Edgewater 3 Seniors Class Newsletter

Edgewater 3 Seniors Class Newsletter

Dear Friends and Families

We have made an absolutely fabulous start to the school year. The staff and students have settled in quickly. We are all working hard and having fun.

The Edgewater Senior Satellite Class has eight students they are Bradley, Natasha, Allan, Fynn, Vikki, Brennan, Nathan and Aidian. We have four staff members they are Mary, Elly, Riaan and Kevin.

If you would like to contact us…

ü  Please write a note in the Home/School Communication Book

ü  Call our Class Cell Phone: 0272513891

ü  Leave a message at Sommerville Special School. Phone: 5709787

ü  Email: kevin@sommervillespecial.school.nz (our email is not very reliable at this time)

ü  Or write a comment on our new class and individual blog sites. We would love to read your comments about our work. Class Blog: http://ssskevinm.blogspot.co.nz/

This year our Senior School Key Competency focus is “Managing Self”.

This competency is associated with self-motivation, a “can-do” attitude, and with students seeing themselves as capable learners.

Students who manage themselves are enterprising, resourceful, reliable, and resilient. They establish personal goals, make plans, manage projects, and set high standards. They have strategies for meeting challenges. They know when to lead, when to follow, and when and how to act independently.

As part of the “Managing Self” focus the Edgewater 3 students have worked together to plan which “Headway” learning units they would like to study. We have picked four units to study. (This is double the minimum requirement!)

Our students chose:

Headway Leisure: Art

Headway Life Skills: Safe Traveling

Headway Leisure: Sports

Headway Vocational: Techno Tools

The students have also worked individually with staff to identify some “Personal Goals” and they are currently talking with Kevin and the Therapy Team to identify the best 2014 I.E.P (Individual Educational Plan) goals.

Kevin would like to meet with families to discuss your students’ progress and to hear your ideas about the 2014 I.E.P goals. Please fill in the appointment form at the end of this newsletter and send it back to school or email your preferred times to Kevin.

Special Thursdays:

Kevin will be visiting other schools to support students on Thursday mornings. Gabrielle will be the teacher every Thursday morning and for several Thursday afternoons this term when Kevin has classroom release to do other school jobs.

                   

Every Thursday our Special Music Teacher Steve will give us a music lesson to start the day then we will travel to Sommerville’s Tamaki Campus to use the I.C.T Room with Fiona our Special Google computer tutor and then our Specialist Art teacher Gabrielle will open up her Art Room for us.

Our Class Timetable is attached to let you know what else is happening at school.

Absences: Please call, text or email if your student is going to be late or absent. We worry if we don’t know where they are. Please advise the Taxi drivers if they are not required.

Sign in/Sign out: All students need to see the duty/taxi teacher in the morning and afternoon to sign in to school and sign out. (We need to know where you are.)

We will participate in these events: 

Athletics Ribbon Day @ Mt Smart Tuesday 18 March

Ten Pin Bowling either Mondays 12,19 and 26 May or Wednesdays 14, 21 and 28 May at Panmure Superbowl.

Football Ribbon Day Thursday 19 June Neil Ave Te Atatu Peninsular or at TheTrusts Stadium Henderson if wet.

Basketball Ribbon Day Tuesday 16 September at The Trusts Stadium Henderson

Aquatics Ribbon Day Tuesday 4 November at West Wave Aquatics Henderson.

Money: We will try to keep all costs as low as possible. Payments for items can be spread over several weeks to make your budgeting easier. During this year Sommerville School will ask for money for the Headway/Spec units, Ten Pin Bowling and perhaps money for a small class trip.

This Term we ask if families could please contribute $25 for Stationery and $25 for Cooking/Occupational Therapy Supplies. (Total cost $50) Students will be supplied with all stationery supplies they require.(Pens, pencils, rubbers, folders, felts, books, paper, pads etc) The Cooking money will cover all the materials for their Life Skills, Cooking and Occupational Therapy work. Please pay when it suits your budget. Your student will not miss out on anything if you have not paid yet.

Regards,

Kevin Mellon (Class Teacher)