We are super excited about taking part in the Year 1-3 production this week. Today we had a Dress Rehearsal in front of the whole school.
It was great to see all the classes taking part dressed in their outfits - so much shimmer and sparkle - the audiences at the rest of our shows are certainly in for a visual feast.
The children did a great job today and I heard lots of comments of "that was awesome" as they came off stage - so great to hear they are enjoying taking part in this event.
We look forward to sharing our talent with you all this week.
Here is a picture of us in the hall before the show started.
Thursday 15th June - Science
This week our Oral Language topic has been science. Children have been encouraged to bring in a book about Science, or items to conduct a science experiment for the whole class to see. So far this week we have seen some fantastic experiments, and been amazed by Thomas's book about the human body which showed our bones, muscles and nerves.
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| Kobe made a volcano out of vinegar and baking soda. |
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| Sarah created a lava lamp out of blue coloured water, oil and Alka Seltzer. |
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| Che, and his Lab Technician, showed us how air pressure kept the plastic over the glass so no water came out when it was turned upside down. |
Well done everyone, we have really enjoyed watching your science experiments!
Wednesday 14th June - Words
As part of our reading tumble the children are involved in a number of different activities including different reading tasks (Read to Self, Read to a Buddy, Read Big Books), word work (letter and phonics worksheets, making words using magnetic letters etc), reading games on the ipads, and literacy board games.
One of our favourite games is the "Chunks" game in which children have to take 2 different coloured tiles and put them together to see if they make a word. If it does they get to keep the word, if not both tiles are returned.
The Mouse group did a fantastic job on Wednesday using up almost all the tiles in their quest to make words. Well done everyone!
Tuesday 13th June - Shape
Wow it's been a very busy couple of weeks with lots of great learning as well as our production practice.
This term we have been busy learning about shapes. We have talked about different shapes and identified them in the classroom. We have discussed sides and corners and sorted shapes into different groups. As part of our maths tumble this week the children completed shape challenges where they used lolly sticks and playdoh to create 2D and 3D shapes.
Well done everyone! We will continue our shape investigations over the rest of the term.
Wednesday 31st May - Science Roadshow
The Science Roadshow rolled into Torbay today, and the Year 2's had the fun of attending a session after an early lunch today.
We started by watching a show about "The Hidden World" where the children were shown x-rays, how an endoscope worked and microscopes and telescopes.
Then we were given the opportunity to get "hands on" trying lots of different activities and experiments.
Finally, we were joined by the Year 3's for a final show called "The Spectacular Changes" which included experiments using gloop, liquid nitrogen, dry ice, fire and many more.
The amazement and excitement on the children's faces was a joy to watch.
Thursday 25th May - Cross Country
After a rainy afternoon on Wednesday and a foggy start to today, the conditions for our Cross Country afternoon were glorious.
There was much excitement in the classroom when the children changed into their mufti clothes ready to race. After lunch and the roll, we headed out to the courts to wait for the races to start. There were lots of parents, grandparents and other family members there to cheer everyone on which was wonderful to see.
All the Year 1 - 4 children were put into groups according to their age and lined up ready to watch each other take part and await their turn. I took my place at the finish line ready to cheer everyone across the line and make sure we knew who had come first, second and third in each race.
Soon it was time for the 6 year old girls to race.
And they were off!
Across the field, around the tree, along the bank (trying not to fall in the mud), up the hill by the stage, around the top of the car track, back down to the bottom of the bank, then back up again before heading across the junior playground and onto the grass to reach the finish line.
Phew! What a fantastic effort by all our runners.
Next up were the 6 year old boys who charged away across the field.
What a great afternoon! I was really proud of the effort all the children have put in to cross country practices over the last few weeks and to the races today.
PS: Fortunately there are no photos of the parents race, but I believe I was a shining example of what "taking part" is all about!
Wednesday 24th May - Finishing our Robots
On Wednesday afternoon we took part in another session of our Art / Sport / Te Reo / Dance rotation, with Room 22 getting the chance to decorate their robots. Once again I was very grateful to have Fiona, Che's Mum, to help glue, stick and generally be awesome.
We provided coloured paper, sparkly foam, black polystyrene, stickers and a variety of other "bits and bobs" to help make our robot constructions look out of this world.
Soon everyone was busy gluing and sticking to make their robots look amazing.
Everyone was so excited to be able to take them home and show off their creations.
Well done Room 22!
Tuesday 23rd May - Rainbow Spinners
This afternoon, as part of our Inquiry into colour and light, we started to make our own rainbow spinners.
First we coloured in segments of a circle in different colours.
Next we cut out our colourful circles and glued them back to back on pieces of card.
We worked really hard on making sure we left no white on our circle segments and didn't go over the lines. Next week our final task is to make two holes in the centre of the circles and thread string through so we can twist them up and they will spin as they unwind. We are looking forward to seeing what colours are created when our spinners spin!
Friday 19th May - Auditions
Over the past couple of weeks some of the children have auditioned for speaking roles in our Year 1-3 Production which takes place in Week 9. ALL children will be part of the production as part of their class act, but there were also a few speaking roles up for grabs. Well done to all the children who auditioned, whether it was in class or they made it through to the big auditions with the other Year 2 and 3's.
A huge congratulations to Che who won the role of "Gold Crayon" and will be introducing our class performance on stage!
Thursday 18th May - Certificates
Congratulations to Kobe and Jaime who received certificates in assembly this afternoon.
Kobe's was for Respect and Responsibility - Kobe is always ready on the mat, and takes pride in his work. Jaime's was for her commitment to maths - she is always focused on the activity and tries her best.
Last week's certificate winners were Niamh and Wynter, both for commitment to their reading.
Well done everyone!
Wednesday 17th May - Boxes, boxes and lots of glue!
Today we started building our robots out of a variety of boxes. The children checked their designs so they could see what kind of boxes they would need to make their robot look like their plan. Then they gathered boxes and started cutting and arranging pieces ready for gluing.
I was very grateful to have the help of Che's mum Fiona and Miss Forbes in the classroom with us to man glue gun stations as soon the children were ready to put their robots together.
Next Wednesday we will finish gluing our robots together and start decorating them, so if you have any material, bottle tops, buttons, etc. that could be used as eyes, buttons, levers and more it would be great if you could bring them into class.
Friday 12th May - Year 2 Trip to MOTAT
It may have been raining but it certainly didn't dampen our spirits as we set off on our trip to MOTAT this morning. I'm not sure whether the children were more excited about heading to MOTAT or the fact that we were getting there by bendy bus, but it wasn't long before we were safely ensconced in our base for the day having morning tea.
Our class then set out exploring the different MOTAT exhibitions. We started in the Arctic and then found the Fire engines.
Next we headed to the new Innovators exhibit trying games and discovering different rooms.
From there we moved on to the Pump House where we got to see the steam engine in action and hold coal that was millions of years old.
Next we went to the Machines area where we tried our hands at pulleys, cogs, screws and levers. This is a great hands on area that the children all loved.
The Get Smart Exhibit was next where we looked at computers through the ages and played arcade games including Pac Man.
After lunch we had our session with the MOTAT educator who got us trying out lots of different light and mirror activities, including mixing light colours, shadow puppets and creating rainbows with prisms and crystals.
Then it was back on the bus and heading to school. When asked, there were many favourite parts of our trip, and I know that the knowledge we gained today will be a big help with our Inquiry over the rest of this term.
Thank you again to Lara, Debbie, Jen and Alex for your help - I hope you're enjoying a relaxing evening!
Thursday 11th May - Road Safety Week
This morning we were joined in class by Rochelle from Auckland Transport who came to talk to us for Road Safety Week. All week we have been focusing on staying safe in cars and following the "Buckle Up" campaign including reading a story about wearing seatbelts - "Make it Click", so it was great to have Rochelle join us.
Using some fun props and cool video clips she explained about the different kinds of car seats. She told us it is the law in NZ that children have to be in a booster seat until they are 7 years old, and if possible should stay in a booster seat until they are 148 cm tall. The children learnt that booster seats aren't just for babies, but adults use them too for some jobs - including racing drivers!
As part of Road Safety Week the children have been busy carefully colouring in a Road Safety poster. Emerson, Brooklyn and Sofiya's posters were chosen as the best from our class and will be judged by Mrs Sandifer, along with posters from the other Year 2 classrooms, to see who wins the special prize.
Wednesday 10th May
Mrs Benkovic joined the class this morning to conduct some light experiments. First the children drew around their shadows on the courts with chalk.
This was a really great introduction to light and we're looking forward to our trip on Friday and finding out more about light sources.
Wednesday 10th May
This morning we joined Room 7 to take part in a session of Inflatable Football which was being run by the FootballFC NZ coaches. The children were split into groups and got to play a couple of games inside the inflatable football pitch. They had lots of fun as you can see from the pictures! Inflatable football is going to be available as an after school activity on Wednesday afternoon starting 24th May, forms went home yesterday and spares can be collected from the office if your child would like to take part.
Tuesday 9th May - Colour Experiments
This term our Inquiry is based around "A World of Colour: Can you see what I see?". We are going to be conducting experiments about light and colour and their relationship with each other. Last Thursday we started by brainstorming what we know about colour and light and watching a video that told us how our eyes work.
Today Miss Forbes and I helped the children complete a colour mixing activity. We got red, blue and yellow dye and then asked the students to predict what colours we could make if we mixed them together. All the students had a chance to combine colours, and look at the shades of colours we created.
Finally, at the end of our session, Miss Forbes conducted an experiment with milk, dye and washing up liquid. As the washing up liquid was dripped into the container holding the milk and dye the children were amazed to see the colours spreading and mixing on the surface of the milk.
We are very much looking forward to our trip to MOTAT on Friday and our session with the educators who will tell us more about light and colour.
Thursday 4th May - Cross Country
This morning, in glorious sunshine, the Year 2's and 3's met up on the top courts to practice for our Junior Cross Country event. After a warm up to stretch out our muscles, the children lined up in age order and set off along the course. Although it was a little muddy in places, the children were soon racing across the grass, down the bank, along the fence and past the new fitness trail on the bottom field. Heading back up to the courts past the car track they were encouraged to try a second lap before finally warming down on the courts again. We definitely have some great runners in these years and we're looking forward to a little friendly competition on race day. Ka pai everyone!
More details of the day will follow, so keep your eye on the fortnightly newsletters.
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