Early Christmas at the Art Gallery

Our trip to the art gallery focused on the big question we've been looking at here at school...

                      "How do we tell our stories?"

THE REMAINING CALENDARS...

The remaining calendars are now finished and can be viewed below.  An order form has come home with your child today that details the prices if you wish to purchase either a calendar, diary or set of cards for Christmas presents.

ART, ART AND MORE ART!

We have so much we want to share with you but we can't because it is top secret until the Art Exhibition!!!  We can tell you though that we have had an absolutely fabulous week creating with our artist of the week Ange Spears (a.k.a the lady that painted the library mural).

We have also been busy creating our Calendars for our end of year school fundraiser.  We think these are looking pretty flash and would make great Christmas presents for family.  Shortly the school will send home details on how to order etc but we those of us who are finished thought we would give you a sneak preview...

 

DREW COMES TO BRADFORD...

We have been working on our clay tiles with a man called Drew. We have also been making pinch pots. We had to do it in room 1. We had to do it about something that we like about school.  The whole school made them. Some of the classes did tiles for their Whanau groups and we have the the whanau group symbol inside.

By Lorilee

KIA ORANA!

Kia Orana and welcome back to Term 4!  

We have all had exciting holidays with many of us so busy that we told Mrs Knopp we are coming back to school for a break!  Mrs Knopp laughed and said she had news for us with a very busy and creative term coming up. 

Mrs Knopp had a fabulous holiday in Rarotonga and has lots of exciting stories to share with us all.  The Rarotongan people speak Cook Island Maori as their official language - but most people speak English as well.  Cook Island Maori is very similar to NZ Maori...so much so that you can usually recognise most of what is being said like "Kia Orana" for Rarotonga and "Kia Ora" for Aotearoa NZ.
Mrs Knopp's absolute favourite part was all the cultural singing and dancing.  What she saw will come in handy for our learning this term as we are looking at "How people around the world tell their stories" through legends and art.

This week we are lucky enough to have Andrew Wills in at school as our 'resident artist' of the week.  Drew will have daily sessions with the children helping them create a tiled mosiac for outside our class that represents our place in the school community.  Should be fabulous!

OLYMPICS COME TO A CLOSE...

We have really been enjoying learning about the Olympics recently.  Many of us have discovered sports that we didn't know we were interested in and have followed them closely on television.  Darrin has really enjoyed learning about the Archery at the 2012 Olympics.

Ty has really been enjoying watching the BMX racing and quite fancies himself representing NZ

when he gets older - so remember, you heard it here first if he goes on to be an Olympian!

We have also been using a computer programme called 'Wordle' to present our findings in an interesting manner.  We are lucky enough to have 15 new school laptops which means that we can share with a buddy and take turns at learning new skills.  

Wordle is a really neat programme that is pretty easy to use once you know how.  First you enter in the words you wish to display and then select which  colour  and font.  Then you ask it to 'randomise' and it shows you all different ways of displaying those words.  You can keep clicking until you find your favourite. We used our favourite Olympic Sports to create one each. After we had made an Olympic one, we did some family ones and they looked great.  Mrs Knopp thought they looked so great that they would make super Christmas presents if they were printed on canvas!  

Here are some examples of our Olympic ones: 

 

ASK US TO DEMONSTRATE TO YOU AT HOME 

HOW TO CREATE A WORDLE.

 

Going for Gold with Olympic Maths...

 

In Room 5 last week we held the "Measuring Olympics" as a Mathematics activity.  

There were six different stations to compete in:  

• Straw Javelin Throw 

• Paper Plate Discus 

• Right-Handed Marble Grab 

• Left-Handed Sponge Squeeze

• Big Foot 

• Cotton Ball Shotput

 

We went around in teams but competed individually. 

Here are some of our competitors in action...

Callum competes in the Sponge Squeeze using his right hand as he is a natural leftie

Aden competing in the Cotton Ball Shotput

Paolo competing in the Straw Javelin

 

Measuring for the biggest foot

 

And the winners were ....

Discus:  1st Campbell 908 cm

              2nd Brayden 900 cm

        3rd Paolo 818 cm

Javelin:    1st  Kelli 661 cm

               2nd Ty 542 cm

                        3rd Arleyah 498 cm

Sponge Squeeze:   1st Josiah H   250 ml

                          2nd Kodie 220 ml

                      3rd Zoe 200 ml

Cotton Ball Shotput:  1st Brayden  943 cm

                                      2nd Josiah H 420 cm

                               3rd Aden 400 cm

Big Foot:  1st Paige  24 cm

                      2nd Antonia 22 cm

                                                      3rd Equal  Alex and Rebecca S  21 cm

We had a fabulous couple of days and were all great sports when it came to supporting our fellow mathematics athletes.  Overall, Josiah H was our Olympic Winner with a whopping 3 medals in different areas closely followed by Brayden who received two medals.  We sung them the NZ National Anthem whilst they stood on the podium proudly representing their country!

WELL DONE EVERYONE!!!

 

Poems for our Poetry Recital

Kia Ora Everyone and welcome back! 

This term we have our school poetry recital happening in week 5. Below are the choices of poems for the Year 3 and 4 children. Have a look over these together and choose a poem that really interests you that you will enjoy practising for the recital. A little bit of practise every night is a good idea. 
 Kia Runga Rawa!- to aim high with this learning you will be working towards knowing your poem from memory, speaking clearly, speaking at a good pace and with expression.

 

My Hamster Has a Skateboard

My hamster has a skateboard. When he rides it, though, he falls. He takes off like a maniac and crashes into walls. He screams, "Geronimo!" and then goes crashing down the stairs. He's good at knocking tables down and slamming into chairs. He'll slalom through the living room and then you'll hear a, "Splat!" which means that he's collided with my mother or the cat. He plows right into cabinets, and smashes into doors, I think he's wrecked on every bed and every chest of drawers. It's fun to watch him ride because you're sure to hear a smash. He doesn't skate so well but, boy, he sure knows how to crash. --Kenn Nesbitt

 

Duck Weather  Shirley Hughes

Splishing, splashing in the rain,

Up the street and back again,

Stomping, stamping through the flood,

We don’t mind a bit of mud.

Running pavements, gutters flowing,

All the cars with wipers going,

We don’t care about the weather,

Tramping hand in hand together.

We don’t mind a damp wet day,

Sloshing puddles all the way,

Splishing, splashing in the rain,

Up the street and back again.

My Teacher Took My iPod

My teacher took my iPod. She said they had a rule; I couldn't bring it into class or even to the school. She said she would return it; I'd have it back today. But then she tried my headphones on and gave a click on Play. She looked a little startled, but after just a while she made sure we were occupied and cracked a wicked smile. Her body started swaying. Her toes began to tap. She soon was grooving in her seat and rocking to the rap. My teacher changed her mind. She said it's now okay to bring my iPod into class. She takes it every day. --Kenn Nesbitt

 

Jack Frost   
                         by C.E. Pike
Look out! Look out!
Jack Frost is about!|
He's after our fingers and toes;

 
And all through the night,
The happy little sprite
Is working where nobody knows.

He'll climb each tree,
So nimble is he,
His silvery powder he'll shake.

To windows he'll creep
And while we're asleep
Such wonderful pictures he'll make.

Across the grass
He'll merrily pass,
And change all its greenness to white.

Then home he will go
And laugh ho, ho ho!
What fun I have had in the night.

On the Ning Nang Nong

On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
On the Nong Ning Nang
All the mice go Clang
And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
So its Ning Nang Nong
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning
Trees go ping
Nong Ning Nang
The mice go Clang
What a noisy place to belong
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!

Spike Milligan

 

My Teacher Ate My Homework

Kenn Nesbitt

My teacher ate my homework, Which I thought was rather odd. She sniffed at it and smiled with an approving sort of nod. She took a little nibble -- it's unusual, but true -- then had a somewhat larger bite and gave a thoughtful chew. I think she must have liked it, for she really went to town. She gobbled it with gusto and she wolfed the whole thing down. She licked off all her fingers, gave a burp and said, "You pass." I guess that's how they grade you when you're in a cooking class.

 A Funny Poem for Kids

                                    Kenn Nesbitt

I raised my hand in class this morning,

sitting in the back,

The teacher didn't see, I think.

Instead she called on Jack.

I stretched my hand up higher,

but she called on Zac and Zoe.

I started bouncing up and down,

but, still she called on Chloe.

I waved my arms but, even so,

she didn't call on me.

She called on Bryan, Brooklyn, Billy,

Bailey, Ben and Bree.

She called on Taylor, Tristan, Thomas,

Trinity and Ty.

Then, finally, she called my name.

I breathed a heavy sigh.

She asked me for the answer.

I just frowned and clenched my knees,

and said, "I've no idea,

but could I use the bathroom, please?"

 

I Taught My Cat to Clean My Room

I taught my cat to clean my room, to use a bucket, brush and broom, to dust my books and picture frames, and pick up all my toys and games. He puts my pants and shirts away, and makes my bed, and I should say it seems to me it's only fair he puts away my underwear. In fact, I think he's got it made. I'm not too happy with our trade. He may pick up my shoes and socks, but I clean out his litterbox. --Kenn Nesbitt

KIDS FOR KIDS CONCERT

Wow!!! What a fantastic finale to all those weeks of singing practice!  Our children really shone at the Kids for Kids Concert on Wednesday night with Suzanne Prentice.  

Our Star Writer this week Josiah T has written an account of the evening through his eyes...

Kids for Kids Concert by Josiah T

On Wednesday the 9th of May we had to sing and it was fun.  There was 2000 people there and it was scary.

It was close to the Octagon at the Regent Theatre.  It was a singing concert.  The concert was called Kids for Kids.  The singer was called Suzanne.  

First we went in a room and then we went on stage.  The curtain was down.  It went up.  We started singing the songs.  We had a break.  The parents were watching a movie about sick kids.  After the break we sang some more songs.  Mya was our soloist.  

At the end everyone clapped.  It was hot but it was over and it was fun. 

Room 5's Awesome Artists! By Callum Hill

In Room 5 this last week, Miss Harley our Student Teacher has taught us how to sketch apples.  

First we drew a whole apple then we copied the inside of an apple.  We had to learn about highlighting, cross-hatching, back-shading, shading objects, shadow and contour lines. 

We started by making a circle but we had to go round fast three times.  Then we drew lines on each side like a cup to get the 'v' shape of the apple.  Next, we did the bumps on the bottom and the top.  

If our apple had a stalk we could draw it.  We did highlights and shadows next.  Finally we shaded and cross-hatched using different parts of our sketching pencils and charcoal.

Here are some examples of our work...

Sing! Sing! Sing!

Kia Ora Koutou,
The Kids for Kids songs are now in the MP3 player at the side tab for you all to practise!
The best way to learn your words is to have them in front of you, practise the same song 3 or 4 times, then onto the next one. If you focus on 4 or 5 songs a day you will become a real whiz.
You can also have the songs playing in the background at hometo get to know the tunes really well!
Mrs M.B.

LIFE ON THE EDGE

On Friday the 9th of March we went to the Rocky Shore. The parents from Bradford School came too. We went to Warrington on a bus. It was a long trip. We went to learn. When we went to the Rocky Shore, I found the Topshell. IT WAS FUN! When we went to the rock pools I found a big, big fish. There were crabs too. We had groups for a scavenger hunt which was AWESOME! It was hard too.
There was even a playground and it was the best. We had a big lunch. We even had a choice between a sandcastle competition and another look at the sea creatures after lunch. There was a fake bridge there and rock castles to climb on. I got cut by barnacles. It HURT!!! When I got cut I got fluff on my hands but I had so, so, so much fun.
On the way back I saw a seagull and a cruise chip. At the end we all got a lollipop and I got purple.

By Aden

Getting Settled...

It has been a super busy last few days as we have negotiated the new classroom and got to know each other. Routines are underway and we are all settling quickly as Middle Team members.

Harold from the Life Education Trust has been visiting for the last few days. We have been learning all about 'Heart Central' and what our heart needs to stay healthy and function properly.

We have been using the Thinking Hats to look closely at the concept of Community and what this means to all of us here at Bradford.

With the White Hat, Kodie and Rebecca P looked up the dictionary to find out what 'community' meant and then their group (which also included Zane, Moana and Mina) created their own definition as "all the people in our school".

Darrin led the Red Hat into a discussion on what it felt like to be part of a community. Antonia, Darrin, Zane and Kelli all decided that people in our community felt 'confident and happy'. They said they felt particularly happy when they were included in activities and games.

The Yellow Thinking Hat group which consisted of Zoe, Callum, Cairo and Josiah H all felt there were many strengths (positives) to belonging to a community. They recorded that people always had someone to turn to if they were stuck, hurt or felt lonely. Cairo said the good thing about helping others is that when you need a favour later, they will remember how you helped them and it goes round and round!

Campbell, Arleyah, Alex, Lorilee and Josiah T all investigated our community using the Green Thinking hat to guide their thinking. They came up with a number of ideas to make our community stronger by including others and sharing 'so that everybody feels comfortable in our community'.

Using the Blue Thinking Hat, Aden, Paolo, Grace and KayLee discussed the idea of 'thinking about our thinking'. They all felt that our experiences shape our thinking and if we have a good experience then we might feel positively about something. Likewise, if we have a bad experience then we might think negatively about it. They also felt that community thinking was a great idea because when we listen to others ideas and experiences we may change our opinion or come up with one great idea. Paolo pointed out that community thinking really does mean including everyones ideas and that sometimes if you are working in a group you need to compromise!

Paige, Brayden, Rebecca S and Alyssa possibly had the hardest Thinking Hat to discuss - the Black Hat. They found it difficult to think about negative aspects of belonging to a community. However, they did agree that it can be difficult when you are in a community and one party is perhaps not doing the right thing. We had a class discussion and decided that the benefits of belonging to a community far, far outweighed the negatives and that we could encourage others to do the right thing so that we could grow our super Bradford School Community.

WE ALL AGREED THAT WE NEEDED TO PUT OURSELVES OUT THERE BY PARTICIPATING AND CONTRIBUTING TO OUR COMMUNITY TO GET THE BEST OUT OF IT!!! WE ARE ALL GOING TO CHALLENGE OURSELVES TO TRY SOMETHING NEW THIS YEAR - WATCH THIS SPACE FOR OUR GOALS...

AU REVOIR FOR NOW...