Term 4 Week 2
Principal's Message
NZEI Union Members Strike
As you know, NZEI members will be striking on October 23rd. St Bernard's will be open for children who cannot be supervised at home. Mrs Harper and myself will be at school.
Please make sure you have completed the survey letting me know if your child will be at school or not that day.
Closing Mass and Social Event
On Saturday 15th November, we will be celebrating Mass and holding a social event to officially recognise the closing of St Bernard's.
We will start at 12pm with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Paul and concelebrated by Fr Doug, Fr Biju and perhaps other past priests. At around 1pm there will be a buffet lunch provided by the Board. After that there will be an opportunity for people to share their memories, look at memorabilia and socialise. We will be opening the event up to anyone who has had an associuation with the school during its 90 years.
I will be sending a survey to you all to complete to let me know if you will be attending on the day. There is a legal restriction to how many people and can be in the hall and so it is vital that you reply quickly so that I have an idea of numbers and I can then decide how many people from outside of the school will be able to attend. Please check your emails for the survey.
Faith News
Wednesday Mass
Please come and join Room 2 for Mass this Wednesday morning at 9am in Room 3.
Parish Newsletter
This week’s Parish newsletter is available here
Swimming Lessons Term 4
All children will be taking part in our swimming programme during Term 4. Lessons are on Mondays. Children will travel by bus to the Kilbirnie Aquatic Centre at 1pm. Parents and caregivers of younger children are welcome to join us at the pool and assist with changing.
Please ensue all items of your child's clothing and footwear are clearly named. Children must remove all their belongings from the changing rooms during lessons, check that the bag your child will take to swimming is large enough for them to fit all their clothes, footwear and towel into while they are swimming.
Children are to wear their P.E uniform on swimming days.
Sun Hats Term 4
A reminder we are a sun smart school, so all children must have a school sunhat at school each day in Term 4 regardless of the weather.
Brooklyn Library Visits
This term we will resume our termly visits to Brooklyn Library. If your child wishes to borrow a book during the visit they need to bring their personal library card with them. We will return books on the next visit if they are brought back in time. Books not brought on the day of the visit will need to be returned by yourselves. If you would like to leave your child's card in the classroom between visits then teachers will find a safe place to keep them.
Room 1: 20 November
Room 2: 16 October 06 November
Room 4: 23 October 13 November
Birthday Wishes
Special birthday wishes to Cosima who turns 11 on Wednesday, and to Wuju who will turn 6 on Friday. We hope you both have wonderful, fun filled birthdays.
Absences
If your child is sick or unable to attend school for all or part of the day, please either send a notification via the school app (skool loop), email the school office on office@stbernards.school.nz or phone 3899377 by 9.00 a.m. so that your child's absence can be accounted for.
Children who are late need to report to the office in case they have been marked absent by the teacher who takes the roll first thing in the morning.
If an absence is planned for a special reason, a note or telephone call to the school in advance is appreciated. In cases of prolonged absence, e.g. a family trip, a written note is required.
Room 1 Learning
It was lovely to see the Room 1 children happy to be back at school and busy chatting and playing with each other as they caught up after the holidays.
Our picture book last week was The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle ( a favourite of mine!), We've re-told the stories, acted out the seed's journey and drawn it on paper cups ( that we are going to plant a mystery seed in this week!) and finally painted some gorgeous sunflowers!
Room 2 Learning
In maths, Room 2 have been learning how to tell the time.
The Year 3 and 4 students have been focusing on reading analogue clocks. They have learned how to tell the time to the hour and half hour, by recognising that the minute hand points to 12 on the hour and to the 6 on the half hour. We’ve also talked about how a calendar day is made up of two sets of 12 (24 hours total) and how this is divided into our morning hours (AM) and afternoon hours (PM).
Our Year 5 students have been extending their knowledge of time by learning how to tell the time to the quarter hour and to five-minute intervals. They’ve also been working on converting between analogue and digital time.To apply their knowledge of time, they've also been learning to calculate how many hours, minutes, or seconds are in everyday activities.
Everyone has had some fun practising reading clocks and using their time-telling skills in fun activities and games.
Room 4 Learning
A Load of Rubbish: Recycling by Numbers
We started the first Wednesday afternoon of the term with a science activity called ‘Recycling by Numbers’. The children worked in small groups to sort plastic items by their recycling numbers, which range from 1 to 7. The numbers are the plastic resin identification codes that tell you the type of plastic used to make the products. The most common plastic resin identification code numbers are 1, 2 and 5. Code 1 is products made from PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), code 2 is HDPE (High density polyethylene) and code 5 (Polyethylene).
Once the children had organised the plastic products by their resin identification codes, the next step was to find out which of the items could be recycled in the plastic bin provided by the science kit. The children also observed the physical properties of different types of plastics. They observed code 1 items were see through and made from lighter plastic. Code 2 items were solid, heavier and denser. Yoghurt containers had the number 7 as resin identification code, and there were a couple of plastic items that had no code. Many of the compostable plastics are labelled as 7 or have no label as they did not exist when the plastic identification code system was created. It is also important to note that plastic bottle tops can be made from a different plastic type. This means that sometimes the tops of bottles cannot be recycled while the plastic bottle itself can.
What happens to plastic products once they are recycled? The plastics are taken to a recycling facility where they are sorted by their plastic type. This is crucial because contamination can make a batch of materials unsuitable for reprocessing. Sorting can be done manually or with machines using technology that recognises different types of plastic. Float tanks can be used to separate plastic pieces according to density. Density is a measure of how compact an object is. The children tested three plastic samples in containers filled with water. They made predictions about which type of plastic resin would float or sink according to its density. The three samples were PET (sample 1), HDPE (sample 2) and miscellaneous plastic lids (sample 3). Room 4 are now experts in sorting plastic items for recycling. Ask your child to check your recycling bin to see if the right plastic items are being put in!
Public Notices
Capital Gymnastics Club
Capital Gymnastics Club offers exciting opportunities for children to excel in gymnastics! Our programmes cater to all skill levels, from preschoolers to national-level athletes, covering gymnastics and tumbling. Led by experienced coaches, our structured approach fosters skill development and confidence in a fun, supportive environment.
Book online for classes, birthday parties, or school groups at www.capitalgymsport.org.nz or contact us at 027 239 9139 or office@capitalgymnastics.nz.