Friday, 27 June 2014

High Achievers

We are half way through the school year and here are our Top Readers! Anyone can be a Top Reader; it has nothing to do with reading ability, just how often reading (or being read to) is happening at home. To have achieved 3 reading rewards, these children have read at least 120 times, out of a total of about 140 possible days, since we started the reading chart in Week 2 of Term 1. I'm sure that you'll agree - that is pretty amazing and shows some real commitment from these children. There are lots of other children who are not that far behind and have read HEAPS this year, so well done everyone, but to Mckenzie, Chelsea, Ella, Rebekah, Ana and Luke, an extra big...
glitter maker


And here are the Times Table Experts! These children have 2 more tables to master; the 11x and 12x, and then they will need to prove their knowledge of ALL the times tables in a 40 question test that they will need to complete in 3 minutes, with no more then 2 errors allowed. Only then will they become

http://picasion.com/gl/3bTC/


Dynamic Dioramas!

Here are just a few of the amazing dioramas that have been created in Room 18 over the last 2 weeks. We look forward to seeing a parent/caregiver/wanau/friend for each child at our sharing session on Thursday, when you will be able to see and hear more about these creations!




Friday, 20 June 2014

What a week!

Our Fundamental skills week has come to an end and I'm sure there will be many tired children tonight. I felt tired just watching all that activity- I just don't know how they kept going all week! Mrs Flood, Miss Meyrick, Mrs d'Auvergne and I, were very proud of how well the Year 3 and 4's supported and encouraged each other; participated with energy and enthusiasm in all the activities, treated the instructors with politeness and respect, at all times; conducted themselves in an appropriate manner on the bus and moving around the stadium; and had so much FUN! Well done Room 15 and Room 18- have a restful weekend!



aqua aerobics from Naomi on Vimeo.

team building from Naomi on Vimeo.

Today's player of the day- Josh!

Debbie chose Josh as today's player of the day. She was really impressed with his attitude, perseverance and team spirit during Flipperball. Well done Josh- Room 18 were really proud of you.

Thursday, 19 June 2014

Wednesday, 18 June 2014

Stadium Skills

Well done Ainsley - today's player of the day!
Football skills


Ultimate Frisbee

Swimming Lessons



Flipper Ball


Tuesday, 17 June 2014

The Octopi

Last week's writing task was to use dialogue in a story. It's very easy to over use speech in a narrative, so we watched a video of a story of 2 octopi, that had no speaking and the children's task was to tell the story in their own words, using a small amount of dialogue in certain places. We wrote the first 2 sentences together. Below is Luke's retelling of the story. Luke's strength as a writer is his understanding of how to write well constructed sentences that vary in length, using connectives. He is also able to use punctuation really well and has understood how to use speech marks. Well done Luke! The second story is by Chelsea. What makes Chelsea's writing so good is that it is jam-packed with Wow words. She also tries to start her sentences in different ways. Just like Luke, Cheslea has also understood about how to use dialogue and punctuate it correctly. Great job Chelsea!


“Our life in the fish tank is nice, “ said Jack.
“Yes it is,” said Jill
Suddenly a big yellow claw plunged into the crystal clear water and grabbed Jill out of the fish tank.
“You bring her back here right now Mister!” Shouted Jack.
Jack climbed out of the fish tank and ran after the truck that Jill was in. 
Next, Jack jumped up on the trucks side, then climbed to the window.
“Where is Jill you ugly man!” Shouted Jack. 
Then the man screamed and tried to punch Jack but the man’s arm slipped, the truck went out of control and Jack slipped onto the front window.
Then Jill climbed out of the box she was being held captive in and pulled the handbreak and the truck suddenly stopped.
Then Jill and Jack fell out of the truck and both hit a stone wall. Jack ran over to Jill and then the man shouted at them, “Hey you come back here you  slimy food!” 
Jack and Jill jumped down into the pool below them and swam over to the side, then kept on jumping down through all the pools. Then they hit an umbrella and went flying over the road, then the man and climbed a bit out of the speeding truck and caught them both. “Now I’ve got you little squids!” said the man but suddenly the truck went down a big staircase and the man screamed.
The man started hitting the two octopi onto the truck’s roof then they started squirting ink so the man let go of them and they hit a powerline. But the man had no idea where he was going, then drove into the ocean! 
But Jack and Jill survived the crash and stayed on the powerline.
“Our adventure today was indeed fun and freaky,” said Jack.
“Yes it was,” replied Jill.
Then they lived happily ever after.
By Luke



Jack said to Jill, “I am so glad that we found one another.” Happily Jill said to Jack, “You are as sweet as my cheeks:”
Suddenly a skinny mean man took berry Jill. Frantically Jack watched poor Jill be put in a cooler ready to be chopped, sliced and eaten, never to be seen again!
“Oh no my berry Jill is being taken by an EVIL MAN in his van!” bubbled Jack, “Shoot!”
Jack climbed up and down the new flash fishtank and he used his sucker cups to find a way to save his berry Jill! So he chased the octopus van to save his girlfriend. 
So he clung onto the van and got hit by the man. Then he opened the cooler and his Jill’s head popped out and the man saw him and lost control of the van.
“Let me save my Jill!” shouted Jack angrily and worriedly.
Suddenly Jill pulled the handbrake and the ugly brute slammed his face on the clear window and it looked like he was driving with his face.
Jack and Jill plunked plop on the concrete wall, alive and okay.
“Come back here you slimy sea creatures!” Shouted the ugly brute angrily.
BOING! Jack and Jill swan in the pool and then jumped up and fown into another pool while the man was chasing them. BOING! They jumped high near the man so he grabbed then with joy.
“Noooo! You let go of my Jill and eat me instead!” Confidently Jack said.
“How about I eat both of you?” said the man.
Falling down the stairs and not steering at all, when they were near a house they squirted the man with ink. Suddenly the man got back into the steering position but he was too late. He was already flying off the edge and ended up in the water!
“Phew! I’m  glad we squirted ink in the man’s face, “ said Jack relieved.
“Jack I’m really happy that you would sacrifice your life for me,” said Jill pleased.
Suddenly Jack got stolen by a bird and taken away. Jill got angry so she flung like a slingshot to save Jack!
By Chelsea

Sunday, 15 June 2014

Kids For Kids!

http://picasion.com/gl/38cN/
http://picasion.com/gl/38cN/
Well done to all of the children who took part in Kids For Kids. The 3 months of choir practices at school and all the hard work at home really paid off and Mrs Renfrew and I, as well as Mr Hewson and all the teachers who went to watch, were so proud of the Witherlea School children (94 of them and 17 of those from Room 18!)

Billy was chosen to be the narrator for The Wonky Donkey.
Lennox did an amazing job on his ukelele.
Cassidy performed a beautiful solo on "Weather With You."
Saxon had some pretty cool moves to Poi E!
Emma gets prepared for some sixties dancing to "She's a Mod"

Friday, 13 June 2014

The best and worst things about being 8 or 9!

Room 18 have been writing about what is good and bad about being 8 or 9. Here are some of their ideas!

Good Things about Being 8 or 9

Millie- Getting better at my reading and writing.

May- Getting more food than my little sisters because I'm older than them!

Josh- Getting to run in the cross country.

Chelsea- Being a younger sister and having the best older sister.

Ella- I like school.

Korban- Playing shipwrecks at the Picton playground, because adults can't do that!

Kaige- Having time to read chapter books.

Mckenzie- Achieving three reading rewards and getting to choose a reading reward.

Luke- Getting to do more different sports.

Georgie- You get to stay up later than little kids.

Andrew- Being 8 means you can run faster than little kids and further than adults.

Will- You can go on more rides at fun theme parks than little kids.

Oliver- Going hunting and getting a pig.

Bad things about being 8 or 9

Tim- My sister steals my socks!

Alyssa- My little brother gets away with things that I don't

Aaron- I have to wear my brother's old clothes.

Paige- My brother is very annoying and I can't do anything about it!

Ainsley- Fallen over when I'm playing games!

Jesse- Having to clean up after tea on every even night!

Carter- Having too many responsibilities.

Ana- You don't get away with stuff.

Hugh- Too young to be on Rep teams.

Tuesday, 10 June 2014

Musical Bob Bickerton

Unfortunately I missed the Bob Bickerton performance but here is Room 18's reflection on the performance:

Josh- Charlie got to go up on the stage and pretend to pull the sail up on the sailing ship. It was a whaling ship.

Rebekah- Some of the senior boys and girls, and Miss Meyrick, had to dance. It was like a tango!

Chris- Bob Bickerton told us that when they killed whales they used to make soap, lipstick, oil, perfume and ladies underwear!!!

Chelsea- Bob Bickerton showed us all kinds of different instruments like a sheep bone, bamboo, and stones.

Will- They used the whales filtering teeth to make corsets.

Ainsley- He showed us a harp and a violin and he played them.

Alyssa- He said he wasn't any good but it sounded perfect.

Aaron- He also played the Irish Bagpipes. It sounded really good.

Luke- It was his birthday yesterday and he turned sixty.

Andrew- He started playing music (guitar) when he was twenty.



Wonderful Wither Hills!








Friday, 6 June 2014

Fun in the Sun.

Here are the kids having a quick game of Rippa Bull Rush before their assembly performance.
 It's not ALL hard work in Room 18!


Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Animal Adaptations

This week's topic task was to choose an animal and then research how it is physically and behaviourally adapted to its environment. This work had to be written in a document in the children's drive, then used to create a poster. Here are some of the results.

Charlie

Will


Chris


Carter


Tim

Chelsea

Hugh