Swimming

In Week 7 and 8 we went to Kings Swim School for swimming lessons. When we arrived at the pool we had to get into our togs and sit in the 'dry room' while we waited for our turn. We were split into 4 groups and our instructors did a fantastic job at teaching us how to swim or helping us correct our technique.

We got pretty fast and could even watch Miss Rooney taking photos!

It was important that we listened carefully to the instructors.

We got to have 'Water Safety' on Fridays.

Here we are with life jackets on, pretending we're in the ocean.

Then we got to sit in a boat and learn about what we need to do to be safe if something goes wrong.

We had to hold our noses and learn how to fall out of a boat.

Once we got dress we went up stairs to eat!

Some of us got to sit way closer to the TV than we do at home!

(And Miss Rooney got a wee rest)

THANKS KINGS SWIM SCHOOL!

Ranfurly Shield visits OLA

Today we were lucky enough to have the Ranfurly Shield at school. Some of us (Xavier) even kissed it! We thought there might be some famous rugby players coming too, but there wasn't, how disappointing!! The children were crazy with excitement, I hope they get a good sleep before the last day of swimming tomorrow.

Sunflower Seed Planting

Room 9 planted Sunflower seeds with the Seniors this afternoon. On the last day of term each child in the school will receive their own potted sun flower seed to grow over the holidays.

Inquiry Speeches

The children this week have presented their speeches about a commonwealth country of their choice. They did so well and learnt a lot through this process. Well Done Room 9.

New Games for Maths

http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/mathgeom.html

Maths - Geometry

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/numeracy/shapes/index.shtml

Parafed - Paralympic Athletes

Last Thursday we were visited by the organisers for the IPC Athletics World Champs and Parafed. The children enjoyed having relays in the wheelchairs and exploring how NZ's best athletes compete. (Even the teachers got a turn!)

Next year the world's elite Paralympic athletes will descend upon Christchurch in a bid to be crowned World Champion! Notices have gone home with the children. If you would like another notice, I do have spare. Go New Zealand.
IPC Athletics World Championships
Christchurch, New Zealand
January 21st -30th 2011
http://www.ipcathleticsworldchamps.com/ Official Website

Eco-Warriors Planting

Yesterday the Eco-Warriors had their planting project. They did a great job and the planter boxes can be seen out in our playground!

Jump Jam Extravaganza

The Room 9 'Crazy Frogs' did me proud in the show! They looked great and were confident. Well Done!

Jamp Jam Outside

Since the weather has been so beautiful we have been doing Jump Jam outside for fitness in the mornings.

Apologies

Dear Parents,
I apologise for my lack of posts over the past few weeks. Jump Jam and Reports temporarily took over my life! We have been so busy in Room 9 over the past few weeks and the last three weeks are bound to be just as busy. As the end of year approaches we have frantically searching for more time to pack in as much learning as possible!
I will post some photos of what we have been up to lately :-)

Room 9 Maths - Fractions Games

Here is the website that will take you to two games.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/fractiondecimalpercentage/fractions/comparingfractions/game.shtml

Enjoy,
Miss Rooney

Little Red Riding Hood

In Room 9 for Writing we are looking at fairy tales. The first fairy tale is 'Little Red Riding Hood'. Click on this link to read the story online. http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/littlered/1.htm

Jump Jam Extravaganza

Welcome back from the long weekend everyone, I hope you all had a relaxing time (I know I did)!
Tomorrow we have our Jump Jam Extravaganza at Hoon Hay School hall at 7pm.
All children performing are required to meet me at Room 9 (OLA) at 6.30pm. It is a gold coin entry and we'd love to see you all there!

Religious Education - Commumion of Saints

The children this week began exploring the Communion of Saints Strand in Religious Education. The topic for the Year 3 RE programme is 'Life, Death and Christian Hope.
This week we looked at sad times in our life. The children shared with the class times when they have been sad. A theme that was common amongst all the children was the death of a pet. The children in Room 9 also expressed the death of a family member, the earthquake and fights between friends as times of sadness in their lives.

Topic - Term 4

This week the children in the M team started an inquiry on Countries in the Commonwealth, exploring the rites of passage, customs and traditions of these countries. The children will be able to select a country that they would like to learn more about. It would be helpful to discuss this with them at home and have a look at this website: http://www.commonwealth-of-nations.org/Commonwealth-Home. Happy Learning!

Athletics Day 2010

Last Thursday we had our Athletics Day for the year. It was a fun day and we all said a big thank-you to Mr A for organising it. The children got to compete in many events with three children from Room 9 getting through to Zones. Well done Finn M, Sam and Jamie! At lunch we had a sausage sizzle and a well deserved break before the relays. Red house won the house relay and the teachers won the other one after the parents we disqualified!! Here are some photos from the day thanks to Jussy.

RED NOSE DAY - November 19

Cure Kids, in association with Paper Plus Group, is bringing back Red Nose Day – bigger and better than ever before – with the aim of raising $1 million to help fund research into life-threatening childhood illnesses affecting Kiwi kids. Cure Kids’ goal is to reach every Kiwi in the land and create a sea of red come November 19th through the sale of red noses, badges, wristbands, car noses and Cadbury’s Jaffas, all available from Paper Plus and Take Note stores and Shell service stations from November 1st.
I'm so excited about this! We used to celebrate this when I was at OLA Room 9!

Art Attack - Tuesday - Paint

Yesterday the children were with me in Room 4 for Paint. We looked at the art work of Kandinsky and based our work on his famous painting "Swinging".

The children had to follow severval stages to complete their masterpiece and they did a really good job.

Art Attack - Monday - Mixed Media

Wow what an exciting week we have had so far!

On Monday Room 9 were with Mrs Campbell in Room 7 for Mixed Media art. They were taught the skills of colouring and shading and then had to create 3D animal mask. The children also got to make masquerade masks. They look great and the children were hard to recognise!

Art Attack

Hi everyone,

I trust that your holidays have gone well, mine have been thoroughly enjoyable!

Next week we kick off Term 4 with Art Attack week (minus Athletics on Tuesday). A reminder please that children need to have an art shirt with them and a pencil and rubber. Sports gear is not required, except for on Tuesday. The children in Room 9 will start off with me each morning and move to their 'Art Teacher' at 9.45am. They will return to me at 2.45pm.

I look forward to seeing you all on Monday!

Happy Holidays!!

Well it's hard to believe that it's the end of Term Three! What a busy year we have had so far.
Room 9, you have done so well this term and I am proud of all the progress you have made.
Parents - thanks for your ongoing support and for all the help you offer.
Enjoy the break everyone and see you back in October ready for another busy (but fun) term!

Jump Rope for Heart

On Tuesday we had our jump off for the heart foundation. The weather stayed fine and it was a fantastic day. The children all had the chance to show off their skipping skills!

Room 9 Assembly

Today we led assembly and what a fantastic job the children did! Our leaders Christian and Megan were clear and confident, well done!Some of the children performed a ZUMBA song. They were enthusiastic and energetic. Awesome!

Animal Songs

Today in Reading the children had to write a song/rap about the animal they have been reading about. Some of the brave students wanted to share with the class and here are some examples of what we heard. Well done Room 9 Reading!

Room 9 Assembly

Room 9 are leading Assembly this week at 1.30pm in the hall and we would love it if lots of parents could attend. There will be special prayers, singing and dancing!

Leading assembly is: Christian and Megan

Leading prayers are: Madison, Samuel, Kieran, Mikaela, Rhys, Olympia

Performing a special dance are: Xavier, William, Evelyn, Talia, Madison, Danielle, Alyssa, Breanna, Lucy, Luka and Olympia.



See you Friday!

Welcome Back!

It was so lovely to have all the children back at school today. The day started off with a big session on earthquakes and I can confidently say that the children are well prepared if one happens while they're at school. I have some useful websites that you may want to take a look at and if anyone has any problems please come and see me.
http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/recent_quakes.html
http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
http://www.eq-iq.org.nz/quakehouse/index.html

School Tomorrow

Hi Room 9 and Parents,
I am looking forward to seeing you all at school tomorrow.
Morning Tea: There will be morning tea in the hall tomorrow at 9am for any parents who would like to join us. We will have some resources available for those of you who would like help in helping your children deal with the earthquake and after effects of it.
I hope you have had a relaxing weekend and I will see you tomorrow,
Miss Rooney

No School Until Monday 13th September

Hi Room 9 and Parents,
In case you haven't already heard there is no school until Monday. I hope that you are all keeping safe and avoiding the aftershocks (as much as possible). I am thinking of you all and can't wait to see your smiling faces on Monday.
See you then, Miss Rooney

Earthquake Safety

DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON!
Learn what to do during an earthquake, whether you're at home, at work, at school or just out and about. Taking the proper actions, such as "Drop, Cover, and Hold On", can save lives and reduce your risk of death or injury. During earthquakes, drop to the floor, take cover under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to it firmly. Be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops.

How did you protect yourselves Room 9? I ran and stood in the door-way of my bedroom. Post a comment telling me what you did.

Remember to keep safe and enjoy the sunshine while it's out today!

Waka Waka

Hi Room 9,
Here is the video if you want to practice the dance for Friday.
See you Wednesday (fingers crossed)
Miss Rooney

Earthquake

Hi Room 9,
I hope you are all okay after being woken up early this morning. I was a bit scared! Just a few broken glasses and a vase at my house. I just got some power and water, so I'm a bit happier now. Keep safe and I will see you all Monday.

Willowbank Trip

Yesterday we went to Willowbank with the M team. We got to experience the habitat of many interesting animals. The trip was very worth-while. The children were given cameras to use in groups and I will make a slide show for the blog over the weekend. For now, here are just a few. A big thank-you to Jussy, Bernie, John and Pete for being our parent helps, you made the day even better for the children. Today we completed a PMI (plus, minus and interesting) of our trip. What a fun week we've had!

Patting the Eels

Random Act of Kindness Day

Tomorrow is 'RAK' Day. Do something extra special for someone you know..or a complete stranger!

Animal Quiz

I have a homework task for you Room 9 (and M Team). I am going to write 30 questions about animals and you need to find the answers for them. You have one week to complete the task. All answers need to come to me by 3pm next Wednesday. Please write the number of the question and the answer on a piece of paper. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place!
Good Luck,
Miss Rooney


1. What food makes up nearly all (around 99%) of a Giant Panda’s diet?
2. True or false? Mice live for up to 10 years.
3. What is the name of the phobia that involves an abnormal fear of spiders?
4. What is the largest type of ‘big cat’ in the world?
5. True or false? Crocodiles have no sweat glands so they use their mouths to release heat.
6. Eagles are very good at spotting potential prey from a long distance, why?
7. What are female elephants called?
8. True or false? Owls can turn their heads completely backwards, allowing a 360 degree view.
9. Bees are found on every continent of earth except for one, which is it?
10. True or false? Cats spend an average of 13 to 14 hours a day sleeping.
11. What is the fastest land animal in the world?
12. A ‘doe’ is what kind of animal?
13. True or false? Cougar’s are herbivores.
14. Groups of lions are known as what?
15. Is a dolphin a mammal?
16. What is the largest land animal in the world?
17. True of false? Snakes have slimy skin.
18. What is the only continent on earth where Giraffes live in the wild?
19. How many pairs of wings does a bee have?
20. What type of animal is the largest primate in the world?
21. Is a shark a fish or a mammal?
22. What is the most recognisable feature of a hedgehog’s appearance?
23. True or false? Owls are far-sighted, meaning that anything within a few inches of their eyes can’t be seen properly.
24. What is the name of an adult female horse?
25. What are baby goats called?
26. What is the tallest animal in the world?
27. True or false? Rabbits are born blind.
28. What is the most recognizable physical feature of the male lion?
29. How many legs does a spider have?
30. The crocodile species is believed to have been around for how long? 2 million years or 200 million years?

RE Church Strand - What is a Messiah?

What is a 'Messiah'?
In Religious Education we have been exploring the word 'Messiah'. We looked at the word leadership and explored a leader who shaped change in his country, Nelson Mandela.
As a class we then looked at the life of Nelson Mandela and watched a fantastic video on youtube. We talked about how Nelson 'saved' his people and how Jesus was a saviour. The children had to imagine how it felt to be living in a country where you didn't have the freedom of choice and we had some fantastic discussion around the choices we are all able to make.

Animals