Mufti day for us

We have had a really busy week as usual and lots of great learning has gone on.  We used a link to wikihowto to help us draw grasshoppers. They turned out brilliantly as you can see.  We are hoping to draw lots more insects as we continue to read James and The Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.  We are getting to know the characters and really took time to draw steadily.

Kieran, Heidi, Skye

Lily, Daniel, Ella

Emma, Tess, Keri

You will be able to see many of our other great artworks at our Artshow on Wednesday 27th from 8:30am til 6pm.

Next Thursday 28th, 3/4G will be allowed to wear mufti to school as we brought the most number of items of any class in for the fete.  Please note that this is on the homework sheet and no other note will be going out.

We will be working with 4 and 5 digit numbers and place value next week.

Homework Term 3 Week 6

Please find attached Week 6 homework.  Students have been learning about direction with the emphasis now about North, South, East and West.  It might be helpful for you to point these directions out as you travel to visit family and friends.

I found this really great website which is a dictionary and thesaurus together. You type in a word and it gives the meaning and alternate words. You may find it useful to build vocabulary and help with writing sentences.  The site is wordsense.me

Next week is our book week parade and art show.

Homework Term 3 Week 5

Here is this week's homework.

The NED show was fantastic last week.  The simple message of Never Give Up, Encourage Others and Do Your Best was well received by all.  The show was very entertaining and informative.  thenedshow.com is a great website if you'd like to find out more.  Yoyos are for sale from today.  NED square will be open from tomorrow for 2 weeks.  Students can bring their NED yoyo and play with them at lunch time.  They can learn tricks online and from each other.  No 'Around the World' though!

Homework Week 4

Here is week 4 homework.  Remember, although homework is not compulsory it is important that you establish good work habits in your home from an early age.

You know your child best and you know whether they are best with a break straight from school or whether they need to get half an hour work done before going out to play.

Do they have a desk in a quiet room to complete homework?  Do they have all the right tools to complete it?  Is someone available to help them, even if it is just to set things out?  Children gain a lot from your feedback when checking their homework before it is handed in.  Homework should be a calm, enjoyable experience for all concerned.

There are still a few students who have not brought their note for the athletics carnival.  Please return ASAP.

Back in the swing of things

I had to do work for the Department of Education interviewing student teachers who were seeking employment with the Department, so my apologies for not attending Open Day yesterday.  It was booked in February so I didn't know the dates would clash.  I have a few more later in the term as well.

The standard of the Science projects brought in on Monday was outstanding.  Each students was allowed to speak about what they'd made, how they made it and what they enjoyed about the process or challenges they faced.  Thank you for supporting your child to do this.  All students spoke of enjoying the time they spent with you helping and supporting them, it was really nice to see.

A note went home today or yesterday (some other classes won't get theirs til Monday so don't worry if siblings didn't get it) about the NED show.  This is a fun and energetic performance put on by "The NED Show"  that combines a positive message with humour, storytelling and audience participation with the emphasis for us being on our core values, bullying and optimism.  There is no cost for the show and you only need to return a permission note if you DO NOT want your child to attend.  It will be a great show and Im sure everyone will attend.

The way they fund the show is by selling yo-yos (remember those?).  They do a few tricks with yo-yos as part of the show.  Starting Monday 11 August Mrs Graham will sell the yo-yos that you order via the order form on the note and the students will be allowed to play with them at lunchtime in the area outside the hall for the 2 weeks she will be selling them (if we have too many students we will look at another area!).  There are 3 different ones and cost $9, $15 or $20. I already told 3/4G they will have to do extra jobs around the house to earn some money if they would like to buy one...hope that helps!  IT IS NOT COMPULSORY TO BUY A YOYO!

We have been doing a lot of work on decimals at the moment, particularly the link between tenths and hundredths.  Soon we will be adding and subtracting them so you may like to quiz your child to check they can convert from tenths to hundredths quickly!

A note went home on Monday (in a BIG white envelope) seeking your permission for our students to participate in an online survey to help gather data which will be used as base line data for 2 different social skills programs.  We are very fortunate to be offered these programs, FREE of charge, but need to get at least 90% response to be eligible, so please send the forms back ASAP.  Mrs Bryan is offering Freddo Frogs as incentive ;-)

Remember to come see me or give me a ring if your child is having any difficulties with any aspect of school life.  It is my job, with you, to help them navigate the complex world of having to work with and next to 27 very different people, let alone all the other adults and changes that go on here all the time.  Some of them are looking a bit sleepy at the moment so if there is an opportunity for an early night, that may help them focus a bit more during the day.  Some are getting teary because they are having problems with friends or are finding the work hard.  This is the time to build their resilience and reassure them they are wonderful and can do things and that help is not too far away.

Term 3

It has been a long time between posts.  Taking leave and being sick has meant I haven't kept up with photographing class happenings and sharing information.

Here is the Week 3 homework

A great day was had by all at our excursion last week.  It was very warming to hear the children's disappointment at the graffiti on Lennox Bridge.  The beauty and history of this bridge is obvious and the fact that it is spoilt by some selfish people was a hot topic of discussion.

The children enjoyed drawing Victoria bridge and discussing what the bridge was made of and how important it was to the development of NSW.

Penrith Lakes Education Centre is always a fun place to visit.  The teachers there make sure we have fun and find lots of interesting things.  The mini beast that were found in the water were fascinating.  Everyone liked seeing them on the big screen microscope/ camera.  We learned that the lake is in good condition and our little creatures are doing a good job feeding our bigger creatures.

Keep an eye out for Science Fair projects.

Term 2

Welcome back after what was a lovely holiday.  I read a few books, caught up with some friends and attended the TEDx Sydney event on the last Saturday of the holidays.  There were many interesting speakers and entertainers.  The author of The Book Thief spoke about how that story came about and about being an international best seller.  A friend has now loaned me the book which I am really looking forward to.

The only speakers to get a standing ovation on the day were a mother and son called Tim and Judy Sharp.  Judy shared her family's story of discovering Tim had autism.  He did not communicate and she was told to put him in a home and forget about him. She did not!  One day she decided to draw the things her and her son were to do that day.  By her own admission she was not a very good drawer but the drawings did what she wanted them to.  When she put the pencil down her son, for the first time ever, grabbed her hand and indicated for her to keep drawing.  His first communication came through drawing.

Tim developed his own unique artistic flare and is now a well sort after artist with pieces around the world.  I shared Tim's story with 3/4G last week and we drew our own superheroes (Tim's was Laserbeak Man!) and our own funny pics.  One really stood out and that was Keri's.  She drew Laserbeak Girl.  It was beautiful so I sent Tim an email and this is what I got.

Hi Tim

I met you and your mum after your fabulous speech @ TEDx Sydney last Saturday.  The artwork you showed was brilliant and I was so honoured to meet you and your mum.

I am a teacher of 29 Year 3 and 4 students.  On Tuesday I showed them your website and we discussed all sorts of things like autism, colourful art, humour in art and taking words literally.  They loved “Laserbeak man tells the Wiggles to shut up” and “Red hot mumma”  the best.

Inspired by your art the students either copied Laserbeak Man or came up with their own superheroes.  One student whose parents are both deaf came up with “Deafman”- he could speak but not hear.  Another drew Laserbeak man in a meteor shower and drew a bath with a shower head and a meteor inside.

One girl, Keri Muhlmann, who is a fabulous artist loved your artwork so much and was so inspired by your story that she wanted to make Laserbeak Girl.  I have attached a copy of Laserbeak girl.

Thank you for sharing your story at TEDx.  I have taught many autistic kids and just hope I can continue to do a good job at seeing their amazing strengths while supporting them in a system that sometimes doesn’t have room for ‘different’

Hello Jo,

 thank you for your very kind words and for sharing Tim's story with your students. Tim is really happy that they enjoyed his artwork and that they are making their own super heroes, their ideas sound really great.

It is wonderful to hear that Tim's TEDx talk has inspired someone to try some art, it really is a very special thing and we are very happy to hear that you as a teacher are introducing your students to new ideas like super hero art.

Thank you for sharing this with us.  We wish you and all the students in your Year 3/4 class super hero days and hope that they keep on drawing. They are lucky to have a teacher like you.

Best wishes

Judy and Tim

To keri from tim, i really like your drawing of Laserbeak girl, I think her shoes are very beautiful and i like her flying cape.  You are a very good artist don't stop drawing from Tim.