap!' The children are asked to be at school at 8:45 am as the buses are hoping to leave at 9am. JSB will be on bus 1 with some of JSC and JSS students.The children have been instructed to bring a small backpack with their drink bottles and play lunch. Their lunch will be put in a lunch crate which we will access at lunchtime. After lunch we will follow our Botanical Garden map and see some of the sites the park has to offer and the students will have a class with the rangers in the morning. Thank you to our three parent helpers. (The boys are very excited!) Get a good night sleep tonight every- one as it will be quite a tiring day tomorrow.

Thank you to the parents who have encouraged their children to bring clippings from their garden. Our Show and Tell has been very engaging and the students have been keen to contribute and ask questions about each other's gardens. Makenzie has brought some seeds from home which we hope to plant along with our other vegetables which have already grown heaps due to the heavy rainfall we have had. The students are very proud of their efforts!
See you tomorrow.

Welcome To Term Four.

Hi everyone. It has been a while since my last post so I apologise for my tardiness. Thankyou for your birthday wishes as I celebrated my 50th birthday overseas. My family enjoyed an exciting 3 weeks in Europe on a cruise and my husband and I took great delight in showing our youngest two children the amazing sites and history Europe has to offer.  Mrs Miller did a wonderful job covering my program and I believe the children has a great day with their 'Push and Pullathon.'  The seeds the children planted at the end of term are growing well. Our new inquiry unit this term is 'How Does Your Garden Grow?' The children have been asked to bring a number of things to school for this unit. ( a soft drink bottle, a pair of panti hose and a collection of seeds and seedpods) Tomorrow we are planting a mystery seed in their bottle and the students will observe and record its growth. Don't forget to go with your child to the garden behind the Upper School building when you have a chance as the students have done an amazing job.
This week we have celebrated Nudie Lunch Day and Science Day and next week we have our excursion to the Botanical Gardens- fingers crossed that the weather will be fine. The parent helpers will be selected tomorrow afternoon and I will contact the parents concerned shortly after. This term is looking to be a busy one with the Junior School sleepover/BBQ coming up. The medical form will be coming home soon as I forgot to attach them to the notice. OOPS!

Michelle Bird

This Week at Yarrambat

Hi guys, I hope you are enjoying your day off. Staff are learning about the Ultranet which I find a little scary at the moment but I am sure will master it eventually.
Our Inquiry Unit has been very engaging for the children. We have finished our rotations and now the children will have to choose one of the topics to further research and create a design brief on.
This week's spelling is J, G, DG, GG. The students have been a bit slow in returning their spelling booklets this term. A good strategy is to keep them in their reader bags and then they don't go missing.
Don't forget Swimming is on Wednesday. The hairdrying is going well and thankyou to those parents who have been helping out in this area. A warm hat would be a good idea for the those children with long hair as some hair is not getting dry until we get back to school.
See you all tomorrow.
Mrs Bird.

Week 3 Term 3 2010

Welcome to Week 3. There has been a change in Library time for this term. It is now on Monday after lunch.  The children have filled out a new timetable and if you haven't received it, it may be still in their reader bag. Spelling this week are words that make the 's' sound from  Thrass and M100 words (group 3 have a few extras thrown in).   Try and encourage the children to practise these each night rather than fill in their homework booklets all in one night. Spellingcity and wordsafari are good interactive websites for the children to have fun with whilst learning their spelling words. I would like the booklets returned to school each Friday so I can correct them and then they are at school for the new words the following Monday.

Swimming is going well and the children are enjoying it. A swimming cap is a good way to keep the hair dry and it reduces the amount of hairdrying time to a minimum.
The children are busy learning about how things work? I have suggested to the children to bring interesting toys or gadgets from home for show and tell ( that are not valuable or fragile) and explain to the class how they work. Edheads is a good website on the blog where children can go to learn more.
I am back on deck full time again so if you have any concerns or just want to touch base please feel free to pop in before or after school. Thankyou to those who have inquired after my injury. I feel a bit embarrassed that a simple fall can cause so much damage -  I must be getting old!!!   Michelle Bird

Welcome to Term 3

Hi everyone. I trust you all had a great holiday and were able to rest, relax and have fun too. I would like to welcome Taine to our class this term. He is in Grade One and the boys are already keen to include him in their games. This term we have a new timetable. We have Art on Mondays and if you haven't yet provided an art smock for your child I encourage you to do this as it really does protect the school uniform. The students will have Phys Ed and Italian on Tuesdays. Swimming starts this week. I encourage students to purchase a swimming cap if parents are concerned about wet hair. We still have vacancies if parents would like to assist with hairdryers when we return back to school. Swimming goes for 8 weeks which is most of the term so we will not be requiring Literacy helpers on that day. Parents are also welcome to come and watch their child during their swimming lessons.

We will be continuing on with our Inquiry unit 'May the Force Be With You' and the children are welcome to bring in any interesting toys for 'Show and Tell' and explain how they work. Cheers.