Welcome to 5S

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the students and parents of Year 5. I hope you have all had a wonderful break over the holidays and managed to get some rest and relaxation yourselves. I am sure that the boys will be fully charged and are ready to get stuck into the new year.

The main purpose of this letter is to introduce myself as your son’s teacher for 2015 and to outline our programme for the term. My name is Veronica Stevens and I am thoroughly looking forward to working with your son. I was previously a teacher here at Wellesley College from 2002 – 2006, before I left to go on maternity leave. Our daughter Taylah is now 8 years of age and we also have a son Reuben, who is 5 years. I returned to Wellesley in August of 2011 and am relishing the opportunity to be back teaching at a school that enables me to maintain so much enjoyment and enthusiasm for my profession.

We have a busy schedule planned for Term 1, but we will endeavour to keep you up to date through emails, class blog and the school and syndicate newsletters on a regular basis. Some of the main events and activities coming up in the next few weeks include:

·         School Starts: Monday 2^nd February

·         Parents Information Evening: Tuesday 3^rd February

·         Goal Setting Interviews: Week 2 (9^th – 10^th February)

·         School Picnic: Friday 13^th February

·         Year 4-5 Camp: 18^th – 20^th February

      Year 4-5 Swimming Sports - 6th March

If you are reading this letter on our class blog  - you have obviously found the link. It is a good idea if you are able to check here once a week, as it is a good place to keep up to date with what is happening in the class and around the school. 

The main areas of learning for this term are:

·         Health/PE – Water Safety

·         Social Science: Me & My World

·         Science: Meandering Moments – A Stream Study

·         Reading – Kiwi Corkers – Fairy Tales with a Kiwi Twist

·         Writing - Narratives

·         Maths – Introductory numeracy and number knowledge

The classroom programme will also be based around the timetable attached (varying from time to time with the addition of school trips, ICT, visiting performers/speakers, ICAS Exams etc). To complement the classroom programme, the boys will be required to complete regular nightly homework, with a homework sheet given out most Monday or Tuesdays, to be completed by the following Monday. It is expected that approximately 30 minutes a night (4 days a week) is spent on this. However, there is flexibility to allow for the boys to be involved in the many after school activities that they frequently partake in. In addition, Maths homework is usually given out each week by your son’s Maths teacher.

Homework is given for the following reasons:

·         To provide an opportunity for parents to share and interact with their son.

·         To revise and extend work covered in the classroom.

·         To develop your sons’ organisational and time management skills as well as independent work habits.

·         The main areas of emphasis will be:

-          Spelling

-          English – including reading/writing/language skills

-          Topic work/Research/Inquiry

Silent reading and discussion of newspaper items, television news, current events and documentaries are also worthwhile extension activities and should not be overlooked.

Our homework hint – please let your son carry out their own research and word processing, and simply offer encouraging guidance where needed. Too often we mark work that has been beautifully presented by Mum or Dad at the last minute. This makes it difficult to measure where your son is at, as well as defeating the purpose of the exercise. Time management is a key tool for the boys so if you could encourage them in this area (eg: using a timetable) along with ‘brainstorming’ or ‘mind-mapping’ at the beginning of an assignment, it would be most helpful.

Please don’t let homework cause any heartache or stressful times at home. A note to me highlighting a ‘rough night’ or an overload of extra commitments will hopefully alleviate any stress.

If your son experiences difficulties with the homework or you have any other concerns, feel free to contact me at any time. (It is expected that your son produces work at his ability level and endeavours to extend this even further.) I encourage you to use the school diaries or email as a good way of letting me know how things are going.

Your son will be given all of their stationery when they arrive at school on the first day. However, it can be useful to provide a pencil case, to ensure that belongings are easily kept together.

The items provided, does not include additional extras such as colouring pencils etc. These are not compulsory, but you may wish to provide such items if you choose. We do recommend that all stationery is taken home to be named and covering books does aid in keeping them in good condition.

It is also a good idea to periodically check with your son from time to time, that they still have all of the necessary items such as pens, pencils, rubber and ruler, as they can be quite disadvantaged, when attempting to do work and they are lacking some of the equipment they require.

I look forward to meeting with you all soon and I can be contacted by phone: 562 8030 (Ext: 840) or email: veronica@wellesley.school.nz