Week three term two

This week we got to start learning handball skills with Theresa.  It's nice to get a chance to work with someone else and to develop our skills in a game we don't usually play.

We also had a reliever in on Thursday which meant the class got to learn another new game :)

Friday was second languages - a little shorter than usual because of School Assembly.  We had fun in Arabic, reviewing how to say hello and reminding ourselves what the letters looked like and how to say them.  We also started to research some countries where Arabic is spoken.

Week two term two

We started this week with a meeting of Te Runanga o Paremata.  It was really interesting to see what the students thought we needed in order to improve the school.  Some things related to adding to the playground, but there were also things to make teaching and learning easier - A very interesting meeting.

We also started a few literature circles this week and Creamy Lemons reading group had some truly interesting information to share.  They had asked a few science questions and then searched for the answer - making sure to verify the information through using as least three sources.  We found out about how Black Holes form, why people dream, why people 'pass wind', and how birds fly.   We had some fun conversations and learned a lot from each others' research.

Week one term two

A great start to the term with Run, Jump, Throw day.

We also started to finish off our visual representations of what collaboration looks like according to the NPDL rubrics.

Still catching up from term one

In the last week of term one, we had book week.  This was a fun time to read some different books, be inspired by an author (Gillian Candler), and dress up for our book character parade.   We also spent a bit of time 'hanging out' with Katie, who had to leave our lovely class to go and live in Australia.  It was nice to use our technology to have a real time chat and make sure Katie was coping all right without us.

Later in the week, we set aside some time to brainstorm some projects for our learning in term two.  There were some really interesting ideas and it was quite exciting to think about the topics we could learn through.  The class also starting creating some activities that would tie our topics in with maths, language, and science.

Finally, we got to listen to the school band performing - so talented, and had our end of term Assembly.  Well done to Solomona who received the Kirsty Gunston Star Award from Kahikatea team, for showing the values of our school so beautifully and consistently.

Camp 2017

Wow - we got so busy at the end of last term, I forgot to post about camp.  What a great week.  I was amazed at the resilience and positive spirit shown by our team when it rained and rained and rained some more - ALL WEEK.  Never mind, we didn't let us stop us.   Thanks to some wonderful parent helpers who kept the dryer going non-stop and even took some clothes into the laundromat in Upper Hutt to help keep up with demand.  The luxury of putting on a dry coat - even if it only stayed that way for a few minutes - was delicious.

Rain wasn't the only thing to remember about camp though.  There were lots of fun activities and I thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of having a go on the giant swing.  I haven't screamed like that for a long time!

All in all, we had a great time, and although it would have been nice to have a bit more sunshine, I think it will be a camp we will remember fondly for years.