2019 - Where Did It Go????

Wow....I think we blinked and missed the rest of this year!! My apologies for the lack of blogging, but seriously, it just seems like yesterday that we were wheeling and dealing with Enterprise. We have, as a class, struggled to decide what to do with our Enterprise profits. When we heard about the tragic sickness that little Esme is going through - the class have decided that we need to donate to her cause - to help her family. This is an amazing gesture from a bunch of great kids, with great hearts. We will donate to this cause, however, I will ensure that the class also get a treat - they really deserved it.

Our Senior Production took up so much time - but it was so worth it! We had a great time putting on the Troy Story production. Everyone took part, and everyone did a great job. It was a sellout and the students enjoyed performing - some more than others!

After Production came the Senior Social (caught your breath yet??). This was such a great evening, with some amazing dances. Once again the Year 7 boys won the "Dance Off" with the popular song from Grease!  We spent many hours learning and perfecting those old time dances, and it was great to see students dancing with their parents and older siblings joining in. It is always a great night and the supper was fantastic!

Now we move on, the year is closing fast and we are having swimming this week and also the Senior Supper on Tuesday night, where we bid farewell to our Year 8 students. It is a happy and sad time, after a couple of years with a lot of these students, they become like an extended family.

While we are wrapping up 2019 - we are also looking forward to 2020 - a leap year - and we will leap into our learning with plenty more activities planned!

This will be our last blog for 2019 - so enjoy the photos - and thanks for the memories!!!

Boys at the Senior Social 2019

Girls at the Senior Social 2019

Visiting the residents at Holmdene

Enlargement - Drawing to Scale

Enlargement - Drawing to Scale

SOLD OUT!!! Enterprise was a huge success...

What a week we have had! The students were so excited about it being Enterprise Week - all the last minute touches were being done. Cookie dough was made, sugar was melted to form fantastic lollipops, cupcakes were baked (even on Enterprise Day morning!) and iced, and the sewing machines have been going all week (thanks to Andrena King and Heather Burnett for their help).

From the start of the day the students were eager to set up their tables and making them wait until 12:10pm was almost like torture! They were super keen to buy from each other too!  The lunch bell rang and students appeared from every direction, money in hand! The entire Enterprise sold out in less than 15 minutes. There were screams of excitement and cries from some students who missed out. This was a great learning experience, as when these students are old enough to take part in the big city sales, they too, will learn that you don't always get what you want!

All groups/businesses were able to pay back the money they borrowed from the bank (and the banker was very happy with that result!) Students then went on to make a profit of over $650.00. We now need to decide just what we want to do with that money; ideas given this morning were pizza and chips, subway and chips, movie and popcorn, visit the pool or take a trip to the beach and have hot chips. No one really agreed with the teacher's idea of having a lovely weekend away to recover!!! We will be donating some of this money to a charity, yet to be decided, because I am trying to teach this class that giving to others and sharing their wealth is a good thing.

I love Enterprise as a way to teach students how to manage money, how to budget, percentages, profit and loss (thankfully no losses!), and how to work together for a good reason. Yes, there were arguments and disagreements and yes, some did complain that a few group members didn't do as much as they did, but that adds to the learning experience, and also replicates what they will find in the real world. I am happy it is over, and even happier that the whole class enjoyed it and the Year 7's already want to know if we are doing it again next year, and what they want to make.

Sorry Cookie Kings - the photo was accidentally deleted!!!

Enterprise is Next Week!!!

We are not sure where time went, but with Production under way, welcoming new students, and cross country just being completed - we have lost track of time!! Enterprise will be happening next Thursday 22nd at 12:30pm. We expect to sell out of all our products, so you need to be quick!!!

We have lots of great entrepreneurs in Room 9 - we have the soap makers, the sherbet makers, bakers of both cupcakes and cookies, along with sewers who are making amazing scrunchies. Our Candy Floss boys have hit a snag, but with their creative minds, I'm sure they will come up with a Plan B!

We will report back after Enterprise! But until then, enjoy these few photos of businesses in the making!

Welcome Back!!!!

Wow....we are now in the last half of the year and Term 3 is shaping up to be the busiest of all.

Thank you to all parents/students who managed to get their Science Fair projects in on time. I am really excited to be reading these and have begun the task of marking and we will then select 5 Year 7 and 5 Year 8 projects to go through to Dunedin on August 5th. Stay tuned for those results!  All Science Fair projects will be on display throughout Parent/Teacher Interviews (they will be displayed in the Hall). Please take the time to go through these, and show them to younger students, so they can get excited about the world they live in and Science in general!

Cross Country is coming up fast! We will begin training this week, and due to the wet grounds, it would be a great idea to have spare clothes to run in and a spare pair of shoes. We will aim to do our practice at the end of the day where possible. Mark the date - 7th August!

Production!!! It is our turn for Production this year and all Year 7 and 8 students will be involved, if not as a lead role, then a supporting role, and if not there then as production assistants and crew. We want as many involved as possible as this is a great way to build relationships, overcome stage fright and push yourself out of your comfort zone! Stay tuned for further information on this.

Speaking of pushing out of your comfort zone - Speeches are here! South Otago Speech competition is on September 2nd. We will be writing speeches as part of our literacy program over the next couple of weeks. Students have all been given a copy of the topics and I will send topics home in an email too. We have had a great classroom discussion about the topics and there is a lot of interesting ones (thanks Mrs Reid!).

Parent Teacher interviews are next Monday and Tuesday. Please make sure you book your spot as I need to see all parents so we can plan the rest of the year to help your child meet their goals.

Until next time!

End of Term is Fast Approaching!

This has been the busiest Term in a long time! Winter has hit hard this week, and today is Pyjama Day - so many students are here in their winter woollies, dressing gowns and slippers on too! As it is getting colder, students are allowed to bring slippers (although I'd draw the line at those huge monster feet slippers) to school to wear inside The grass is so wet and boggy in parts, that their shoes are always muddy, so it helps keep the carpet clean too!

For the past two Friday afternoons we have been walking down to Holmdene to spend some time with the elderly residents. This was an interesting experience as many children had not spent a lot of time with the older generation. The students shared their art work, read their poems and just sat and chatted. It was a great way to spend Friday afternoons.

As part of our Maths lessons we have been learning about scales of enlargement. To practice this, we combined an art activity and came up with some very impressive drawings! Students were surprised, firstly, that they could actually rule straight lines (and so was I!) and, secondly, how well they could replicate a very small picture. 

We are getting very close to the handing in of Science Fair projects. It has been great to see what the Year 7 and 8s have come up with as their projects. To ensure everyone had an idea of what was expected (especially the Year 7 students), we conducted an experiment in class and wrote it up exactly how it should be done on their poster boards. We used Granny Smith apples and tried to find out why, once cut, they turn brown if left out. We then tried to find ways to stop this happening so that fruit salads could be left without fruit looking unappetising. We added lemon juice, lime juice, sprinkled citric acid, used vegetable oil and vinegar. Students then timed how long it took their apples to brown (if at all) and made comparisons to the control piece. It generated some fantastic discussion amongst the students and then we wrote up the different sections of a science fair board together. Hopefully this will help students set out their science fair project. Remember: SCIENCE FAIR IS DUE IN FIRST DAY OF TERM 3 to ensure we have time to select winners before Science Fair.

Hockey Tournament is on Monday  next week - students need to remember full sports uniform and warm clothes to put on as well. No metal tags on boots and a mouth guard is compulsory. We have been lucky to have some lessons from Julia for Hockey, so we are ready to go!

Two weeks of Term to go! Where has time gone???

Winter is coming!!

Kia Ora !
I can't believe we are aleady into Week 4 of Term 2!! Time truly is flying by and we are seeing so many little successes.

We are going to be working together on a Science Fair project in the next few days so that students have an idea about how to set their project out. All students are required to do a Science Fair project, with the writing to be done in class but the actual experiments to be done at home. We will be talking about the importance of repeating your experiment multiple times to check our working and how to write up the project in the best possible way.

Room 9 has invested in a toasted sandwich maker for the winter! At the end of each day students will be selected to bring in their goodies for a toastie for lunch. We select students (based on many things, it might be as simple as a please/thank you for their books being handed out, or opening a door for a teacher, any sign of respect which is our focus at the moment) so if your child asks for toastie ingredients, it is because they've been spotted doing the right thing!!! The smell is amazing :)

Please, if you have not done so already, can you send back your survey form (or do the online version). This is so important - we need parent/community voice and cannot do so without your help. All students were given a hard copy and the online copy was emailed out last week.

And now for your viewing pleasure (and be thankful you cannot smell the gorgeous smells from these pizzas because you'll be so hungry for one), here are some Year 7 pizza makers at Technology!

Term 2 has begun!

Welcome back!!! We are up and running for Term 2! This one is going to be a big one, with a lot going on. For Room 9 Term 2 means Science Fair projects and thinking about stall activities for Enterprise which will held early in Term 3.  We need to get thinking about this many weeks in advance as often supplies need to be bought using Wish or Ali Express and this takes up to six weeks.

The idea behind Enterprise is to teach skills such as money (budgeting, profit/loss, handling cash etc.), visual arts (designing a logo and making business cards and posters), market research (creating a product that is both a good seller and can generate a profit), maths (designing packaging, measurement, nets etc.) and then bringing the whole project together to sell their chosen item as a team (so team building, sharing ideas etc.) Last year it was such a success and I am really looking forward to what students come up with this year.

Term 2 sees the start of the cooler weather, so students are able to wear tracksuit pants this term. Please ensure these are plain blue and not carrying logos such as Cantebury down the sides of the legs. All students MUST wear formal uniform for Assembly on Thursday.

I am looking forward to a busy and interesting Term filled with exciting, new learning.

We Survived!!!

Firstly, I would like to say a huge thank you to those parents who took the time off work and out of their busy family life, to accompany us to Borland Lodge. Without your help and energy, Mr Tuhou and I would not be able to have such a great time at camp!

Highlights for me:

Seeing some students who were so upset and anxious about trying the more challenging difficulties like Abseiling, Rock Climbing and Kayaking, get in and give it a go! It is perfectly normal to be anxious, standing on the edge of a cliff, relying on a stranger (Amy) and a single rope, to get you down safely! You all did an amazing job!!!!

Wild Food Night: The kitchen was taken over by mostly the Dads on camp and their food was sensational (as was Cathy's hasselback potatoes!!!) We were able to sample food such as paua, venison (caught on camp), smoked trout, duck, rabbit and smoked eel (also caught on camp). Watching students taste different foods for the first time was awesome!

Camp has been our focus this term and from now until the end of term we are using our camp experiences as the focus for writing. I am so pleased with some of the descriptive pieces being produced in Room 9. Each student has a display board on the wall to show off their writing, so if you happen to be at pick up/drop off or in the area, come on in and read a sample.

There are hundreds of photos taken at camp and these have been uploaded (took over 10 hours!!) to a shared folder. All students can access these photos so if you want to check them out, then get your child to log into their Google Drive and show you. I will add a couple here as a teaser!

This week Room 9 also took time out this week to hand write a heartfelt letter to the Mosques in Christchurch. Some of these letters were so moving,  it was very hard to read with dry eyes! This makes me so proud, that at such a young age these students show great empathy for others. I will post those letters to the Imam at Al Noor Mosque in the next few days.

Two weeks until the end of term. This morning, since our focus is on timetables and 24-hour clock, students are constructing their "ideal" timetable. The timetable that is set out neatly with the best range of activities (covering all necessary items) will be implemented either next week or the final week of term.

On the Suspension Bridge near Clifden Caves

Although not in our class - a very contented Arsheed after his Lasagna diinner

Getting ready to Abseil

Conquering fears Abseiling

One Week and Counting....

Kia Ora !
We are on the countdown - one week until Camp at Borland Lodge. We have a huge program for Camp with two full on days with Adventure Southland, where we will tackle abseiling, rock climbing, kayaking and caving! You have a week to get prepared and if there is anything on the list you are unable to supply, please let us know as I am sure someone will have a 'spare' something! The biggest 'item' is a wetsuit, for kayaking, however, this isn't necessary and please don't feel the need to go buy one just for camp! We have some students bringing spares and if you have a spare one at home, send it along too! We can share them around.

Some students are starting to get a little anxious (as I am sure some parents are as well). This is perfectly normal and we will take great care of your children, and they will have the time of their lives! I will ensure there are many photos taken and we will upload these to a shared folder after camp so students can save the ones they want.

Just a reminder that there are no digital devices to be taken to camp. If we find students with ipods and ipads we will take care of them until after camp. We have also been talking about using cameras in an appropriate manner, not taking photos that you are not prepared to share with your parents, and certainly not taking photos that can later be uploaded to any form of social media to embarrass others. If this message is reinforced both here in class and also at home, we should be able to steer clear of any issues.

This past couple of weeks has seen a lot of work taking place. We have been working hard to finish our statistical/graphing work and moved on to directions and orientation in preparation for camp. We have also been focusing on writing and extended sentences and writing sentences with "oomph!" This has been a great activity and students are now writing sentences with more detail and a lot more interest.

This week we have been looking at languages around the work and how to say "Hello" in a variety of languages - we are working on learning a few of these - who knows when we'll meet someone who speaks Cherokee, Russian, Australia or even Pirate!

Student of the Week  - Week 5

Student of the Week  - Week 6

Four Weeks Gone -- 3 More Until Camp!

Kia Ora Parents/Caregivers,

I can't believe it's been four weeks since we came back to school! We only have three more weeks until we head off to Borland Lodge for Year 7-8 Camp.

Please do not forget the Camp Meeting is on Monday, 25th February at 5:30pm in Room 9. Students will be bringing home Camp Medical Forms on Monday, so please look out for those and return by the due date. We have so much paperwork to complete prior to camp, that when forms are not returned, and we need to chase them, it holds things up. A list of things to bring to camp will be sent home Monday, please look out for this!

We had a great week this week, with Atawhai Hotene coming to coach our class (and Room 11) for Rugby League and also all students participated in Athletics Day. Room 9 has several students selected for the South Otago Athletics, and I am proud of everyone this week for giving it their best shot, especially when out of their comfort zones.
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Thanks to those Grandparents that came to visit us last Friday. We really appreciate visitors and love to show you our class and the work we are doing. It was great to share activities with Grandparents and for the Grandparents to share themselves around with other students.

Student of the Week, Week 3

Student of the Week, Week 4

Week Two - Done and Dusted

Slow down!!! We are already at the end of Week 2! We have been really busy in Room 9, with a lot of new learning going on. We are working hard on Statistics, learning the language, and being able to source mean, median and mode from a series of numbers. Students have also chosen a city/country to monitor temperature highs and lows, which we will then use data from to practice graphing and discussing where in the world experiences extreme highs and lows (outliers) and work out the range of temperatures on any given day.

We are "in training" for Athletics Day - which is Wednesday 20th February. If you would like to come and give us a hand on the day, or just come down and cheer your child on, then that would be fantastic! Students must have sports uniform every day with the exception of Monday (as we start technology next Monday).

Students have been returning forms for a variety of activities - can you ensure all forms are back as soon as possible. Forms that are outstanding for some include:
     
        Camp Forms
        Year 8 HPV forms (regardless of whether students are getting the vaccination or not)
        South Otago High School Technology Forms
     
If you have any of these forms at home, please return as soon as you can so we can check your child off.

Don't forget that next Friday, 15th February, is Grandparents' Day, and all Grandparents, or special friends of the family, are invited to join us in our classroom. You can come and share lunch with your grand child, chat to the class about the way school used to be, and enjoy seeing what our class have been doing. We'd love to see you here!!!

We have had parent interviews this week and it was really great to meet up with new families and catch up with familiar faces. There are still a handful of parents I have not caught up with, and it would be great if you'd contact me as soon as you can and we can make a time that suits us both.

Week Two had our first student of the week award, and our photo below is a well-deserved Student of the Week!

Holidays are over ... We Are BACK!!!

Well, where did those few weeks disappear??? How quickly that time went and I must admit, there were times that I missed being in the classroom :)

We have a fantastic year planned for our class. We have relocated to Room 9, we are welcoming some new students to our class and welcoming some back from Room 5 and 7 from 2018. I am excited to see what this year will bring. Camp is in just a few weeks, Borland Lodge is a fantastic place to go, and we will be meeting to discuss camp in the near future.

Holidays were great - once I got over the dreaded virus I managed to get during the first week! I didn't go away these holidays because I wanted to be home to welcome the newest addition to my menagerie. We were lucky enough to be able to import a beautiful Great Dane puppy from Australia, so a quick trip to Christchurch to bring her home was as far as I went. Between getting her settled and working with my beloved donkeys and mule, preparing for the show season, it was a great break. I am ready to come back to work now!

We had a good start to the show season with a huge win at the Otago-Taieri show last weekend, which was special because it was one of two Royal shows this year and the only one in the South Island. My gorgeous little donkey, Mirabelle not only took out Champion Donkey, but was then chosen as Supreme Champion on the day - and the poor little girl didn't have a big enough neck for all her ribbons! Those I taught last year will know about my mule - and what a handful she is - well I decided to take her to a show. It would be either a great thing or a disaster as she is well known for taking off! It turned out to be a great thing and she was also crowned Champion Mule and Supreme Champion - although I must confess, she was the only one being shown on the day!

Anyway, that's my holiday and a little insight into what I do in my spare time, when I'm not trying my best to bring out the best in your children. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Freyja - 16 weeks old

Magic - the Mule

Mirabelle - Donkey