We would like to welcome Franklin to our school as a brand new 5 year old. Franklin is the brother to Lacey, Pixel and Chloe. We know Franklin will enjoy learning at Apiti School.
Well we certainly are in full swing with learning and we are already celebrating our achievements through this terms learning context, 'Presenting Creatively'. See below for more details.
This is a term where students really do showcase their learning to a wide and varied audience.
Events for your Calendar
Remember to click on the Calendar tab at the top of our newsletter to keep up to date with these. If you can not open the calendar let us know and we will help you.
Celebrating our learners ...
Senior room stars :-
Handwriting - Jack, Logan, David, Brooke.
Maths - Huntah, Hannah, Lacey, Ben, Brooke - measurement.
Junior room stars :-
Ryan - Reading well using great strategies like sounding out, re-reading and self correcting. He knows all his letter sounds and can tell you a word starting with that letter.
Derek - Self correcting in reading - he is quick at completing his maths maintenance.
Logan and Johnny - Now on Red 2. Everyday great Early Words learning.
Lauren - Settled in well to school. Writing great stories with spaces.
Reflecting on our learning:
Manawatu Garden Show
Students were very proud of their bird houses, when they were put on display at the Apiti Show. Last weekend these were shared with a wider audience when we entered them in the Schools Garden Art Competition at the Manawatu Garden Show. The range of entries really showcased the depth of quality and creativity in schools in our area. We received many comments from members outside our community about how fantastic your children's birdhouses were.
We won the GOLD AWARD and a GLASSHOUSE worth $1500!
Thank you Sara for taking the bird houses to town for us. We all feel happy that we won a glass house. - By Travis
Our next step in this learning through technology is for students to plan where in the school to erect their birdhouse. The goal of the birdhouse, when designed and made in term one, was for it to attract birds to nest in it, to encourage them to eat the porina moth larvae, which is a pest in our area. To achieve this goal students will need to consider the best place, the type of bird they are trying to entice, anything they may need to add or adapt, how they will secure their birdhouse. It will be interesting to see which birdhouses are favoured!! We are looking for help from parents or community people to help us erect these around the school grounds.
ANZAC Day
Congratulations to everyone in our community who worked to make this such a great day of remembrance, in particular members of the R.S.A. committee. Many thanks to Wendy Cawood for making our school wreath. Following ANZAC Day senior students worked together, with the help of Andrew Jamieson, to creatively present and celebrate ANZAC Day at Apiti.
Huntah - I learnt to speak as if I am telling them the story. I realised how long you need to spend planning for a movie to get the best result.
Ben - I learnt that you need to add pictures to make it interesting.Brooke - I learnt that you use background music to keep the same theme and feeling throughout the movie.
Jack - I learnt that you put lots of different layers together to make a movie.
Charlotte - I learnt that when you are interviewing someone you video them side on so it looks like they are talking to you and not to the camera.
What's happening:
Presenting Creatively
Presenting takes a range of forms and this term we will develop and celebrate some of these styles. In particular we will look at visual and oral presentation. This will be particularly developed through our speeches and documentary based on speech narrative, our Apiti Production e.g. set, costumes and advertising.
We also focus this term especially on oral language development. Oral language development is fundamental to reading and writing development. Speeches and our Apiti Production provide fantastic contexts for developing this.
Apiti / Oroua Speech Competition
All junior students are writing a speech about what they are learning, why and how. This fits in with our target of collaborative learning. The students should be able to verbalise their learning and also transfer the learning in one area to another learning area. Thank you for your help with this through discussions at home. All senior students are currently writing their persuasive speeches at school. Thanks for providing the opportunity for your children to further develop their arguments through discussion with you at home. This helps them develop their argument, the evidence to justify their beliefs and the use of persuasive and emotive language. Senior students may choose to publish their speeches on google docs at home as this will allow for better time management.
These will be presented at our school assembly on Friday the 18th of May starting at 1pm. Students are encouraged to use props to support their argument. Following the speech competition, all students will be using their speech as the narrative for a documentary. They will set their oral presentation to photos or video. As you are researching it would be useful to save anything you come across that could be used for the documentary.
Chess
http://vimeo.com/4078094
Academic Chess helps kids to develop lifelong learning strategies:
- gain confidence
- learn to solve problems
- build discipline
- increase concentration
- learn to strategize
- develop critical thinking skills
- learn to recognize patterns and develop tactics
- improve communication
- build memory skills
- learn sportsmanship
- analyze and evaluate
Further research is available for those interested at the bottom of this newsletter
Cross country
We will begin cross country training next week in preparation for the Oroua Cross Country on the 15th of June. Could students please make sure they are prepared with shorts, t-shirt, shoes(optional) and a water bottle.
Home School Collaboration
At the meeting of parents helping school camp planning on Friday 9th March, we discussed what could be realistic for parents in particular. People there expressed their support for parent workshops, some planning with the teachers and outside expertise being used.'
A note to the community of Apiti School from Brian Coles, Appraiser
The full version of this is in the BOT Tab above if you have not seen it yet.
So yes, we are looking forward to getting together for our first parent workshop on Tuesday the 29th of May. The focus for this will be literacy - our writing/reading/oral programme which includes CAFE Daily 5 / learning and teaching how we can work together to accelerate your child's learning and progress. The meeting will be at 2.00 - 3pm It would be appreciated if you could let Mary or Nicki know if you are unable to join so we can plan resources. There will be afternoon tea supplied, we look forward to seeing you then.
The Best Evidence Synthesis research shows that one of the ways homework is most effective is when it is designed by teachers to be interactive with parents. In written language senior students now have a writing journal to compliment their literacy wiki page. Your child's recount will be published on this regularly so that they can be shared with you and others special to them. Students are being encouraged to share their writing with you and to get feedback and comments from you. They are also encouraged to add photos and video where possible as this will really help to bring their writing to life. The aim of this is to:-
- encourage children to share their writing goal with their parents.
- encourage students to share their writing with parents. Having a real audience who really cares is very valuable.
- allow parents a space to share learning and celebrate improvements/progress with their children. There is a place for comments at the end of each post.
- give children an ongoing record, that they can keep adding to, of all of the really cool things they are getting up to!
Your feedback is valued. Thanks ... Nicki
Here's this weeks 'Writing Journal' http://charlotte-apitischool.blogspot.co.nz/
School ProductionWe are currently finalising our school production plan. Students will begin rehearsing after the Apiti School Speeches are completed.
Music Tuition
We are committed to ensuring our students have opportunities to develop interests and skills that they can take with them in life and possibly develop further. Even more important is the belief that they can achieve any goal they choose to commit to.
This term we are offering the opportunity to learn the piano, ukulele or guitar. Students will receive a lesson per week with an experience tutor. They will need to have the access to the instrument they choose to learn, motivation and time to practice throughout the week in their own time. This could be timetabled into school breaks using instruments at school. Please let Nicki know if your child would like to make the most of this learning opportunity.
Recycling
At the moment there are two competitions that Apiti school are entering. One of them is the colgate carton run. For this competition we have to collect as many COLGATE toothpaste boxes as possible. When you have collected the boxes could you please bring them to the office.
The other competition is the yummy apple sticker competition. You collect the stickers off only yummy apples and deliver them to the office. Just for entering, we will receive a base pack. Thanks for your support. - Tom
We do need our recycling to be taken to town. If anyone can help with this please contact Tom.
Bon Apiti
Apiti Hot Dogs
This week we will continue with hot dogs. All orders to Jack before school on Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks, - Cole on behalf of the Bon Apiti Committee
BOT Meeting
The BOT meeting that was scheduled for tonight is now next Monday the 14th of May in the school staff room, starting at 7pm. Please view the agenda and the previous meeting minutes on the BOT tab above. All are welcome to attend.
At the recent Board meeting, the Complaints and Concerns Policy (NAG 3:2) was reviewed and approved. If you would like to view this policy, please click on the Policies and Procedures Tab above.
Sports Results
Rugby - 28th April:
Tom and Huntah's team - Highlanders 45, played the Kia Toa Rebels 0. Tom scored 3 tries, Huntah 2 tries.
Logan and Ben's team - Waiarapa Bush 6, played North Harbour 7. Logan scored 1 try.
5th May:
Tom and Huntah's team - Highlanders 35, played Feilding Blues 45. Tom scored 2 tries.
Logan and Ben's team - Waiarapa Bush 5, played Manawatu 7. Logan and Ben scored 2 tries each.
Hayley, Tyler and Alex's team - Hawkes Bay played King Country. Alex scored 2 tries, Tyler scored 1 try.
Johnny's team South Africa played France. Sth Africa won.
By Huntah (Sport Stars).
It would be great if we could have reports for the newsletter regarding any out of school sporting cultural / speech activities e.g swimming, gymnastics, dancing etc to celebrate our students achievements.
ASSA Trail bike ride
The Annual Apiti School Trail Ride Fundraiser was a great success with 187 paid riders. ASSA would like to say a huge Thank You to our Sponsors for their generous support and to the Farmers for their co-operation and use of their farm. Also, thank you to the School families and members of the Community who put their invaluable time and effort into helping make the day a success - we couldn't do it without you all! - Blair McCarroll, Chairman ASSA.
Chess - Supporting Research
Academic Benefits of Chess
We have brought chess to the schools because we believe it directly contributes to academic
performance. Chess makes kids smarter. It does so by teaching the following skills:
Focusing - Children are taught the benefits of observing carefully and concentrating. If they don't watch what is happening, they can't respond to it, no matter how smart they are.
Visualizing - Children are prompted to imagine a sequence of actions before it happens. We
actually strengthen the ability to visualize by training them to shift the pieces in their mind, first
one, then several moves ahead.
Thinking Ahead - Children are taught to think first, then act. We teach them to ask themselves "If I do this, what might happen then, and how can I respond?" Over time, chess helps develop
patience and thoughtfulness.
Weighing Options - Children are taught that they don't have to do the first thing that pops into
their mind. They learn to identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various actions.
Analyzing Concretely - Children learn to evaluate the results of specific actions and sequences.
Does this sequence help me or hurt me? Decisions are better when guided by logic, rather than impulse.
Thinking Abstractly - Children are taught to step back periodically from details and consider the
bigger picture. They also learn to take patterns used in one context and apply them to different,
but related situations.
Planning - Children are taught to develop longer range goals and take steps toward bringing them about. They are also taught of the need to re-evaluate their plans as new developments change the situation.
Juggling Multiple Considerations Simultaneously - Children are encouraged not to become overly absorbed in any one consideration, but to try to weigh various factors all at once.
None of these skills are specific to chess, but they are all part of the game. The beauty of chess
as a teaching tool is that it stimulates children's minds and helps them to build these skills while
enjoying themselves. As a result, children become more critical thinkers, better problem solvers, and more independent decision makers.
Reference:A Collection of Studies and Papers on Chess and Education
Compiled by: Patrick S. McDonald
Youth Coordinator for the Ontario Chess Association
Youth Coordinator for the Chess Federation of Canada
http://www.psmcd.net/otherfiles/BenefitsOfChessInEdScreen2.pdf
Chess - Supporting Research
Academic Benefits of Chess
We have brought chess to the schools because we believe it directly contributes to academic
performance. Chess makes kids smarter. It does so by teaching the following skills:
Focusing - Children are taught the benefits of observing carefully and concentrating. If they don't watch what is happening, they can't respond to it, no matter how smart they are.
Visualizing - Children are prompted to imagine a sequence of actions before it happens. We
actually strengthen the ability to visualize by training them to shift the pieces in their mind, first
one, then several moves ahead.
Thinking Ahead - Children are taught to think first, then act. We teach them to ask themselves "If I do this, what might happen then, and how can I respond?" Over time, chess helps develop
patience and thoughtfulness.
Weighing Options - Children are taught that they don't have to do the first thing that pops into
their mind. They learn to identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various actions.
Analyzing Concretely - Children learn to evaluate the results of specific actions and sequences.
Does this sequence help me or hurt me? Decisions are better when guided by logic, rather than impulse.
Thinking Abstractly - Children are taught to step back periodically from details and consider the
bigger picture. They also learn to take patterns used in one context and apply them to different,
but related situations.
Planning - Children are taught to develop longer range goals and take steps toward bringing them about. They are also taught of the need to re-evaluate their plans as new developments change the situation.
Juggling Multiple Considerations Simultaneously - Children are encouraged not to become overly absorbed in any one consideration, but to try to weigh various factors all at once.
None of these skills are specific to chess, but they are all part of the game. The beauty of chess
as a teaching tool is that it stimulates children's minds and helps them to build these skills while
enjoying themselves. As a result, children become more critical thinkers, better problem solvers, and more independent decision makers.
Reference:A Collection of Studies and Papers on Chess and Education
Compiled by: Patrick S. McDonald
Youth Coordinator for the Ontario Chess Association
Youth Coordinator for the Chess Federation of Canada
http://www.psmcd.net/otherfiles/BenefitsOfChessInEdScreen2.pdf
