TPC 2015 - RAFT

Another Te Pahu Challenge completed! Well done guys. It was so good to see your attitudes and enthusiasm towards the rafting. You took it on, played your part as a team to manoeuvre the rafts in different directions, and had loads of fun along the way. We had great guides who helped us learn about safety on the river as well as the techniques of rafting. Rafting rivers is such a great way to experience beautiful New Zealand, with their crystal clear and icy cold water meandering through the wild landscape. Now you all just need to convince your parents to take you on the Grade 3! We were privileged to see 3 Whio (Blue duck) on the river too. This native duck is much rarer than the kiwi with only 2000 - 3000 left in the world!

A few other highlights:

• The Disguised Dinner - everyone went all out and we had all sorts of costumes, from synchronized swimmers, to Darth Vader and a fairy! 
• The Ultimate Mint Imperial Battle - A hilarious series of challenges from Irish dancing and accents, to the best cat walk, moon walk and robot, to the best best cheer leading routine, to the most post-it notes on someones face. It was great to see the adults involved and taking out some of the challenges too, such as the splits and accent challenges.
• Taranaki Falls - We got to walk in and out of the treeline on the track to Taranki falls in the Tongariro National Park. It was great to have discussions along the way about the landscape and the volcanic nature of the park. 

PhotoPeach

Cyber safety

So much is done on the internet these days and it is just going to keep increasing. It has so many advantages and uses in life, however, it can be a dangerous thing and we need to learn to be safe and wise in how we use it. We have started to look at being safe with digital technology (Phones, computers, iPads, etc). This is especially important as the students head to high school and reach the age where they may possibly get a Facebook account.

We have started looking at protecting your personal information. Thinking carefully about posting details such as your location, name, contact details, age, etc on the internet. We looked at a mock 'Friendbook' page and identified all the good strategies and as well as the careless information on it. There was some really good discussions we had guys and I hope you take the safety tips on board.

We will continue to look at it throughout the year, especially in relation to our use of it at school in research and our blogs. There is a little bit of information and some videos that relate to this topic in the Cyber Safety tab at the top of the blog.

Pencil Portraits

Here they are! Room 7's awesome pencil portraits. Well done guys. You can be all proud of what you have done. You worked hard and it has paid off.

PhotoPeach

Kindy reading

We went down to the local kindy today to do some reading and spend some time with the preschoolers. I was so impressed by the way you cared for and  interacted with the children guys. You were awesome leaders. Well done. You probably don't comprehend what that would have meant to some of those children. I am sure they will tell their parents all about it tonight.

Swimming

It has been a great year of swimming so far. The school swimming sports went really well with everyone giving their best. All the best to the group that is off to Lower Waipa this Thursday.

We have started to look more at survival skills in the water. We have learnt to do side stroke which is a great survival stroke that keeps your head above the water. The students picked this up really quickly. Well done guys. The trickiest part was doing a scissor kick, and not the breaststroke kick.

We have also spent some time exploring how clothes affect our swimming and learnt how to take jeans and heavy sweatshirts off in the water. Quite a challenge and really important things to think about.

Creative writing

We have been learning to slow down our narratives and add detail and description to create vivid pictures in the readers heads. It is better to have a few events described really well than lots of events described poorly. For this example the students wrote their own version of the above task and then combined the best parts with a partner. Here are a few of the combined pieces. Keep a look out on the individual blogs for the rest. They are all awesome. Well done guys - your words created such a vivid picture which made me feel like I was there.

I sprinted, my legs screamed with pain. All I could hear was the deathening sound of roaring rapids. I looked up to see an old run-down house covered in a thick grey blanket of misty fog. Only shimmers of light could pierce its evil darkness. I stumbled up a jagged rock, to find myself staring down on an old rotten draw bridge. I approached it with extreme caution, as if it would collapse under the weight of my foot. Slowly but cautiously I laid my foot down on the old rotten draw bridge.

By Logan and Jared

I stumbled upon what looked like a blanket of grey but through the fog the outlines of what looked like a castle shone bright. It was enveloped in mist making it seem bigger than it already was. My curiosity grew as I slowly started moving towards the bridge. I crossed the old jagged bridge and the floorboards below my feet squealed. The sounds of the waterfall and thunder were erased and the only thing I could hear was my own breathing, and my own heart beating so fast I could feel it trying to break out of my chest. I was now standing at the door of this mansion. The wind whistled as a flickering light cast shadows upon the old oak porch. The door handle of the house was rusted and old, it felt as though it was going to fall apart in my hands.

By Bradley and Evaan

As I creep up to the rickety bridge I can only see the outline of the haunted building. The shriveled up leaves cracking under my feet. I wonder if the bridge is stable? I place my left foot on the first mossy plank of wood. I hear a creak and look down at whitewashed water. I cling my hand to the rope rail and feel the roughness of the old moss. I put my right foot forward and take another step. My shoe slips and the board I was standing on was no longer beneath my feet. I approach the old rimu door. As I knock the whispering arrives, I feel a tingle down my back. I jump down one step as the door opens with a crack.

By Laura and Sophie

Te Pahu Challenge - TREE

Today we started the TREE challenge of our Te Pahu Challenge. This challenge involves gathering seed, sowing it, and nurturing its growth throughout the year. This morning we went to the Kaniwhaniwha Reserve with some of our local experts; Nardene, Maxine and Craig. They taught us many things about the age of our native trees, how they spread their seeds, how do a identify a variety of different seeds and all sorts of other interesting skills and knowledge. We then gathered about 12 different kinds of seeds. It was fascinating the massive variety in what seeds look like from fluffy Pukatea seeds, to big Tawa seed and small Karamu berries. We all gained a greater appreciation for our native plants and the process of reproducing. We then brought the seeds back to school and used our native nursery to sow them. Now we need to keep them moist, watch them germinate, and eventually prick them out into their own pots. One key bit of learning is how long it actually takes for native plants to grow. I think we will think twice about stepping on little growing plants in the forest now as we appreciate how long it takes for them to grow that big. Thank you so much to our parents for helping and especially our experts - you really inspired us with your knowledge and willingness to help.

I made tea

One of our writing focuses at the moment is ensuring we have the DETAIL required to create clear pictures in people minds. I made tea is a very simple sentence which gives us a very unclear picture (or no picture) in our mind. We need to add detail (elaborate) on it so the reader can put themselves into the situation. Click on the picture below to be linked through to a website which does exactly that to the sentence I made tea. Have a look as it is really effective. The students are practicing doing this and you will soon see examples on their blogs.

ART - Pencil portraits

Students are beginning to finish their pencil portraits. They are looking awesome and students are really developing their sketching and shading skills. They are producing great contrast, gradients and proportions. Here are a couple of the finished ones. You can look forward to seeing the rest of them soon.