Welcome to Room 21!

This will be my first year teaching and I’m really excited to have such a fantastic Year 4 class to work with. Although I’m new to Torbay School as a teacher, I feel a strong connection to the place having been a student at the school throughout my primary years and I was also a student teacher here last year.

I am very close to my parents and younger brother. I also have a little dog in my family called Jet. I am engaged to a wonderful man called Greg who I will be marrying in April and we live together in Kumeu. I love music, reading, and learning new things. I really enjoy travelling and experiencing new cultures—my favourite country that I’ve been to so far has been Vietnam.

We will be learning about reading, writing, maths, science, P.E., the arts and languages throughout the year. We will also be learning about making new friends and working in a collaborative environment, using our C.A.R.E. values. We have a shared space with Room 20 where Sarah Kilkolly is the teacher which will be fantastic because it means we will get to share our learning and experiences with another class.

I know this year is going to be absolutely amazing and we’re going to learn so much and have some great adventures along the way!

My email address is dhodder@torbay.school.nz, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Danielle Hodder

Library

Our Library time this year is Monday. Please help your child to understand that they need to return their books on this day. Because they are becoming more independent readers, we encourage our learners to choose at least 1 chapter book to read at home, and 1 to have at school to read independently.

Year 4 is a time when children become increasingly advanced, more competent and independent readers. Reading lessons therefore, have a much greater focus on reading for meaning and enjoyment as opposed to just decoding the text. Many children will be reading lengthier stories which may require up to a week to read, discuss and complete follow up activities. This means your child may not be sent home an ‘instructional’ book to read each night. Nevertheless, your child is still expected to read at least four nights per week using books from their reading groups’ ‘pick box’, from the school or community library or from their own collections.

Arriving at School

Classrooms open from 8:30 am. If your child arrives earlier than this, they must wait on the picnic table at the bottom of our classes or in the inquiry space if it is raining. School starts at 8:55am. Your child needs to be at school before the 8:55am bell – this will give them enough time to get themselves prepared for the day ahead. If your child is going to be late or sick, please phone the school office or download our school app. After school, children are not allowed on the playgrounds without adult supervision.

Independence

Independence is extremely important. You can help by letting them know it is their job to remember notes, homework, books, swimming gear etc. As Year 4 students, we will also be taking responsibility for our own belongings and learning. Some children may need guidance to make this a habit but ultimately remind them that it is their job! This also includes getting to school on time to put their books away, hand in notices, put their chair down and sharpen their pencil etc.

Brain Food

At Torbay School children are welcome to bring Brain Food. This is a snack sized portion of food that must be brought into the class at the beginning of the day. Brain food helps to maintain the glucose supply to the brain. Suitable food include: fresh peeled fruit/ vegetables, dried fruits (prunes/ apricots/ raisins and sultanas, plain unsalted popcorn.

Swimming

Our swimming days are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Please provide named swimming togs, towel and sun screen in a swimming bag/ plastic bag. Students will be swimming two of the three sessions because of our rotation. We will start swimming in week 2.