Should St James' children wear sunhats during the summer terms?

L.I: WALA writing to persuade. We are learning to justify our opinion by providing supporting evidence.

Horton Hears a Who writing group justified their reasons why St James' children and adults should wear sunhats during the summer terms.

Sunhats protect people from the harsh rays of the sun which protects their skin.

Firstly, wearing sunhats is important because it stops your face getting sunburnt.

Secondly, wearing sunhats protects your neck and shoulders.

Furthermore, wearing sunhats stops people from getting skin cancer.

Finally, wearing sunhats is very important for everybody because they protect our heads and shoulders from getting badly burnt.

L.I: WALT make food choices which assist our bodies to develop and grow in a balanced and healthy way.

What would I expect to find in my lunchbox? -

Room 4 were inquirying about healthy food options for school lunch boxes. We agreed a balanced selection of foods would be perfect. Foods from the food pyramid categories - 'eat lots', and 'eat some'. There was discussion about whether, 'eat little' would be a perfectly good option for our lunchboxes because the amounts eaten would be small. However, others thoughts considered this category to be only treat foods which shouldn't be had during the day but as a treat for the whole family now and again. 'Protein, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables' were the categories we selected food from for our school lunch boxes.

Some of the ideas for our school lunchboxes were as follows: cold meats, fruit - (strawberries, pineapple, apples, and oranges), raw vegetables, dried fruits, cheese, yogurt, nuts, mueslie bars (without chocolate coating the bar), sandwich (with different fillings - chicken, ham, peanut butter and marmite, and vegetables).

WALT give detailed descriptions in my writing. Have I included amazing adjectives, vivacious verbs, mighty metaphors and scintillating similes?

WALT give detailed descriptions in my writing. Have I included amazing adjectives, vivacious verbs, mighty metaphors and scintillating similes?

Room 4 were wondering about the Digestive System

L.I: WAL about ‘finding out’ for our second deep conceptual understanding “How does the digestive system transform food into energy for our bodies to use?

Here are some of our wonderings.

How does energy help you move? Suede

What is the most important part in the digestive system? Georgia and Amelia

Why does the left over food get stored in your stomach? Bronte

Why is the small intestine bigger than the large intestine? Scott

How does the good part of your food get into your blood stream? Hayes

How do bright coloured foods turn into brown waste as it goes through the body? Tim

How long does it take for food get down to your rectum? Ashleigh

L.I: We are learning about how the digestive system transforms food into energy for our bodies to use

L.I: WAL about healthy food option. Lewis

Food by Ashleigh Richards

Our Big Question this term is: How do your food choices impact on your body and health? Our tuning in looked at 'The Food Pyramid'

The Middle Team got together to start our Inquiry - tuning in. We each brought along two pieces of food - an unhealthy food item and a healthy food item. Our first data collection was to decide where to put the food items.

Here is a photo showing where the Middle Team added their food items to the 'Food Pyramid'.

We had some wonderful discussions and reflections as to whether some of the placed food items should stay where they were.

How to hold a shot put for beginners.

Discus technique

How to run the hurdles correctly.

L.I: WALA the skills of track and field: shot put, discus and hurdles.

The middle team had a look at three areas of athletics - track and field (shotput, discus and hurdles). The purpose of this learning was to increase our skill base knowledge in these three areas so we would be better skilled for the St James' Athletics Day. During the video watching, we could gather the facts through note taking, followed by sharing with a partner our new information.

L.I: WAL about using descriptive language to give impact. When it snowed last week, Room 4 created some poems using descriptive language..

Awesome Snow

Romantic, floating, silent flakes.

Blue, grey, white.

Glistening, sparkly diamond

Once

Frozen water clung to clouds

Now

Romantic, floating, silent flakes

www.northwood.org.uk/complex%20sentences.htm -

L.I: WAL about narrative writing and the use of animation to tell the story.

Explain the purpose of a narratve, identify the structure of a narrative, and discuss the language features that a narrative would expect to have.

Using the 'Red' (feeling) De Bono Thinking Hat what do you think about the Boy and the reactions of the village people? Finally finish with the 'Black' (the minus) De Bono Thinking Hat - the Boy's character and the 'Village People. What would you have done if you had the responsibilty of looking after the village sheep?

L.I: WAL how People can experience the signs of God's Presence Through Reflection

Today in Religious Education we were learning how ‘People can experience the signs of God’s presence through reflection’. We read from the Scripture Reading –

1 Kings 19: 1 – 14, where we heard how God was present to Elijah in quiet gentle ways. ‘Elijah waited, quiet and still. Then there came a soft whisper like a gently breeze. God was speaking to Elijah in the quiet and silence of the mountain night’

As a gentle reflection experience and a follow up on the Scripture reading, we participated in a Guided Meditation and also shared our personal experience of times ‘when God has spoken to us in the quiet silent times’.

Using three of de Bono’s Thinking Hats – Yellow (pluses), Black (negative/minus/not so good), and Green (wonderings/interesting, creative changes, or next steps), Room 4 completed a PMI – Plus, Minus and Interesting reflective deeper attention thinking tool about the experience. As a class, here are some of our reflective comments.

Plus – Yellow Hat

• Brings us closer to Jesus and to God
• Peaceful, People can relax and speak to God
• A time to reflect
• Peaceful and quiet
• Spending more time with God and giving him our prayers
• Being prayerful, Showing respect
• A time to talk to God
• We can talk to God more easily without distractions
• Connecting to Jesus
• A chance to show self control
• A time to show our virtues of respect, forgiveness and self control
• Opening our hearts and putting Christ into our lives
• A time to connect with God and to Jesus
• A time to listen to Gods messages

Minus – Black Hat

• Talking to neighbours
• Noisily playing with the gem stones which were in the students hands
• Some students disengaged by wandering eyes
• Distractions in the class
• Distractions going on outside
• Students need a lot more practice at keeping silent and still
• Meditation was too long

Interesting – Green Hat
• Students to bring in to the mediation their own treasure/taonga – variety of treasures so the silent reflective mediation can be more personal
• Students to be given the choice to either: bow their heads, close their eyes, look at the prayer focus or look at their own symbol of God’s presence in their hands
• To practice on a regular basis the closing of our eyes for stillness – so mediation becomes a natural experience not something unusual
• Mrs Grant to meditate by perhaps a student taking the Meditation Reflection.
Dear God, help me to be still and quiet, so that I can know and feel that you are very close to me.

L.I: Wal about recognising how God is Present in our Lives

mathsweek.org.nz - 8 - 12 August 2011

Don't forget to go onto the Mathsweek web site this week. Loads of fun and challenges.

Sun

The sun can provide millions of use to people, like warmth heat and electricity. But without the sun there would be no existing life on earth.

Solar panels work from sunlight, because the sunlight powers solar also. Solar panels would be attached to the top of roofs for central heating and hot water.

It is not good that there’s a battle in the houses for non-renewable electric and renewable resources like wind, sun, geo thermal, water and solar power but humans should work and focus on renewable energy because later on in life there will be no non-renewable resources to use. Non-renewable resources are oil, gas and coal and all of them are found in the Earth.

Going to the Esplanade with my Grandparents.

One afternoon in 2010 my mum got a call saying that my grandparents wanted to take us to the Esplanade. Mum told us and we all said we would love to go.

Madi Ash and I started to head off to the Esplanade. I was really excited because they always make it lots of fun. When we arrived my mum dropped us off once we had seen my nana and granddad.

We walked around the Esplanade and after we had some delicious food from the cafe I felt spoilt. Nana is always really generous. She often buys us treats.

Later my mum and dad came and picked us up and when we got back home we carried on with our day. Just before I told mum how they spoilt us and she laughed and laughed and turned out the light.

By Mackenzie Taylor

We had a great morning learning how to make electricity using batteries

Hydro Dam - How many facts can you explain about how a hydro dam generates electricity?

How does a Hydro dam generate electricity? Share your thoughts by orally completing a PMI with your family. Justify your responses.

Childrens Story Writer

During our Book Week, St James had a visitor from Havelock North who read wonderful stories to us which she actually wrote herself. Do you know who our visitor was? If we said she wrote over 70 children's stories, used to be a Dental Nurse, had a daughter teaching at St James and one of her stories is called "Grandpas Slippers! Who is she?

With your parents, friends and family share some 'white thinking de Bono hat' facts about this author as well as your 'red feeling de Bono hat' and share how you felt about meeting a New Zealand Author. What was the best part of the visit?

Here are some wonderings Room 4 have about energy.

L.I: WAL about summarising the main ideas using key words. Elise Timmons

Matariki. WALA key words and phrases.

The Holy Spirit by Room 4

Matariki -

Poisonous Spiders.

Click here for larger version

Poisonous spiders

Click here for larger version

poisonous spiders

Click here for larger version

L.I: WALT compare and contrast. We used a three way Venn diagram

Click here for larger version

Click here for larger version

Poisonous Spiders.

Click here for larger version

L.I: WALT compare and contrast. We used a three way Venn diagram

Click here for larger version

L.I: WALT compare and contrast. We used a three way Venn diagram

Click here for larger version

For SUPER Thirty 4's passwords for www.studyladder.co.nz

Step 1
Ihaaka Rikihana
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: iha127
Password: nice

Step 1
Keiana Meikle-Wainohu
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: kea577
Password: lake

Step 1
Olivia Wallace
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: oiv3201
Password: book

Step 1
Ryan Cox
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: ryn2586
Password: hay

Step 1
Tia Rose Ngahooro
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: tia2047
Password: class

Step 1
Tim Coulson
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: tic73
Password: yes

Step 1
Ashleigh Richards
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: asl2233
Password: wing

Step 1
Cristina Miranda
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: crs530
Password: air

Step 1
Elise Timmon
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: els786
Password: grass

Step 1
Emily Gunn
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: emi3766
Password: deer

Step 1
Georgia McMillan
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: gor3692
Password: pin

Step 1
Hayes Hudson
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: hay2464
Password: east

Step 1
Priya Paki
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: pry104
Password: table

Step 1
Tiernan de Lacy
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: tir495
Password: blue

Step 1
Tiffany Carlsson
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: tif662
Password: hot

Step 1
Zac Sherborne
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: zac2832
Password: wing

Step 1
Anthony Massarotto
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: ant1662
Password: dry

Step 1
Bronte Madigan
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: bon873
Password: orange

Step 1
Lachlan Carmody
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: lac3684
Password: beach

Step 1
Lewis Etuale-Chinula
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: lei1481
Password: get

Step 1
Suede Rothery
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: sud381
Password: kite

Step 1
Tira McLachlan
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: tia2050
Password: able

Step 1
Amelia Bradley
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: ame2611
Password: farm

Step 1
Finley Brown
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: fnl183
Password: cold

Step 1
Isaac Maskill
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: isa4912
Password: pass

Step 1
Jazmine Siliapan
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: jaz646
Password: able

Step 1
Kurtis McTamney
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: krt362
Password: play

Step 1
Mackenzie Taylor
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: mck926
Password: red

Step 1
Scott Andersen
Go to the website
www.studyladder.co.nz Step 2
Find login box, top right
Username: sct488
Password: age

Visit from three IPC Japanese Students.

The SUPER Thirty 4’s were fortunate enough to have three Japanese students from Palmerston North's IPC, to share with us their knowledge on Sakura – Cherry Blossoms Festival and the celebrations which happen during this colourful Spring season.

Our students, Yukino, Rumi and Ayaka showed us how to draw the symbol of Sakura with Indian ink – known as Calligraphy, and experiment with making ‘origami’ chatter boxes and the ‘Crane bird’.


The national flower of Japan is known as Sakura.
As we found out, during the Japanese spring, there is an explosion of colour and festivities with the arrival of the cherry blossoms, Known locally as "Sakura". Sakura is the national flower of Japan and its cherry blossoms have attracted the hearts of the Japanese people for many centuries.
- showing Sakura. Indian ink was used by the students when painting our Sakura symbols.
Yukino and Yukino and Ayaka

Origami (折り紙? ) comes from ‘ori’ meaning “folding”, and kami meaning “paper”. ‘Kami’ changes to ‘gami’ due to ‘rendaku’ which is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding.

The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of material into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques, and as such the use of cuts or glue are not considered to be origami.

We had a wonderful time with our Students. While we were enjoying our new learning, we were also showing how we can participate, contribute and relate to others - these happen to be our KC's which we are learning about.

The SUPER Thirty 4’s showing Participation and Contribution and Relating to Others.

Georgia

The Middle Team Outward Bound

The Middle Team had the most amazing day with two Instructors from Linton Army Camp, who actually happened to be two of our awesome mums. The day was all about striving to reach our POTENTIAL both as Individuals and as Team participants. For some of us the challenge of completing the Individual outward bound obstacle course was enormous and for others, working in the small teams of 6 or 8 to complete our obstacle course was greatly challenging, especially as we had to communicate and work together to get our goal completed - for the common good of our small TEAMs. Did you know that TEAM stands for 'TOGETHER' 'EVERYONE' 'ACHIEVES' 'MORE'. How cool is that!

Here is a small video clip with a group working as a TEAM. Have a look and see how you think they went? What do you notice?

The SUPER 30 Fours Class Treaty

The SUPER 30 Fours have been having discussions about the importance of having our own Class Treaty.

To start our discussions going we looked at the Articles of The Treaty of Waitangi, a shared text called 'The Tree House Treaty, and a book called 'This is the House that Jack Built'. We collated all our individual thoughts together and decided what we wanted to have on our own class treaty and what were important for us all to work towards so our classroom can be the best place to be - where we feel completely trusted, respected and loved.

The SUPER 30 Fours Treaty

L.I: We are learning to:
1. Inclusively welcome new families/whanau in our class.
2. Treat others the way we want to be treated, and think, “What would Jesus do?”
3. Reverently invite Jesus into our prayer, our actions and ask Jesus to help when we are feeling sad, lonely or afraid. (Isaiah 43 1:4)
4. Listen actively to others and instructions.
5. Take responsibility for our own actions.
6. Strive for excellence in all areas of work.
7. Look after our property.

S.C: To do this we will:

• Use the Gospel Values of SUPER.
• Use the Five Finger Tool to solve unacceptable behaviour.
• Be an active risk taker and responsible learner.
• Make the right choice.
• Keep our desk, desk top and exercise books tidy.
• Focus on the speaker by stopping what we are doing and looking at the speaker.
• Listen to the message or instruction.
• Ask questions to clarify