Over and Out for 2009

This is the final blogpost for 2009. We have all grown taller, learnt heaps and laughed a lot since the first blogpost of 2009. Have a safe and happy holiday.

Class Party

This morning we had our class party. We all brought food to share for lunch. There was so much food we thought we'd never be able to eat it all but there wasn't much left. Thank you parents for providing such yummy food. We played musical chairs. We farewelled Freya who is leaving us to go to St Pauls where her mother is teaching.

Rabbit Island Picnic on PhotoPeach

Korean Visitor

This afternoon we had a very special visitor. Jared 's Mum brought Yun He Won to visit us in Room 4. Yun He Won's english name is Tina. She has been studying at Garin College this year and goes back to South Korea tomorrow.
She told us lots of interesting things about life in Korea and answered all the questions we had. Tina wrote our names in Korean on pieces of paper and we had a go at writing them ourselves. In Korea children don't start primary school until they eight years old. Lots of our boys thought they would like to move to Korea until they heard that the school days are much, much longer as you get older.
Thank you Marie and Tina. We have learnt heaps about life in another country.

Turtle Visit

This morning Sierra's mother brought her turtle to visit Room 4. She is a Red Eared Turtle. She is 20 years old. Red Eared Turtles are found in North and South America. They are not allowed to be breed in New Zealand any more because the Department of Conservation don't want them getting into the waterways as they compete for food with native species. The Thomas's buy turtle food from the pet shop. She lives in the garden. There is a fence around so she doesn't escape and she has a pond to swim in.

New Games

Click on the picture to play some new games.

Tree Planting

Here are some of the Room 4 girls ready to head off to plant trees at Snowdens Bush with the Eco Group. It is a freezing cold day so they will have to work hard to keep warm.

Motorbiking

On Sunday Dad and I went up 88 Valley to do a motorbike race.
First we did a practice ride. Then we raced. Dad's race was first.
Dad did a wheelie. My race was last. It was fun. I thought I won. Then everyone went to the Richmond pub. I didn't get a prize but someone else gave me a hat. We went to bed late.

Exciting Weekend

I had a very exciting weekend because it was Halloween and it was my sister's birthday. We went to a Halloween party at the Baptist church.
The next day when I went fishing Sophie didn't come because she was at her birthday party. I went with my friend on the boat. We saw 2 jellyfish right next to my fishing rod. I was frightened. We caught 18 fish.

Biking

In the weekend I went for a bush bike ride with Mum, Dad and Ashlee. It was really bumpy. I went really, really fast. Mum and Dad and Ashlee couldn't keep up with me. I stopped biking and got off my bike I thought I was lost but I wasn't lost. I got back on my bike and started biking again. And there were lots of puddles. I fell into a puddle. It was a big big puddle. I got all muddy. I felt like a rhinoceros and a pig and a hippopotamus but I got back on my bike. When we were going home I stopped in to say hello to Serina and Mel and Callum and Serina's dad. When they saw me they laughed at me. When I got home Mum took this photo.

Labour Weekend

On Friday after school when Connor and I were doing the wood I got a nail in my foot. It stung and I screamed and screamed.
The next day when Matthew came to my house we went on the lawn mower. Mum made pikelets. We had butter and jam on them. They tasted delicious. We had an ice block and a Juices Matthew and I stayed in the spa until we were all wrinkly. On Sunday when I was moving Connor's bunk I got a piece of glass in my foot because Taylor threw a ball at the window and broke it. I didn't see the glass. Connor got it out for me. On Monday we made ice drink and orange soda stream. Taylor and I got two dollars each for making them. I felt happy because it was a great Labour Weekend.

A New Game

Robots on PhotoPeach

Holidays By Ella

Josh's Rabbits Visit

On Friday Josh's Mum brought their rabbits to school. One is called Sooty and the other one is Smoky. They eat carrots, grass, celery, pellets, and just about anything you give them. They were really soft and cuddly. We all got to have a hold of Sooty.

Aimee's Holiday Adventures

Room 4 calendars

When Mrs Inch came to Room Four we made art calendars.
First step was to get a piece of paper and fold it just about in half. Then we sponged paint onto the top for the background.On the bottom piece we did long strokes with the sponge with not much paint on it. We painted the bowls with a different colour and stuck them on when they were dry. We cut the tulip tops out and painted them on the blank side so you couldn't see the lines. We painted green stalks on above the bowl and then we stuck the tulip tops on. They look great.

Great Info Site

Click on the image to access this great site.

Discovery Time Muffins

This morning Cushla and her band of bakers made Coconut Muffins using a Robyn Martin recipe.

1 1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup of coconut
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups coconut cream

Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl.
Stir in coconut and sugar.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
Beat eggs and coconut cream together.
Pour into the dry ingredients.
Mix just to moisten.
3/4 fill greased muffin tins.
Bake at 200 C for 15 minutes or until muffinsspring back when touched.
Makes 12

Rally Cars

Three rally cars came to visit Brightwater School this morning. One of the drivers, Kieran Hall used to go to Brightwater School. Ben Hunt went to Wakefield School and Dominick Unterberger went to Richmond School. They are all taking part in the last stage of the National Championship. They spoke about how they got into car rallying and answered some questions. Then we went outside to look at the cars. Some children got to sit in the cars. We all got posters and maps. Some of us hope we can go and watch this weekend.

Volcano

On Monday afternoon Room Four made a volcano in the sandpit. We made a sand castle. We put a plastic cup in the top. We mixed 3 tablespoons of baking soda with half a cup of water and a few drops of food colouring in the plastic cup. Then we poured 1 teaspoon of vinegar in the cup. The mixture frothed up and flowed over the top of the cup and down the sides of our sand volcano. We added vinegar lots more times and every time it flowed over. We even went back the next day and added some more vinegar and it flowed over again.

Ronald McDonald Visits Brightwater School

After playtime today all the Junior Syndicate went to the school hall. We didn't know why we had to go there but while we were singing a song Ronald McDonald walked in and gave us all a big surprise. He had trouble putting up his stand. When he finally got it standing up he clipped a large book onto the stand. Mrs Woodward read the story and Ronald acted it out. When he hung his washing out the wind blew one of his red and white stripey socks away. He had to go and look for it.
He taught us some safety rules when he looked for his sock.
Always wear your seatbelt. Make it click
Walk on the house side of the footpath.
Watch out for sneaky driveways.
Stop Look and Listen before you cross the street.
Finally he got to the school and we saw the sock on his back.
It was a special sock because it had eyes. He left the sock at Brightwater School to remind us about Road Safety.

Lambs

Yesterday Mr Dobbie stole three lambs from their mothers and brought them to school in a big wheelie bin on the back of his truck . Some people got to pat them. Two were twins. The lambs were two days old. Room Four love lambs .

Mathletics Finished

On Monday Mathletics finished. Mr Baldwin came to room 4 to give us our certificates. Some people didn't get one because they haven't been playing it a lot. Nineteen people got a bronze certificate. Brynn got over 6 thousand points . We loved playing Mathletics at home and at school.

Daffodil Day Assembly

On Friday it was Daffodil Day. Room 10 had a Fancy Hat Day. Room 10 left the hall to get Daffodil day hats. They did a fashion walk down the middle of the hall. Mr Watson showed us the hat that his wife would of liked. Then Mr Dobbie called out the winners. They were Ryan, Luke and Holly.

Discovery Time on PhotoPeach

Daffodil Day.

On Friday it will be daffodil day. People have to bring one or two dollars with a picture they have drawn of a daffodil to enter the draw to win bunches of daffodils. We are having a coin trail as well to raise money for people with cancer.

Jared's Puppy

On Monday morning Jared brought his new puppy to school. He is called Cutie. He has curly hair and a curly tail. He sleeps in a cage in the garage. Cutie eats just about everything.

Poems

Every day after lunch we have a poem monitor. They have to pick some poems. Then they have to read the poems with the class. We use a paint brush for a pointer. Charlie is the first monitor.

The Builders

This morning the builders shifted the PE shed for the two new classes. Everything was taken out of the shed. Some other men arrrived to help lift it.

Mathletics Awards

On Friday Mr Baldwin gave out bronze awards to some of the class. The people that got a bronze award are going to be aiming for a silver award.

Old Fashioned Mousetraps

This morning at Discovery Time Freya, Charlie and Cameron made mousetraps with Marie. Mr Baldwin and Mrs Stewart thought they were yummy. So did the rest of Room 4. We had them for morning tea.




Old Fashioned Mousetraps
10 slices of sandwich bread
1 1/2 cups of grated cheese
2 eggs beaten
1tsp of worcester sauce
1 tsp grainy mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 rashers bacon chopped into little pieces

Mix all the ingredients together and spread over the bread.
Bake at 200 C for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden and puffed up.
This recipe is from a Jo Segar recipe book.

Kapa Haka

During the week a lady came to the hall to teach some of the people from Room Four and and other classes Kapa Haka. Her name was Gaynor Rikihana. Heaps of people enjoyed it. She taught us some special Maori songs. She is coming every week.

Two New CLassrooms

This Morning the builders came to build two new classrooms. First they have to move the P.E. shed. They were making a lots of noise cutting concrete.

Mathletics

On Monday Room Four got signed in for Mathletics and made their avatars.We are aiming to get ten or more. Some people can get over twenty or thirty. We were playing against each other this morning.
By Aimee and Serina

Science

Click on the links below
Watch some experiments
Floating and Sinking
Nash's Adventures

Apple Crumble

Today we made Apple Crumble at Discovery Time with Cushla.
It was delicious.
Here is the recipe if you want to make it at home.
It is from the Edmonds book.

2 cups stewed fruit
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
75 grams butter

Place stewed fruit in bottom of ovenproof dish.
Sprinkle with brown sugar.
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl.
Cut in butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Stir in sugar and rolled oats.
Spoon mioxture over fruit.
Baker at 190 C for 30 minutes.

Robots

Today we started making our robots with Mrs Inch. We had lots of fun. Thanks Donna, Viki and Jenny for helping.
Robots on PhotoPeach

Cody's Birthday

On Saturday it was Cody's birthday. We had a ride on a fire engine. Cody had a fire engine cake. It was yummy. Cody was turning five. He got a radio and a whistle. I had fun.

Discovery 31 July

At Discovery Time this morning Cushla helped us make chocolate muffins with Nadine's special recipe. They had rice flour in them instead of normal flour. Mrs Lines and Georgia had to go to the Four Square shop to buy vinegar for the cake. Most of us iced one and put sprinkles or hundreds and thousands on the top.
We also made tea in a real teapot. We made models with the knex that Mrs Lines bought on Trade Me. Some girls played Twister. Jared has mastered Life Guards, saving 10 people. Skipping was another activity. The red playdough we made last week was still okay to use. Cameron and Matthew put worm wee around our daphne bush and the other plants in the garden outside our room.