SACRED HEART COLLEGE EDUCATION WITH HEART THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDS
2016
A MARIST SCHOOL
The Grade 5 Team
welcome children and their families to a wonderful experience!
The
IP Stars
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WE ARE YOUR TEAM Mrs van Wyk Grade 5V
Mrs Marais
English 5V, Maths 5 V&L, Social Science 5V
Library Skills 4, 5 &6
Science and Technology 5V
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Mrs Lindsay- Smith HOD Religion Grade 5L English 5L, RELO 1G, 5L&V, Social Science 5L
Mrs Basson Computers Computers 4, 5& 6
Mrs Kither Grade 5K English 5K, Maths 5K, Social Science 5K, Science and Technology 5K, RELO 5K
Mrs Raath
Mrs Reisinger
Afrikaans, 4, 5 & 6,
Art
Ms Moodley Performing Arts
Mr van der Merwe,
Miss Nhlapo
Mr Lambert
isiZulu 4, 5 & 6
Sports Mrs Paton Mills Director of Pastoral Care
WHAT WE STAND FOR Sacred Heart College is a Catholic, Marist school with a caring community. The school aims to serve its children by providing an education of the highest quality, founded on Catholic ethos and the five Marist pillars.
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The Caring Caterpillar To reinforce positive behavior, children’s acts of kindness and caring are recognized in the above areas. If children are caught being good they are given stickers by their teachers. Once children have 5 stickers on a segment they receive a badge for that segment. When all the segments have been collected, the child receives a butterfly badge.
THE RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM APPROACH – THE MORNING MEETING AS we believe that education is all encompassing we follow this approach and set the tone for the day. We begin our day with an assembly and then we move onto the classroom.
HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY Be happy when you get up as children read your mood and this can impact negatively on their day. Develop consistency and stick to a routine. Breakfast is an incredibly important meal and children must have a protein and a portion of carbohydrates. Please try to avoid sugary cereals. Please ensure that your child arrives timeously in the mornings, as it becomes distressing for them if their routine is disrupted. Important notices are read out at assemblies and can disrupt a child’s day if they miss them. Children need to be at school by 7:30 as our school day begins at 7:35 with an assembly and which led is by a different teacher each day. Children then go off to class for register. Although this is an informal part of the day, it is critically important as it sets the tone for the day and important life lessons are dealt with. Being late for register class is disturbing for your child and the other children in the class. Lessons begin at 7:50 sharp. Lessons end at 14:00 each day and children have a 15 minute break before commencing the co-curricular programme.
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Break is at least 2 hours after school begins so please pack a healthy snack. Water should be included and try to avoid juices and fizzy drinks. Sweets and sugary snacks are not to be part of their daily lunch pack. Try to make sure you include a fruit or veggie snack as these are good for children. You might even include yoghurt. A good substantial sandwich is always important. If your child is staying after 14:00, it is advisable to pack extra food for the afternoon session. Children should be in bed by 20:00 in order to get a good night’s sleep and arrive refreshed for the new day.
Other Important Information: If you need to communicate with any of the teachers, please write a note in your child’s diary or alternatively leave a message with Mrs Peters or Mrs Naidoo in the Primary School Office. Children absent from school need to be given a letter for the class teacher or a note must be written in the diary, addressed to the class teacher, on their return to school. If your child is going to buy food from the tuck shop, please ensure that there is sufficient money on their card. You may do an EFT, or you/ your child can load the card in the primary school office. Please remember that children may not have cell phones at school for various reasons including health issues. When found, cell phones will be confiscated and returned to parents at the end of term. The official school uniform, as shown in the diary, must be worn at all times. Please check the days your child has PE and ensure that they wear their PE uniforms on those days. It is very important that you LABEL YOUR CHILD’s UNIFORM and all belongings, as things are easily misplaced and we are able to return them if we know who the owner is. All items including stationery must be clearly labelled. Uniforms are expected to be clean and worn neatly. Our newsletter is emailed on a Wednesday and sent home with your child on a Thursday. We look forward to working with you to help your child during his/her Intermediate Phase years in our primary school. The team works closely together and we have devised a solid and interesting curriculum for the children. Each grade is a challenge, as there are a number of new concepts, and we cover a lot of work. Please help your children by asking to see their work books regularly. Please sign the homework diary daily and it is necessary also for you to sign every test sent home.
In this phase we finish the school day at 14:00 and the co-curricular programme begins at 14:15. The co-curricular activities end at 15:00 and Aftercare begins at 15:00
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with an hour homework class.
HOW TO SURVIVE THE INTERMEDIATE PHASE CURRICULUM This is a three-year phase and is quite different from what you have experienced in the Foundation Phase. We cover the following subjects:
English Afrikaans isiZulu Mathematics Science and Technology Social Science RELO Computers Library – Book Education Physical Education Performing Arts Visual Arts Hymns
We follow the CAPs documents in all areas but supplement the NTS programme with Singapore Science. While CAPS documents form the basis of our curriculum, additional material is added as is deemed educationally enriching. Please help your child by checking their homework, and encouraging them to be prepared for each day. Children who succeed at school are generally those whose parents are involved in their learning. This means that you need to be actively involved in their school life by reading to and with them, helping them to prepare for tests and become involved in helping them plan projects and activities.
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Each child is different and has different needs. Please support your child and help him/her to develop into an independent, hard-working and motivated individual.
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING All work done in the first term both class work and assessments, are included for marks. These are calculated and weighted and form the final mark per subject for the report. In the second term, we write our first set of Term Tests for English, Maths, isiZulu, Afrikaans, Science and Technology, and Social Science. The term marks are added to all class work and tests and weighted to make up the mark which appears on the report. The third term mark is made up of term work as well as end of year tests in the previously-mentioned subjects. The final result is a culmination of all three terms. Work for assessment is clearly stated and given timeously. Please check your child’s diary and books regularly as this will give you an indication of when assessments take place. In Grade 5, we begin the year with the theme “All About Me.” This theme is followed by “Food Glorious Food” and then the “Walt Disney” theme. Spelling words incorporate theme words across the curriculum. Rules and phonic skills are taught weekly. Our first novel is Mellow Yellow. This is a South African based book which we read and discuss. Children are then taught how to write a book review and they prepare one on a favourite book. This is followed by “Around the World in 80 Days’ and “Sherlock Holmes”. Besides the class reading mentioned above, children are also encouraged to do independent reading throughout the year. This is very important as avid readers tend to score well in reading and writing tasks across the curriculum. Parents are encouraged to have discussions with their children about the book they are reading. Keeping a record of what is being read on a daily basis is also required.
AFRIKAANS This year in Afrikaans, we will be working in the "Goed, beter, Afrikaans" workbook. Learners will also be expected to have their bilingual school dictionary that will be used daily. These dictionaries should stay in the Afrikaans classroom. Most of the curriculum work will be completed in the classroom and homework will only be given to those learners that need to catch-up on work that they have missed. Themes for this year;
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n Nuwe skool, Sport, Jong sterre, Gesinsgewoontes, Diere
ISIZULU Grade 5 will begin the year with "ukubingelela abantu/ greetings and terms of address" from "Umndeni wami/my family" (Orange Book). In this book ("Umndeni wami/my family), from "ukubingelela abantu" to the end of the book-the tenses that will be covered are Present, Past and Future. Comprehension skills are crucial at this Grade, and will be dealt with thoroughly. The four outcomes Listening, Speaking, Reading and Viewing, Writing and Language are covered throughout the year. Most of the activities will be done in class. Spelling tests and reading will be done every second week. The following are also covered: -> Singular and plural form -> Conjunction words -> Degrees of comparison -> Pronouns -> Opposites
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY We look at different aspects of science, technology and biology in all three grades. The curriculum is a progressive one which means that what is learnt each year is built upon what was covered in the previous year. Tasks are either carried out in class or at home after a discussion around the topic, and an explanation of the required task. We also do group and individual projects. Please note that each child working in a group is accountable for his/her own content and production.
RELIGION AND LIFE ORIENTATION The RE department follows the curriculum as set out by the Catholic Schools Office. This is the Life Bound curriculum. We also follow the new CAPS documents.
VISUAL ARTS (VA) Our budding artists continue to explore their 2D and 3D skills in a variety of media and spanning a range of topics.
PERFORMING ARTS (CAZ)
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In Performing Art learners have much fun discovering and developing their creative talents social skills and emotional intelligence. Various activities such as movement, poetry interpretation and improvisation are used to facilitate the teaching of the
5c’s of drama which are described below:
Commitment: Being there, on time, and prepared. Strive for your own excellence. Courage: Risk-taking, trusting your peers and your instincts for what is possible. Caring: Be encouraging, supportive, and respectful of others’ work and creative process. Cooperation: Accept ideas with grace. Participate in your group with constructive ideas and enthusiasm. Concentration : Focus on your part of the task, communication of needs, listening to your teacher and the class
PHYSICAL EDUCATION The focus is on strengthening children’s gross motor skills and giving them the opportunity to explore a variety of sports.
COMPUTERS AND IPADS At Sacred Heart College, we use the COMPUTERS4KIDS programme. The integrated ICT learning activities make use of local content, themes and topics. The children get a Username and Password and any of these projects can be accessed from home on the Internet. Additional software includes Tux Paint, RapidTyping, Scratch and many others, and can be downloaded at home. Students also receive certificates once the examinations have been completed in grade 5 or 6, which is endorsed by the ECDL (European Computer Drivers Licence)
LIBRARY All children visit the library once a week and are able to take out books as well as
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learn vital book skills such as writing a blurb, referencing work accurately and so on. The library is also available for children in the afternoons.
HOMEWORK
If homework is given: Assist your child but do not do their homework for them! Create a space for your child to do their homework. Avoid distractions such as TV, music, noisy siblings where your child is working. Sign your child’s diary daily – even if your child attends homework class. When preparing for tests use study notes, concept maps etc. to help your children succeed. Help your child pack their homework away and prepare their bag for the next day.
Daily Homework (Monday to Thursday) What you can expect: • Spelling •
Reading, own, usually a library book (we produce a review / report of the books we read)
•
Mastering Mental Maths and Tables
•
Revising our day’s skills or working on writing tasks, grammar or comprehension
•
Other homework will be subject and teacher dependent and will vary weekly
•
Theme and section tests
STATIONERY AND TEXT BOOKS Please ensure that your child has the necessary stationery and text books, as per the lists (if you are not sure, look for these on the website). Any school loaned text book must be well looked after and if these are damaged or lost, a fee is charged.
AFTERNOON STRUCTURE
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All children are encouraged to take part in theCo-Curricular Programme which is designed to develop children’s sporting and cultural skills and interests. Lists are sent out at the beginning of each season and children make their choices and then return the list to school. The co-curricular activities are followed by homework classes and then aftercare.
CAMP We go to Cyara in the Magaliesberg in October where the Entabeni staff run a programme for three days. We focus on fine and gross motor activities as well as leadership tasks.
EXTERNAL EXAMS Each year, our children in Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 write the International Bench Mark Tests in Maths, Science and English. We use the findings from these test results to enhance our learning and teaching at the college.
BIRTHDAYS Birthdays are always special occasions and, as we all love to celebrate, we ask that you help the teacher by sending in cupcakes or a pre sliced cake for the special occasion. Serviettes and/or plates are also nice to have!
PROCEDURES Do you have a query? Please remember that your child’s class teacher should be your first port of call if you have a query or a problem. If it is a subject-related issue, communicate with the specific teacher. Remember that the best way to do this is to use your child’s diary. If you need further assistance you should contact the HOD for the phase via Mrs Peters. Following this, you need to make an appointment to meet the Deputy Principal, Mrs Dickson and lastly, with the Principal, Mrs Picas. Again these appointments are to be set up by Mrs Peters.
WHAT IS COMING UP…
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Swim-a-thon – please support us Red and White Day and the Rollerblade Disco – these are Charity Fundraisers so please support the children Cake n Candy Sales – each month a grade is responsible for organizing, bringing treats and selling eats in order to raise funds for various curricular resources Big Walk – this is another Charity Fundraiser and we really appreciate your support