Welcome to Room 9's class blog. We are a class of 31 year 5 and 6 happy pupils. Our school is a few minutes walk away from a surf beach and below the magnificent Mount Taranaki. Check out our blog to see what we've been up to.
Join
the Great Kereru Count and help our kereru thrive! During this two-week
period, you can make a report anytime you see kereru (New Zealand
wood-pigeon). If you look for more than 5 minutes and don't see any
kereru, please report that, too.
Go to the website below for more details of what's involved!
Congratulations to Theo, Tayla, Alyssa, Robbie, Cory, Carter and Jack who took part in the Taranaki Cross Country Championships today.
On Wednesday we did the Taranaki Cross Country Championships. I was so nervous when we arrived at 10:10am. When we went for a walk around the track it didn't seem long but I asked Harry and he said it was a long track. After the long walk we sat back down on the grandstand. 9 year old girls, then boys, then 10 year old girls, then boys. It is our race. I feel like a jelly bean running away. On your marks, beep. We were off. I was at the back but suddenly I speed up my pase and passed 12 people. Then I kept passing people. The funny thing was when this guy got to a flag he would stand there for a bit. I saw the finish and I didn't t= want to get passed so I speed like a jet going over the speed limit. I was nearly there. One more step and I had finished. They asked me how I feel. I said I felt like I killed myself. Heheheheheh. Finaly it was over.
On Wednesday Katelyn, Rosie, Willow, Alex, Olivia, Arizona, Robbie, Josh, Seton and I went to the TSB stadium for the the 2014 music festival. It was so cool and some people got really sore throats because I know I did.
Written by Casey.
On Thursday Oakura Choir went to theT.S.B stadium to do some singing with some other schools.
When we arived at the stadium we had to run up the steps and find the rest of our group. We waited patiently for the show to begin. Then we got our singing voices ready. We were all in clusters. Oakura, Woodleigh and Omata were cluster 2, Highlands Intermediate and Hawera High were cluster 1, St John Bosco and Frankliegh School were cluster 4 and all the rest were cluster 3.
We had alot of fun doing the CHOIR MUSIC FESTIVAL and not to mention all the music there was by children! I would just like to say thanks to the following people: CASEY, ARIZONA, BELLA ARMS, BELLA MOODIE, RIAN, ALEX, KATELYN, ROSIE, WILLOW, CAELEY, AMELIA, ROBBIE, SETON, JOSH AND MOST OF ALL MRS AIELLO. WRITTEN BY OLIVIA
On Tuesday, the Oakura Jazz basketball team took on the Woodleigh Warriors in the semis. It was a very hard game with no points scored by either team for the first 15 minutes! At half time it was 4-0 to them. It was 14-14 at full time! We went into extra time and they won by one point - what an exciting game.
On Thursday last week Olivia and Belle and lots more girls/boys went to an awesome gym sports festival to compete with 5 other schools. We did three activities. They were the beam, floor and vault. It was so cool. My favourite was the floor.
At the end of the prize giving Olivia, Belle and Caeley got first team and Belle got second overall.
On Tuesday the 16th of September Oakura classes 8 and 9 went and cleaned up Dixon Street and Wairau Road. We found lots of rubbish including newspapers, glass bottles, screws, concrete and plastic. Luckily most of the plastic could be recycled. Next year we hope to get less rubbish.
Today, Room 9 shared what they already knew about lungs and watched the video below to find out more. We made notes from the video and then used instructions to make a model of a lung with a plastic bottle, balloon, plastic bag and an elastic band. The bottom video shows how we created our model lung.
Room 9 are learning how to link letters accurately. Each session the class vote on the letter that they would like to learn or feel that they need to work on. Today the letter x was chosen.
Theo, Louis and Salvador taught some room 9 pupils how to create a flax flower today. They were great leaders, giving clear instructions and supporting the pupils along the way. They have kindly offered to run a lunch time flax flower club every Friday so that others can learn.
We had heard that there were some Maori Tikianga (protocol) that we needed to follow when using flax, so we did some research on the internet. The Flaxworks website gave us lots of important information. We learnt that when using flax for weaving, we should:
2. Cut the flax with a slanting action so the water doesn’t settle in the cutting area and rot the flax bush.
3. Cut the outer pieces of flax as they are stronger and best for weaving. The middle shoots of the flax should be left intact as this is where the new growth begins.
4. Give the first weaved craft away - this provides good feelings of success to the weaver and the acceptance of his/her creative expression acknowledged.
5. Return all remaining and unwanted flax back to the original flax bush.
How to make flax flowers - written by Theo Keenan
Step 1: Get a piece of fresh flax and strip it into 2 pieces.
Do this in the middle of the flax and do it half way down the flax.
Step 2:Strip it now into 4 pieces on each side.
It's your choice of doing more but don't do it less than 4.
Step 3:Start to fold the last strip on either side doesn't matter much.
After you fold it with the other strips go under,over,under and over.
Step 4:Do this until you have 1 strip left.
With the last strip fold it over so it goes over the first one in the other bunch.
Step 5:Continue until you have only 10cm of flax left.
Once you get to the 10cm mark you fold it and tie it and your flax flower is done!
Check out Cambell Live to see a photograph of our Kids Can sculpture. It's right at the end of the programme with lots of other cool sculptures made from cans of food.
Congratulations to Theo Cook, Alyssa, Theo Keenan, Robbie, Carter, Cory, Tayla, Jack, Rosie and Connor who participated in the coastal cross country event today. You should be proud of yourselves! It was a a hard course with tough competition.
Coastal Cross Country - written by Connor
I was so nervous that I was competing in the cross country with everyone else. I set myself a goal which was to come in the top 10 so that I can go to Taranaki champs in Hawera. The starter calls the 9 and under boys over to do some warm ups before the race had begun for our age group. While we were doing our stretches Robbie came whizzing down the finish overtaking two of the girls that had raced before he did. Robbie came first, I was so jealous of him.
Finally the man called us up and we went to the starting line. On your marks, get set, GO!!!! I was running as fast as I could to get in front of everyone, then I went into a steady jog. Heaps of people were overtaking me. Suddenly I got the stitch and I stopped because it was so sore. then I was second to last. Then the last person overtook me I felt like crying because I wasn’t in the lead.
Then as I approached the big hill I saw Brodie crying. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that he had sprained his foot because an Omata person pushed him into the fence.” I said hopefully you will get better and complete the course. I was running up the steepest hill ever and I went into a walk. Then I reached the top of the hill. I felt so relieved but there was still a kilometre left to run. I ran down the hill.
Then we had to go into a freezing cold river but I really enjoyed being in it because it was so refreshing I ran out of the water. I was still coming last my dream is probably over. Suddenly Brodie who had a sprained foot came whizzing past me that made me feel even sadder because he had a sprained foot and he was beating me. Finally I ran across the finish line I felt really sad because I didn't even come close to the top 10. I guess I have to wait until next year.
On Friday 5th September Oakura School asked for all of the kids to bring a can of baked beans or spaghetti for the kids that come to school hungry because they don't have enough money to buy food for breakfast. Our school did really well and brought in a lot of cans. The Head pupils and the class councillors got to design and build a massive sculpture out of the cans! It was something I thought I would never do but it was fun! We are going to send the cans to the schools that need them so they can provide breakfast for the hungry children. It made me feel happy that we are helping those children and that they won't be so hungry.
We did this because my Nana is in hospital and she isn’t very well. Kath and I decided to make flax flowers and then Salvador and Louis joined in. Kath taught us all how to make them. The flax became flowers. When my Nana got the flowers she was very happy and it brought a smile to her face. We are still making them.
In the weekend Arizona,Alyssa,Casey and Charlotte made yummy cupcakes for room nine and the staff for Random Acts of Kindness Day on Monday (1/9/2014 ) Everyone said thank you to us.
The cupcakes that Alyssa ,Charlotte and Casey made were vanilla with green icing and lime sprinkles.
Arizona’s cupcakes were a plain cupcake with white chocolate inside and there was chocolate icing with sprinkled icing sugar on top.
On Monday 22 of September room 4 (our buddy class) wrote some instructions on how to make an origami sun-flower and taught us how to make them. Written by Casey.
Photographer: Mrs Taylor
The sewing club are making great progress with their soft toys made from recycled materials. Oliver used the sewing machine for the first time today and was a natural. Katelyn has finished sewing her cat and has stuffed it. All she needs to do now is sew the cat up. Jack, Bella, Rosie, Connor and Alex were all busy working on their soft toys today too. This is a real test of perseverance.
