Room 5's Class Blog

Sunday, 8 September 2013

Just showing off really.

Yussssssss!
I had my 30th birthday on Friday and was totally and utterly spoiled by my class and families.

The class was filled with balloons and streamers and a fun day was had by all.

To top it off-
Tessa baked everyone a little cupcake.
Neisha baked a cake and Moh's Mum and Dad brought in a beautiful cake on Monday (still warm)
that was happily shared by all.

Thanks Room 5, you are generous and very kind.

Tuesday, 3 September 2013

Osbert the Avenger author emails us!

Hi Simon Greetings from London!
Delighted to see that your class pet has been named 'Osbert The Avenger' - I heartily approve!
With very best wishes,
Christopher William Hill

We think that is pretty cool!

Nelson Intermediate Visit

Quick post to update you on our Year 6 visit to NIS.

The kids enjoyed seeing the band and hearing from Mr Gully the Principal. They were 'herded' around the school grounds and saw many classes in action. Highlights from the trip included the new Wiseman Performing Arts Centre, the areas about to be converted to 'MLE' environs and catching up with former Hampden Street pupils.
The Year 6's returned excited and keen to move on to their new school.

Monday, 2 September 2013

Treeplanting @Piper's Reserve

We had a fun morning up at Piper's Reserve planting native trees like Mahoe, Wineberry, Totara, Braodleaf, Kohuhu and the occassional Podocarp.

It was a big walk up to Princes Drive and along the ridge. We had great views and warm sun on our backs. The class coped really well with the walk there and back and were keen to plant their trees with due care so they would last a lifetime not just a week.

The soil was full of creepy crawlies like worms and spiders which they enjoyed seeing. We had a great time and thanks to parents who came along to help out. What a great way to spend a morning!

Sunday, 1 September 2013

Red Cross First Aid Training

Jen from the Red Cross came in today to train the class up on First Aid skills such as DRSABC, the recovery position, how to deal with choking and burns and scalds, treating nosebleeds, broken bones and shock. Also, how to deal with accidental poisonings. The kids had lots of fun and were given many chances to put their learning into 'action'.

Here, Vernon has volunteered to be the 'victim' and is being helped to stop 'choking'.

The photos below show the children being put into the recovery position.

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Year 5 Skiing Day (+some Year 6's)

Sorry, that there are no photos of the kids! I had so much fun skiing and helping reboot the kids all day long that photos took a back seat....So these photos show the skifield at the day's end. We had pretty ideal conditions. Great powder and sunshine. Joy!

We had an awesome time at Rainbow ski field. Lots of people were trying out new things.There were lots of people falling and face planting everywhere but the snow was soft and white so it did not hurt. By Amelia

Rock Da House-super performance

Rock da House was awesome. One of my favorite parts was the beginning with all the glowing people. All of Hampden Streets choir work paid off, not saying practice wasn't fun. My favorite songs were: Top of the World, Kia Kaha Tuatara, the Almighty Quinn, Home Among the Gum Trees and Don't dream it's Over.
By the awesome Alice!

Tuesday, 27 August 2013

NIS roadshow visit

We had some former students, school leaders and the Dean and Deputy Principal of Nelson Intermediate come in and give a talk about life next year at NIS.

The kids were really excited to hear about all the opportunities on offer like Technologies, Cooking, sports, bands etc. The children asked some great questions and look forward to the 'School in Action' visit on Wednesday morning (3rd Sept) at the Intermediate. Parents are more than welcome to come along and see for themselves.

Room 5 Website builders!

http://maccraeendangeredanimals.webs.com/

Check out Maccrae's website he has built-it looks fantastic, more sites to come!

Sunday, 25 August 2013

Speeches!

The children have all had to write and deliver a 3-5 minute speech to the class. The standard was very high all round and the delivery of the speeches by some students was truly extraordinary. I was especially pleased with the confidence of the students-the Year 5's in particular.

We had a variety of speeches-this included speeches about

Why animals shouldn't be kept in zoos.
The world's worst holiday.
Underwater New Zealand.
Why you shouldn't drink salt water.
A letter from my dog Hugo.
How to annoy my baby brother.
What I would do if I was invisible.
Ellis Emmet and his adventures.
How to catch a pig.
Why we need more public transport.

Congratulations to our top seven speakers-Ella, Alice, Eleanor, Polly, Neisha, Mia, Amelia.

Ella and Alice were chosen to represent Room 5 at the Syndicate Speech competition, they then proved themselves to be worthy contestants and were placed first and second respectively.

Ella wrote a fascinating speech about the history of education and conversely why schooling today isn't so bad.
Alice presented a dramatic interpretation on how Apollo became the God of music.

They will now represent Hampden Street School at the Interschool Event on September the 5th.

Sunday, 18 August 2013

Friday Passions Projects

Here's a short video I made to show what's happening during our Friday middle slot.
The children have opted into groups run by teachers and parents, and some are completing independent passions projects.
There is an exciting buzz around the Senior Syndicate during this time and I hope you can see in this video the wide range of exciting opportunities available.

My Project from simon ashby on Vimeo.