Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

I have loved teaching all the children in Room 3 this year, you are all awesome kids, thanks for making it so easy for me to get up and come to work each day.  Thanks to all the parents and families for such a great year and all your support.  I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Restful holidays.  

Please feel free to pop in and say Hi in 2013!

Summer Reading Book Swap

What a fantastic turn out for our Great Redwood School Summer Reading Book Swap.  It was so much fun to go shopping for a new "preloved" book to have to read over the summer.  The excitement was high and the children were all thrilled with their new books.

If you go down to the woods today...

you better go in disguise....

We had lots of lovely Teddy Bears and friends at school for our Teddy Bears picnic.  We wrote great stories about our Teddy Bears, we made bear ears and tags for our bears, read teddy stories and enjoyed a lovely teddy bears picnic for lunch.

...and the fun continues!

We are finishing up one of our great weeks filled with Education Outside the Classroom activities.   Today we had the parachute out with Room 4 and played all sorts of fun games.

Lets go fly a kite...

We did an awesome job at following instructions today while we were learning how to make a kite.

Thanks to Alison who came and lead the way.

It was really pretty easy and if you want to make more at home follow the link below for instructions.

Alison said her favourite part of the day was seeing all the smiley faces as the children flew their kites!

This is where we got the instructions from

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Paper-Kite-for-Kids/?ALLSTEPS

Pizza in Pyjamas!

It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it!!!

What a fun day we are having...

Fabulous Friday!

We had a fab day on Friday in Room 3.  At our whole school assembly Benjamin was awarded a helmet as a prize for being the highest sponsored kid in Kowhai at the duathlon.  Congratulations Benjamin and thanks Pack & Pedal Porirua for supporting our school.

We had a wonderful shared lunch, thanks to all the parents for sending such yummy food for lunch.

These lovely treats certainly got us feeling festive!  Thanks to Daniella's clever Mum.

We finished up the afternoon with some party games, it was a fun way to spend the afternoon and a lovely reward for the childrens' good behaviour.

Cute and Yummy!

Katherine and her Mum spoilt us so this afternoon - THANKS!

Sports fun!

We have started some of our end of year events and enjoyed some sports fun on the field this afternoon.    The sun was shinning and the children were putting a lot of the key competencies learnt in Discovery Time into practice, asking to share and take turns with equipment as well as join in when an activity looked like fun.

Way to go Room 3!

Shape Monsters on PhotoPeach

We have some new art hanging in our classroom.  Be sure to take some time and meet our 

SHAPE MONTSTERS

Keep in Touch

This week one of the reading groups read a fun book called KEEP IN TOUCH.  In the story the girl keeps in touch with her Grandad by writing him letters.  She made a special letter in a big envelope for his birthday.

These clever children decided to make their own special letters at home, following the directions in the book they read.

Awesome work, Katherine, Daniella, Sophie, Ethan and Trinisha!

Rocky Shore Visit

 We had a great day at the Island Bay Marine Centre.

Victor and Judy really know their stuff, and we had loads of fun, first looking in the rock pools to see what we could find, and then heading inside to "touch and feel" and be amazed by all the awesome sea creatures.

Thanks to all the parent and grandparent helpers who were a great support on the trip and really got into the spirit of it all.....

Thanks for spending your birthday with us Chris, am sure it was memorable!

Dr Shark?

We know you secretly love it Lynsey!

Suits you Steph, shall I find our where you can get your own?

Thanks Bob and Margaret for a great day.

No trip to the rocky shore could be complete with out a bit of sun and wind and a sandcastle or two and we had fun at the park and down on the beach as well.

Our next step is to choose a creature from the rocky shore we would like to learn more about and do some inquiry learning...watch this space and expect to be amazed by the things we learn!!
By the way....did you know that a sea cucumber breathes thru it's bum??

School Photo Day!

Today was school photo day for Room 3.  We can't wait to see our class picture.  Miss Gargan played photographer too today, and the children wrote some observations of the experience. 

I am having my school photo.  I am excited.  I like school photo's.  I will see children in the hall.  I bet they will be laughing and having fun.  It felt cool.  I had my photo with Benjamin and JJ.  It was fun.  By Baily

At the hall people were smiling and doing sitting with their backs up straight.  And the lights were too bright.  I felt shy and happy.  I had my photo with Baily and JJ and me.  I liked the photo.  By Benjamin

In the hall I am going to get my school photo and I am happy because I like getting photos taken.  And I had a photo with Baily and Benjamin and me, J.J and we had to say "Cheese" and it was cool.  By J.J

I am in the hall with my friend Sophie.  I felt proud.  I felt proud because I am having my photo with my friends Sophie and Katherine and Georgie.  I felt nervous as well.  We had to do funny things to make us smile.  I like it when it is school photo day.  By Brooke

Today I am in the hall. I feel happy and I am getting my picture taken.  It felt funny, the things that we said were funny.  I liked having my photo taken.  By Georgie

I am in the hall with my friend Brooke.  I am nervous.  We are having a photo.  The light went flashing.  The camera clicking.  We had to smile.  By Sophie

I can see children.  And I can see children laughing.  I am in the hall writing with Room 3.  It was my turn to have a photo.  I felt guilty.  We said "lollies" and our mouths smiled and I was with Brooke and Sophie and Georgie.  By Katherine

I am in the hall.  I'm waiting with my friends and I am getting my school photo taken.  I feel shy.  I hear children chatting.  I see the children having their picture taken.  The camera went click and one of them made us laugh and they made us say all kinds of food.  It was lots of fun.  By Sam

I am in the hall waiting for my photo to get taken and I am excited because I like photos. The lights were flashing when the camera clicked and I was excited.  By Maddi

I am at the hall everyone is chatting.  I am excited to get my photo taken.  I was excited getting my photo done.  It was very cute.  By Daniella

Photos are special and you smile and say cheese for the camera.  In Room 3 today we are getting a photo taken.  The photographers took a photo it felt comfortable.  School photo day is fun!  By Ezra

Today we are having photos at the hall.  I was with Ezra.  By Jeremy

I am in the hall and I love having my photo taken.  I am scared because I want to be with my friends....and I was with my friends!  I could see the camera and we said "chocolate" and "cheese" it was awesome that we were with our friends.   By Tui

I am having a school photo today and I felt new and I heard shouting and I could see people and I stood up.  By Trinisha

I am in the hall with my friends getting my picture taken.  And I felt excited and the lights were flashing and I liked having my picture taken.  By Kudzanai

We are down at the hall getting our school photos taken  I feel happy.  I hear the camera go click.  I see the camera and I see lights.  I was with Eddie.  We were handsome.  By Lachlan

Room 3 is having there photo taken in the hall. I was with Lachlan.  I saw lights.  I saw kids having there photos.  Photo's are fun.  By Eddie.

Hard at work writing.

Individual photos

Sibling photos

Term 4 Week 1

Seems like everyone had a nice break over the holidays, it was nice to hear all the children's holiday stories.  We've had a busy week at school, good thing we have a three day weekend to enjoy!

We spent some time this week talking about fractions, familiarizing ourselves with the terminology, meaning and fractional numbers of 1/2 and 1/4.

Today we looked at different ways we could cut fairy bread into fractions, first we cut halves, and then we made quarters to share for morning tea...