Problem Solving Challenge

This term we have been focusing on teaching specific problem solving strategies for the children to use when solving a variety of problems.

We have learnt the following strategies so far:

• Making a Diagram - using pictures or "doodles" as you are thinking to help you develop your ideas is a good way to start when looking at a problem.

• Guess and Check - having a guess at a possible solution and then checking back to see if it fits the problem. It is important to modify answers if they aren't correct.

• Using a Table or Chart - setting out information in an orderly chart graph or table - the data will then hopefully suggest a pattern or solution.

• Creating an Organised List - similar yo using a table or chart but is often better when more information is present. It is useful to do this so that you are not carrying all different possibilities in your head.

• Looking for a Pattern - this relates to algebra and can often be the key to problem solving - if a pattern can be established then it is often easy to predict what comes next.

Below are some links to websites that you may find useful to practice at home.
Maths Word Problems

Sport Results From the Weekend

Soccer - the children had bye

Netball
St Joseph's Gold beat OIS B - 28 - 6
St Joseph's Rebels lost to Glenpapa - 8 -15

Rugby
St Joseph's Year 7 & 8 drew 17 all with Maheno - sadly as it was a draw Maheno got to keep the North Otago Shield

Kayden, Chelsea, Sophia, Matt, Scott, and Tom were selected to trial for the North Otago rugby team. Best of luck!!

Basketball Results This Week

Angels beat Weston Wildcats
Magic lost to OIS Sparks 36 - 12
Saints had a bye
Pacers drew with OIS Bulls - 37 All

The Toffee Pop Challenge

In Ruma Matai it is very important that we can challenge ourselves both physically and mentally. This morning at feed and read after a very intense writing session we undertook the Toffee Pop Challenge. This involved placing a toffee pop biscuit on the forehead and using the facial muscles to move it to the mouth for chomping. Below are some photos of our efforts

Murray Gadd - Writing Inspiration

We have been continuing to focus on our quality writing and last week Mrs De Buyzer and I attended a course and writing lesson observation with Mr Murray Gadd. He demonstrated to us an exciting and interesting lesson based on "Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type" by Doreen Cronin. As a result of this lesson we have used this story in our motivation for writing persuasive arguments.
We began by discussing what we need to do when we persuade someone and the different techniques we can use to persuade them.
We then read this excellent story which looks at how the animals on Farmer Brown's farm get their demands met.
From this we have begun to write our own arguments from the perspective of a farm animal. The children have come up with their demands, the reasons for their demands and the consequences of their demands not being met.
I continue to be impressed by the depth of thinking and the quality of the writing in Ruma Matai. As the work is finished I will post it for you all to read.

Comments from National Young Leaders Day

From the National Young Leaders Day on Monday the following messages were highlighted by the children on our return to school.
"Stop, think then make your choices - Niamh"
"Practice makes permanent - Alannah"
"Your life is like a book, we are creating our own stories. - Meghan and Petaera"
"Make the right choices - Sophia"
"Be yourself - don't try to be something you are not - Chelsea"
"Set the bar high - Jino"
"Are these friends actually my friends - Scott"
"You can't change the past - but you can change the future - Skyla"
"Take every opportunity - Ashley"
"Putting all the right pieces of the puzzle together makes the perfect picture - Matthew"
"Go your own way - Rachel"
"Don't change yourself to be what others want - Savana and Skyla"
"It is all in your head - Meghan"
"Dream big - Chelsea"
"Don't let others make yours choices - Ellen"
"Never give up on your dream - Olivia"
"Everyone has a different style of personality - Ashley"
"Think about the positives - Matthew"
"Give 120% - Matt"
"Positive attitude is like positive altitude on a plane - negative attitude can lead to a crash - Scott"
"We all have some form of disability - Thomas"
"Once you have done something - don't think, if only ... - Ellen"
"Be a leader, not a follower even if it means standing alone - Ashley and Alice"
"To be a leader you need to create opportunities for others to lead - Sami"
"Don't be afraid to ask for help - Scott"
"Take responsible risks - Thomas"