Ramp Race

Throughout the term we have been experimenting with forces such as gravity, friction and air pressure. 

Initially the children were asked to put together their Lego car and push it, with themselves as the force, across surfaces such as carpet, wood and plastic. They then modified their cars to see if they could make them go further. Most groups took parts off their cars to lighten them.

Finally they were asked to modify their cars to see whose car could go furthest down the ramp outside the staffroom. There was a catch! They were not allowed to push their car. They had to find another force that would propel their car down the ramp, with interesting results.

Here is the video of the race:

https://youtu.be/iui9ouTj61A

Times table Champions

Congratulations to the following children who "monstered" i.e. mastered their 2 - 10 times tables:
Bitner   Anjola    Lucas     Alodia    Charli    Franny    Lillia    Luca    Jadarose    Vinnie

Every child will receive a monster card for the times tables they have monstered. Well done to everyone for working so hard to learn them all!!
Please continue practicing the times tables with your children, even if they have mastered them, as we need them for fractions and for problem solving.

On the subject of Maths, we have been learning to tell the time using analogue clocks. We can all tell the hour and half hour but some children still need practice with quarter past, quarter to, and 5 minute increments. Please help by practising at home with your child.

Have fun with Maths!

School Focus For Week 9 and 10

Yesterday we discussed what each of the points mean to us at school. Here are some clarifications we made:

• There are other phrases we can use as well as "please" and "thank you" but these are the most important. e.g. We should acknowledge someone when they say "thank you" by saying, "You're welcome."
• If we follow instructions quickly and quietly noone has to wait for us.
• We need to look at the person who is speaking, whether it is an adult or child.
• We should wait until there is a break in the conversation before interrupting unless it is an emergency.
• Walking quietly around the school means we won't disturb other classes who are working.

Auckland Zoo Trip

On the 9th June we visited the Auckland Zoo with a focus on the native animals. We spent valuable time with Kirstie, who spoke to us about kaitiakitanga and how we need to look after the animals and environment. After our walk about with Kirstie we were able to look around the rest of the zoo where we saw our favourite animals.

The children are writing information reports about their favourite animals at present and these will be published on the blog before the end of this term.

 Many thanks to To'a, Leonie and Mike who helped supervise the groups.

Entering the NZ bush enclosure.

Tane Mahuta carving

Leonie's group

Mike's group

Impersonations of a flamingo

GREEN WEEK ACTIVITIES

Week 6 may have been a short week but it was a very busy one indeed!
On Tuesday we decided on 6 areas of inquiry and the children opted into one for the two days we had to work on them. I have attached photos of the activities. Thank you to parents who supplied some of the equipment we needed.

Making flaps for bin covers

Making covers for the class bins

Designing posters

Upcycling bird houses from home

Making bird feeders

Growing seeds in hothouses

Charli, Anjola and Luca worked on an advertisement for Lost Property.

Week 6 Update

Wow! It's June already!
I hope you all had a wonderful "Queen's birthday" weekend with your families.

This week is Green Week and our focus is on Kaitiakitanga (caring for our environment). Our class will be looking at ways we can care for the trees and birds in our school environment. We will be able to identify the birds at school and at the zoo on Friday. 
If you have time please pop into this website http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/ which will help you name birds in your backyard.


Our zoo trip is this Friday. Thank you to all the parents who offered to help. Franny, Bitner and Luca's parents will be helping supervise on this trip.
Please ensure you send your child to school on Friday with a packed lunch and water. No children will be allowed to visit the shops at the zoo. If the weather looks like rain please send them along with a raincoat or umbrella. Friday is Green Day at school. Can we all wear green to the zoo??

Term 1 Green Day outfits

There is no set homework this week. Please have a chat about what we did at school each day instead e.g. Today we had a visitor who spoke about coastal sustainability and tomorrow we start our inquiry about being kaitiaki / guardians.

Have a great week everyone 😁