Week 4 - Where does time go???

Kia Ora!
Wow...we are already at the end of Week 4 - this term is vanishing before our eyes!! We have been busy, REALLY busy, but have been having a lot of fun along the way. We had our second lesson by Constable Rochelle around laws, rules and honesty - these lessons are great. The first lesson had students deconstructing "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" - wow...Goldie sure did break a lot of laws!  We have also had our second hockey lesson with Julia - she is a fantastic hockey player and is teaching us some amazing skills. The laughter and encouragement during these lessons is fantastic. We are building on skills to prepare for the hockey tournament later this term.

In class we have been focusing on writing. We have completed a writing sample in the narrative style and some students really were stuck for ideas! This often comes back to the amount of reading they do, and I can't stress enough the importance of reading at home on a regular basis. It not only helps to calm down after a busy day, but it fills heads with images, vocabulary and ideas! We have continued on with weaving - students are finishing their round weaving sample - these are great fun. We are building up to felting, which will happen before the end of term.

Items required for our "Enterprise" have started arriving - each little package brings great excitement. We have to wait until ALL items are here before we begin the actual production of items. That will be a great week!!! Students have written their letters to secure a loan (and were all successful), have designed their company logo (with symmetry involved) and most have now worked out how much they need to "break even" and how many items to sell to make a profit!

We are also taking part in a Schoolkit activity to set our own world records. This has been hilarious. We are looking at superlatives (highest, biggest, fastest, most, etc) and an activity to do (throwing basketballs through hoops, watching, skipping etc.) and adding a twist of crazy (backwards, on one leg, blindfolded). We have set a few records and have more to do!

Next Monday our Student Council will be going to National Young Leaders' Day - great speakers this year including Amanda Wilson - so I am really looking forward to that!

Throwing Basketball hoops backwards, while blindfolded

Skipping, blindfolded

Catch and Swing on Tornado

Hockey skills

Term Two has started with a bang!

Week one has gone already! We have so much going on this term, it will fly by. We welcome two new students to our class this term - Oliver (Year 8), who has come from Lawrence and Pagan (Year 7) who has come from Invercargill - great new additions to our class, and both have settled in well.

This week has been amazing! We have been learning about Water - students will be doing a lot on water quality this term, including retrieving water samples and testing them. We will also be making a water filter so any empty 1.5 or 2.0 litre clear soft drink bottles will be very welcome!!!

You may have heard your child talking about our Enterprise (or not!). This term we are looking at Project Based Learning and our class have split into groups and will be building up a business. While this seems easy, students are fast learning that it's not all about "Here is our product - buy it!". So far they have grouped themselves and put together a business plan - what they want to make and where they need to source their materials from. They have been encouraged NOT to bring items from home (there may be an exception or two down the track), but budget for all necessary items. They  have been given a limit of $20.00 (we are not out to make millions here....yet!) Students have all written to me to convince me to finance their project and how they plan to make enough to pay back their "loan".  Skills involved in this are many and varied and include, but not limited to

• Budgeting (Maths)
• Advertising (visual art and literacy)
• Collaborative learning/group work/co-operation
• Marketing
• Technology/science (making their items)

The enthusiasm level is high, however, they do need to be reminded that they have to slow down and put a lot of thought into the process - no prizes for first finished! At the end of the Term we will hold a stall at school to sell our products - stay tuned for updates!!!

This week we tried a "class hot lunch" and prepared slow cookers full of delicious soup. The smell wafting through the classroom was amazing! We prepared two batches of soup - chicken and corn and chicken noodle - needless to say, not a drop was left! We will definitely do this again later in the term.

Preparing lunch

We held a special Anzac Assembly this week to commemorate those brave, young New Zealand soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Students placed crosses on the stage to recognise the loss of life of local young men. It was a very moving assembly, and the students were so respectful.

Lastly, a Friday afternoon treat!! The young acrobats who are performing in the Cirque Grande in Balclutha this weekend, came to demonstrate their skills. If there is every an opportunity to see, and be totally amazed by these girls who have bodies that are so flexible they literally bend in half, then go and see them!!! The Circus is on Saturday and Sunday. The demonstration was amazing, considering these girls were only between 9 and 13 years of age! They are on tour for two years, away from their families and home. What an experience!