Entry Point Activity

Please look for your name, your homework is to look for 5 facts about the God of the group you belong to. Due Friday 24th of October.

How to raise independent and responsible children

Here are ten ways to encourage independence and responsibility in your children, from the simple to the more complex ::

1. Allow your children pick out their clothes and dress themselves at an early age. For us this meant that we sometimes went out in public with mismatched and backward clothes, and shoes on the wrong feet. You know what? They don’t care and neither should you.
2. Middle school age children are old enough to set their alarm and get out of bed on their own on school days. They should also make their own breakfast AND pack their own lunch. Oh, and do their homework without any reminders.
3. Have a list of daily chores for each of your children, with clear guidelines. Ours receive an allowance for completing chores ,only if they are not reminded constantly to do said chores. Not only does this show the value of hard work, but it also is a good lesson in self government.
4. Limit media time. Often do our kiddos tell us they are bored, but then they must find something to do to occupy their time, otherwise they are given extra chores to complete with no additional pay.
5. Follow through on your word. We show by example that when one makes a promise one assumes the responsibilty to follow through on that promise. We make no promise we can not keep.
6. Encourage questions. While none of children are allowed to argue with us, or ask why, when given a task, they are encouraged to come to us and discuss their thoughts on any situation after they display obedience. We feel this encourages open communication and an environment that allows for them to feel safe even when they disagree.
7. Give opportunity for open discussion. We talk about an assortment of topics with our children. We share our thoughts and opinions and allow for our children’s opinions to be expressed, without shaming or the pressure to conform to our opinions. In our house there is a clear line between fact and opinion.
8. Stress the importance of thinking through any ideas or decisions before action is taken. Are my thoughts and intentions pure? Will this be acceptable speech or behavior?There are certainly consequences for all of our decisions, whether good or bad.
9. No punishment or discipline takes place without discussing the offense in question. Why did you make the decision to call your brother names? Why were you disobedient? 
10.  Give your children age-appropriate freedom so they can make their own decisions and learn from their mistakes. I am no helicopter mom. I don’t hold my toddler’s hand as he climbs the steps to the slide. I let my older children ride their bikes to the basketball court, and my little guys play out back without me.

 How do you encourage independence and responsibilty in your children as they grow and mature?

http://www.fromdatestodiapers.com/10-tricks-to-raising-independent-and-responsible-children

In Upper Primary we will be working with the value Independent from the 13th of October to the 14th of November - please encourage this at home!

Spelling Words

Australia, Canberra, kangaroo, koala, kookaburra, Aboriginal, Uluru, Great Barrier Reef, lamington, Vegemite, wattle, emu, Southern Cross, Prime Minister, g'day, crikey, dunny

Behind the News

Antarctic Future 

Go to http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4107405.htm and complete the questions in sentences by Wednesday 5th November 2014.

1. Where is it in relation to Australia?
2. Who was Douglas Mawson?
3. Name one rule of the Antarctic treaty.
4. Name three countries that have claimed a part of Antarctica.
5. Describe Australia’s involvement in Antarctica.
6. How do ice core samples help us understand climate change?
7. What did a recent report say about Australia’s involvement in Antarctica?
8. Do you think Australia should fund research in Antarctica? Explain your answer

Electric circuits

For an electric current to happen, there must be a circuit. A circuit is a closed path or loop around which an electric current flows. A circuit is usually made by linking electrical components together with pieces of wire cable. Thus, in a torch, there is a simple circuit with a switch, a bulb, and a battery linked together by a few short pieces of copper wire. When you turn the switch on, electricity flows around the circuit. If there is a break anywhere in the circuit, electricity cannot flow. If one of the wires is broken, for example, the lamp will not light. Similarly, if the switch is turned off, no electricity can flow. This is why a switch is sometimes called a circuit breaker.

Exit Point Here and Now, There and Then

Children enjoyed learning through the games: Jeopardy, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Ultimate Photo Challenge, Egyptian Game and Bingo interesting facts about El Salvador, Great Britain, France, Egypt, Colombia and Morocco; countries which they have been studying in IPC.

Word Problems - Fractions

This homework is due Friday 17th of October. 

L.G.: To solve word problems involving fractions.

1. There are 24 hours in a day and scientists tell us that we should sleep for ⅜ of the day. How much time should we spend sleeping?

  2. The National History Museum has collected 125 dinosaurs. George has collected ³/₅ of this amount. How many dinosaurs has George collected?

   

3. Mr. Usher is 184cm tall and his sister Sarah is ⅝ as tall as him. How tall is Sarah?

  4. The weather forecaster says that it is 200° C in London but only ⁷/₁₀ as hot in New York. How hot is it in New York?

    

5. Skateboards cost £36 each in my local store. The shopkeeper says if I buy one I can buy another for only ⁷/₉ of the normal price.

How much would two skateboards cost?

  6. Billy collected 256 conkers on Monday and 124 on Tuesday but lost ¾ of the total on his way to school on Wednesday through a hole in his bag. When he arrived at school how many conkers did Billy have left?

   

7. There are 25 pupils in the class, ³/₅ of the pupils support Chelsea, ¹/₅ support Hull, the remainder support Arsenal. How many pupils support each team?

   

8. The local shop normally sells Mars bars for 40 pence. The shopkeeper says if I buy 3 I can have them for ¼ less than the normal price.

(i) How much can I buy 3 Mars bars for?

(ii) How much does each Mars bar cost?

   

9. Last year, Mr. Usher weighed 60 kg. This year he weighs ²/₅ more. How much does Mr Usher weigh this year?

 10. McDonalds sell milkshakes in two sizes. A small milkshake contains 300ml and a large milkshake contains ²/₃ more.

(i) How much does a large milkshake contain?

(ii) If Mr. Usher drinks ²/₃ of a small milkshake and Ms Kahlon ¹/₂ of a large milkshake who drinks the most?