The students are learning field hockey skills with an instructor every Monday this term. The school has a specialist PE teacher, Mrs. Cosford, who organizes various sporting events and brings in expert coaches. Upcoming sporting competitions include rippa rugby, soccer, rugby, ki o rahi, and volleyball.

1. P.E. & Sport
This term the students are
learning field hockey skills
with Southern Districts
Hockey for the duration of
the term. This is scheduled
for every Monday.
We are very lucky at TGS to
have our specialist PE
teacher, Mrs Cosford. She
organises a variety of
sporting events from whole
school ones to inter school
teams and events, the
Fitness Club and a range of
expert sportspeople to come
in a teach our students. In
Term 1 we had a Black Fern
teaching students Rippa
Rugby!
S P O R T I N G
COMPETITIONs
Tues, 9 May - Rippa Rugby
Tues, 11 May - MPSSA Soccer
Tues, 23 May - MPSSA Rugby
Tues, 30 May - Ki O Rahi
Mon, 26 June - Adidas Fun
Run, Cross Country at Totara
Park. Visit the website,
www.schoolfunrun.co.nz to
sign up and get sponsored.
Tues, 4 July - MPSSA
Volleyball
Welcome back to school after the Easter break and to our new
families that have joined us. We also have welcomed Mrs Barrowman
in the Tui Whanau. Mrs Forman will still be popping in regularly once
each fortnight and to relieve when needed.
Last term was a busy settling in period as students became familiar
with using their devices and applications, within our learning
environments. We were also setting up our programmes and routines
so the students are able to identify their individual learning needs and
self manage their work and time effectively.
It was pleasing to see all the parents that our attended our Open
OWAIRAKA newsletter
T E R M 2 , 2 0 1 7
Tui Whanau
Ms Julia Delany
juliad@thegardens.school.nz
Mrs Karen Vincent
karenv@thegardens.school.nz
Mrs Elizabeth Barrowman
elizabethb@thegardens.school.nz
Mrs Jan Forman
janf@thegardens.school.nz
Pukeko Whanau
Mrs Anna Howe
annah@thegardens.school.nz
Miss Karin Kitshoff
karink@thegardens.school.nz
Visit Our Blog
Our team blog is a great place to visit weekly to be in the loop with what’s
happening in the Owairaka Hapori. Check out hapori4.thegardens.school.nz
or scan the QR Code. It is regularly updated with photos, events, resources
and information. It also has links to all the student’s blogs. Students blog for
several reasons:
! to document and reflect their learning
! to write for an audience
! to learn a variety of digital skills, e.g., embedding code,
adding tags, using keywords
You are encouraged to read and comment on your child’s blog. Please note
that this is the student’s work and learning in progress. There will be spelling
errors and mistakes, so be kind. We are all learning to be good digital
citizens.

2. Our Learning in Owairaka
Last term, as we settled into the school year,
our main topics were Digital Citizenship, which
is essential as we are using devices regularly in a
variety of ways in our learning programmes.
We also ran workshops so students could begin
to understand what WINGS encompasses at
The Gardens School. Shortly our students will
be presented with their WINGS badges, that
they can wear with pride.
As we begin Term 2, we have now established
our routines and taking part in instructional
groups and workshops. Students are currently
being assessed for their reading and maths, so
their next learning steps can be established.
Students are beginning to assess their learning
needs by analysing their e-AsTTle pathways
and have been reflecting on what they have
learned. These are their next learning steps
which are set as their goals for subject area.
You will be able to see these on their mid-year
report.
In Writing, students have been focussed on
developing their ideas and sentence structure,
length and type to add interest.
We are continuing our Geometry focus in
Maths. Last term we looked at Shape. This
term, students will be attending workshops
about Transformation, and Position and
Orientation. Students are working on
developing their number knowledge and
strategy at their Numeracy Stage, when not
learning geometry.
Our inquiry this term is Flight, with a focus
upon birds and natural flight. We will be taking
a trip to the Auckland Zoo to look at New
Zealand and exotic birds, to distinguish the
difference between our native species and what
makes them so special, including why some
birds are flightless. More information about
this trip will be coming out shortly.
The Owairaka students have been enjoying
their Specialist classes they attend every
Thursday morning with our specialist teachers.
These are: Writing, Art, Chinese, Music,
Library. This term they are attending a
different two classes. Students are learning a
variety of skills that they are lucky to have the
opportunity to learn at The Gardens School.
Students in the Tui Whanau busy co-
operating in a ‘bus stop’ workshop
learning about Succeed (WINGS).

3. H O M E W O R K
The homework activity sheet which is available on
Google Classroom, is continuing this term. All
students can sign into from a home computer or
their iPad to access it and are also required to turn
in their homework via Google Classroom too. If
you would prefer your child to have a Homework
book they can do so, however, we still encourage
them to turn in their work online, by taking a
photo.
All students are expected to complete their regular
Spelling, Mathletics and Reading homework and to
choose an activity to complete. They should also be
working on their Coding homework that their
Coding teacher has set for them in Google
Classroom.
EXPECTATIONS
SPELLING - Each week, students will have a new
spelling list of a minimum of 10 words. These need
to be practised each weeknight, Monday to
Thursday. These will be in their Google Slides.
MATHS – 1000 points or more each week on
Mathletics. Teachers will check this online on
Friday morning. Mathletics has been updated, you
may need to update the app.
READING - Read for 15-20 minutes each week
night. Students may choose from a variety of
reading material e.g. comic book, magazine,
website etc. They may keep a Reading Log in
whichever way suits them, e.g., digital or hard
copy.
CODING - Complete set work by your Coding
teacher by the next Coding session (Tuesdays).
Teachers expect students to do the same quality of
work at home, as is expected at school.
Homework is expected to be handed in every
second Friday. All students are to submit their work
via Google Classroom, even if they have made their
Homework, e.g., art. If they hand in a Homework
book, it needs to be handed in on the correct date,
as well as a photo uploaded to Google Classroom,
so it can be shared with other students.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
At The Gardens School, we take pride in our uniform and students
should wear it proudly.
Students are expected to enter and leave school in full school
uniform. This includes wearing their shoes. If students are
participating in an interschool sporting event, they are expected to
come to school in full uniform and to change into their school
uniform at the end of the day. Detailed information about school
uniform, including shoes, can be found on our school website.
Please ensure all items are clearly named. If found, they are
returned by the office. If a student loses a piece of uniform, they
need to bring in a note for a Uniform Pass, which will be issued by
Ms Gifford.
Headphones
To help keep down the noise
i n o u r s p a c e s a n d t o
maximise each students
learning it is essential that
every student has their own
p a i r o f h e a d p h o n e o r
earbuds as per
the stationery
list.
P l e a s e a l s o
ensure these
are named.
HEALTH
It is now starting to get colder and we are bound see
more illness as the winter months near. If your child
is sick, please keep them at home to speed their
recovery and prevent sickness spreading.
We encourage students to cough into their crook of
their arm and to regularly wash their hands.
Last term we had incidences of head lice. Please
regularly check and treat your child’s hair, bedding,
hairbrush etc as we try to get on top of this problem.
Many of our students are at the age where they are
beginning to sweat more profusely and often have the
body odour to go with it. Please provide your child
with roll-on antiperspirant (not deodorant
necessarily) to help combat this issue.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Fri, May 12 - Owairaka walk to Totara Park
Sun, May 14 - Mothers’ Day
Tues, May 23 - UNSW Digital Literacy exam
Wed, May 31 - Owairaka Zoo trip
Mon, June 5 - Queen’s Birthday (school closed)
Mon, June 9 - Heroes for Hospice mufti day
(gold coin donation)
Fri, June 23 - Adidas Fun Run, Cross Country at
Totara Park
Fri, July 7 - End of Term 2, Mufti & Sausage Sizzle
For Interschool Sporting events please see the front page.