Be Active Awards Celebration @ Netball SA Stadium

2014 DVD Orders are open

Forms went home with the kids today.

Executive Committee

Thank you to all the students who have applied for the Executive Committee and those who were successful. Your work over the weekend will help decide the president for this year.

It is quite amazing that we are now looking at sharing over $4000. So exciting.

Thank you to all of you and your friends and families. Our charity marathon was a huge success with over $2000 raised.

Thank you again.

Application for Executive Committee 2014

Anyone wishing to apply for the Executive Committee 2014 can do via this link.

Click here ---} Application 

Charity Marathon on Thursday

We are aware of Thursday's prediction being 35 degrees. We will be continuing with the current plans as we start at 9:10 and will be done by 10:50. Hopefully we should be in before temperatures begin to soar. Please make sure you apply sunscreen before school so we can get going as soon as possible.

The focus for all students this week is to have the sponsorship forms ready for the Charity Marathon on Thursday morning. They need to also make sure they have a hat and good sports shoes ready for the day. Please apply sunscreen before school to assist us with the preparation.

Oh My Hot Dog!

With 200+ orders for Monday we are so happy for our Charity Fund, but a little scared about the frenzied kitchen. Please cross your fingers for all of us.
Thank you for your orders

Check out the SAPSASA Day Photos and Video on the Photos Page

Charity Marathon 2014

The Charity Marathon note and sponsorship form has been given to every child in the classroom today. The sponsorship form is on the back. We hope that we can finish our charity fundraising strongly. If there are any questions or more sponsorship forms needed, don't hesitate to ask.

Document Sharing Error

I apologise to any students who started on their charity work last night.
I accidentally shared a copy to each student rather than sharing a shared copy for multiple users.
If work has been done it can easily be cut and pasted from the first document to the new document called Class Charity 2014 - shared document both of which are in their Other Areas folder.
(Ctrl C and Ctrl V to cut and paste)
Thank you to Deacon for his question
I will discuss it on Monday
Mr W

Room 9/10's Amazing Geography Projects

The projects submitted as the finale of our geography this term has blown both Sharon and I away. The individual efforts, the parent involvement and the knowledge demonstrated has definitely proven to us that environments we live in absolutely shape the way we live.
Thank you to every one for their help and promotion at home of such a positive learning experience this term.
If you would like to see more of our projects please visit our Blog Page. (Click Here)

Our First Project

Henry brought his project in early today because he is unable to be here on Monday. He explained why he had created water tanks, solar panels and a windmill. Henry also explained the materials he used and the difficulties he experienced on his journey from design to completion.

Geography Project Due in 4 Days.......

We can't wait to see the wonderful projects as they walk through the door on Monday morning.

Class Bottle Drive

The Fete is Not Far Away

Any donations would be very appreciated and accepted at anytime.

I Don't Need a Paper Newsletter

After a conversation with several parents on Tuesday I thought it would be good to give all parents the opportunity to start saving paper and money at Ardtornish.

If you no longer require a paper version of the school newsletter could you please indicate by responding on the Ardtornish+ post today.

Simply comment on the post with:

No longer required

(I will comment on there as an example)

We were not expecting to begin this process this year. I am however very pleased and am happy to begin reducing the time spent on printing and distribution.

If you don't have the Ardtornish+ community please let me know.

Cheers Steve

Dragons Can Be So Much Fun

We had a great afternoon today. We were all so lucky to spend an hour with Marc McBride while he air brushed a dragon on a canvas and then showed us how to draw a dragon.

Well done Jane Moore on organising a super session!

A Big Few Weeks!

With a busy few weeks ahead we thought you may need a little reminder of our classroom commitments.

Marc McBride - Deltora Quest illustrator came today. Get ready for many dragon pictures appearing around your house!
Thursday 14th August - Students will be shown the Geography Research Tasks. They will be answering this question 'Does the environment we live in shape how we live?' Research will be completed in groups and shared in their Google drives.
Friday 15th August - Pupil Free Day

Week 5 - Book Week.      Opal Survey on Wednesday
On Friday we will be dressing up for the parade. Our theme is USA. We have discussed costumes and many students have already told us what they are wearing. You are welcome to come and watch.  (Choir students will be attending Magic Millions rehearsal from 11:00am until 4:15pm so they will leave just after the parade.)

Week 8 - Choir Performance
Week 9 - Music Concert, Bremen Town Musicians
Week 10 - Enterprise Day

Homework for Week 4 is posted

Can all parents please read the homework post this week as we need you to do something for us. Information is at the top of the Homework post.

Being Older Can Be Scary

Make sure you check out the App News section in the school newsletter if you want to have fun predicting the future look of your children with your iPad.

These are a few of our class oldies that are celebrities in this weeks newsletter.

Ella	Kimberley	Troy

Week 3 homework has been posted.

Hope you are not missing out

A lot of information is coming out via the Google Plus community (Ardtornish+).  We are putting less of the whole school information on this blog as Ardtornish+ is providing this link now for all families. If you are not a member please come and see me or Sharon for some assistance.

Week 2 homework has been posted

Week 1 homework has been posted

5 days to go!

Lets get to the holidays fit and healthy. Have a great last week.

Planting our very own plant!

In Week 9 & 10 on Monday after lunch (1:45pm) our students will be planting shrubs in the vacant garden area between the library and the paths. (Thank you Michael Sneyd for organising this) You are very welcome to come and witness (help!) your child prepare the soil and plant their very own plant. As with any school activity you must have a current police check and have completed volunteer training. We also hope to plant some of vegetable seedlings in our freshly prepared plots in the propagating area. Room 10 students will have their last community service session on Friday afternoon of Week 9. You are also very welcome to come as the more adults we have the more tasks we can complete. If it is too wet on these occasions we will reschedule and let you know.  If you are able to come on any of these afternoons you can put a comment on blogger, Google + or put a note in your child’s communication book.

New Studyladder Tasks Have Been Set.

(also in homework expectations)

Well Done!

Congratulations to all our students who performed with the school choir today. You sang beautifully and showed that all your hard work is definitely paying off.

Room 9 Are Hosting This Weeks Assembly

All going well we will be starting at 10am.
We are sharing it with Room 20

Videos posted on the photos page.....

Congratulations To All Students

Well done to all students for getting on to their Studyladder accounts this month and earning the whole class points bonus.
500 easy points for all.
Hopefully all of the angles tasks are also completed by tomorrow.
Fingers crossed

NAPLAN is done!

Lets get back to routine.

As promised though the students will only have Studyladder and LSCWC for homework and these will not be checked in Week 4.

Please check the homework page for a complete rundown of this week

Amount of Homework?

We apologise if any stress is being caused at home due to the increased amount of homework. It is only for the first 2 weeks of Term in the lead up to NAPLAN. We have promised the students only Studyladder and LSCWC in Weeks 3 and 4.
Please see us or write a note if you have any issues.

Homework for Week 2 Posted

Skoolbo Free for all.

The kids have just been given their account details for a new learning site called Skoolbo. It links directly with the Australian Curriculum and gives the kids a fun approach to learning. It is not set as homework but can be used at home at anytime.

Woodhouse House

Just in case you have forgotten.... Room 9 / 10 students went on camp last week. There are too many highlights to mention so we have put a few photos on the Photo page to show the happy memories we captured.

We believe taking students on camp can help build confidence and resiliency. The personal growth of so many of the students has been very evident. There have been many positive outcomes from this camp socially and emotionally.

We would like to say thanks to Sharon, Kath, Alice, Justin, Ron, Kellie, Eric, Deb, Jo, and Mandy for their wonderful assistance on camp. We could not have had such a good camp without the energetic assistance from all mentioned.

Don't Miss Out on Camp News

Go straight to the Camp 2014 page.

Our Kids in The Community

Our safety crew who went on a search and removal mission for all dangerous hooks and screws.

Parent Information

Steve Whitehead will not be in class this week due to his roll of Assistant Principal in the absence of Mark Hansen. He will be replaced by Leanne and Graeme Wheaton and Neil Van Zanton. Sharon McAskill will be in class all week.

NEW Book Reviews!

Check these out and make sure you give them feedback.

Goodbye Week 7 ...Hello Week 8

We have had a very productive week with students almost all completing their work and homework. The students have all moved tables and are now in their camp related groups.

Homework for Week 8 has been posted. The students have all been told that it would be great if they could complete their homework in their Google Drive History Folder. We are aware that this is not always possible, if this is the situation then a paper copy is fine.

Thank you to everyone who has returned their medical form.

Don't forget its Sportsday next Friday (Week 8)

We need the medical forms back ASAP please.

Regardless of whether or not the student is attending camp, we need your form back ASAP please. We are finalising the menu and confirming numbers, please assist this process by returning the medical forms and informing us of non-attendance.

Camp Helpers Form

If you are interested in helping at Woodhouse please fill in a form in class this week. We would love to have you involved.

Computer hiccups!!!

Last week we had problems accessing the internet at school so could only give a verbal explanation of the main homework task on Friday. The task is to design a front cover for our camp booklets. 5 students will have their designs used this year. All students will be involved in the selection process. Students were given paper on Friday and we expect all to complete this task as it will be assessed. (If it is not completed at home, they will be able to work in the library or the classroom at lunchtime.)

SRC - On Friday interested students spoke to the class and explained why they should be chosen to be Room 9/10 SRC Reps for this year. Their speeches were very convincing and made voting very difficult! Congratulations to the following students who were elected to represent us. Brianna, Kallum, Ella H and Sapphire will be our reps for the first half of the year and Emma P, Ella R, Tatijana and Agok will represent us for the second half of the year.

CAMP - By now you should have been given the camp information. We have asked that the consent form be returned by Friday so we can get a clear indication of how many students are going. If you would like to help during the day on camp we have forms available in the classroom if you don't want to print one off.

Make sure you check the Camp Page

New information about camp out now

• Information and Payments Forms
• Medical Form
• What you need to pack sheet

and if you want to help you can request a parent help form.

Change to Spelling Test Day

On Acquaintance Night many parents asked if we could set homework on a Friday for the following week.. We have done this for the last two weeks. We hope this makes completion of Homework tasks less stressful for all.
Spelling Tests - We have also changed the day students will be tested on their spelling words. It will now be on Tuesdays. Students will put their new words in their LSCWC book on Thursdays so the three LSCWC homework can be done from Thursday to Monday nights.

Room 9/10 Multiplication STARS - Come and see who in our class are the first TABLE STARS. Ten students have shown they are able to recall random multiplication facts with speed. Their names are on the front door of our classroom.

Our Class Timetable for Term 1

(This will always be subject to change but we hope to keep roughly to this all year.)

Clear instructions for joining our community

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/116101841851812348659

If you prefer to use online Youtube type tutorials then you can also follow my step by step tutorial.

You will need to move between the 2 tabs 

(1 being your own tab to create your Google account and the other for the tutorial)

Once you have completed all of the tutorial steps you are invited to join our Ardtornish+ Community by clicking on the link below.

Ardtornish+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/116101841851812348659

Then join the community by clicking on the red join community button.

Congratulations and welcome.

Room 9/10 Term 1 Overview

Room 9 & 10 Term 1 Overview

       

The Australian National Curriculum educates our students for life and the world they live in.  Our program and classroom routines foster leadership, group skills, empathy, individual progression and responsibility for both their learning and behaviour. We believe these skills are paramount for students to lead a happy, fulfilling and successful life.

In delivering the class curriculum we use a variety of approaches, always looking to engage the students and best meet their social, emotional and academic needs.  

          

For your information we have listed below an outline of our term program.

Mathematics Mental strategies Number & Place Value                                                         Money Shape Geometric Reasoning English Reading & Viewing ·         Individual reading ·         Class Novels ·         Incidental discussions ·         Reading comprehensions ·         Introduction to a variety of text types. ·         Reading groups: Tues & Thurs ·         Homework ·         Read, Write Inc. Writing Spelling ·         Individual word lists and focus words to do with current class topics ·         Spelling rules and spelling strategies which are also integrated with reading and writing activities. Handwriting ·         Drill and Practice correct letter formation, size, linking. Individual progression Writing/Grammar  Sentence Structure ·         Punctuation:  full stops, capitals, question & exclamation marks, comma, quotation marks. ·         Functional grammar ·         Editing skills – COPS Focus Genres ·         Expositional Writing (Persuasion) ·         Narratives (Story writing) ·         Research /  Note taking  Listening and Speaking ·         Group work - Discussions ·         Thinking creatively – posing questions ·         Sharing work with peers ·         Assembly presentations ·         Circle Time ·         Audience skills

History & Geography During Term 1 we are covering several topics. Life in the colonies. Using the new atlases and introducing the new Geography Curriculum Recycling and charity work Physical Education & Health We have fitness and circle time sessions that focus directly on the students’ physical wellbeing. Term 1 Class Fitness will be individual running, group exercises, group games and circuits. Students will also receive a 1 hour skills lesson with Mr Halliday. (See separate note) Health topics will be-sun protection, safety in the bush, relaxation techniques, child protection, trust, co-operation and team building activities. Science & Japanese Students will receive 60 to 90 minutes of Science with Ms Nicolle. This term the focus is on Chemical Sciences. The Japanese overview has been posted on the Hub home page. Arts Visual art work often becomes part of other curriculum areas. We prefer to acknowledge individual interpretation and our explicit teaching of skills are used to continue improving the student’s abilities. During Term 1 visual art activities will include a Memories page, Landscapes and at camp each group will be creating a mural. There will be a talent night for students to showcase their drama / singing / entertaining skills. On Wednesday after recess it is Choir practice. The other students will be doing music / drama / dance.

2014 CLASS INFORMATION #2     Rooms 9/10

Dear Parents,

We look forward to working with you and your children in a partnership to further build on their education.

The students of Room 9 & 10 work in a team teaching situation. This means that most times we work in a group of 60, sometimes we work as separate classes and sometimes we work in smaller groups with the support of teachers, SSOs & parents. Steve is the school ICT coordinator and has Wednesdays out of the classroom to fulfil his role. We are delighted to have been able to enlist the services of Jane Moore on Wednesdays.

Parent Communication

We recognise that a student’s education requires a strong partnership with parents therefore effective communication with parents is a high priority for us.

As we said in our welcome letter, 2014 we will be using a class blog as our classroom hub. This will serve as a great link between home and school. It will enable all parents to keep up with the current affairs of the classroom, see what homework is set for the week, view pictures and much more. You will be able to view all pages and written material via the link below. However to be able to comment, provide feedback and ask questions you will need to use your Google ARDPS Account.

This is the direct address of the 2014 Room 9/10 Class Hub - http://room910.blogspot.com.au/ or you can access the blog through our homepage, then click on the class blogs menu link.

In addition to the Hub, we will be using a small memo book for private parent correspondence and student’s weekly individual spelling Tests.

This year we have started our online Ardtornish Community (Ardtornish+) We hope all parents can become a part of this. A step by step tutorial can be accessed at http://googleattitude.blogspot.com.au

Curriculum

The students are taught and assessed according to the guidelines set out by the Australian National Curriculum. Both Room 9 and 10 students will have specialised lessons in Science, Japanese and PE.

Camp

We have a camp booked at Woodhouse Activity Centre in Week 10 of Term 1 (31^st March – 2^nd April). The cost is expected to be around $160 after subsidising from fundraising. We hope all students attend as this is a wonderful social and confidence building opportunity for them. In the past the camp has proven to be very beneficial to our classroom. More information will be given out in a couple of weeks.

Brain Break

This year students in our room will be able to graze on healthy food around 10:00 am as long as it doesn’t interfere with their learning. e.g. they should not be eating food while on the computer or doing a science experiment.  Brain break is not the same as recess and so the only foods we wish children to eat at this time are healthy, unprocessed, natural produce. Therefore only fruit or vegetables, pre-cut and in a container for safety and hygiene reasons.

Homework & Diaries

Students will not be using a diary this year as Homework will be placed on the blog every Monday. Mostly students will not be expected to complete tasks in one night. We will usually mark homework on Friday. We do not expect students to spend longer than 30 minutes on one night.

Teacher / Students Relationship

We are committed to maximising learning outcomes for all students. We establish a warm and friendly class atmosphere where we work as a team and support and value each other. Our class expectations are based around respect for ourselves and others;

·         Do be gentle, don’t hurt anybody.

·         Do be kind and helpful, don’t hurt people’s feelings.

·         Do be honest, don’t cover up the truth.

·         Do work hard, don’t waste time

·         Do look after property, don’t waste or damage things

·         Do listen to people, don’t interrupt

We encourage risk taking and original thinking. We cater for a wide range of student learning styles and abilities so all students experience success and are appropriately challenged.

Behaviour management

promote positive and responsible behaviour when managing students. Students making responsible choices are rewarded with a privilege. The privilege list is used throughout the day and recorded each afternoon. When students have achieved 30 privilege days their name is entered in the Golden Book.

We will also be using Class Dojo. This online behaviour management allows us to be much more specific about positives and negatives. It also allows you as parents to monitor your child’s day to day behaviour.  You should have received the Class Dojo login note last week.

Classroom Assistance

In addition to our focus on charity work, this year students in our class will be doing some community service activities. We hope this will happen every 2^nd or third week – Room 9 on Monday at 11.10am and Room 10 on Friday at 2.15pm. We will need extra adults so that the students can work in smaller groups. If you are available to assist in any way during these sessions, with excursions or in the classroom please speak to one of us and we will let you know when and what we require.

Sharon McAskill, Steven Whitehead and Jane Moore

PE Overview

Japanese Overview

Camp Updates

Please check the Camps 2014 page to find out about what you will be doing and what you will need to bring.

Acquaintance Night 2014

Look forward to seeing you all tomorrow night @ 7pm

End of Week 2

Another great week with so much achieved. The students have continued to amaze us with their commitment, initiative and great discussion input. Week 3 will see timetables settle in and a good chance for the class to develop our regular routines.

All students are working hard to increase the amount of books they read. Students who who are more reluctant readers will be given the opportunity to borrow small books to practice reading aloud. Other students have also expressed an interest to take some of these books home.

Please do not let any stress be caused by the Google conversation, blog wants and expectations or any buzz about online homework until we have had a chance to explain our online access for students and parents this year.

We are looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday at Acquaintance Night. If you are unable to attend we will address as much information as possible in a Hub post next week.

Also be aware that Camp 2014 information will begin to be posted on the Camp 2014 page very soon.

Acquaintance Night - Child Supervision

Mathletics

Welcome to 2014

First Day Back and General Class Information #1
What a great day, all students have made a fantastic start and the signs are good for a very successful year ahead.
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you as Room 9/10 parents for 2014.
Please take a few minutes each day to let your child tell you about Room 9/10 and how we work.  There may be a few concerns about class expectations and procedures. This usually disappears after the first week.
This year most communication will be through the blog rather than using a diary. If you need to write to us please do so in the back of the Spelling Test book. Confidential notes will need to be in a sealed envelope.
All students have been given labelled equipment to use in the classroom. This equipment will stay in their tray and any other pencil cases they have can be kept at home for homework tasks.
During hot weather we encourage students to have water bottles in the classroom.
Thanks to the parent who sent a box of tissues to school today. We would appreciate each family donating a box of tissues for class use.
We will cover Homework, Curriculum & Behaviour Management expectations and any other class information in the next letter.

We hope that all families will be able to access and participate in the class online Hub.

Direct address - http://room910.blogspot.com.au/

or you can access the blog through our school homepage, then click on the class blogs menu link.

School site - http://www.ardtornps.sa.edu.au/

We hope you receive the Class Dojo login note and the first day newsletter in your child's take home folder today.