Wednesday 13 December 2017

School Finishes Friday Lunchtime

Remember school finishes at 12.30pm on Friday.
Children will only need morning tea and their swimming togs.

Have a very merry Christmas and we hope you all enjoy a relaxing break with the family.

Friday Swimming

Please pack the togs for Friday as hopefully we will have time for one last swim before the year finishes.


Thursday Assembly

Our final assembly will be on Thursday at 2pm. All welcome :)

Overdue Library Books

Some children will have a notice about overdue library books which are due back urgently please.

All other books are able to be kept over the summer break and returned next year.

Happy reading :)

Christmas Block Challenge

Check out this wonderful recreation of our elf block challenge. Well done to Johnny, Freddy and Leon - we think it's amazing!


Spreading Christmas Cheer at the Fitzroy

We really enjoyed sharing our singing on Monday to the residents at the Fitzroy Retirement Home... we were so proud of the children who sang beautifully and then shared a home made decoration with each resident. Mrs Campbell tells us that all the resident snow have them hanging on the bedroom doors :)

Congratulations also to Lucy for her beautiful violin playing, Louis for his wonderful song on the piano, Shiva, Mylo, Sam, Oli and Luca for their fabulous ukulele playing and to Gabriel, Zora, Hannah, and Khori for their starring role singing the lead parts in Christmas is a Time.





Christmas Comes to Kohara

Kohara were lucky enough to get our very own Elf on the Shelf visiting last week and then we got a visit from Santa with his reindeers... ho ho ho we love Christmas in Kohara!



Sunday 10 December 2017

Week 10 (11-15 Dec)

Welcome to Week 10 - our final week of the year!

We have had a wonderful year with your children and it has been a highlight to watch confidence levels bloom, independence grow, and to see your children learning through play and following their passions and interests in their project learning. For the children moving on to Year 3 we wish you all the best for next year and hope you'll continue to pop back and visit us from time to time because as we have told the children "once you are a Kohara kid, you're always a Kohara kid!" For those staying in Kohara in 2018 we are excited about planning new topics and things for you, and look forward to seeing you rise up as our new leaders of Kohara!

Gayle's Farewell - Monday Meet Up
All children need to be prompt to class in the morning as we need to do a quick roll check before assembling in our places at the hall. The children will not be able to sit with parents for this as we have a special role as part of the junior kapa haka tribute to Gayle. We will be walking over as a class at 8.45am to sit together with the junior classes.

Swimming
Our class swimming days are Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
The children have the option of a lunchtime swim also on Tuesday.
Our Monday our class swim will be dependent on how long Monday Meet Up goes for, but please pack the togs anyway.

Rest Home Visit
Monday is the big day! We are all very excited about singing for Mrs Campbell's mum Pam and her fellow residents at the Fitzroy Rest Home. We will be having a slightly early lunch on Monday so we are ready in time for our bus and we will be returning to school by 3pm.

Children may bring a Christmas themed hat or headband to wear if they wish. Please ensure children are in correct school uniform as well.

Classroom Release Time
This Wednesday is our final CRT for the year - Room 18 will have Art with Mrs McHaffie and Room 19 will have PE with Mr Lukes during the afternoon.

Hanging Baskets
If there is anyone who would like to look after our 4 hanging garden baskets over the Christmas season, please let us know and we can send them home with you over the holidays. They would just need a bit of water :)

Class Placements
Children will bring home an envelope on Tuesday with details of their class placement for 2018.
On Thursday morning, all returning children will have the opportunity to meet their teachers and classmates for 2018. Stationery lists will be given to children on their class visit on Thursday. Please look out for these in school bags!

Final Assembly
Our final assembly for the year is on Thursday afternoon starting at 2pm. All welcome.

School Finish
School finishes for the year on Friday at 12.30pm.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
We would both like to extend you our warmest wishes for a wonderful summer break with your children. We hope you get to enjoy some fabulous weather, wherever you will be spending Christmas and enjoy making memories with your fabulous children.

Merry Christmas Kohara :)

Wednesday 6 December 2017

Toys

Please remind children to keep their toys at home over the next week as we are in the process of starting to send things home for the end of the year. This includes bey blades and bey blade stadiums, beany boos and toy cars etc.
We appreciate your help with this.

Please keep sending back any more reading books or library books.

Monday Meet Up

Because Monday is our special farewell to Gayle - can all children please meet in Kohara by 8.45am so that we can walk over together, as classes will have set areas to sit. Our junior classes will be performing some of their kapa haka items for Gayle.

Absences from School

If your child is unwell or absent from school, please leave a message on the school answer phone or email Tracy or Monique before school. This helps the office staff out hugely as following up absences is a time consuming job. Many thanks to those of you who already do this :)

Rest Home Visit

On Monday, the children may bring along a Christmas hat or headband to wear for our visit to the Fitzroy Rest Home if they wish. It is not mufti - the children will still need to wear their school uniform.

Monday 4 December 2017

Tuesday Swimming

Pack the togs for Tuesday as the temperature continues to soar!

Kohara also have the option of a lunch time swim on Tuesdays if they wish, once they have finished eating lunch - 2 swims, how lucky with this great weather :)

Week 8 (4-8 December)

Welcome to Week 8 :)

Classroom Release Time
This week both classes have CRT on Thursday from 11-12.30pm. Room 18 have Art and Room 19 have PE.
On Wednesday afternoon, Room 18 will also have CRT with Mrs McHaffie as this was a swap due to events last week.

Singing
We are busy rehearsing for our upcoming visit to the Fitzroy Rest Home which is on Monday 11th December in the afternoon. We have shared our expectations with the children about having great manners, and joining in with the singing as this is a lovely way to spread joy at Christmas time by giving the residents something special to enjoy. We will be travelling by bus leaving school at 1.30pm and returning by 3pm.

Swimming
Our swimming days each week are Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Please ensure children have their togs at school on these days or a note if they are unable to swim due to medical reasons.

Staffing
Mrs Campbell is being released on Tuesday and Friday afternoon this week - Ms Jill Kelk will be relieving in Kohara.

Reading Books and Library Books
ALL library and reading books are now due back - please keep sending back any books you find and pop them on our stage by the mat area.

Sunhats
Thanks to those families who are remembering to send the sun hats to school every day - especially in this lively hot weather.

Have a great week :)

Wednesday 29 November 2017

Khori the Dancer

It is always lovely to work alongside our friends in Kahukura who are part of our Rakaia River Team. Last week Khori got to work with her cousin Larrisa during their Discovery Time to learn a dance which they performed for both our class groups. It was great to see their cool dance moves, great timing and the enthusiasm of the audience. Great team work Khori - and a great way to practise interacting with others in new settings!




Thanks!

Thanks so much to all the parents and whanau who were able to come along to school to support our children at athletics and the triathlon. We hope you enjoyed seeing your children in action - they were certainly all buzzing with excitement.

It was wonderful to see children trying something new, stepping out of their comfort zones and conquering their nerves. We were so proud of them. We bet there were some very tired children afterwards.

















Our next event is our Friday (1 December) Health & PE sharing at 2pm in the hall for those who are free to pop along and join us.

Tuesday 28 November 2017

Friday Inquiry Sharing

Hopefully the notices made it out of the school bags and into your hands!

We would like to invite you to come along to the hall on Friday afternoon at 2pm (1 December) where the junior classes will share some of the Health & PE learning that our children have been doing over the last 7 weeks with our focus on 'How I Can Make My Interactions With Others Better'. 

We look forward to sharing this learning with you if you can make it.


Staffing

Mrs Campbell is being released on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon this week - Mrs Lynda Wilson will be relieving on Wednesday afternoon and Ms Jill Kelk on Thursday afternoon.

Library Books

All library books are due back by this Friday at the latest - please start sending library books back to class before then.

Also we would love any reading books returned as well please  - these go in the grey container at the front of the class by the stage. If anyone has any spare time over the next week we would really appreciate some help with sorting books and/or returning them to the book room.

Many Thanks.

Wednesday is Athletics and Triathlon Day!

Fingers crossed for sunshine on Wednesday (29 November) for our junior athletics and triathlon day.

A reminder that junior children are to wear sports mufti but must still have a sunhat.

Please pack a drink bottle.

You're welcome to join us for a picnic at lunchtime and the coffee shop will be open until 1.30pm tomorrow - Julie would love to see you at the 4 Rivers cafe!!

Athletics rotations start from 11am on the back field until 12.30pm.

The children will be back in class at 1.30pm for the class roll and to get organised for the triathlon (changing etc) and then the triathlon will kick off from 2pm out on the back field near He Tangata.

Children in the triathlon remember your scooter or bike, named helmet and swimming togs/towel in a named bag.

Please let class teachers know if you are taking children home early.

We are looking forward to a great day - hope to see you there if you can make it :)

Monday 27 November 2017

Week 7 (27 Nov-1 Dec)

Welcome to Week 7 :)

Swimming
Our swimming days are Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

Junior Athletics and Triathlon
Junior Athletics is on this Wednesday 29 November starting at 11am. Children to wear sports mufti and if possible a t-shirt in the colour of their team. This will take place on the back field with class groups rotating around different activities.

After lunch the triathlon is on for those who have returned their notice to say they are participating. Those not doing it, will watch the others at the station where their teacher is based. Children taking part must have a bike helmet for this event (for scooters and bikes). Remember to send the bike or scooter, helmet and togs along on this day.

Classroom Release Time
The children will have CRT on Thursday afternoon - Room 18 have Art with Mrs McHaffie and Room 19 have PE with Mr Lukes.

Health & PE
On Friday afternoon we invite you to come along to school in the afternoon and find out more about what the children have been doing over the term for our Health & PE inquiry. We will send out more details soon.

No chess club Monday.

Sunhats
Thanks to those who are ensuring that children have these at school every day.

Have a great week :)


Chickenpox

Just to let you know that we have had a case of chicken pox in Kohara in case any of the children come out in spots over the next week or so. Children are contagious until the last spots have crusted/scabbed over. This can be between 5-10 days.


Sunday 26 November 2017

Swimming Monday

Please send togs on Monday for class swimming. 

Thursday 23 November 2017

Music Lessons in 2018

There is a form attached to this week's email/newsletter for those children who wish to learn an instrument next year. These need to be filled in and returned by Friday 8 December - either by paper copy or via the online link on the notice.



Reminder Wacky Hair Day Friday

A reminder that Friday is wacky hair day (not mufti). Please bring a gold coin donation - proceeds going to Sudan.

If you need some help with creating a wacky hair do - there will be senior children available in the morning to help out at a hair station with hair chalk!

Some ideas:
* hair chalk, coloured hair spray
* ribbons, clips
* spikes hair
* multiple plaits or buns
* clip in a  Christmas decoration or toy



NO Swimming Friday

On Friday we are having an early lunch due to the showtime performance in the afternoon so Kohara will miss their swimming time. So no swimming Friday but next week we will be swimming on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

Tuesday 21 November 2017

Miss T's Last Day

We were really sad to say goodbye to Miss T last week but we enjoyed celebrating her last day. Hannah and Dustyn presented her with a bunch of flowers and a beautiful card that had all our smiley faces on it - she will be able to look at it and remember her time with us in Kohara.



Dustyn's Diorama

Dustyn worked really hard on his diorama. We love the details he included inside like a boat, sea, and volcanoes in the background. Dustyn was also inspired by Gemma's art sculpture which gave him the idea for the straw up the top. You can blow through it and that creates the wind which will help the boat sail. Great thinking Dustyn.


Gardening Fun

A big thank you to our wonderful PTA who have donated Kohara money to purchase things for gardening projects. We have brought some new spades and trowels, plants, seed containers, potting mix and hanging baskets. We have a great idea to make our walkway look beautiful by hanging our baskets along the walkway and we are going to ask Darren if he can put some nails in for us to hang them on.

We even had to use maths to work out what a quarter of our plants would be so that we could share them equally among the four baskets... we had 12 plants in each pack so we worked out that half of them would be 6. Then we halved that again to get 3 in each quarter.

Our next project is to plant some bean seeds that Lachie's mum has donated to us. We can't wait to watch our plants grow over the next few weeks.

Awatea, Isaac, Oli and Lucy














Vihaan, Fraya, Addison and Alex
Jack, Matthew, Rosalie and Bella













Siale-Maia, Luca, Luka and Harry (not pictured)

Bolt and Squirtle Have a Swimming Lesson

Today Bolt and Squirtle had their first swimming lesson for the season. Today was about showing the teachers what they could do in the pool. They were a bit nervous at first but they showed they were willing to have a go with a board and a noodle down the side of the pool.

Kohara also got to show off their swimming skills today - many of our children have had lessons since Term 1 and it was great to see everyone getting in and practising their skills. Bolt and Squirtle also enjoyed watching Kohara.

Our next swimming day is Friday.




Health & PE Learning

There has been lots of positive interactions with others during our junior Health and PE rotations. Sometimes it is hard to work with people you don't know but we are having fun getting to know new people while trying out new activities. Here is a few photos of some of our learning activities - poi,  elastics and rob the nest.

Oscar, Bella, Sophie, Vihaan and Lucy learning how to play elastics with their new friends.





Rosalie, Mylo and Zora learning poi.








































 Taylor, Jack, David, Lucia, Ella, and Awatea showing teamwork in Rob the Nest.



Luca the Bag Designer

Gosh, we have some some fabulous sewing projects being created at the moment. Luca designed this wonderful bag with colourful details and it is just perfect for keeping her science things in it at home. We like how Luca had a purpose for her design and knew what she wanted to use it for. That helped her think about the size and shape of her bag. Luca said the hardest part was getting the handles sewed on because the straps were quite skinny. What a fabulous effort Luca - your sewing skills have grown so much over the year. Just look at what you are creating now!


Lucia and Anika's Flower Chains

Lucia found a craft idea she hadn't tried before in a library book. It involved making layers of tissue paper using glue to stick them together, before adding glitter on to the top layer. Lucia found she had to use a layer of glad wrap under the bottom layer so that it didn't stick to the table or the box lid she was making it in. Then Lucia made a flower template out of cardboard and used this to trace flower shapes. She cut them out and joined them onto wool to create a flower chain.

Next Lucia taught Anika how to make one. Teaching someone else how to do something is a great way to show extended abstract thinking (higher level thinking) as Lucia had to recount the instructions in sequence and explain each step in detail.

Now Lucia and Anika have a gorgeous decoration - it will brighten up any room! You can check them out in Kohara on the wall above our trophy cabinet.


Rosalie the Fashion Designer

Kohara's Next Top Model presents... Rosalie!

Look at this gorgeous skirt that Rosalie designed and sewed by herself. It fits beautifully and we love how Rosalie used her maths skills to measure the fit. Rosalie has added some lovely design details on the front to make it more interesting.

I wonder if Rosalie might open her own clothes shop one day in the future?


Ella the Clothes Designer

Here is Ella with her fashion designs modelled by Rosalie. Ella put a lot of thought into her clothing designs and had a clear idea about what she wanted to make. She had a few problems with getting the top to attach so we called on Jen (Mylo's mum) who is also a fashion designer! They worked together to add some special clasps which make getting it on and off much easier. Next Ella added a skirt.

Ella we are really proud of how you showed perseverance and enthusiasm even when it got tricky. You didn't give up and we admire you for that!


Zora, Hannah and Addison's Chalk Salt

Zora, Hannah and Addison tried out a new idea - making chalk salt. They were inspired to try it out from an idea they found in a library book.

First the girls had to bring a jar along and then they poured salt in a tray before rubbing different coloured chalk onto the salt. The rough texture of the salt rubbed the colour off the chalk and then the salt turned into different colours.

To make the rainbow effect, the girls did different layers of colours by pouring them into the jar carefully. They finished them off with ribbons to create interesting decorations for their bedrooms or even for a gift!




Bella's Diorama

Bella has been working hard on her diorama. Look carefully and you can see Bella wearing her beautiful tutu dancing on a stage. Bella has showed lots of perseverance and has thought of lots of details for the background. What a quality project Bella.



Shiva the YouTube Star

Sneha and Shiva have started their own youtube channel. Here is one of their videos for you to enjoy. If you want to watch more of Shiva then search 'Sneha and Shiva Show' on youtube and click on the links.

Click on the link below to watch Shiva with Santa.
Sneha and Shiva Show

Monday 20 November 2017

Change of Reliever for Wednesday

On Wednesday we will now have Jill Kelk and Lynda Wilson relieving in Kohara.

Sunhats!!!!

Please ensure your child has a sunhat at school. We were outside for an hour and a half on Monday practising our junior athletics and a large number of Kohara children did not have a sunhat to wear. We are outside frequently throughout each day so please check your child has their hat at school to keep them sun safe.

Thanks also to those parents who have checked the cords on their child's sunhats and have cut off the straps of the ones without a quick release catch if needed. We appreciate your assistance with this :)

Wacky Hair Day on Friday

This Friday Ruby from Kahukura has organised for the school to have a Wacky Hair Day to help raise funds for children in Sudan. Children are encouraged to come to school with wacky hair and to bring a gold coin donation.

The senior students will also be running a dazzling hair station before school on Friday and will be available to help bedazzle your child's hair if needed!

Swimming on Tuesday

The weather was not the warmest for swimming on Monday (and not many of us had togs given that it was shot notice) so we are hoping the weather will be suitable for a swim on Tuesday.

Please send togs along even if the weather looks cooler as our swim is a bit later in the day.

Sunday 19 November 2017

Extra Monday Swimming Slot

We have managed to book an additional swimming time for Kohara on a Monday morning so if enough children have their togs on Monday (20th November) we will take them over for a swim.

That means our class swimming days will now be Monday, Tuesday and Friday each week 😀

Week 6 (20-24 November)

Welcome to Week 6 :)

Staffing
On Wednesday we are out of the classroom on release with the teachers from our River group. Jill Kelk and Julian Dent will be relieving in Kohara for the day.

Athletics Practices
The children will be having athletics practices on Monday and Wednesday this week - please ensure children have sunhats and suitable shoes for running and jumping.

Triathlon
Great to see all the participation slips coming back to school with so many Kohara children prepared to have a go. Please have slips back by Friday if your child wishes to take part.
All children must have a bike helmet on the day whether biking or scootering - please hunt these out between now and next week and make sure they are well named (along with the scooters and bikes too).

Swimming
Our class swimming days are Monday, Tuesdays and Fridays. Please ensure children have their togs on these days. If your child is unable to swim due to medical reasons, please let us know. Please also name all items of clothing - it is amazing how many uniforms get muddled during changing times! Monday is now an additional swimming time as we managed to book an extra time slot (this was not on the notice sent home last week).

Showtime Performance
The school will have the chance to watch the Showtime Performance on Friday afternoon.

Health & PE 
This week we have our Health & PE rotations on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

Homework
Our normal classroom programme will be changing slightly over the next few weeks to accommodate a number of other learning activities so please be aware that reading books may not be coming home every night. Please enjoy reading family favourites or library books instead.

Library
This is our last week for issuing library books.
All books are to be returned to school by Friday 1 December.

PTA Meeting
Our next PTA meeting is this Tuesday 21 November at 7.30pm in the library. If you're interested in finding out more about what we do, we'd love you to see you there.

PTA fundraiser
A reminder that orders for eco bags and dish cloths close this week on Wednesday 22 November.

Pool Keys
The pool is now open and for $75 (including a $20 bond) you can purchase a pool key to use over the summer season (through to April next year). This price includes 2  duties of putting the pool cover on at 8pm and checking the area has been left tidy - you can choose the dates that suit you. The pool is available for use after 4pm on school days and during the weekends and holidays.

Have a great week :)

Alex and Gemma's Edible Mice

Alex and Gemma found a fun recipe for making edible mice out of strawberries. They tweaked the recipe slightly to include things they loved to eat and the verdict was that they tasted delicious! They are now using their experience to write instructions so they will soon be able to share exactly how to make them...

Ale and Gemma have not done a project together before so this was a great chance to get to work with someone new (and practice interacting in a new setting which is also our Health & PE focus this term). There was lots of interesting discussions, including problem solving the best way to attach the tails and the ears. Alex and Gemma also had to follow instructions from the recipe and use maths to count out the right number of ingredients and pieces so that they had enough to make 4 mice each.