Showcasing Stanley

Today we are showcasing some of Stanley's work.  Check out more on his blog here: http://gmsstanleyg0389.blogspot.com/
Here is some work we have done this week about deer. It is about if deer are pests or not.  Different groups of people have different opinions. What do you think?  Fill out my survey below.
Are Deer Pests?

Showcasing Rylan

Are possums pests?
This week we were learning about pests. My groups question was are possums pests and why? We had to ask  two people what they think. I think they are pests because they carry lots of diseases like TB and they are killing nature but I also think they are good because they are  killing 95% of ticks and ticks carry lots of diseases  too.  They are cleaning the forests by eating any dead animal.

Checkout more of Rylan's work on her blog which can be found here: https://gmsrylanj9024.blogspot.com/

Showcasing Geordie

Here is one of Geordie's favourite posts from earlier this year.  He enjoys researching current events in New Zealand and internationally.  To check out more of his work go to his blog here: http://gmsgeorgiem0335.blogspot.com/

What's Been In The News This Week (Mega Mall)

This Year, in Auckland, right now, the largest of this particular thing (In New Zealand) is being built.  A MALL! A 790 million dollar mall is being built right now in West Auckland.

I have Quoted Stuff here "Auckland's highly anticipated Newmarket mall could open in July."  There will be 230 shops, Some of them haven't been seen in New Zealand before, including Coco Republic, which offers quality furniture. There will also be 2800 car parks. (That is not a store, but there will be 2800 car parks)!

I would like to have a look around the mall when it is open, but the only flaw in that plan is that I don't live in Auckland.

-- epic

Showcasing Cruz

This map shows the journey of Poutini around New Zealand.  Poutini was a taniwha.  He stole a lady called Waitaiki from the North Island and fled down around New Zealand with her.  When he got to the Arahura River on the West Coast he was afraid that Tamaahua would catch up with him and get Waitaiki back so he turned Waitaiki into pounamu and laid her in the river. That is why Waitaiki is known as the mother of pounamu.

If you would like to see more of Cruz's work go to his blog here http://gmscruzs1440.blogspot.com/

Showcasing Makaia

Countries That Speak Spanish

This is my post with Jacob, we had to choose a country that speaks Spanish . We chose Guatemala and they had some interesting facts. Next time we could of improved on our  facts and maybe added some more pictures, I hope you learnt something from this post.
Take a look at more of Makaia's work on his blog here: https://gmsmakaiap2925.blogspot.com/

Showcasing Leah

This term I did my speech and here is my slide show about it. I did it about my trip to the Gold Coast which was my wish from the Make a Wish Foundation.  I had an awesome time.

To check our more of Leah's work go to her blog here http://gmsleahd6536.blogspot.com/

Showcasing Blake

Today we are showcasing Blake.  He has chosen to share his speech presentation around skateboarding.  If you would like to check out more of Blake's learning checkout his blog here: http://gmsblakec9977.blogspot.com/


This term we did speeches and this is my speech. As you can see my topic was about skating because I like to skate and I am kind of good at it. I hope you like my speech and I would love some feedback from you.

Showcasing Ryah

Today's showcase is some maths from Ryah. Check out more of Ryah's learning on her blog here: http://gmsryahk1142.blogspot.com/

This week are learning how to translate and reflect shapes and I have made A DLO to show you how but its kind of a game. You have to try get the blue square into the green square but you can only do that by translation (going up, down, left, right) or reflecting the shape across the x and y axis or rotation the shape. Please comment below when you know the answer so I can tell you if your right or wrong .

On Monday we played a game like what I have made for you to try. We had to play this game for ourselves. Here is the link to the game here so you can play for yourself. It's really fun LINK

WALT: Visualise, recognise and represent transformations

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Showcasing Sebastian

Today we are showcasing Sebastian.  This piece of writing is based on a novel our class read earlier this year.  If you would like to see more of Sebastian's work check out his blog here: http://gmssebastiant1014.blogspot.com/

Our class has been been reading the Wishtree novel. It was a really good book. It is was about a new family that moved in to the Wish tree neighbourhood and they were Muslims. The main character was Samar (she is part of the Muslim family). Samar could not make any friends so she put a wish on the tree. Red, the wish tree decided he needed to help.  To find out how he helped you will have to read the book.

This activity is an acrostic poem telling about the traditions of Wish trees. 

Showcasing Katelin

Today we are showcasing a great piece of reading work from Katelin.  Checkout more of here learning here: http://gmskatelinr9660.blogspot.com/

This week for reading my group has been reading an opinion text about stoats as pests. One of our tasks was to put the different opinions in the text on a continuum.  We also had to interview 2 people in the class. We had to put the opinions in order from who strongly disagrees or strongly agrees to in between.



I have also made a form for you to fill out so I can get others opinions on this topic.    
     

Showcasing Kalani

Today our student showcase post is from Kalani. Kalani is a keen skateboarder. Check out more from him on his blog 
here: http://gmskalanih9281.blogspot.com/

On book character day me and my friends dressed as skateboarders. 
We had a lot of fun in book week. The skater I dressed up as was Shane O'Neill but as a group of skaters we are called Skate Crew.

Showcasing Harris

This year we are participating in the Blog X programme where we can choose something we enjoy to blog about.  Other people in our area are blogging about this too and we can connect with each other through our blogs.  Check out Harris's Blog X post.  You can see more work from Harris on his blog here: http://gmsharriso6880.blogspot.com/

For my Blog X I have chosen to draw all my favourite skate board logos. My favourite is probably the Spitfire mixed with Vans because Spitfire is my favourite wheel brand. 

Indoor Bowls

This term some of our students have been lucky enough to have weekly sessions learning to play Indoor Bowls.  This has proved to be a challenging and engaging sport for all.  The students are developing their skills so they are able to participate in a friendly competition at the end of the term.  Here is Jorja and Deklan having a go.  Look at the concentration!

Totara 3 Represents!

This term we have has a number of students from Totara 3 be involved in Grey Main School Teams.  Here are some of the highlights:

Westamaths
4 members of our class were members of the Grey Main Westamath teams and all had fantastic results.  Adison and Jacob were members of the Year 7 champion Westamath team winning the Year 7 competition.  Geordie was also in a Year 7 team which came 4th after a tiebreaker for 3rd place. Ayesha was a member of the Year 8 Westamath team who gained 3rd place in the Year 8 competition after a stressful tiebreaker.  What great results from out T3 maths whizz kids!

Cantamaths
Yesterday the top Year 7 and top Year 8 Grey Main Westamaths teams travelled to Christchurch to compete in the Cantamath competition.  This is rather daunting with over 100 teams in each age group, in comparison to our local competition of 20 teams.  Well done to Ayesha, Adison and Jacob who took part in this.  The exciting news from this event is our Year 7 team, including Adison and Jacob, scored 90 points and were in the top 10 teams for this competition. This is the highest score a Grey Main team has ever got at this event.  Very proud of these learners!

ASB Netball Challenge
On Tuesday the Grey Main Netball team of which Katelin is a member, competed in the ASB primary school's local tournament.  After a nailbiting finish they took out the final.  Congratulations to this team.  They now will represent our district in the West Coast competition in a couple of weeks.  

Skateboard Ramp Project Stage 2

Earlier this year Totara 3 organised and ran a fundraising sausage sizzle to raise money for more skateboarding equipment in our playground.  We successfully raised over $500 and have begun designing a skateboard ramp that we are going to build together as a class.  With some of our money we also purchased a rail for the skate area and this week some of "The Skate Crew" installed this.  Very exciting to see results after our fundraising efforts.  Here is our new skate rail.

Showcasing Jacob: Persuasive Writing

Today we are showcasing some collaborative writing posted by Jacob.  Check out more of Jacob's work here: https://gmsjacobb4251.blogspot.com/

Last week, our class created some persuasive writing about recycling. I was in a group with a friend or two and we created this piece of persuasive writing.

Recycling

Showcasing Ayesha: Hanmer Hot Springs Explanation

Today we are showcasing an explanation from
Ayesha. Check out more of her work here:
http://gmsayeshab7477.blogspot.com/  

WALT: Explain a scientific phenomenon

Hot Springs Explanation

Hot Springs, the natural spa the earth creates.
For the earth to form these pools, it may not be as much of a simple
process as you may think. There are so many things needed to get
our wonderful hot springs across our home, New Zealand.

So now I'm gonna start way back to the reasons why all this happens,
one being, The Ring Of Fire. The Ring Of Fire is a part of our earth
that's shape resembles a ring. Before we start thinking that this is a
literal ring of fire, let me explain first. It is an area which 90 percent
of the world's earthquakes occur. It is also the area of such where
75 percent of the world's volcanoes are located.
New Zealand is located right at the start of this ring.

With the ring of fire covering our small country, we are bound to be
affected. In the South Island we have what's called an alpine fault
line. The fault line is an area where tectonic plates crash against
each other, these two plates are the Australian plate and the
Pacific plate. Then because of the chaos underground, earthquakes
happen and thermal pools are possible.

So these last were facts that are the reason it comes to be, so now
let's start with the process of how they form.
Rain and snow falls down on the mountains in Hanmer Springs.
The said rain and snow goes through the rocks inside the mountains.
At least 2 kilometres underground the now water comes to form a
reservoir. It stays there and gets heated from the earth's core.
It either naturally comes to the top of the earth or is pulled up to the
surface.   

So this is how it all works, how the thermal pools are made.
From the ring of fire to the alpine fault line, this is how the hot
springs are created.

Showcasing: Jasmine

Today we are showcasing a piece of work from Jasmine's blog.

Hello today I'm making an um... Interesting? luckily/unluckily story. Have fun reading (run while you still can)!

One day as I was sitting on my bed a yellow and blue monster appeared! Luckily it was just a chair and was half my height so I moved it and went back to what I was doing. Unluckily the chair brought it's friends and they all had swords! Luckily I just so happened to have a sword sitting against my bed so I picked it up and was ready to attack! Unluckily I couldn't beat them and fell over and accidentally tossed my sword across the room. Luckily my brain decided to work and I remembered that they are chairs that are half my height and aren't heavy so I picked the chairs up and threw them outside.

Thanks for reading my lucky/unlucky story. You should have a go at writing a luckily, unluckily story yourself!

Anyway if you would like to see some more check out my blog here: http://gmsjasmines5899.blogspot.com/ 

Showcasing: Madisyn

Today we are showcasing work from Madisyn's blog.  If you would like to see more visit her blog here:  http://gmsmadisynf0015.blogspot.com/

This week we have been doing a street map description when we had to create a street map that shows a variety of geometric terms. We paired up to make a map and then made up our own street names.  Finally we had to describe our map using the geometric terms we had used.  Here is my map and description.

Jake Bailey - An inspirational speaker

Here is a great blog post from Simon about an inspirational speaker that visited our school recently.  Check out more of Simon's blog posts here: https://simonn102015.blogspot.com/

Today all senior and some junior classes went to see Jake Bailey in our school library. He taught me a lot because he had had cancer in 2015  and had a very inspirational and emotional story to tell us. It was amazing that he survived the fastest growing cancer on the planet!

One point that stood out was when  he was told he had 2 weeks to live that got me by surprise to think it could happen so quickly. It was very sad what he had gone through. One of the most gross parts was when he told us about a big metal spike going in his back to get bone marrow.

He told us that it was the best thing that had ever happened to him getting cancer!  This is because he learnt so much from it. I learnt so much from him and his story as well. He said that happiness and resilience are important skills that we should always practice.  He also said to get out there and make the most of every opportunity in life.

Here is a photo of him on the front cover of his book which tells about his story. Maybe you should read it. I hope you learnt something from my blog today. Bye.
                                                           

Pumpkin Soup

Check out Luke's awesome pumpkin soup recipe. Check out more of Luke's work here: http://gmslukem1884.blogspot.com/

This week on Friday the 5th of April we made pumpkin soup with our class. In 2018 me and my friends planted seeds in the school garden and one year later they grew into pumpkins. We harvested them last week to make the pumpkin soup. We got almost all of the ingredient from our school garden.
From our garden we got
8 onions
8 garlic bulbs
8 pumpkins

Then we went into the kitchen and started to make the soup in groups. Each group is responsible for teaching the next group what to do.When the soup is finished we are going to eat some and we are also going to gift some to some of our school neighbours to thank them for being great neighbours to us.

My opinion is that this is a great activity to do with our class we should do something like this again near the end of the year.

The Amazing Adventures of Super Stan

Last term our school started rehearsing our bi-annual production.  This year our show was The Amazing Adventures of Super Stan.  Some members of our class auditioned to be in the show and were successful.  Putting on a show like this took many, many hours of rehearsals including weekly after school and also Sunday practices.  After weeks of practising the show was performed 5 times.  Many people said it was one of the best shows our school has ever performed.  Here are some pics of our class members who performed in the show.

Term 2 Assembly

This week our class presented at assembly.  Here is a slideshow of the work we shared.  We chose to share snippets of our writing, reading and maths work to show all of the amazing learning we have been doing this term. 

Now we head off on holidays for a well deserved break. See you next term!

Wishtree

This term our class has been reading Wishtree by Katherine Applegate.  This story is told from the perspective of an old oak tree called Red.  Red is the neighbourhood "Wishtree" so people write  their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them on to the tree's branches. He has many animal friends and together they watch over the people who live in the neighbourhood. 

During the book a new family moves into the neighbourhood and not everyone is welcoming to them. Some people target the new family who are Muslim and a boy carves the word "LEAVE" into the tree bark.  Samar (the little Muslim girl) and her family consider moving away however Red intervenes to bring kindness.  

This book is a fantastic read and has opened up some great conversations about prejudice, kindness and inclusion.  We thoroughly recommend that you read it!  

Keep an eye on our individual blogs as we will be posting some of our reading responses soon.

Hanmer Camp 2019

Last week Totara 3 and 4 went on camp in Hanmer Springs, North Canterbury.  We stayed for two night and had an action packed 3 days.  Some of the activities we enjoyed were orienteering, tree climbing, mountain biking, Hanmer Thermal Hot Pools and hydroslides, bush walks and of course camp concert.  Here are some movies and photos of our time in Hanmer.  Please check out our individual blogs over the next couple of weeks for more on our camp experiences.

Tree Climbing

Hanmer Thermal Hot Pools and Hydroslides

Conical Hill Walk

Mountain Biking

Camp Concert Craziness

Sculpture Walk and Orienteering

Financial Literacy

Last term we were developing our budgeting skills through a financial literacy programme.  On the first day we added 35 years to our age and then designed what we thought our life would look like at that age.  We made decisions about our family, pets, cars etc.  This then became the basis for our project.  Next we selected and income card.  Some of us were paid wages and some of us were on salary.  The card also told us if we had a mortgage, were mortgage free or renting.  We then had to calculate our weekly income and tax as well as our weekly housing payments. 

Once we had calculated these we were then given a monthly budgeting sheet to complete.  Each week we entered our income then deducted our tax and housing payments.  We then were given a grocery card to add up and deduct.  Finally we were given a fortune card each week.  Ten percent of these cards gave us money and the rest took money off us. Some examples were, school fees are due so you need to pay $50 per child based on the family you designed.  Some of us were in debt at the end of the first week!

At the end of the month we were given more bills to pay including electricity, phone and internet, insurances and car expenses.  This put many of us in debt at the end of the month. Luckily we were then given savings accounts with $2000 to withdraw from to balance our account.  Five of us banked money into our savings account at the end of the month.

This was a very eye opening experience for many of us.  We had to practice many maths skills including calculating percentages, adding, subtracting and also developing an understanding of budgeting.  We are going to begin another months cycle next week. It will be interesting to see if the same people end up with money at the end of the month.

Book Week 2019

Last week Grey Main School celebrated Book Week.  Some of the highlights were the mystery reader competition, Wacky Wednesday and Book Character day, buddy reading, golden ticket hunt as well as our door decorating competition. The doors are getting judged on Monday after school by a guest judge.  I wonder which class will win this year?

The book we chose for our door display was The Hobbit.  This is one of Mrs P's favourite book.  As you can see from the photos are door display extended just a little beyond the door.  We are very proud of our creation.

The Hobbit Door Display

Welcome Back to Term 2

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to term 2 which promises to be another action packed term. Some of the events we are looking forward to this term are;

Book Week

Kids Lit Quiz

Totara Camp to Hanmer Springs

Rugby League Tournament

Cross Country

School Production Rehearsals

Young Philosophers

School Rugby

Choir

Phew! What a list.  

Of course we are also looking forward to our class learning programmes. This term we are going to be looking at Geometry and Measurement in maths as well as our maintenance and basic facts programme.  Our literacy programme will look at poetry, persuasive writing and myths and legends.  Our inquiry is going to focus on industry that the West Coast was built around as well as links to Hanmer.  In PE we are going to look at target games and our Arts programme will be focused on drama.  This is just a snapshot of what we will be doing this term.  

What are you looking forward to the most?

Skateboard Ramp Project Part 1

Many Totara 3 students are keen skateboarders.  We are lucky to have some ramps in our playground at school however because of the increased popularity of skateboarding we no longer have enough to cater for the number of students who wish to use them.  The Skate Crew decided that this was a problem and spoke to Mrs P about what could be done.  Then a plan was formed.  

First a letter was written to our Principal Mrs O asking for permission to fundraise, design and build some more ramps for the playground.  She gave us the go ahead and so Totara 3 decided to make it a class project.  We elected a project manager - thanks Geordie and then dived straight in.  

Stage one: Raise the funds.

Our first fundraising project took place on the last day of term 1.  We held a sausage sizzle at school where students could purchase drinks for 50 c and sausages for $2. We were very fortunate that the school had some leftover sausages from previous fundraisers that we could use and we were also generously donated some.  To prepare for our fundraising event the project manager and his team had to estimate how many sausages we would need, how many loaves of bread, cups, serviettes, tomato sauce, drink etc.  

Once we had done this we created a grocery list and purchased our supplies.  We also advertised our fundraiser in the school newsletter and were thrilled with the response.

On the day we formed cooperative groups and every group had a job to do.  Some children collated orders, some prepared bread and drinks, some counted the money, some cooked the sausages and then we all served.  It was a hectic couple of hours but well worth it.


                                                                  




The fundraiser was a great success and we raised over $500 to start off our project.  Our next step is to meet with a skateboard ramp design expert and formulate a plan.  We can then cost our materials and assess if we need to fundraise more money. 

Watch this space for stage 2. 

Anzac Day

This year to celebrate Anzac Day Totara 3 and 4 joined together for a day of remembrance.  During the day we participated in a range of activities including poppy art to display in our school hall, reading activities, exploring artefacts and a mini research project.  Our favourite activity however was baking Anzac biscuits for Granger House which is one of our local rest homes.  Some of us were lucky enough to deliver the biscuits to the rest home and they were greatly appreciated by the residents and staff. 

How did you celebrate Anzac Day?

Pumpkin Soup

Last year some members of the class planted some pumpkins in our school garden.  This week we harvested the pumpkins along with onions and some herbs.  We also collected some of the garlic which was also grown in our garden but was harvested earlier.  We then decided to make some pumpkin soup.  

Mrs P had a yummy recipe where you roast the pumpkin first so we decided to give it a go.  It was a great success and we made so much pumpkin soup.  We put servings into containers and some of us delivered it to the neighbours of our school to thank them for being such great neighbours.  We also got to eat some for our lunch and it was delicious.  Finally we cleaned and all of the pumpkin seeds to replant later in the year.

This was a fantastic day in the kitchen where we all worked together and we all felt very proud to have been able to give back to our local community. Our neighbours were all very complimentary of our soup and some even sent us thank you notes and cards.   Our act of kindness made us all feel good about ourselves and we hope to do more as the year progresses.  

Senior Constable Jos Day

This week we had a day in honour of Senior Constable Jos who is currently very unwell with bowel cancer.  Constable Jos is an awesome person who has spent many hours in our school working alongside our teachers, especially focusing on road safety.  He has taught us how to keep safe in many aspects of our lives including at home, when walking, when cycling and also when travelling in cars. 

On this day our school raised $900 to donate to bowel cancer research by completing a coin trail.  Our class also created two collaborative art pieces as a gift for our friend Constable Jos.  We chose to do bikes as we have all learnt cycle safety from him.  Our Principal Mrs O is going to deliver our finished artworks to Constable Jos to show him we are all thinking of him.